Well I think I've found a new favorite author. Now don't get me wrong, I still love reading historicals but reading chick-lit is fun. Believe me I never thought I'd say that. Like so many I always got the impression chick-lit was just not for me, not my thing. Maybe I thought it was too light and fluffy or something but it's a nice break from these historicals which can have some pretty heavy subject matters. This is the second book I've read by Tilly Tennant and I've enjoyed it just as much as the first book in the series. This is Isla's story. She's lived with her mother for her whole 29 years. When she was five her father left them never to be heard from again, or so she was told. He moved to the French Alps.started a new life and has a new family. Isla's mother poisons her mind against her father and wants her daughter to have nothing to do with him. When her grandmother in the Alps dies her father contacts her mother saying there is a life-changing inheritance for Isla. If she refuses it it affects everyone else's inheritance. There are provisions to accepting it and she must travel to the Alps,where her father lives, to receive it. How does her mother handle this knowing her daughter will meet her father again after all this time. There are two men vying for her attention in the Alps a drop dead gorgeous guy who gives her lots of attention and a nerdy,tweed and bow tie wearing shy glaciologist will she choose one for the limited amount of time she's there? Will she allow her heart to reconnect with her extended family while she is there or will she stay true to her mother's bitterness of what happened in the past? Cozy Christmas story with tons of snow. Loved it!
Pub Date 26 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

The second book in the Unforgettable Christmas Series. Having just finished A Very Vintage Christmas I was dying to read this one. It could easily be read as a standalone too as it hardly refers to book 1.
It truly is a gorgeous snowy alpine delight.
We follow Isla, Dodie’s best friend from A Very Vintage Christmas, on a trip to meet her father.
How will that go, seeing as he had abandoned her as a child? Isla can hardly remember him.
Throw in a couple of love interests and we have the perfect heart-warming story.
Tilly Tennant’s description of the beautiful French resort of St Martin-de-Belleville made me feel like I was there. The hotel seemed a perfect place to stay, and the lady who owned it needs a story writing of her own.
The trip out to the glacier with Seb sounded fantastic. I loved Seb’s geekiness and his bowties.
Justin was a nice guy, but a bit of a charmer.
All that snow falling, it was idyllic. I would’ve been falling all over the place!
Even though it was set in December, it wasn’t overly Christmassy and you could read it any time of the year and enjoy it.
Definitely cosy, and when the power went down…..definitely candlelit too.
I thoroughly recommend this book, in fact all the books by Tilly Tennant are just so lovely.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in return for an honest review.

Blog link to follow on my blog tour day.

Gorgeous cover that drew me in. So happy to say the book lived up to my expectation of the cover and description. What a lovely book, I just loved it from start to finish. Was sad when it ended. Maybe there will be a follow up? Isla off to the Alps to find out what her estranged Gran has left her in her will. You follow her ups and downs of meeting the father she hasn't seen since she was 5. For me my favourite part was hearing how beautiful the scene was. Isla managed to stay in a lovely hotel with the best host. A must read over the winter season.

We first met Isla in a Very Vintage Christmas so we know a little of her history. In a Cosy Candlelit Christmas we get to see how her story unfolds.

Isla has been bought up by her mum, her father left when she was young and has not been in her life since, it’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth. Isla receives a letter informing her that she has come into an inheritance and her father would like to meet her, he asks Isla to visit him in the French resort of St. Martin-de-Belleville where he now lives. Isla’s mum is against the idea but Isla would like to meet him and find out why he abandoned her.

Isla travels to St. Martin to meet her father but the inheritance comes with certain conditions, they both have to try to maintain a relationship.

She also meets Sebastian, a geeky glaciologist and Justin who is her cousin by marriage. Sebastian is shy and awkward, but Justin appears untrustworthy and seems to have an ulterior motive.

