I’ve probably said this before, but maybe you’re lucky and didn’t read it the first time. One of the best gauges to see how I’m going to rate a book is how long it takes me to get through it. There are obviously exceptions here, but few.

This one took me ten days. Granted, I’ve read and reviewed other books during that time (which ought to give you a clue as to how I felt about A Cosy Candelit Christmas), but I had no desire to give this one more effort. Because, unfortunately, that’s what it felt like: effort.

First, for a good bit of the beginning, Isla was waspish and self-involved. She’d acknowledge her rudeness, which I suppose means that a reader is supposed to give her credit and ignore? Then she waffled. And waffled. Between her angst and drama queen antics (who panics when the lights go out?), Isla is not an admirable character. She’s basically immature despite her age, running out of a Christmas brunch with her father because she has feelings for a man. Really, she just reunited with her father and this is how she behaves? There is so much circuitous writing and storytelling and so much repetition that even reading a chapter felt like hard work.

A Cosy Candelit Christmas has instalove, which isn’t surprising.

The story is essentially one of dysfunctional people. There is much angst. There is little humor or warmth. Where the cosy candlelight was, I have no idea. There was candlelight when the lights went out, but no cosy.

I will tell you that my review/reaction is in the minority on Goodreads, so I’ll throw out my standby: your mileage may vary. I do know that I like my Christmas novels to have humor and good cheer and “feel good” (as the cover of this novel implies), hold the dysfunction (reality has enough of that).

Anyway.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Christmas book and A Cozy Candlelight Christmas was no exception. This book is well written with a good plot and well developed characters. I enjoyed the setting and the author's writing.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

First let me say that I recommend you reading A Very Vintage Christmas before reading this one. The books are set at the same time and run parallel.

It is hard to explain this book without giving too much away from this book or A Very Vintage Christmas. But the characters are great and the stories while simultaneous and some scenes intersect the story is a great read.

Great for a quick Brit-lit Christmas tale.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored the first book in the series so I was delighted to read book 2.

This time we meet the character Isla, she unexpectedly recieves a letter from her father who left her. So when she decides to go and meet him you really just wish he is a nice man and really wants to be a proper dad to her.

The book is just beautiful and so heart warming! It is so easy to read! Tilly has got this story completely perfect! So much emotion packed into this little book!

A cosy Christmas story set amidst the long ago split up family, trying to make things better.

Another great book from Tilly. I really enjoyed it.

I love Tilly Tennant's writing and A Cosy Candlelit Christmas has been an absolute pleasure to read.
Isla is 29 years old and hasn't seen her Father in 24 years. She is very close to her mother who brought her up alone. They have never had much, but have always had each other and been happy. As they prepare for another family Christmas Isla receives notification of her Grandmother's death, on her fathers side, and it seems she has been gifted something in her will. The gift however comes with conditions. If Isla wishes to know more she will have to travel to the Alps to meet with her Father. After some consideration she decides to go. She has no idea how much this decision will change her life completely.
I have to say, I wasn't sure if I liked Isla or not at first. Her feelings towards her father are very understandable, as is her fear of upsetting her mother. Isla did certainly grow on me though and I really, really wanted her story to have a happy ending. As far as I'm concerned it's never too late to make amends.
The setting sounds absolutely beautiful. There is no way you'd get me skiing, but I could totally see myself taking in the views of the mountains with a hot chocolate or brandy (or maybe hot chocolate with brandy in it!) to sip! And the Church scene on Christmas Eve sounds amazing. I love our Church at Christmas so I can imagine how beautiful it must be somewhere like that.
I absolutely loved Sebastian! He is such a sweet character.
Dahlia is a fabulous character too. I couldn't help but love her and her hotel sounds like the ideal place to stay.
This is such a lovely romance which demanded my attention from beginning to end. I'm living proof you can fall in love in less than a week as me and my Husband did, and we've been together for 18 years (married for 15) so I can totally relate. It's a lovely, heart-warming read and a perfect festive romance, but I think you could enjoy it at any time of the year really.
Beautifully written, as always. I highly recommend.

