Kiltie’s Advent Book Calendar – 21st Dec

All I Want For Christmas by Amy Silver; Arrow

Page Count (e-book) – 338

The Blurb:

Twelve days and counting…
It’s Bea’s first Christmas with her baby son, and this year she’s determined to do everything right. But there is still so much to do: the Christmas menu needs refining; her café, The Honey Pot, needs decorating; and she’s invited the whole neighbourhood to a party on Christmas Day. She really doesn’t have time to get involved in two new people’s lives, let alone fall in love…

When Olivia gets knocked over in the street, however, Bea can’t help bringing her into The Honey Pot and getting to know her. Olivia’s life is even more hectic than her own, and with her fiancé’s entire family over from Ireland for Christmas, she shouldn’t be lingering in the cosy warmth of Bea’s café. Chloe, on the other hand, has nowhere else to go. Her affair with a married man has alienated her friends, and left her lonelier than ever.

But Christmas is a magical time, and in the fragrant atmosphere of The Honey Pot, anything can happen: new friends can be made, hearts can heal, and romance can finally blossom…

My Review:

The great thing about doing these twenty-four advent reviews is that it has given me the opportunity to re-read some books which I truly enjoyed the first time around but never got around to reading again. This was one of those books.

From the first paragraph, you are pulled right into the little community Ms Silver has created. Bea is the harassed single mum, trying to look after her son, run her business and fight her demons. Olivia is the sweet, put-upon girl, newly engaged and already developing cold feet. Chloe is the hard-faced bitch whose ability to piss people off is 5-star! Admitting to her affair with a married man doesn’t endear her to Bea in any way. Their lives, however, end up becoming entwined and the reader is carried away on the Santa Sleigh of this beautiful story as all their plans begin to unravel and it’s this new friendship which ultimately saves them.

It was a pleasure to read this book for a second time. There is laughter and there are tears. There is typical rainy London weather and there might even be a bit of snow. The story, as it follows Bea, Olivia and Chloe, is engaging, flows well and near on impossible to put down. I read it in less than a day and I will definitely be adding it to my ‘Traditional Christmas Read’ pile.

Available in e-book and paperback on Amazon