festive – Book Dust Magic

Movie Monday: A Christmas Detour – Sweet,festive daytime movie #Christmas #MovieReview #Monday #Festive

Movie Monday is a feature here on my blog, in which I’m rambling about movies I’ve watched lately.

Today I want to talk about a Christmas movie I’ve watched yesterday on tv. I enjoyed it and thought it would be a good idea to put some spotlight on this title.

A Christmas Detour

I did not plan to post Movie Monday feature today, because I haven’t watched any movie I wanted to talk about, but then yesterday I stumbled on one festive daytime movie that was showing on our local tv station, and I happened to like it and wanted to put some spotlight on this movie.

Since it is a picture from 2015, and it is a tv movie, I believe it’s available on most streaming services. You’ll have to forgive me, but I didn’t do a research for that.

While I was watching A Christmas Detour I had a feeling I was watching a Hallmark movie, but according to IMDb, it’s from another production.

However, if you enjoy Lifetime and Hallmark movies, you will love this one too.

The story follows four strangers who end up stuck together because of the storm. They all wanted to be in New York for Christmas but their airplane got cancelled and they ended up in a whole another country, snowed in.
As they get to know each other they also discover their own secret wishes they didn’t even know they had.

I liked the festive vibe through the whole movie. It was my favourite part.
Also, the characters were really likeable and I enjoyed watching them on their adventure.
And in the end, as a cherry on top, the love story was cute and just done right.

If you’ll have a chance to watch A Christmas Detour this season, I highly recommend you to do so!

My favourite festive read of 2019… so far: One Christmas Star by Mandy Baggot (Book Review) #Christmas #OneChristmasStar #BookLovers #festive

GIFTED / I am so happy to talk about one book I read in October, that happened to be my favourite read of that month: One Christmas Star.
I really enjoyed spending time between pages of this festive novel and I hope my words will make you consider to give it a try too.
One Christmas Star was published on September 12th by Aria, and it has 464 pages.
I have read an eARC I received via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review, and I want to thank Aria for approving my review request.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Emily Parker is set to have the worst Christmas ever!

Her flatmate’s moved out, she’s closed her heart to love and she’s been put in charge of the school original Christmas show – with zero musical ability.

Disgraced superstar, Ray Stone is in desperate need of a quick PR turnaround. Waking up from a drunken stupor to a class of ten-year-olds snapping pics and Emily looking at him was not what he had in mind.

Ray needs Emily’s help to delete the photos, and she needs his with the show. As they learn to work together they may just open their hearts to more than a second chance…

Review:

HoHoHo readathon is coming around and I was really looking forward to read all my festive reads I got for review this year.
However, even though my original plan was to open the readathon with One Christmas Star I just couldn’t wait any longer and I had to read it.
And the best thing about my decision is that this festive novel got me out of my reading slump that lasted almost a whole month.

Ohh, if only I knew this would be the case!
I would have read it even sooner, closer to it’s releasing date.
However, better late then ever, and in my humble opinion, it is not to late to convince you to pick One Christmas Star this year when you’re in the mood for something light hearted and festive…

I love Mandy Baggot’s work for years now. Her Christmas stories are how I discovered her. Her book One Christmas in Paris still brings smile to my face when I think about it, and her novel One New York Christmas is the reason why I decided not to miss Baggot’s books any more.
Now after finishing One Christmas Star, I can say there won’t be Christmas season without at least one Mandy Baggot book in my tbr!

I just enjoyed spending my time with all the characters Mandy Baggot created. I love how realistic they were, and I didn’t click with everyone right away. For example, at first I couldn’t stand Ray, but as the story progressed and we got to know him more, I really started to connect with him.

Our main character is Emily who is a teacher. Being a teacher, she spend lots of her time with children, and I phrase the author for giving the children their own personalities and voices, instead of using them just to fill the space, as some authors tend to do.

The book is written in third person. It has 464 pages and to be honest, I was little afraid it would drag and I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but I flew through this book like it had 300 pages.
I guess we can say the writing style plays big part in that, but also the lyrics the author filled the pages with.

In case you didn’t know, Mandy Baggot is also passionate about music, and her love for that art spilled onto pages, in some way.