I enjoy Tilly’s books and this one is no difference enjoyed this story. Full of love laughter and really fun! Descriptive and made me feel I was in the story

Ever since I finished reading A Very Vintage Christmas by Tilly Tennant, I couldn't wait to delve into A Cosy Candlelit Christmas, book two in the Unforgettable Christmas series. I was eager to discover how Dodie and Isla's stories would overlap and interconnect. Tantalising hints as to Isla's story were dotted throughout book one as to the life changing journey she was embarking on. Would it be all plain sailing or would there be plenty of twists, turns and upsets along the way? I have to say that this book felt even more Christmassy than the first. It really hit the spot in terms of the festive atmosphere and think this was partly due to the fact it was set in a ski resort in France in the days running up to and during Christmas. I think I preferred Isla's story to Dodie's and that is not to take away anything from A Very Vintage Christmas which I really enjoyed. I think this one just affected me more deeply. Everything that Isla was battling through really resonated with me and I felt the storyline was even stronger than the one I had read before. A Cosy Candlelit Christmas is certainly one of the best Christmas books I have read so far this year that will need strong competition to beat it.

Isla is 29 and a university student studying psychology. She feels quite screwed up herself so believes what she is studying suits her down to the ground. She has given up her job and moved back in with her mother to study. The relationship she has with her mother is a complex one and is deeply affected by their circumstances as she grew up. When she was five Isla's Dad abandoned them and has not been heard from since. Her mother Glory raised her single handily and not without a struggle. Times were tough for the pair and the resentment and anger emanating from Glory with regards to her husband leaving is still very much fresh in her mind. This had led to Isla putting up a defence when it comes to men. As she says herself she doesn't do relationships, she is too busy, too focused on her life with too much responsibility at home. She likes to appear unavailable and uninterested to men whereas the reader senses underneath that wall she has built up there is someone who like us all at the end of the day wants that special someone in their life to cuddle up to at night.

I couldn't blame Isla for not letting herself want to let her guard slip but when it transpires a letter has arrived from Ian, fireworks ensue. Isla is completely torn - go against her mother's wishes and contribute to an already tense situation and go to France to look into this inheritance she has been left by a grandmother she can vaguely remember. Or should she stay put and forget the letter ever came into her life? Poor Isla, it really was like she was being ripped in two. Given the chance wouldn't you want to reconnect with your father? I knew the inheritance wasn't at the forefront of her mind but her father’s family had more underhand aims behind her having to go to St.Martin-De-Belleville, the ski resort where her father runs a hire shop with his wife Celine and teenagers Benet and Natalie. Isla wants to ask her best friend and stalwart Dodie for advice but Dodie is busy with worries of her own. I thought there would be more scenes featuring Dodie but they came very far and few between. So for those reading this book first there is no need to worry if you haven't read A Very Vintage Christmas.

Right from the moment Isla steps off the plane and makes her way to the resort the Christmas atmosphere really ramped up. Through such wonderful descriptions I could vividly picture the snow covered resort with the huge mountains surrounding it. I could sense the cold and see all the decorations and fabulous food that were there. For someone who has never being skiing or to a resort covered in snow Tilly Tennant sure did a good job of making me feel like I had. Isla embarks upon her quest and to reconnect with her Dad with trepidation which is understandable given the bad picture Glory had painted of the husband who more or less just upped and left. I'm glad she didn't rush into his arms and forgive him the moment she set eyes on him. Time is a healer but explanations are needed first. Combined with the fact there was a sense of sneakiness ongoing Isla was wise to sit back and wait and let things unfold and only then rush to uncover the answers she desperately wanted.

Isla was a person who was full of logic and reasoning throughout. She always stepped back to view a situation from every angle. Her cousin Justin from her stepmother's side was a character I couldn't warm to at all. I much preferred Seb who was staying at the same hotel Residence Alpenrose as Isla. He was a glaciologist and although he was meant to come across as a nerd and obsessed with his job, I thought he had a heart of gold underneath his shy exterior. Justin on the other hand was not nice at all. At times he came across as very dominating and almost menacing. It was clear he had ulterior motives and wasn't really that in to Isla only to string her along. To read of the unfolding situation with Isla and her family was a joy. I loved every minute of the story. It had a great basic plot and the fact it was based all around Christmas endeared the overall message to me even more.

