Competitions: Win a Signed Copy of Christmas Cakes & Mistletoe Nights by Carole Matthews

Carole Matthews is back with Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights which was released by Sphere on 19th October. 

Thanks to Carole and Sphere, we have ONE SIGNED COPY to give away to one lucky winner.

Fay and Danny are madly in love and it’s all Fay’s ever dreamed of. But she left everything – including the delightful cake shop she used to run – to be with Danny on his cosy canal boat The Dreamcatcher. And as she soon finds out, making delicious cakes on the water isn’t always smooth sailing!

Then Fay gets a call from her friends, a call that sends her back to her friends and the Cake Shop in the Garden. It will be hard being away from Danny but their relationship is strong enough to survive . . . isn’t it?

Fay soon falls happily back in love with her passion for baking – especially now she’s on dry land again! – and starts to wonder if she ever should have left. With Christmas around the corner, Fay is determined that her friends will have a very merry time, but does that mean even more time away from Danny?

How To Enter: 

Comment on this post with your name and county as well as what you love most about Christmas before the closing date which is Wednesday 1st November 2017 at 23.59. A winner will be picked from the entrants and announced on the Novel Kicks blog on Thursday 2nd November 2017.

Good luck.

(UK and Ireland only. Prize is being sent directly from the publisher so please do allow a few days for delivery. Winner will also be contacted by me via e-mail after 2nd November. Don’t worry, your e-mail address is safe with us and don’t forget to check your spam folder.) 

My verdict on Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights: 

Fay and Danny are madly in love and have been travelling on The Dreamcatcher canal boat for a little while and have enjoyed escaping from the grind of real life.

When Fay is called back to The Cake Shop in The Garden, a few things have changed since they left. Lija has made a few changes and yet everything feels the same.

Fay quickly falls back in love with the home, baking and the people that she left behind to the point where she begins to wonder whether she should have gone away at all.
Christmas is coming but can she make the season great for Daniel and her friends old and new?

I’m Laura and I am a Carole Matthews-oholic.

I am not entirely sure why (and something that will be rectified as soon as possible,) but I have not read the The Cake Shop in the Garden to which this book is a sequel. I was a little worried that I wouldn’t know what was going on.

Although I think it would add a little background to the characters, this can also be read as a standalone novel. I didn’t feel as though I was missing any vital information as Carole sums up the events of the last novel well within the plot.

Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights is everything I like in a novel. Christmas, friendships, family and romance. Well, quite frankly, Carole had me at Christmas.

The characters felt very realistic and I think people will see themselves in at least one of them. I loved Stan, Lija is fabulously grumpy and I couldn’t help but be caught up with Rainbow’s enthusiasm.

Carole has a way of completely pulling me into her novels. It wasn’t long before I was completely drawn in (at the expense of other activities like sleep and housework.) There is a lot of warmth, heart and humour in this book. It’s perfect to curl up with as the darker nights are getting closer. Like all the other novels by Carole Matthews I’ve read, it’s like getting a warm hug.

I didn’t want to stop reading.

The only thing wrong with this novel is that it had to end. I would love to find out what happens next with these characters.

Finally, I just want to take a moment to appreciate the book cover. It’s. Just. Gorgeous.

About Carole: 

Carole Matthews is the Sunday Times bestselling author. Her novels include The Cake Shop in the Garden, Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses, A Cottage by the Sea, The Chocolate Lovers’ Christmas and The Chocolate Lovers’ Wedding. In 2015, Carole was awarded the RNA Outstanding Achievement Award.

For all the latest news from Carole, visit www.carolematthews.com, or follow Carole on Twitter (@carolematthews)

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.