I also want to stress out that the book talks about serious topic – alcoholism in a very tasteful way, and in my case it wasn’t triggering, but of course, I can only speak from my own experience, can’t talk for everyone.

After finishing One Christmas Star I can confirm that Mandy Baggot is now one of my favourite authors.
Since I don’t have many, when I proclaim someone as my fav, it is a big deal to me!

I want to finish this review with compliments to cover designer. This is one of the prettiest festive covers I’ve seen this year.

I would recommend One Christmas Star to lovers of festive chick lits and Hallmark movies, but also to everyone who’d like to read something heart warming this year to wake up the Christmas Spirit.

My HoHoHo Readathon TBR 2019 #HoHoHoRAT #ReadAThon #BookBloggers #Christmas

Hi Guys,

It’s again that time of the year: The time when my favourite readathon is happening, thanks to Wonderful Kimberly from Caffeinated Book Reviewer who’s hosting HoHoHo Readathon for the seventh time, and it will be my third time participating.
Readathon takes place from November 8th to November 17th.

Last year I had so much fun and my only plan is to read more books than I have then. My aim is 6 books, and since readathon is 10 days long, I believe it is manageable.
I don’t have to go to work this year which is a plus, and also, in case you didn’t know, festive novels are my favourite kind so chances of me getting into reading slump are very, very slim (plus I only just got out of one recently).

I have two physical books I plan to read this time around:

I also plan to read these two Netgalley eARCs:

and

I have also requested two books via Netgalley, so if I get approved for them they will also make the cut, but if I get declined I’ll just pick up some other books from my physical collection.

That is it!
Wish me luck and please tell me will you be participating in HoHoHo readathon?
If yes, what are your goals? If you have a blog post about it, feel free to leave your links so I can visit you.

Books I read in October (Monthly Reading Wrap Up) #BookBloggers #BookLovers #Reading #October

Hi Guys,

October was not the best month for me reading wise. The reading and reviewing slumps got me and I managed to finish only 6 books.
It wouldn’t be that bad if I didn’t have all the time in the world to actually read, but it is what it is now. I guess my brain just needed some time off from reading and to focus on other things.

Since then my reading slump has passed and I hope to read 10+ books in November.
This is the last month I’ll be focusing mostly on my Netgalley eARCs because in December I want to read all the books I didn’t get into this year, and of course, my festive novels.

You can expect the reviews for the books I’ve read in the next couple of weeks.

Here are the books I read in October:

Favourite book of the month:

That is it!

Tell me how many books have your read in October?
What was your favourite one?

Feel free to leave links to your wrap ups, so I can visit you.

The one about family… and love: A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley #Christmas #WomensFiction #BookLovers #Cornwall

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about one beautiful Christmas novel that I have read some time ago. It was actually my first Christmas read of the year, but I had to wait with my review so I could post it around it’s release day.
A Perfect Cornish Christmas was published yesterday (October 31st 2019) by Avon, and it has 400 pages.
I I have read an eARC I received via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Christmas in Cornwall is just around the corner…

But after last Christmas revealed a shocking family secret, Scarlett’s hardly feeling merry and bright. All she wants this Christmas is to know who her real father is.
So Scarlett heads to the little Cornish town of Porthmellow, where she believes the truth of her birth is hidden. She just didn’t bargain on being drawn into the Christmas festival preparations – or meeting Jude Penberth, whose charm threatens to complicate life further.
Everything will come to a head at Porthmellow’s Christmas Festival … But can Scarlett have the perfect Christmas this year, or are there more surprises on the way?

Review:

Phillipa Ashley was on my to-be-read list of authors for some time, so I am so glad that A Perfect Cornish Christmas was the first novel by her that I have read, because I really enjoyed it.

If you know me, you know Christmas stories are my absolutely favourite, and I can proudly say that I am happy that I have opened the season with this one.

Going into A Perfect Cornish Christmas I had no idea if it was a standalone or part of the series. It definitely read as a standalone, but then again, I know that Ashley has another book called A Perfect Cornish Summer so I believe they are companion novels (someone should update it to Goodreads, so we’d know!).

