A Perfect Cornish Christmas was my first read of the Cornish series.

I wanted to really like this, but I was expecting a different take on a Christmas story. If you're looking for a story that is not Christmasy with only touches of the holiday here and there, then this book is for you. However, it was not a bad read and it was interesting because of the mysterious backgrounds of the characters.

What a lovely, Christmassy book, perfect to just curl up and read in one sitting on a cold winter’s afternoon.. That is exactly what I did!!!
It was such a warm, cozy book to read and I throughly enjoyed it. I have read Philippa Ashley’s books before and have always enjoyed them. This one was just the same . I loved the characters and the descriptions which are always written well in all her books.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was not at all what I was expecting – I was expecting… More Christmas?

This story follows mainly Scarlett and her sister Ellie. We get to see their lives after the disaster that was Christmas, right at the start, now almost one year later and nothing seems to be that much better… How will this Christmas be anything good with so much sorrow going on? There’s a lot of family drama that evolves nicely, plus a lot of romantic drama and some cuteness in it too.

I really liked the family dynamics and all the drama in it, I thought it was interesting, and I wouldn’t have guessed the end of it at all. One of the main topics is secrets. How they can hurt you and destroy everything you care for. There’s cheating, lying, omitting important things in one’s life. Basically, there’s a LOT of drama. But instead of being only in the family, the drama starts spreading and it’s everywhere. Every character has way too much drama for my liking. It was just a bit too much, to the point of me losing my interest and getting in a slump…

Another thing I have to complain about is that there’s not much Christmas. As I said at the beginning, I was kind of expecting it due to the title, right? But I felt that it was missing the Christmas feeling I was hoping for. There’s Christmas as the beginning and preparation for it till the end, but I can’t say the book itself was Christmassy.

Now, for what I did enjoy… I really enjoyed following Scarlett and Ellie and how different they are. I loved how connected they were and how much they cared for each other. There’s a lot of complicated relationships in this book, but their sisterhood is not one of them, and I’m glad. It was fun to follow their romantic interests to a point, although I wasn’t a fan of some moments (like I said, too much drama, and that’s coming from a person that generally enjoyed reading about those…).

I also really enjoyed some important topics mentioned, like how much one wrong turn can affect one’s life. One mistake, one secret, might not have consequences right away, but you know the drill… The past always comes back to haunt you. But there’s also the other side… The forgiving side. I really enjoyed how Scarlett and her mother came to make peace with each other.

Overall, there was a lot happening in this book, which made it a bit crowded and repetitive. But the story did have some parts I enjoyed. I think my favorite bit is the feeling of living in a small place. I tend to love those. Everyone knows each other and everything that is going on. It’s quite entertaining and at times endearing.

Good to return to this community and follow the lives of the people that we've become attached to in previous books and meet new ones.A good book to curl up with pre Christmas when you don't feel like engaging with the world and are in need of an escape.

Looking forward to the next visit to this Cornish village and its community life!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC copy.

A good Christmas read . Funny sad and happiness all you would want in a Christmas story and a Perfect Cornish Christmas has it all

Best-selling author Phillipa Ashley takes readers back to the charming Cornish town of Porthmellow with her enchanting, addictive and captivating new novel, A Perfect Cornish Christmas.

Scarlett Latham had been looking forward to spending Christmas day with her family at Seaholly Manor, the stately home that had belonged to her eccentric Aunt Joan. Having planned for the perfect Christmas surprise, Scarlett cannot wait to see her parents’ faces when they see their present, however, surprise soon gives way to shock when scandalous family secrets are revealed that shatter and change the once perfect family unit forever. Feeling betrayed, confused and heartbroken, Scarlett flees the scene and turns up at the local pub soaked to the skin and with her new bunny slippers ruined beyond recognition. Unable to face her mother who has lied to her her entire life, Scarlett realizes that she needs some distance and some time to figure out what to do next and who her real father is. Scarlett believes that the truth about her identity lies in Porthmellow, so she decides – despite her embarrassing appearance at the pub – to leave her life in Birmingham behind and move to Cornwall for good. But will Scarlett find the answers she has been searching for? Is she ready to hear the full story about her father? Or would she be better off not knowing?

