It’s such a pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for the latest book from Eliza J Scott, Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea, and sharing my review. Published by Storm Publishing on 23rd October, this is the fourth book in her Micklewick Bay series, and is now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback and as an audiobook. My thanks, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
I had such a lovely time on my first visit to Micklewick Bay – The Little Bookshop by the Sea was one of those books that I knew I was going to enjoy from its opening pages, and I just loved the story of Florrie and Ed, their jointly inherited bookshop, and the relationship that followed (despite a few stumbles along the way…). You’ll find my review here – and I enjoyed it SO much that I immediately bought the next two books in the series (Summer Days at Clifftop Cottage and Finding Love in Micklewick Bay) that were published on the same day. As frustratingly as ever, they’re still sitting on my kindle, awaiting the opportunity to read them – and it does mean that I’ve missed out on the stories of Florrie’s friends, Maggie and Stella – but I couldn’t have been more delighted than when I heard that her latest was a Christmas return to the Happy Hartes Bookshop. I was really looking forward to spending time there again…
A festive treat brimming with the magic of bookshops and Christmas…
In the seaside town of Micklewick Bay, Florrie Appleton and Ed Harte are gearing up for a magical Christmas at the Happy Hartes Bookshop. Florrie’s book-themed decorations are the talk of the town, while Ed’s dazzling window displays could have been plucked straight from a fairytale. With romance in the air, this promises to be their best holiday season yet.
But after a surprise phone call from his father, Florrie worries that Ed is keeping a secret. Why is he spending so much time in the attic? And what’s making him act so distantly?
Determined to make this Christmas unforgettable, Florrie packs their days with festive treats from gingerbread hot chocolates to sleigh rides under the stars. But when Ed disappears just a few days before Christmas, Florrie fears the worst. Will her holiday dreams shatter like a dropped bauble? Or is Florrie in for a Christmas surprise of her own?
The perfect festive read to get you in the holiday spirit, Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea will delight fans of Jessica Redland, Jenny Colgan and Phillipa Ashley.
With Christmas fast approaching, Ed is using his artistic skills to create a perfect window display for the bookshop – and, knowing that his family Christmases were never happy ones, Florrie has started her own project to make this one full of good memories. The snow falls, and there’s much fun to be had with sledging and the building of snowmen – and a rather lovely group outing to a nearby castle for a sleigh ride, although it does end with more than a touch of unexpected drama for some. And together, they’re making plans for the future – not so much about being together in a more meaningful way (although that would make Florrie particularly happy), but big changes they’d like to make at the bookshop. But everything’s not going quite as smoothly as it might be – someone’s keen to get their hands on the shop, apparently willing to go to some lengths to do so. And as well as that threat hanging over them, Ed’s behaving rather strangely after a few irate telephone calls from his father – the two issues might just be connected, but then again…
This really was a beautifully told story, with the same perfectly drawn setting and strong focus on friends and family that I so enjoyed in the first book in the series. I have a particularly soft spot for criminal barrister Stella, one of Florrie’s friends – she’s a touch scary at times, but just the person you need in your corner when things aren’t going quite as well as they might be. And I’m not often a great fan of children in books, but Zac and Chloe – friend Jasmine’s children – were a rather lovely addition to the excitement of the many seasonal activities. And as for Florrie’s dad, he’s just an absolute sweetheart – as is author Jack, who has some rather interesting developments in his life too.
While the whole story is quite gently told, it certainly has its moments – both dramatic and emotional, putting the hoped-for happy ending in grave doubt at times. I really wanted to give Florrie a hug when her hopes for the future looked shattered – but there were plenty of other caring people around her to do that for me. And the ending, after some trials and tribulations, really was everything I wanted it to be – full of warmth, romantic, so very uplifting, and really brought a tear to my eye.
If this is the first time you’ve been tempted to read one of the books in this lovely series, don’t be put off for an instant by the fact it’s the fourth – although I was looking forward to spending more time at the bookshop and in the company of friends, this book would work just fine as a standalone (although I can’t guarantee that you won’t want to go back and read the rest of the series – I certainly plan to!). It was such an enjoyable read, full of everything that makes Christmas special – and a book I’d very much recommend to others.
About the author
Eliza J Scott lives in North Yorkshire with her family and has wanted to be a writer as far back as she can remember. She is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and loves to write heartwarming stories based on romance and friendship with a generous dollop of community spirit and a hint of humour. She has written twelve novels and has been an Amazon UK Kindle bestseller.
When she’s not writing, Eliza can usually be found with her nose in a book or working in her garden doing a spot of plot wrangling (of the writing variety), and battling against the weeds. The weeds, unfortunately, are currently winning but Eliza is undeterred. Roses are amongst her favourite flowers and she doesn’t need much of an excuse to visit a plant centre where a new rose always seems to mysteriously find its way onto her trolley much to her husband’s astonishment.
Eliza also enjoys having a catch-up with friends over tea and cake, as well as bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off by a visit to a teashop – for yet more tea and cake!
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