This story follows two sisters; Scarlett and Ellie. Since the story centres mostly around Scarlett, I would say she is our main character, but because we do get to follow the story from Ellie’s perspective as well, I’d say she is our second main character.
The story is written in third person.

When it comes to genres, I’d say that A Perfect Cornish Christmas is women’s fiction, or even general fiction with romance in it.
In the first place the story talks about family, and complicated relationships between people. It covers some serious topics that are result of people choices, and how they effect other’s lives.
It also talks about belonging and how it impacts us as beings, how it defines who we really are.

Romance is also part of this book and we get to follow two romance developments, one for each sister.

The third important part of the story, in my opinion, is Christmas itself. The setting, food, snow… basically everything that happens around Christmas time, and in this novel, there is a Christmas festival that takes place and is also nice addition to the fable.

I liked most of the characters, and disliked some that were negative ones.
The only character I simply couldn’t understand was Scarlett and Ellie’s mother. I don’t understand how could she kept quiet about everything even after the truth came to light.
I also had hard time understanding their father and his choice to stay with her in the same house while she was acting that way.

The only downside of the novel is that there are lots of repetitions and I felt like I was reading a 500 pages long book, when in reality it has 400 pages.

Overall, I think A Perfect Cornish Christmas is the one to curl up with during winter, so I recommend it to women’s fiction lovers.

Book Reveiw: Calling Mrs Christmas vy Carole Matthews #BookReview #CallingMrsChristmas #Chicklit #Christmas #ChristmasReads

Title: Calling Mrs Christmas

Author: Carole Matthews

Publisher: Sphere

Date: October 29th, 2013

Pages: 452

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Cassie Smith has been out of work for a while but she has an idea. Drawing on her love of Christmas, she begins charging for small things: wrapping presents; writing cards; tree-decorating. She’s soon in huge demand and Cassie’s business, Calling Mrs Christmas, is born.

Carter Randall wants to make Christmas special for his children so he enlists Cassie’s help, and his lavish requests start taking up all her time. Thank goodness she can rely on her partner Jim to handle the rest of her clients.

When Carter asks Cassie to join them on a trip to Lapland, she knows she shouldn’t go. As much as tries, Cassie can’t deny how drawn she is to Carter and everything he has to offer, but she still loves her warm-hearted Jim. Suddenly Cassie finds herself facing a heart-breaking choice that could change her entire life.

Review:

Warning: This book talks about cheating.

Calling Mrs Christmas was on my tbr list for two years now. When I first found out about this novel it wasn’t available on TBD, then last year I was all missed-matched when it comes to reading, but this year I finally bought myself a copy.
I’m not going to lie: what won me when it comes to Calling Mrs Christmas was it’s gorgeous cover. I mean, isn’t this the most wonderful festive book cover that you have ever seen?
Plus, it’s festive, and you know how I feel about festive stories!

Our main character and narrator is Cassie Smith who is at the desperate place in her life. She has no job, so she and her boyfriend are struggling financially, and there is also depression that comes with it.

I think the author did an amazing job describing what it feels like to be unemployed when the state is not one’s choice.

Some time around Christmas, Cassie gets an idea to start a business in which she would organize Christmas events and decorations for others. She calls her company Calling Mrs Christmas and after a while, her business really starts to kick off.

Here is where a millionaire Carter comes in. He employes Cassie to prepare his house for Christmas, but to also spend time with his family in Lapland.

Spending time away from her boyfriend Jim, in beautiful Lapland with handsome Carter, takes it’s tool on Cassie. She starts to develop feelings for Carter and is torn between two men: her beautiful, kind boyfriend who was there for her when she was at her lowest, and good-looking, rich Carter who could take away all her financial worries.

Even though I didn’t like how Cassie behaved from the Lapland point to the end of the story (and how unprofessional she was), I have to admit that the author managed to invest me in the discussion would it be better for Cassie to stay with a kind man or to start a new relationship with the rich one.
I mean, in a romantic world we would all agree that you should follow your heart, but in the real world, our hearts sometime do not know what they want, and also, we all know that one is happier when is financially stabile.