Porthmellow is a community that welcomes everyone with open arms. There is always a shoulder to cry on, a
delicious pie to savour and a somebody willing to lend a helping hand or a listening ear and Scarlett’s plan to keep a low profile flies out of the window when the residents hear that she has decided to temporarily settle in Porthmellow. Scarlett had planned to spend her sojourn in Cornwall trying to suss out her next move and to discover as much as she possibly can about her biological father – she certainly never imagined that she would end up roped into the preparations for the Christmas festival or that she would end up falling for charming and drop dead gorgeous Jude Penberth. Scarlett’s life is complicated enough as it is, she certainly does not need more complications, however, keeping things strictly platonic between her and Jude soon proves easier said than done…

With Christmas fast approaching, will Scarlett finally have a Yuletide that will not end in tears? Will all her dreams come through in Cornwall? Or are there more shocks and surprises on the way?

A new novel by Phillipa Ashley is always a major cause of celebration and A Perfect Cornish Christmas is the latest in a long-line of uplifting, witty and heart-warming romantic comedies that will make readers laugh and cry. A sensational and scintillating story about forgiveness, redemption, fresh starts and healing, A Perfect Cornish Christmas is a first class read guaranteed to leave readers with a great big smile on their faces.

Sparkling, engrossing and deliciously feel-good, A Perfect Cornish Christmas is a fabulous festive treat you will not want to miss.

Christmas a time for families and friends to get together and be merry. That is until the giving of Christmas presents. For Sarah and Ellie their present to their parents didn't go quite as planned. Their present revealed that the DNA for Scarlett did not match that of her father's. Rushing outside she ran until she came to the local pub announcing open door for all those people on their own. Stumbling through the door dishevelled little did she know how her life was going to change. This is a really excellent Christmas book. Characters are very believable. Set in Cornwall you can imagine being there as the story unfolds. There are quite a few twists and turns in it and I never thought about the outcome of one path of the book. This is the second book in the series. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christmas. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a review.

A Perfect Cornish Christmas is the second book in a planned series from Phillipa Ashley set in the Cornish coastal village of Porthmellow. Whereas book one followed the village during their preparations for the annual Summer festival now the attention turns to the Winter Solstice festival and the run up to the Christmas period. I thought this story would be a direct continuation following on from where we had left off in the previous book and also continuing to follow the same characters. Instead I was given the complete opposite with new characters being introduced with a very interesting storyline running through the entire book.

I was glad this was a totally new story as I felt enough had been written about the previous characters and, likeable enough as they were, some new faces would bring an extra dimension to the series. The storyline of book one was summed up perfectly in one or two sentences which means that this is easily read as a standalone book. Yes old familiar faces do make appearances every now and again but at the heart of this book are sisters Ellie and Scarlett who do have an awful lot to deal with and any hopes of a perfect Cornish Christmas as the title suggests do for the majority of the novel seem very far from their reach.

Christmas Day 2018 and for Scarlett Latham and her family settling down in Seaholly Manor, as left to sister Ellie by their Great Aunt, should be a time for family, celebrating and thanksgiving. But things go horribly pear shaped when Scarlett and Ellie present the findings of a DNA test they commissioned to discover if they do have Viking heritage as always claimed by their Dad Roger. Innocently, enough the sisters thought this would be a lovely surprise for everyone. Little did they realise the surprise Scarlett was going to get when the results show that Roger couldn't possibly be Scarlett's Dad. Chaos ensues with a family torn apart and fractured and with Anna their mother refusing to divulge any details preferring to bury her head in the stand full of denial that anything they suspect to have happened could ever have done so.

Scarlett flees to the Smuggler's Inn and is embraced by the locals in her bedraggled state at their Christmas Dinner for the lonely. She meets Troy and Evie, Jude, Sam and some others but the question remains, will a reconciliation with her family ever be possible? Will her parents marriage survive the revelations? Can Scarlett discover who is her real father? So many more questions rush through her mind and over the course of this book, many are answered but many more arise and it all makes for an interesting and engaging story.