It was great there was no messing about and we were straight into the story and Isla was allowed to share her life with us. She has plenty of conundrums to deal with and at every point she takes her mother's feelings into account but also she has to balance the wishes of her father. To be honest, I wouldn't have blamed her if she just said forget about you all I am satisfying myself and my needs but she wasn't that kind of person. Through being away in a different atmosphere and with the help of Dahlia the owner of the hotel and Seb she battles through in her attempts to make the right decision. Amends need to be made and forgiveness thrown into the mix but Isla needs to let go of the distrust that poisons all her relationships and only then can she see the light to make the correct decision for everyone involved, herself being the most important person.

I couldn't recommend A Cosy Candlelit Christmas enough as a Christmas read for this year. The story between such a beautiful cover lives up to the title and the image one conjures up when you see the snowy background. There is real depth and emotion throughout the story and one can't help but fall in love with Isla. She is one special woman. Some authors wouldn't have pulled off publishing two books in such quick succession especially with the interconnected theme but Tilly Tennant succeeded in writing two brilliant books that have made me really excited for what comes next.

You know what would be easier? Me copying and pasting* all the compliments I write for Tilly Tennant in each review, into this one! It's as though I am a worn out record by saying the same sort of stuff!
(*Please note that I would never do that. It would be easier, but I wouldn't. Just to clarify!)

I had the pleasure of ignoring everybody by indulging in yet another Tilly Tennant novel. A Tilly Tennant novel to me is like chocolate chip cookies to Cookie Monster, although I wouldn't say no to several of those whilst reading Tilly's novel, that's for sure!

I'm just going to come straight out and say it. I feel I owe it to the author to be open and honest...

OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH I LOVEEEEEEED IT! I have absolutely NO idea how this author does it, but she knocks it out of the park every.single.time! Just when I thought she had done good with a previous novel, the author then brings out a book which lands itself in the 'Tilly Tennant's Best Book Yet' section. Seriously. It's not even the odd book...it's EVERY SINGLE BOOK which the author reduces me to a gabbling, stalkerish type reviewer who pining after the authors words once again!

Most of Isla's life has been with her mother, that really is all she has even known. Until the day her estranged father makes contact that is. Personally, I thought Isla was incredibly brave for doing what she did despite knowing full well what the repercussions could have been not only for her, but everyone else involved. Just like Isla, my father abandoned us at a young age and I spent many years angry with someone who I hadn't heard their side of the story from. A mother, just like Glory, who had their own version of events and refused to let anything else become an option. If I had the chance would I do what Isla did? Yes, I would. Unfortunately I won't ever get that chance, but I am so glad that Isla listened with her own heart for once, instead of going along with what her mother wanted.

The way Isla comes across in a lot of the storyline is guarded and emotionally broken. Whether she would openly admit to that is a whole other ball game. Of course she is going to be guarded, so for that I appreciated how realistic the author made her character's feelings come across throughout the storyline. I felt as though I wasn't reading about a fictional character - I felt as though I was reading a book about a real life person and their true story. Hats off to Tilly Tennant for being able to dissect such a raw and emotional topic, in such a heart-felt and poignant manner. Fantastic.

As for Justin. Well. If I ever were to find myself in a snowball fight with him, I would ensure my snowball contained a surprise. What a pleb! As soon as he came on the scene I disliked him straight away. People say I am judgemental. I say that I am a good judge of character!

I fell in love with every single thing within 'A Cosy Candlelit Christmas' from the setting to the main characters, to the humour to the hotel, to the romance to the thought-provoking message. Everything. Because I could relate to Isla a lot, this novel did make me feel quite emotional and hit me in a completely different way to any of Tilly Tennant's other novels. Daft eh? Don't worry though, despite my emotional undertone, I did laugh a heck of a lot. That is another thing I love about this authors writing; she never fails to make me feel.