The story is written in first person, following Cassie’s POV, but some chapters are written in third person, following Jim’s POV (Jim is Cassie’s boyfriend).

I liked the story and I think it’s a good festive book, even though if I’m being honest there are much better festive novels out there.
However, that is just my opinion, and judging by Goodreads reviews, some readers find Calling Mrs Christmas a perfect Christmas story.

I would still recommend it, but don’t keep your opinions too high.

Book Review: Once Upon a Christmas by Sarah Morgan #BookReview #Christmas #OnceUponAChristmas #BookLovers

Title: Once Upon a Christmas

Author: Sarah Morgan

Series: Lakeside Mountain Rescue (#1 & #2)

Publisher: Mills & Boon, Harlequin UK

Date: October, 2012

Pages: 379

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from Goodreads): What’s your number one Christmas wish?

Bryony’s daughter has put a dad on her Christmas list. That leaves Bryony with one month to find the perfect man, so this year she’s wishing for a miracle!

While she’s looking for love, her best friend Helen is doing the opposite. Her Christmas wish is to forget all about the white dress hanging in her wardrobe – and her faithless rat of a fiance.

Helen and Bryoney’s festive cheer definitely needs a boost, so it’s lucky that once upon a Christmas, wishes really do come true…

Review:

They say there is no recipe for a successful novel, but I think we’re being lied to.
I think there is one, and Sarah Morgan knows it. Either is that, or her novels follow the same formula.
Let me tell you what I mean…

I have read three of many of her novels, and all three of them had one thing in common: two main characters being stuck with each other under the same roof because of some unavoidable reason/event/misadventure, hanging together and falling in love.

I know Sarah Morgan has written so many books, and I only read three of them, so I hope they are not all the “same” because it would be a shame.

However, I have to stress out that her writing style is the most amazing thing about this novel and I would read all of her books, just so I could absorb at least bits of it.

Once Upon a Christmas is a novel that follows two stories: Bryony’s and Helen’s.
I feel like Bryony’s story was originally imagined as a novella, but then it got “part two” and all of a sudden, it was a novel.
I am glad for it, because I liked part two much more then part one.

Part One follows Bryony who decided that she will grant her daughter’s Christmas wish and find a guy who will be perfect to be her father.
First of all, I can’t even tell you how wrong, in my eyes, that motive is. You don’t look for a guy you’ll date just so your child could have a father, if anything, that is not fair to a guy.
Second, the love interest was too controlling, unlikeable, in love with himself and a “whore”, while the Bryony, even though she had a child, wa so innocent, she probably grew a second hymen.

The story is manly focused on Bryony and Jack, with only few side characters, like novella should be.

On the other hand, Part Two is focused on more characters, town and it’s atmosphere, and I liked it so much more.
Our main characters Helen and Oliver were really likeable. Oliver was sweet guy and didn’t get on my nerves like Jack, and Helen’s motives came from the right place.
The only thing I didn’t like that much was how Helen was pictured like some weak woman who needs protection, and how she let other make decisions for her.

Overall, Once Upon a Christmas was a good festive read and I would recommend it to romance lovers.

Book Review: Not Just for Christmas by Natalie Cox #NotJustForChristmas #BlogTour @orionbooks #BookReview #Christmas #Comedy

I am so honoured to be today’s host in the Not Just for Christmas blog tour.
I want to thank Alainna Hadjigeorgiou from Oron Publishing for giving me this chance.
Not Just for Christmas was so fun to read and I really, really enjoyed it.

About the book:

Title: Not Just for Christmas

Author: Natalie Cox

Publisher: Orion

Date: November 15th, 2018

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Source: from Publisher for a review

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Charlie hates the holidays, and this year is shaping up to be her worst yuletide ever. Her boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, her flat is out of bounds after a gas leak, and her mother has gone to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her fifth husband. Finding herself single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie hesitantly agrees to dust off her wellies and spend the festive season in Devon, looking after Cosy Canine Cottages, her cousin Jez’s dog-care centre.

