I’ve been bumping into Erin Green at parties and get-togethers for quite a long time now – I even rest my coffee cup on a coaster she gave me the last time we met! So I’m really pleased that Brook Cottage Books have given me the opportunity to try her writing – Erin’s debut novel, A Christmas Wish, is published by Aria Fiction/Head of Zeus and available for kindle and in paperback.
Flora Phillips has an excuse for every disaster in her life; she was abandoned as a new-born on a doorstep one cold autumn night, wrapped in nothing but a towel. Her philosophy is simple: if your mother doesn’t want you – who will?
Now a thirty-year-old, without a boyfriend, a career or home she figures she might as well tackle the biggest question of them all – who is she? So, whilst everyone else enjoys their Christmas Eve traditions, Flora escapes the masses and drives to the village of Pooley to seek a specific doorstep. Her doorstep.
But in Pooley she finds more than her life story. She finds friends, laughter, and perhaps even a love to last a lifetime.
Because once you know where you come from, it’s so much easier to know where you’re going.
A story of redemption and love, romance and Christmas dreams-come-true, the perfect novel to snuggle up with this festive season.
I’ll admit I started this one expecting something rather more Christmassy – although the story does open on Christmas Eve – but instead (and maybe I should have read the blurb more carefully) found it instead to be a wintery read with plenty about it to warm your heart. The structure is very different, with a range of characters picking up the story of Flora’s search for her birth parents from their perspective – and once I got into the zone, I liked that, especially the unidentified one who kept throwing in the red herrings, although I did sometimes need to double-check who it was that had picked up the story.
Flora is thirty, but does seem younger, and her self-centredness did get up my nose a little – but there were plenty of other characters I really liked, particularly the lovely Joel, mother-figure Annie, the lovely florist and the horrendous (but more complex than she at first appears) Veronica. The story’s a fascinating one, and I was intrigued to see how it turned out – there were really nice touches of humour, some well done sparky dialogue, and plenty of drama. And do you know, I’m always a bit of a sucker for a vividly drawn village setting and the community that lives there.
Here are the Amazon buying links:
Giveaway
Fancy winning a signed copy? With thanks to Erin and Brook Cottage Books, there are five available (UK only). Here’s the rafflecopter for entry:
About the author
Erin was born and raised in Warwickshire, where she resides with her husband. An avid reader since childhood, her imagination was instinctively drawn to creative writing as she grew older. Erin has two Hons degrees: BA English literature and another BSc Psychology – her previous careers have ranged from part-time waitress, the retail industry, fitness industry and education. She has an obsession about time, owns several tortoises and an infectious laugh!
Erin writes contemporary novels focusing on love, life and laughter. Erin is an active member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and was delighted to be awarded The Katie Fforde Bursary in 2017. An ideal day for Erin involves writing, people watching and drinking copious amounts of tea.
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I would love some proper fitted bookshelves rather than my mish-mash of bookcases, don’t get me wrong I love them, but it would be nice to have fitted shelves xx