Book Review: The Twelve Wishes of Christmas by Ruby Basu

I am pleased to welcoming Ruby Basu to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the book birthday blitz tour for her novel, The Twelve Wishes of Christmas.

She’s here for the perfect Christmas escape…

When Sharmila discovers her late friend, Thomas, has gifted her the holiday of her dreams, she can’t pack her bags fast enough. Arriving in Pineford, it’s everything she’d ever hoped for and more.

But she’s in for another surprise, because Thomas has left her with one last request: if she completes his Christmas wish list of festive activities, her chosen charity will receive a big donation. Or so Sharmila thinks.

…He’s there to reclaim his family’s legacy

Little does she know, she’s set to inherit Thomas’s estate too, much to his nephew Zach’s disbelief. Determined not to see his family’s legacy left to a stranger, he’s come to Pineford to do whatever it takes to stop Sharmila from fulfilling that list.

When Sharmila and Zach meet, neither are prepared for sparks to fly. For Sharmila’s sworn off love, and Zach doesn’t trust her. But with every passing wish they find themselves growing closer. And amongst the twinkling town lights and fallen snow, Sharmila can feel her heart opening up to Zach. But when she learns he’s been keeping a secret from her, can Sharmila forgive him and get the happy-ever-after she’s always wished for this Christmas?

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When Sharmila finds out that she’s been gifted a holiday by her late friend, Thomas, she can’t wait to pack her bags and experience an American Christmas. Thomas has set her festive themed challenges. If she completes them, she gets money to donate to charity. What she doesn’t know is that she is also set to inherit Thomas’s estate, something his nephew Zach wants to stop. Can Christmas work its magic and bring a happy ending? 

I was so pleased to be invited onto the tour for The Twelve Wishes of Christmas. 

I really fell in love with the premise of this novel. It felt so romantic plus the cover is so lovely.

As I adore Christmas, I want to be Sharmila in this novel in that, I want to be able to experience a Christmas with all these activities and experiences. It sounds like a dream. 

Pineford sounds idyllic. The author really successfully creates such a wonderful atmosphere that it wasn’t hard to fall into this novel. I completely fell in love with the town, the characters and the story. 

Sharmila is a dreamer and I loved her. 

Zach and Lucas, yes they don’t like the idea of their family legacy being shared by a stranger and their behaviour is bad but I could at least understand their motivations, even if I didn’t agree. This added realistic conflict and made me want to know what happened, especially when Sharmila found out Zach’s secret and the extent of Thomas’s bequest. 

I could not put this book down to be honest. It’s made me want to put up my Christmas tree and stick the festive songs on the radio. 

I’m not sure I can say much else without giving much away. I do so hope that this is a book you place on your reading list. 

It covers themes including love, trust , and the power of community. I adored it. 

There is so much magic, charm, warmth, romance and festive feels, it was like getting a warm, Christmas hug. 

A wonderful debut. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ruby Basu does next. I’m a fan! 

Thank you to HQ Digital and Rachel’s Random Resources for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. 

About Ruby Basu: 

Ruby lives in the beautiful Chilterns with her husband, two children, and the cutest dog in the world. She worked for many years as a lawyer and policy lead in the Civil Service.

As the second of four children, Ruby connected strongly with Little Women’s Jo March and was scribbling down stories from a young age. A huge fan of romantic movies, Star Wars, and Marvel, she loves creating new characters and worlds while waiting for her superpowers to develop.

Say hello to Ruby via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or via her website.

The Twelve Wishes of Christmas was released by HQ Digital. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.