However, her plans for a quiet rural Christmas with only the four-legged friends for company are dashed as soon as she meets Malcolm the deaf Great Dane, Hugo, his gorgeous (but engaged) owner, and Cal, the undeniably attractive but unbearably haughty and patronising local vet…

Review:

If you’re looking for a good Christmas comedy, look no further!
Not Just for Christmas (or Mutts and Mistletoe, as it was previously published under that name) has everything you need this season in your festive chick lit: the most likeable protagonist you could wish for, many cute dogs, pups, hot guys, snow, food and lots and lots of humour.

Still, even though it’s funny and entertaining, it does not go overboard and everything in this novel, every element, is dosed just right.

The story follows Charlie, who after the accident that caught her apartment, stays at her cousin’s place.
Her cousin runs hotel for dogs, and after she goes on a trip to meet the love of her life, Charlie stays to run the place over Christmas.
Charlie is not a dog person, but day by day she discovers the beauty of mutts and one’s relationship with them.

Not Just for Christmas was lovely, warm story that put a smile on my face so many times.
It is a feel good story that will make readers’ lives better, I honestly believe that.

The writing style is stunning, and it reminds me of Sophie Kinsella’s, but it is still different. In my language, I would call it “pitko” which means that you drink the words, that’s how it easy is to read.

This book has 352 pages and it felt like it had only 200 pages, that’s how fast I read it (and I am a slow reader).

I liked all the characters. Even our villain was sympathetic.

Still, my favorite was Malcolm, a deaf Dane who certainly gave this book a heart.

I don’t say this often in my reviews, but I wouldn’t change anything in this novel.
It was perfect just as it was, and I am so grateful I had a chance to read it.

I can already see it will be the one book I’ll recommend to everyone around me.

If you’re looking for a good Christmas comedy, I highly, highly recommend you Not Just for Christmas (or Mutts and Mistletoe) because trust me, it will put a smile on your face and warm your heart, just like it did my.

Follow the Tour:

Book Review: Every Time a Bell Rings by Carmel Harrington #EveryTimeABellRings #BookReview #Christmas #MagicalRealism

Title: Every Time a Bell Rings

Author: Carmel Harrington

Publisher: HarperImpulse

Date: November 19th, 2015

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from Goodreads): An angel gets its wings…

Belle has taken all the Christmas decorations down. This year they won’t be celebrating.

As foster parents, Belle and Jim have given many children the chance of a happier start in life. They’ve loved them as if they were their own. They shouldn’t have favourites but little Lauren has touched their hearts. And now her mother is well enough to take her back and Belle can’t bear the loss.

Hence, Christmas is cancelled.

So when Jim crashes his car one icy December night, after an argument about Lauren, Belle can only blame herself. Everything she loves is lost. And Belle finds herself standing on The Ha’Penny Bridge wishing she had never been born.

But what happens to a Christmas wish when an angel is listening…

Will Belle realise, before it’s too late, that her life is the most wonderful life of all?

Inspired by the timeless tale of beloved Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Carmel Harrington’s next book tells the story of Belle, a young woman and foster carer from Dublin who faces the hardest decision of her life this Christmas on The Ha’Penny Bridge.

Full of Irish charm, magic, and the warmth of the festive season this is an emotional, heartwarming story that will stay with you long after you’ve reached ‘The End’. Perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern & Jojo Moyes.

Review:

Trigger warning: This book talks about child loss.

Every Time a Bell Rings was on my wishlist for the longest time, and this year I decided to grant my wish and bought myself a nice paperback to start a festive season. It was my first Christmas read of 2018 and I am so glad I chose this novel to be the one, because I loved it so much.

Fist advice that I’d give to everyone who wants to read it is to avoid synopsis on the back (or on Goodreads, and yeah, I know I am guilty of pasting those here) because they give too much away.

The story follows Belle and Jim from their early age. We get to see their lives trough years, and most of the events we see happen’ around Christmases.

The story talks about fostering and it manly focuses on this topic, showing us what it’s like to be foster child but also what it’s like to be foster parent. Because of that factor, I can say that I learned a lot about something I knew very little about.

From all the serious subjects this story brings, there is one particular that can be triggering (I mentioned it in the trigger warning) and that is just heartbreaking.