This is a wonderful festive read set in a beautiful location, Isla is an engaging character who finds it hard to let down her defences and she desperately wants to give her father a second chance. A heartwarming enjoyable read which is perfect as we approach the festive season.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book. An quick to read story set mainly in the alps which contains all the elements of a good Christmas story - snow, complicated family relationships, romance and the required happy ending. Perfect read for this time of year.

Cosy, sweet book that I adored, from the moment Isla set foot in St Martin-de-Belleville I was in love with the small French skiing resort in the Alps.

Before starting this book I had been a bit worries, as having A Very Vintage Christmas I knew some background in Isla and her trip to France and was scared this would repeat everything I knew but with not much new information. Well I was WRONG! It was a completely new feeling story, in fact we barely see Dodie from book 1 at all, so it can be read as a standalone too. It is Isla's story, from her point of view and we see everything that she gets up to.

This is a story about whether Isla can start to build a relationship with her father, despite her mother still hating him over 20 years later. It's story where Isla has the change of a rather nice inheritance that comes with all manner of conditions. It is a story that contains two men both who turn Isla's head although I did have my own favourite between them.

In fact Sebastian has a rather cool job, he's a glaciologist, which I a term I had never heard before but is explained in the story. He is also slightly geeky but has a heart of gold. Whereas Justin, just felt a bit on the slimy side, like you couldn't quite trust him but not really sure why.

Besides the characters, its definitely the setting that is the start of this book, I was simply enchanted by St Martin-de-Belleville. I love the idea of a small ski resort that is picturesque, with its independent shops, stunning scenery, and believe it or not for a book with this setting, not a single winter sport! Just goes to show you could visit a small resort like this and not be bored, even if you don't ski.

Despite the freezing cold temperatures outside in the resort, Tilly Tennant's writing will leave you feeling warm inside, as you read this book, and work out just which characters can actually be trusted. Although I didn't think it was the most Christmassy book I've read this year, it certainly a wintery and cosy story, and it does feature Christmas. It could easily be read at any time, although perhaps in front of a fire with a warm cup of cocoa would be ideal!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I've read honestly and voluntarily.

The first book I’ve read by Tilly Tennant was “A Very Vintage Christmas” and I absolutely loved it, so I was really looking forward to the other half of the story – “A Cosy Candlelit Christmas”. The two books can easily be read as standalones, but it was great to read Isla’s story after meeting her as a secondary character in Dodie’s story. Isla was brought up by her mother, her father having left them when she was young. Out of the blue, Isla receives a letter from a solicitor telling her that her father wants to meet her – but there’s a mystery involved! I was disappointed at having to put this book down occasionally, as I wanted to read it all in one sitting. Tilly writes beautifully and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

Well this was an absolute gem!
This is my first book to have read by Tilly Tennant and I have to say what a brilliantly talented storyteller she is. Her descriptions of St Martin-de-Belleville were spellbinding! I had a picture in my head of this wonderful snowy magical place that is so full of warmth and love that it felt like I was being wrapped up in a warm fluffy blanket while reading about Isla and her unexpected trip to France to meet with her long lost dad and his new family while making new friends and falling in love.
This was totally addictive reading for me and I was so easily captivated by the characters and the storyline that affected their lives. It's a story that shows that there is always two sides to every situation and what you think you know isn't always what it seems. It's learning to let go of the past and learning to build on new beginnings and look to the future.
The author has written an enchanting tale that will fill you full of emotions and set your pulse racing. It's a wonderful Christmas story with a beautiful setting that will captive your imagination just like it did mine.
A truly amazing 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Bookouture, for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Noelle from Bookouture for organising the blog tour and giving me a place on it!!

This is book 2 of the Unforgettable Christmas series. You don’t need to have read the first book before this one, but it would obviously help for continuity.