In my eyes, 'A Cosy Candlelit Christmas' is Tilly Tennant's best book to date. She really has outdone herself with her character building, setting descriptions and overall plot. Once again I was able to let myself fall into Tilly's ingenious and magical words (a bit like when Joey from Friends steps into the map...ish), knowing that I will forever be cushioned by such an enchanting and heart-warming novel. Hand on heart, I could read a Tilly Tennant novel every single day and not get bored with the magic which lies under every cover.

Spell-binding, beautifully written and 100% memorable - Tilly Tennant has blown me away. If I were given the chance to disappear into a fictional life for a day, I would pick one of Tilly Tennant's novels, that's for sure.

A hug in a book from start to finish, I could not recommend 'A Cosy Candlelit Christmas' more if I tried.

Thanks Bookouture.

I was given an ecopy of this book by Bookouture, Tilly Tennant's publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is something I am more than happy to do.

It's no secret I love Tilly Tennant books, each one is like a returning friend that makes me smile the whole way through. Add to that that this is a Christmas read, I couldn't have been happier.

Isla was brought up in a single parent family from a very young age with just her mum. Throughout her life her mum painted her dad in such a bad light, abandoning them bot that when an unexpected heritance arrives with a condition attached - Isla is torn. Her dad wants to meet her and make amends. If she is prepared to go to the snowy, french alps and reconcile with her father she gets the inheritance.

Tilly did a fantastic job of setting the scene and the tension and anguish Isla feels is palpable as her mum puts pressure on her to ignore the request. The emotional tug of love was so very life like. Isla loves her mum and hates her dad but wants to hear face to face why he so callously abandoned her and left her to grow up without a father.

As ever Tilly adds romance for our leading lady in not just one but two suitors - their characters as different as chalk and cheese. My heart melted one one page and was fired up, inwardly shouting out to her as the story unfolded.

A perfect read about family relationships, love, friendship and characters that are multi-faceted set in the perfect location of St Martin-de-Belleville in the French Alps - I so wish I was going there for Christmas.

I highly recommend that everyone puts this engaging, realistic book at the top of their Christmas reads - it's not all fluffy snow, hearts and romance it has depth, warmth and character. Huge thanks to Noelle at Bookouture for my copy.

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour. I have been a huge Tilly fan for sometime so whenever I see shas a new book out I know it is something to get excited for.

If you have read A Very Vintage Christmas then you know some very brief details of this story but if you haven't read it then I would say it is not a problem as the two stories are very separate and can be read as standalones.

The story follows Isla as she reconnects with her Dad. It is set among the French Alps. The setting is a christmas picture postcard. Snow is constantly falling, there are magical lights and  the prettiest village around.

I don't want to focus too much on the story but it really pulls on the heartstrings. Isla's dad left her and her mother when she was only 5 years old. She has locked all her memories of him away because it is too painful to think about. Her father leaving has affected her in ways she doesn't realise until she reconnects with him. He has left her with a distrust of people. She can never be sure if they are going to run out on her.

I really loved Sebastian. He is quirky and nerdy but there is something just so loveable about him. He really is a good guy.

Justin is Isla's usual type of guy. He can talk the talk. There is clearly something there but I was distrustful of him from the beginning.

As always Tilly drew me into this world so easily. Like Isla I never wanted to leave. I was actually disappointed when I got to the end because I wanted to stay there for a little bit longer.

I really hope that Tilly lets us return to Isla's life in the future because I am so intrigued as to what will happen next for her. Her life has changed so much by the end and I think it is a new beginning for her.

I really enjoyed the last book by Tilly featuring Isla's friend Dodie. However I wanted to get stuck in with this book as I was curious about her best friend Isla. This book moves on to the same time period as Dodie, but we get to catch up with what Isla has been doing. Isla has had a strange phone call saying that her Grandmother she never knew has left her something in her will. However, that means visiting the French resort of St Martin-de-Belleville and seeing the Father who walked out on her and her Mum when she was a young girl.

