Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

"Say the lines as written or I swear I will write your character as a dickless mute monk." This book has a pet alligator called Bubbles, so honestly, I was already in! Add Ethan with his awesome, loving Floridian family and Chase, who’s all attitude with some very real confidence issues underneath, and I was hooked. Fake It ’Til You Sleigh It is hot, spicy, and funny, with a fake dating set-up that works really well. I will say, Christmas in the sun just doesn’t feel right to me — I want to be wrapped in a million layers on Christmas Day, not wearing a bikini on the beach — but I still had a great time with this one. I really enjoyed watching Chase and Ethan take on their challenge to gain new subscribers for the TV channel they both work for, especially the clever (and sometimes ridiculous) ideas they come up with. It was a great listen overall, and the narrators did an excellent job bringing both characters to life. Thank you to MeLisa Ryun and Literary Media Tours for the ...

“I have tickets to the Nutcracker. Expensive tickets.”  A Ferry Merry Christmas was my first venture into Debbie Macomber’s books, and off we trotted to Seattle for a ferry ride across the Puget Sound. The entire story unfolds over just a few hours, as we follow the passengers aboard a rather dodgy ferry  ⛴️  that decides to break down mid-journey. 😬 Avery, Harrison, Virginia, James, Beth, Logan, and Olivia are our main characters, all stranded together. And in just a short space of time, each of their lives is going to change—naturally, for the better. 💛 I love how their stories intertwine, how Debbie weaves her Christmas  🎅🏼 magic throughout the ferry, and how joy, forgiveness, understanding, and love ripple through every chapter. 💫 If you’re after a cute, Christmassy  🎁  read that will leave you smiling, definitely pick up a copy of this one. 😊 Thank you to Sphere, Little, Brown Book Group, and Hachette UK for the gifted copy of A Ferry Merry Chri...

'Why would anyone ever want to live a life without books?' Jessica! You made me cry. I rarely, if ever, cry at a book, but I shed a few tears towards the end of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop. The entire book was gorgeous, from beginning to end. I adored Lily, I was charmed by Lars, and I adored all the book references. Yes please Jessica, will you write the Snow Dragon for us?! 💕 I learnt lots about the Icelandic traditions around Christmas time, it's so much fun to find out what other countries around the world do. I'm not sure about some of those things the Yule Lads got up to though, 🙈 but with a mother who eats naughty children, 😜 I can't say I'm surprised! They sort of reminded me of the Elf On The Shelf tradition! Both Lily and Lars have experienced loss and heartbreak throughout the years, but together they can come to terms and deal with everything. I was especially obsessed with the Paperback Pixie — what a magical idea! I even caught myself imag...

'That I love you...crazy banshee and all'. I haven’t read the other books in this series, but that doesn’t matter. It can definitely be read as a standalone. Snowflakes Over Starr’s Fall was full of small-town vibes with lots of fun, individual shops, where all the shopkeepers know each other and help each other out.  Jenna and Jack are the quintessential enemies to lovers couple. To say they detest each other at first sight is an understatement! I loved them both. I loved Jack’s city-type persona, but actually, pick him up and put him in the middle of a small town, and he slots in just nicely. Jenna’s reluctance to accept that change is necessary, in order to ensure that her store is a success, is admirable, but frustrating. I was remodelling it before Jack ever set foot in the door. 😂 This was a fun and lighthearted read. I enjoyed meeting all the different characters in Starr’s Fall, and I’ll definitely be going back and reading the first two books.  Thank you to Boldwoo...

Unusually, it's the woman who is the grump in this one.... I'm a bit late with this review, but I did read it in December when I was feeling Christmassy! The Christmas Tree Farm is the third in the Dream Harbor series and I loved this one, although Cinnamon Bun is still my favourite! Kira is awesome. Despite her tetchy exterior, we soon discover that deep, deep down, beneath all the crotchetiness, she has a heart of gold, and she loves dogs so yep, that's more than enough for me! I adored her dogged determination as she tried to make her farmhouse at least a tiny bit habitable, and little by little she lets Bennett in to help her. Bennett had the patience of a saint, dealing with Kira's mood swings and stubbornness, but of course they get there in the end. As others have mentioned, this would be great as a Christmas rom-com - think The Holiday! I love that movie! I've already read and reviewed The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, so go back and read my review for tha...

