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Hallmark Christmas Movies Based on Books (and where to watch them in Australia)
I love cheesy Christmas romance movies. Something about the snow and the sparkling lights, and the over-the-top Christmas decorations. The city girl comes home, the grumpy grinch rediscovers the joy of the season, the small towns with businesses and festivals that need saving from big corporations, the closing scene where they finally kiss as snow starts to fall. It looks absolutely nothing like our summer Christmases in Australia but still feels so right. I feel like these movies have had a real bump in popularity over the past few years, and something that people might not realise is how many of them are adapted from books. Holiday movie watching season…
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Christmas :: The Christmas Trip by Sandy Barker
I’ve always got my eyes peeled for Aussie Christmas book and Sandy Barker’s 2020 release – The Christmas Swap – is a firm favourite festive read of mine, so of course I was absolutely delighted to that a sequel was coming out this year! The Christmas Trip revisits the same couples we fell in love with in The Christmas Swap, one year on from the events of that book. What is Sandy Barker’s The Christmas Trip about? It’s a year on and our three May Ladies are all loved up but still living worlds apart. Chloe has had a whirlwind year amongst the glitz, glamour (and demanding work) of Hollywood.…
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Review :: Christmas at Coorah Creek by Janet Gover
It’s September 25 which mean exactly 3 months OR also exactly 13 weeks until Christmas! It feels like the perfect time to share a review of my latest Christmas read, Christmas at Coorah Creek by Janet Gover. What is Janet Gover’s Christmas at Coorah Creek about? English nurse Katie Brooks is here to stay after travelling halfway around the world to outback Queensland. But she hadn’t anticipated being rescued on day one by Scott Collins: Coorah Creek’s prodigal son … who is determined to leave town as soon as possible. Can a small-town Christmas change their minds? My review of Christmas at Coorah Creek by Janet Gover This is a…
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Review :: Christmas at Fox Farm by Helen Pollard
I have a bit of an obsession with Yorkshire, so this cute cosy Christmas romance set in the Dales appealed to me right away (also – that cover is so perfect!). What is Helen Pollard’s Christmas at Fox Farm about? Living at Fox Farm, with its cosy café, beautiful pottery studio and charming gift shop, is a dream come true for thirty-one-year-old Daisy. The kindly owner, Jean, and the close-knit village feel like the home and family Daisy has never had. She’s been looking forward to her first magical Christmas in the countryside. When Jean suddenly falls ill, Daisy is the first to lend a hand. She ropes in Alex – Jean’s handsome…
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Review :: In the Event of Love
I requested a copy of Courtney Kae’s In the Event of Love right away when I saw it on NetGalley, for two main reasons. One, because the cover is so cute, and two – more importantly – I almost never see queer holiday romance novels around. Plus, I feel like sapphic love stories (ie between two women) are really not celebrated and represented as much or maybe as openly as other relationships in books I see around. I was super pleased to see that Kensington Books (one of my go-to publishers for cosy Christmas romance novels) was publishing this one, even though in the end it didn’t quite hit the…
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Review :: A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton
Ok, it might be a bit obvious, but nothing makes me want to pick up a book more than it being both Christmassy AND bookish! I jumped at the chance to review Rachel Burton’s A Bookshop Christmas when I spotted it on NetGalley. What is Rachel Burton’s A Bookshop Christmas about? A snowstorm. A stranger. A spark. It should be the perfect start to the perfect love story. But real life is far messier and more complicated than in the pages of the books in Megan Taylor’s family bookshop – the last few years have left this young widow in no doubt of that. Moving back home to York should…
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Review : Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas by Nancy Coco
Ok, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love a cosy mystery cover! The cats on the covers especially get me! And the titles! The puns! I feel like half the fun comes before you even open the cover haha. Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas by Nancy Coco was released in 2020 and I didn’t quite manage to get to reviewing it then, but it catches my eye every time I browse my NetGalley shelf and it was finally time to pick it up. Check out the synopsis, then my review below. What is Nancy Coco’s Have Yourself a Fudgy Little Christmas about? All Allie…
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Review :: Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen by Tilly Tennant
Tilly Tennant is one of my favourite writers of cosy Christmas novels – I’ve talked about some of her previous books here and here. I don’t know why it took my so long to get to this one – especially since it has food at its centre, which I always think makes these Christmas stories even cosier. What is Tilly Tennant’s Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen about? Cathy cooked at her mother’s side her whole life and could bake a fairy cake before she could ride a bike. Now she is facing her first Christmas without her beloved mother, she’s determined to use her memories for something positive. She decides to organise a…
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Christmassy:: Q&A :: Belinda Missen
Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London…
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Christmassy :: Q&A :: Karen Ginnane
One of my favourite #LoveOzYA books this year was Karen Ginnane’s debut novel When Days Tilt, the first part of her Time Catchers duology. This historical fantasy fiction novel hit just the right spot for me – as you can see from my review. Today I’m delighted to have Karen here to talk a bit about writing, and a lot about Christmas.*** Hi Karen! Thanks so much for joining me on my blog to chat about Christmas today! I loved stepping into the world you created in your debut novel When Days Tilt, which came out in the middle of 2021 and is the first book in your Time Catchers series. Can you…