As Isla arrives in the resort she has no idea but upon meeting Dahlia the owner of the place she is staying, and geeky but loveable glaciologist Sebastian things seem to take a turn for the better. I absolutely adored Sebstian and although Isla is quite prickly and defensive you could tell that she was thawing to both him and the lovely Dahlia that owns the hotel. Tilly does a cracking job describing this beautiful place and it was easy to fall in love with it all as you read.

There are certainly some hairy moments as Isla faces her fears and meets not only the Father she doesn't know but the new step mother and half siblings. There are a couple of curve balls going on and you get the feeling that all is not as it seems on the surface. However, Isla doesn't suffer fools gladly and you can see her battling to do the right thing. What I did love was that the process wasn't shown to be easy. If she would have met her Dad and everything was instantly wonderful it wouldn't have had the same impact.

I read this book in just two sittings and absolutely loved it. As much as I enjoyed reading about Dodie in book 1, geeky Seb and stern Isla stole the show and this book was definitely my favourite of the 2. A wonderful book and a perfect Christmas present!

Beautiful story about letting walls down and love in and out!

When I saw this book cover I absolutely adored it!  I am a massive fan of Tilly's books so knew this one would be right up my street having read her previous release in the "Unforgettable Christmas" series - A Very Vintage Christmas (also out now)!

This book is a fun read, easy to follow and despite it being the second in the series you can easily read it as a stand alone.  The plot is great and I loved the story from the start to the end, in fact I didn't want it to end I was enjoying it so much!!  

A Christmas cracker (although you can read it in winter too and I recommend you read it with a warm drink and a slice of cake or some chocolate!!) - 5 stars from me!!!

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is book two in Tilly Tennant’s An Unforgettable Christmas series.

It follows Isla McCoy, who receives an unexpected gift right before Christmas. It’s an inheritance. However, it’s connected to her father. The one who abandoned her. She decides to travel to St. Martin-de-Belleville, to find out more. There she has to deal with her father and part of his new family.

Then of course there are some nice male characters as well. Plural, yes you heard right ;). Justin and Sebastian, these two couldn’t be more different. As if Isla isn’t confused enough. This added a lot of excitement to the storyline and I was hooked.

I liked Sebastian more from the start and really enjoyed their moments. I will not tell you more here, read the book. He is a glaciologist, which is unusual and unique. All the characters were very well lined out and integrated in the plot.


The festive atmosphere in this book is not to beat. St. Martin seems so beautiful and Tilly Tennant captured that beautifully. It’s a lovely ski resort, with so much more too it, I just love it.

This book gave me a warm feeling inside and it’s full of heart, passion and love, just perfect!

This is book 2 in the Unforgettable Christmas series, following hard on the heels of book 1 (A Very Vintage Christmas). Although this story features as its main character someone mentioned in the previous book, it is perfectly possible to read each as a standalone. I very much enjoyed A Very Vintage Christmas, and looked forward to reading this second book. I have enjoyed all the books I have read from Tilly Tennant and would count her as one of my favourite authors.



The current story centres on the activities of Isla McCoy (best friend of Dodie, the central character in the first book) in the run-up to Christmas. Out of the blue, she has news that a little known relative has left her an inheritance. The catch is that to receive it she must make contact with the father who abandoned her and her mother when she was very young. However, the positive aspect of that is a trip to a French skiing resort where her father, Ian McCoy, now lives with his 'new' family. Unwillingly, and against her mother's wishes, Isla makes the trip just before Christmas and meets not only an extended family but also two very different but equally interesting men - distant relative Justin and visiting glaciologist Sebastian. Could romance be in the air?



I am a huge fan of festive stories, and I really enjoyed this one. It is a little different, with the heroine being transported off on an adventure just when she would normally be making Christmas preparations. It is a deliciously snowy tale as you would expect from its setting in the alpine resort of St Martin-de-Belleville. I found that I could easily picture the scene and would love to be staying in the guest house where Isla finds herself. I admired Isla as a character for her courage in setting off into the unknown as it were. Although I didn't think I would, as the story from the past emerged, I found myself liking her father and most of the family. Unexpectedly, I just couldn't warm to her mother, Glory, and revelations as the story progressed made it even more difficult.