After something like two thirds of the book we get to see the heart of the story, as dash of magical realism plays it’s part.
When I reached that part, the Christmas Spirit really hit me hard, filled my heart with joy and made me want to celebrate life.
I understand my words may sound like exaggerating to you, but if you(‘ll) read the story, you(‘ll) probably get them.

The writing style was really good. The novel is written in first person, from Belle’s POV.

The cover is so beautiful and eye catching, and it was the first thing that caught my attention, but after reading the book I do have one comment, a thing I’d like to be different.
Belle represents POC, she is black, so I wish the girl on the cover was black too. I wish they showed her curly hair because it was mentioned more then few times in the story.

As you could conclude from my words, this book represents diversity, because main character is POC and it also talks about fostering.

In the end, I just want to mention that my copy of the novel has an interview with Carmel Harrington in it, and I really enjoyed reading her words, hearing her say she believes in angels and where her idea came from.

I’d recommend this novel to readers who’d like to read something to put them into Christmas Spirit, but don’t hesitate when it comes to books with more serious topics.

Book Review: One New York Christmas by Mandy Baggot #BookReview #OneNewYorkChristmas #Christmas #Chicklit

Title: One New York Christmas

Author: Mandy Baggot

Publisher: Ebury, Penguin Random House UK

Date: November 15th, 2018

Pages: 432

Format: eARC

Source: from Publisherr for a review

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Will this Christmas romance be just for the holidays?

A fun, festive romantic comedy to curl up with this winter. If you love Josie Silver’s One Day in December, you’ll love Mandy Baggot’s heart-warming festive romance.

Lara Weeks is heading to New York with best friend Susie for the Christmas trip of a lifetime.

A festive break in the snowy Big Apple visiting the tourist hotspots, not to mention the shopping, seems like the perfect way for Lara to get over her ex-boyfriend. Or maybe make him so jealous he begs for a second chance.

Enlisting the help of gorgeous actor, Seth Hunt, doesn’t quite go to plan, but there’s something about him that has Lara wishing for a different kind of happy ever after…

Review:

One New York Christmas is the second christmassy book written by Mandy Baggot that I have read, and I can officially say that her festive novels are must have during winter.
I loved the previous one (One Christmas in Paris) and I adored this one too.

The story follows Lara who spends her holidays in New York, trying to heal her broken heart.
On the other side there is Seth, a good looking actor with a kind heart, who tries his best to succeed in the acting career, and make his parents proud of him.

At first, I thought this will be a romantic, funny story, and it was, but it was also so much more.
The story explores some complex topics like adoption and unknownness of one’s own origin.
Then, it also talks about being homeless and how there are more then few reasons how one can end up on the streets, even when he’s trying to do something with his life.

The story also talks about family, friendships and human relationships, and it well inquires those aspects.

But at the same time, while talking about such serious subjects, it manages to entertain readers, make them laugh, relax then and put them into Christmas Spirit.

I liked almost all the characters, Seth and Lara, their best friends and their family members. There are only few “unlikeable” characters, which were ment to be “bad guys” of the story, but I didn’t mind them.

However, I have to stress out that one character I admired the most was New York itself.
Yes, you’ve read it right! Mandy Baggot described that city and it’s atmosphere during December so well, that it got his own role in the story, and I as a reader couldn’t forget that we were in New York.
That, my friends, is what I call amazing writing ability!

I loved almost everything about this story, but there is one (probably not that important) thing that made me feel a bit uncomfortable, and I will tell you what it is, because I’m always honest in my reviews. However, I think most people wouldn’t even notice that thing.
I didn’t like how Lara called her brother Aldo, who is adopted, her “almost-brother”. It happened 12 times in the story, and it made me feel like she was trying to separate herself from him, like stressing out that he was not her brother by blood was so important, she had to call him almost-brother instead just calling him brother instead?
I don’t know, we have one adopted family member (my father’s cousin) and I can imagine if his sister was calling him almost-brother it would hurt his feelings. It would make him feel like he wasn’t genuine part of the family, and it would be wrong.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading One New York Christmas and I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys festive chick lits and Christmas stories.

I can’t wait to see what other books Mandy Bagott has written/will write because this author is definitely on my tbr!