I loved the first book, and when I saw this book focussed on Isla and her trip to meet her father I was, to be honest, a bit disappointed as I didn’t feel I had connected with her in the first book. How wrong was I?! As we know from the first book, Isla receives news that she is due an inheritance left to her from her paternal grandmother. The first tricky part is she hasn’t seen her dad since she was a little girl and from what she was always told by her mum he didn’t really care about her anyway. The second tricky part is that to find out what the inheritance is she has to go to the French Alps resort of St Martin-de-Belleville, where her father now lives with his wife and two grown up children. And the third tricky part is that she has to get her mum’s blessing to go!

I didn’t feel for Isla’s character in the first book, which is fair enough as the book was about her best friend Dodie. This book really brings out Isla’s character which we didn’t get to see before. Okay, she has to be the snappiest and least tolerant person this side of the Alps, but Isla doesn’t have a bad bone in her body and wants to do things just to please people. It’s nice to see her progress through the book into someone who puts her own feelings first when necessary, much to her mum’s disappointment, but even her mum knows that it is the right thing to do eventually. It has been Isla and her mum for so long that it’s really difficult for Isla to broach the subject of her dad with her, and especially the inheritance (which she does keep from her for a little bit longer!) They obviously have a close relationship and it must be very difficult for her mum to watch her go to a man who hasn’t been there for her at all. You also feel for Isla’s dad, Ian. He now has another family, two other children who are grown up, and who didn’t know about Isla. As the story goes on, you begin to get understanding of the back story for Ian, and how things didn’t necessarily happen as her mother has told her all these years.

But away from the story of Isla and her long lost dad, it was also a fun, light hearted and romantic story. The setting couldn’t be more beautifully described! I’ve never been one for snow and ice and certainly don’t like the cold, but I think I could forget all that for a week or so in St Martin-de-Belleville! The scenery sounds breath-taking, you could walk round the quirky little shops for hours and would most definitely put on a stone in a day by how delicious the food sounds! It’s also definitely a place to find love, especially if you can bump into an eccentric, crazily dressed glaciologist called Sebastian! I didn’t like Isla’s relationship with her ‘cousin’, Justin. He was obviously a charmer and smooth talking, but the whole ‘encounter’ with him left me feeling uncomfortable.

The only think I would criticise is that it didn’t feel very Christmassy. Perhaps it was because they were in a place where there is usually snow, so it didn’t make it feel special. If it had been set back in Bournemouth with 4 ft. of snow, then it would have felt more like Christmas (even in the middle of July!) But saying that, it still didn’t take any of the enjoyment of the book whatsoever. This is my favourite Christmas book of the season so far, and I’m keeping everything crossed for a third book! Fantastic characters, great story, beautiful setting….you could not ask for anymore!

Five Stars!

Overall I enjoyed this story but there were some bits I did not care for. The scene with Isla and Justin read like an assault on Isla, not at all playful but forced and mean. The last few chapters tried to wrap up the story but the ending also seemed forced as I felt the characters needed more times to explore their feelings for each other.

The descriptions of the town, the local characters and Isla's family were fun to read. Maybe in the next book we can get Seb or Natalie's story.

My copy was an ARC provided by NetGalley but the opinions are my own.

I love Tilly’s books!!! Isla is such a fab character your heart really goes out to her you can’t help but hope for the best for her especially as it’s Christmas. Great cozy read

I first met Isla McCoy in her best friend Dodie's love story - A Very Vintage Christmas - and I was so keen to read the companion novel which would tell the other half of the two girls' Christmases. I was not disappointed.
Isla is a mature student reading Psychology. She is of Nigerian/Scottish origins but the Nigerian half dominates as her Scottish father has been absent since she was a little girl and she was brought up by her single mother. The run up to Christmas sees a mysterious lawyer's letter which will challenge Isla to travel to the French Alps to meet her estranged father. She decides to make the journey and it will turn into one that becomes life changing.
With two male romantic leads (I guarantee you'll root for one of them straight away) and a beautiful setting this alpine Christmas is a gorgeous read. I was utterly transported to the glaciers and mountains of the Alps and I loved that Sebastian was a glaciologist as I've always been fascinated by them (and studied them myself as part of my Geography degree).
The cast of characters in this book sees some gems and it was great to meet them alongside Isla. She's a wonderful character and reacts to the situations she finds herself in in France in a very 'real' way.
This is a wonderfully festive read which will make you want to book in for your own Alpine Christmas. It was really enjoyable.