Bella and Jack were a cuteness of 5ft nothing and 6ft something, who, after a chance meeting at a wedding Bella should never have been at, didn’t find each other again for more than a year. The story was full of charm, Christmas and contentment, feisty old folk, and wayward sisters. I adore a small English village setting and Haileyfield delivered in spades. My only gripe is that it ended way too soon. I need more of Jack and Bella’s story. What happened next? Did they settle down to enjoy the quintessential English country life together, marriage, kids, dog? I need to know more, please Claire! Thank you to Claire and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Bella’s Countryside Christmas by Claire Huston. About the Book Fleeing her heartache and horrendous job, Bella stumbles upon a December wedding in the beautiful village of Haileybrook and the spirit of the season moves her to act as a fake date to handsome stranger Jack. Jack and Bella hit it off, but Bella ...

I’m really enjoying all these Christmas books! Yes, I know it’s a bit early, but it’s getting me into the festive spirit prematurely! Any book with the word ‘bookshop’ in the title is a must and ‘Tanglewood’ sounded such a cute name for a village that I immediately knew I’d like this. Kazz has had enough of London, she’s lost her job, and her home and her Mum is moving away so she ups sticks and heads off to South Wales to join her friend for a few weeks, temporarily taking over the lease of a bookshop to sell off her Grandad’s beloved books. Tanglewood is very much a different pace of life than what she’s used to, but will she decide it’s the place she wants to call home? The Tanglewood Bookshop is a cute and cosy read. I loved the setting in the small village, complete with a tea shop, a pub and, of course, the bookshop. Kazz and Saul, although very different, hit it off from the start and, with a bit of interference from Betty, the absolutely loveable village busybody, became very c...

This book is hilarious! I was chuckling my way through it from the very first page, and my husband kept looking at me like I’d grown another head! Shelley, Pearl and Lena are three middle-aged women, going through what many middle-aged women do at Christmas and beyond. They’re buying presents, wrapping presents, food shopping, cooking, baking, decorating Christmas trees and still doing the normal run-of-the-mill things such as the washing, the ironing and feeding their family! Phew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it all! Then they get the opportunity to leave all that behind for a few days before Christmas and hole up at a B&B in Scotland. Well I’m sure you can all guess what happens, yep, they get snowed in and have to spend Christmas there. Fiona Gibson is a brilliant author. Her books make me laugh all the way through and as soon as I saw the title of this one, I knew it would be the same; The characters are brilliant and we get to see how important friends are to each other ...

The Ever After Street series is one of the best series I have ever read. Hugs in books, absolutely all of them and Christmas Ever After is no exception. There is nothing not to love (well, maybe apart from Jorge)!  Raff and Franca have shops that are in the ‘always Christmas’ part of Ever After Street. Raff makes and sells, allegedly magical, snow globes and Franca makes and sells nutcracker dolls of every size. Every time I read about the adult-sized nutcrackers, I just imagined whichever Christmas film it is, where Tim Allen is Santa and they take over the North Pole! Throughout this gorgeous book, Jaimie has characters from the previous Ever After Street books popping in and out, and so we do get to find out snippets of what they have all been up to as well.  I cannot recommend Jaime’s books enough and right now this is what I tell everyone who asks me who my go-to author is. You don’t need to read the books in order. Each one is a standalone story, but go and add them all...

Think ‘Love Actually’, ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ or ‘Notting Hill’, which sum up this fantastic Christmas book from the amazing Kristen Bailey. It’s hilarious, romantic, a bit mad and just that little bit sad. Don’t worry though, you won’t be crying, well not tears of sadness anyway. I laughed out loud a lot at this book. Joe and Eve need to rectify a ring delivery which went to the wrong place. Five rings, five destinations and just a couple of days in which to ensure happy outcomes. Our two protagonists tell their story in alternating chapters, and I promise you’ll be rooting for this couple until the very end, which comes all too quickly. I could have carried on reading about their adventures throughout London for a lot longer. This would be amazing as a movie, and I honestly hope that someone picks this up for the big screen with some big-time actors. It would be good to see this out in time for Christmas 2024! I wonder if Richard Curtis is busy at the moment! Thank you to NetG...

Snowed In is a cute, fun, wintery read, set in Ireland. I read most of the book, snuggled up in front of a wood burner, whilst Storm Ciaran was battering the UK. The snow, a cabin in the woods and festive Christmas cheer were much more fun than what was going on outside the window at home, so I imagined myself there instead. I loved Megan and Christian, our two protagonists, who bantered their way into my heart very quickly. They were so good together, right from the beginning I knew they’d hit it off. Megan made a rapid exit from her wedding four years ago and has never been back to her home village since - until now. Full of love, romance and family loyalties, Snowed In is a beautiful read and will leave you wanting to spend some time on Christian’s family’s farm with the newborn lambs in knitted hats! Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Snowed In by Catherine Walsh. About the Book  Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. She’s the ...