Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Review - Christmas at the Little Cottage on the Hill

Title:  Christmas at the Little Cottage on the Hill
Author:  Emma Davies
Series:  The Little Cottage Series, Book 4
Genre:  Romance / Women's Fiction
Publisher:  Bookouture
Format:  Kindle ARC
Date of Publication:  October 26, 2018
No. of Pages:  308
My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

One twinkling winter’s night, Ruby wakes her sleeping children and escapes for a new life in the countryside. It’s a choice that will change her life beyond all recognition…

Arriving at the cosy little rental cottage as the first snow begins to fall, Ruby doesn’t regret leaving her bully of a husband for a moment, but she does feel guilty about uprooting her kids so close to Christmas. She can only wish that one day soon her son Jem will forgive her.

It’s not long before the family are settled in and drinking hot chocolate by the fire, the flames kept roaring by a neighbouring woodsman called Angus. As big as a tree, but as gentle as a dormouse, all Ruby’s instincts tell her to be wary of letting this gorgeous stranger get too close. Is that the first tingle of festive magic Ruby can feel? Or might it even be hope?

As Christmas day approaches and a blizzard sparks a power cut across the entire village, Ruby must force herself to believe in Christmas miracles again. Was she right to put her trust in Angus? With only flickering candles to guide her through the darkness, will she ever find her way back to the light?

Wrap yourself up in this utterly gorgeous festive romance, perfect for anyone who loves Heidi Swan, Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond – and Christmas!


MY THOUGHTS:

Ruby has uplifted her life, and that of her kids Jem and Darcie, by packing them all up and moving to a small town where she hopes they can all start again. As she begins to meet the warm and kind members of the town, which is lovely and is definitely ready for Christmas, they eventually wonder if Ruby could be hiding the real reason she has shown up.

Ruby does have a reason for running, as she will do anything to keep her children safe. Jem is tired of moving around and Ruby has a bit of trouble with him, so when one of the neighbors, a gentle giant named Angus begins to play a big role in her life, and especially with Jem, things start to improve. With Ruby's past, however, she must ask herself how close can she allow herself to be with Angus.

This is the fourth book in the series, and the continuity really shows because just about all of the people I have read in this series, and anyone else for that matter. I loved seeing everyone again.  For those of you who enjoy Christmas books, Emma Davies has done a great job, so this book could  easily pass as a standalone novel.

Not only do readers get to see the slow burn in the romance between Ruby and Angus, the town's members have a lot of activities to plan. So, this book does often switch off to focus on the other members of the town, people I came to love, like Maddie and Clara. I rather enjoyed those parts too. Therefore, I highly recommend this book that came out a year ago, but somehow managed to slip the bottom of my TBR and I am thrilled that I was able to finally pick it up.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a varied career, Emma Davies once worked for a design studio where she was asked to provide a fun and humorous (and not necessarily true) anecdote for their website. She wrote the following: 'I am a bestselling novelist currently masquerading as a thirty something mother of three.' Well the job in the design studio didn't work out but she's now a forty something mother of three and is happy to report the rest of her dream came true.

After many years as a finance manager she now writes full time, and is far happier playing with words than numbers. She lives with her husband, three children, and two guinea pigs in rural Shropshire where she writes in all the gaps in between real life. It's a county she adores, her love of its beautiful people and landscapes providing endless inspiration for her books, and in fact the only thing that would make Shropshire more idyllic is if it were by the sea.

Pop over to her website www.emmadaviesauthor.com where, amongst other things, you can read about her passion for Pringles and singing loudly in the car. You can also wave to her on twitter @EmDaviesAuthor or find her on Facebook.


5 comments:

  1. This sounds like a great read for Christmas. Thank you for the review :)

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  2. I've not read this author before - this looks sweet, you have me wanting it

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  3. I love a good Christmas story and this one looks so good. Great review.

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  4. Glad you enjoyed this book. It looks like a sweet read.

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