I would recommend this book to fellow lovers of Christmas stories. It would be perfect for reading while curled up by the fire dreaming of a white Christmas.

What a beautiful and absolutely stunning cover this book has. This straight away made me want to read it - before I'd even read the blurb! I LOVE the background of snowy mountains, the candles, the fairy lights, snow, Christmas pudding and the beautiful wreath in the centre. All together it makes for probably the most stunning Christmas cover I've ever seen. Everything looks so cosy I wish I was there.

Now onto the story itself, I really enjoyed the first one in the series and wasn't sure how the second was going to top it - but let me tell you - it certainly did! I loved this one even more than the second - if that's possible! The whole story had such a feel-good vibe to it that it was hard to put down. Every spare moment I had I spent reading this book and as a result I was so sad when it ended.

The story follows Isla, who after hearing from a solicitor, has flown all the way to France to meet her father for the first time in over 20 years. At first, Isla thinks that her dad has an ulterior motive for her going over there - but as the story progresses you realise that it isn't her dad who's up to something after all...

The story is so intriguing and I simply fell in love with the setting. It's described beautifully and I could easily imagine the chocolate box perfect village with the snow falling and Christmas lights twinkling. It all made for an absolute perfect Christmassy read. I also fell in love with certain characters - Sebastian was one that I adored and I found him to be so timid and sweet towards Isla. Another character I loved was hotel owner Dahlia - she was also someone who didn't have a bad bone in her body and I felt like I was being made welcome as a guest in her hotel too!

This is 100% my favourite of Tilly Tennant's novels so far. You instantly get drawn into the story and you don't want to let it go. Isla was easy to relate to and I found her really brave - going all that way on her own. The story was easy to follow, the characters were all lovely and I couldn't put it down. It's heart-warming and will leave you with that warm fuzzy feeling. A beautiful novel!

Overall, a brilliant story that is a perfect way to spend a rainy Sunday. And perfect to read in the buildup to Christmas. Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Initially I wasn’t planning on reading this book, as the blurb didn’t appeal to me quite as much as other Christmas books I had my eye on. However, after reading and loving A Very Vintage Christmas a few weeks ago, I just had to give this one a read too. My verdict is that I didn’t love A Cosy Candlelit Christmas quite as much as A Very Vintage Christmas, but I did still love it.

Again, this has romance running through the story, but it is also so much more than that. I loved the story of a family torn apart many years ago and the struggle to come to terms with the past in an attempt to move forward.

My favourite characters by far were Sebastian and Dahlia. I loved Sebastian’s geekiness, in the way I love Chris Packham for his quirkiness and passionate love of nature and animals. Dahlia was adorably caring of others, even if she hardly knew them. I did eventually grow to like Isla, but as I feel I’m much more like her best friend, Dodie, who I got to know in the previous book, I wouldn’t say I fully connected with Isla. The less said about Justin the better, as I really wasn’t keen on him at all.

Out of the seven Christmassy books I’ve read this year so far, this one definitely qualifies as the most scenic and the one with the most snow. I had to wrap up warm each time I picked this book up, as it was somewhat chilly in the French resort of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville during the run-up to Christmas.

Despite feeling less festive than A Very Vintage Christmas, I’m pleased to say there was tinsel, turkey, crackers, and did I mention the snow? Ooh, think of all the snowmen we could build.

A Cosy Candlelit Christmas is definitely one I recommend if you enjoy stories about family, romance, and have dreams of a white Christmas.

What would you do if the family you hadn't spoken to in years suddenly got in touch? If you heard from a solicitor that you are due an inheritance from a long estranged grandmother, on the proviso that you try to repair the relationship that never existed with a father who abandoned you? That is exactly the dilemma facing Isla McCoy in A Cosy Candelit Christmas, and it's not an enviable one for sure. On one hand, she has a potential inheritance to consider and as a struggling student anything would certainly be welcome. But on the other hand she has to see her father and, after years of no contact, Isla has to decide whether the pain it would cause her mother, and potentially herself, is worth it. In the end she agrees to travel to France to see her father and learn of her inheritance, taking Isla on what could well be a life changing journey full of snow, mountains and some incredibly suspect hot chocolate.

