Kiltie’s Advent Book Calendar – 16th Dec

Christmas Every Day by Beth Moran; Boldwood Books

Page Count (e-book) – 408

The Blurb:

When Jenny inherits her estranged grandmother’s cottage in Sherwood Forest, she has nothing to lose – no money, no job, no friends, no family to speak of, and zero self-respect. Things can only get better…
Her grumpy, but decidedly handsome new neighbour, Mack, has a habit of bestowing unsolicited good deeds on her. And when Jenny is welcomed into a rather unusual book club, life seems to finally be getting more interesting.
Instead of reading, the members pledge to complete individual challenges before Christmas: from finding new love, learning to bake, to completing a daredevil bucket list. Jenny can’t resist joining in, and soon a year of friendship and laughter, tears and regrets unfolds in the most unexpected ways.

My Review:

Oh my, oh my, oh my! What a fabulous little surprise this book was! Absolutely wonderful! This is one of those rare books that draws you in from the first sentence and keeps you turning, turning, turning the pages until, with eyelids held open with cocktail sticks, you reach the end and can finally sleep! Well, that’s what happened with me anyway!

First up, I do have to say that the Christmas element of this book is a tad thin on the ground when compared to other Christmas-themed books but the story is just so good, I’m prepared to be forgiving on that. There ARE several mentions of Christmas, and there is one particular event which is beyond ludicrous, but is soooooo incredibly funny, that I’m sure other readers won’t mind this either.

Jenny is a great character – arriving in her new home dragging a suitcase of flaws and insecurities behind her. As she sets about rebuilding her life, becoming a part of the community and clearing out her living quarters, she slowly begins to morph into a stronger person and her demons are gradually beaten and thrown out with the other rubbish littering up her cottage.

Mack is her gorgeous but taciturn, neighbour. His fierce, bearded exterior does an excellent job of adding camouflage to his well-hidden heart of gold. Albeit reluctant to engage with Jenny, and she is just as reluctant to accept his offers of help, they end up coming together more than once as he tries to give assistance before she brings the roof of their shared abode down around their heads. These moments are funny and enjoyable.

The antagonist is a character who only makes a few appearances, in the grand scheme of things, but is so well described as being a slimy little toad, that you actually feel the need to wipe your fingers clean even after you have left the creep several pages behind.

Altogether, with a wonderful supporting cast in the shape of the book club members who each bring their own unique voice to the story, this is a truly great book and I am looking forward to reading more of Ms Moran’s offerings in the future. If this one is anything to go by, they’re bound to be flipping marvellous!

Available in e-book and paperback on Amazon