4.5 stars rounded up. It could do with a bit more Christmas tinsel in general, but I found it a very compelling, substantial story with characterisation pointing well beyond the chick-lit genre.

Isla McCoy, born of a Nigerian mother & Scottish father, has never had an easy life. Her parent's marriage broke up when she was 5 and her dad disappeared very early from her life. Her mum bought her up alone and made a lot of sacrifices to do so. She never lets Isla forget this or the fact that her dad was a complete bastard who destroyed both their lives.
Needless to say, this has had a strong impression on Isla's life in general and on her love life in particular. She is prickly, distrustful and keeps most people at arms' length.
She just turned 29 and is studying for a psychology degree, when a solicitor's letter reaches her out of the blue: her recently deceased Scottish grandmother left her something in her will. The mysterious inheritance has certain conditions though, and if Isla wants to find out all about it, she needs to travel to the French Alps, where his father is now living with his wife and his two other children.
Isla is unwilling to go at first -and her mother throws every obstacle that emotional blackmail can achieve in her way- but thinks the better of it. She decides that meeting her father may give some kind of closure to the small girl inside her who never gave up hope on having her daddy return to her.
So she travels to St. Martin-de-Belleville to find that her inheritance is a chalet if she manages to mend fences and keep up some sort of amicable relationship with her father.

While it costs her a lot of emotional struggle, she cannot distance herself from the charms of the place or the wish of knowing her dad better and find out why she abandoned her all those years ago.
To complicate matter further, he meets hard-to-resist, handsome Justin -a relation of her father's wife- and Sebastian, a lovely, but awkward glaciologist.

While I enjoyed A Very Vintage Christmas, the first book in these series, by author Tilly Tennant, it did not leave such a lasting impression. This one, however, blew me away completely.

Isla is such a wonderfully engaging character: she is fierce, passionate and yet logical, kind, though understandably finds it hard to let down her defences. But most of all, she is loyal. Loyal to a mother, who -while she loves her daughter dearly- also foolishly and selfishly destroyed any hope of a proper relationship between father & daughter.
And while Isla always knew -or suspected- deep down that her mum was to blame for having kept her & dad apart; still loves her, understands & accepts her and forgives all. This is wonderfully depicted throughout the book and had me in tears sometimes.

The book deals as much with Isla & her father's relationship as with the romance. I also liked that once Isla sorts out her feelings, she does not shy away from confronting the man who tries to manipulate her.

I'm so very happy as I have now read both of Tilly's books in the 'An Unforgettable Christmas ' series, just like with book #1, I absolutely loved this book too, completely fell in love with it.

I loved getting to know the main character Isla, seeing how she coped with everything that came her way, not only did she have to deal with her father whom she'd not seen in very many years but she also had two love interests to handle, not to mention being in country she's never been to before. That's a lot to handle for one person.
 
It was a lovely heartfelt read, with lots of Christmas cosy moments thrown in, not to mention lots of snow. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the French Alps.

The whole storyplot, the characters and everything about this book was all so very well written, which is no surprise as author Tilly never fails to deliver. Having read a few of her books to date, I can very much vouch for that. Just love her books.

I really enjoyed this book.
Complicated relationship between Isla and her family was well written, and you really hope she can learn to trust and find love and happiness.

I'm a sucker for Christmastime stories, so naturally I saw this and got excited. I have to say, I enjoyed this so much! You meet Isla and after hearing some of her back story, you can't help but have a lot of opinions. I was really looking forward to finding out how things would end up between her father and her. I couldn't wait to find out who she'd end up with. Even though she had a couple potential love interests, I was immediately against one even if he had a nice accent, so I was thrilled with who she chose. I wish there had been more to the story when she finished her holiday.