From the very beginning I warmed to Isla. A slightly older student than her friends, she immediately came across as a bit of a no-nonsense character, probably owing to her upbringing and the way in which her very dominant mother had shaped her life. However, due to her father abandoning her, Isla had spent her life avoiding romance and personal connections with everyone other than her best friend, Dodie. Afterall, if you don't give someone your heart, they can't hurt you. I kind of identified with that sentiment and it was played out very carefully in the novel. Isla wasn't heartless or cold, more cautious and perhaps cynical when it came to the idea of love. But she was, above all else, really likeable.

From the minute she set foot in St Martin-de-Belleville you could tell that she was a fish out of water. Nothing about the place was within Isla's comfort zone and it was amusing at times to watch her navigate her way around the town. After a near miss with another tourist at the airport, getting to the hotel proves to be a little less dangerous although her lack of sturdy footwear is apparent. Uggs really aren't designed for ski-resorts. The hotel, and the town are all that Isla and hoped for and she is overwhelmed by her room. Until that is a chucklesome error occurs which paves the way for one of the books most aww-esque friendships. Tilly Tennant has done a brilliant job of creating a truly festive and whimsical setting, just primed for a bit of gentle romance. Not what Isla is there for, obviously, but still. Snow, mountains and romantic little restaurants ... what else do you expect.

There are a couple of rivals for Isla's attention. First up is her sort-of-but-not-really cousin by marriage, Justin, who comes to talk to Isla on behalf of her father following a distrastrous first meeting. He is the ultimate in French charm, make of that what you will, but it is impossible to deny the chemistry and attraction between him and Isla. That said, he wasn't a character I particularly liked or trusted. On the other hand you have Sebastian, a very reserved and somewhat quirky guy who is in St Martin to study mountains and glaciers. Yep. He's a glaciologist. How rock'n'roll right? Well with his bow ties, wandering suitcases and hotel suite mix-ups he is someone who keeps reappearing in Isla's life in the most unexpected ways. The complete opposite of Justin in every way, he is a very sweet guy and the blossoming friendship between the pair is beautiful to watch.

And then you have Dahlia, the hotel owner/manager. She is quite the character and a little bit mischievous to boot, trying her hand on more than the odd occasion at a little matchmaking. That said she is a great character who really brings the story, and the hotel to life and it wouldn't be the same without her.

The setting is beautiful, the situations the characters find themselves in often comical, but then at the centre of it all you have the true heart of the story. That of a family trying to find their way back to each other, the divisions  years in the making, slowly being rubbed away. And you have a beautiful and gently blossoming love story too. Yes, I'm an old cynic when it comes to that kind of thing, but even I couldn't help feeling a little bit of a smile creep over my face when the right couple finally admitted their feelings towards each other.

A beautifully heartwarming read with more than a touch of humour and a wonderfully festive mountain setting, what more could you ask for? Do yourself a favour, grab a cocoa, grab this book and settle back for a few hours. You won't regret it.

A lovely tale, spinning off from Dodie's tale in A Very Vintage Christmas. Initially I was confused by the references to Dodie as I had forgotten/not seen that Islas's tale runs parallel to Dodie's Christmas tale.

Well rounded characters who come to life from the page.

This is an interesting tale that deals with difficult childhoods, parental responsibilities and marital strife as the context to university student Dodie's discovery that she may have an inheritance. Her trip to France is full of chocolate-box descriptions that evoke the spirit of an Alpine village.

A heart-warming Christmas tale with some ups and downs on the way. I would have liked more links to Dodie's tale - Isla and this trip to France were mentioned in AVVC but Dodie was barely mentioned in this book -- and then only at the start. Naturally this book can be read as a standalone but I had hoped and expected that there would be more linkages between these books.