Fast forward to a year later and Scarlett has decided to move permanently to Porthmellow to live at the manor with Ellie. She is still getting over a break up in her recent past and is very wary of getting involved with anyone else. Her work is freelance as she is in the copy writing business so she feels she can get some new business in a different setting. But behind it all Scarlett has ulterior motives in that she has a gut feeling that her Dad was from Porthmellow given some clues she has picked up on now she knows the way things really stand. She hopes to find out more and to discover what happened with her mother all those years ago that she betrayed her husband in that way. I loved both Scarlett and Ellie as characters and I felt there was real raw emotion and depth behind both their stories and it was brilliant to see Phillipa Ashley dealing with some real serious issues. The storylines didn't seem far fetched at all in the slightest and they were nicely balanced with lots of humour and of course romance.

Scarlett meets Jude who is so in tune with nature and his surroundings. He shows her a different side to Porthmellow and the coast as he takes her foraging and also sea swimming in the dead of winter. Instantly you could see the connection developing between the two but you wondered would Scarlett ever give in to it given she had the trauma of a break up to deal with plus she had her sights set on uncovering the truth behind her parentage.

Jude just seemed so down to earth and genuinely just such a lovely man with not a bad bone in his body. His intentions were always so real and honest that when a surprise surrounding Jude makes itself known I thought well fair play the author really threw me off course just as much as the surprise had Scarlett forming totally different opinions about the man she thought she had been getting to know. The romance angle for Scarlett combined with her quest to seek the truth all played out very well over the course of the book and I found myself enjoying the story immensely not really expecting so many twists and turns but pleasantly surprised and intrigued when they sprung up.

As for Ellie, the poor girl, she was hiding a lot in her past and putting on a brave face and always moving forward yet the events of the past couldn't be erased from her heart and mind. She is used to drifting from place to place and from one relationship to another so when she starts getting attached and perhaps too comfortable in Porthmellow she begins to wonder is this where she is meant to be? If so can she find someone that can slot into that gap in her heart that has been there for far too long. Long time residents of the village Evie and Troy have just had their son arrive back to the village after serving in the army. Aaron and Ellie meet after a bump in the road so to speak and introduce themselves to one another.

Again as with Scarlett and Jude you can feel the connection between the pair but at the same time the further we get to know Aaron you come to understand that he too is hiding something just like Ellie. But really they seemed like the perfect match if they could overcome the issues that begin to arise and simmer between them. Aaron as with Jude I felt was so just genuine, charming and down to earth. There was no fancy ways about either of the men, what you saw was what you got and there was no nastiness or double crossing ways about them. The author really had created the perfect male leads without them twee and overly sentimental. They were like men that you could meet in the real world and want to be with them.

A Perfect Cornish Christmas was a very enjoyable read and in all honesty I thought it was so much better than book one. Narrowing the focus to two specific characters and their family and subsequently their developing relationships was so much better as there was just too much confusion in the first book with so many characters to keep track of and the plot just felt very busy. Here everything was more narrow and it didn't feel as if things were going off in unnecessary tangents. Yes the preparations for the Winter Solstice Festival took a back seat but that didn't bother me in the slightest as I was more focused on the emotional stories developing around Scarlett and Ellie. When the time was right the festival did come to the fore and it provided the centre point for the tying of threads together but also for long held secrets to come to the fore.

I thought at one stage bravo Phillipa I never expected those revelations and it was almost as if she was taking a walk on the wild side having things being so tangled and complicated. It was something that made me really stop and think and it was a turn up for the books because the cover suggests all sweetness and light but the revelations don't always turn out that way. I would definitely recommend A Perfect Cornish Christmas, it has just the right flavour of Christmas to it combined with a very good storyline centred around romance and family secrets that will keep you turning the pages. Scarlett and Ellie are interesting characters that have you hoping that they will find the answers and happiness they seek.

Phillipa has set books before in Porthmellow and though the original cast are mentioned this is a stand alone book with new main characters. It focuses on two sisters Scarlett and Ellie and their family, however a Christmas present bought as a fun gift for the family , blows the family unit apart . This is a story about family, new and old secrets, and trust. I loved the various twists and turns of this book. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a nice cosy read
Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books and Phillipa Ashley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this book and read it really quickly.

The concept of the DNA test and the resulting story was genius, so different.

From the first chapter, I was addicted to finding out what was going to happen. When Scarlett moved to the manor, the change in pace was immediate, both in the atmosphere at the house and the story.

This was both a warm and a chilling story in the same breath.

I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

Loved diving back into the lives at Porthmellow!

A festive romance centered around the Ellie and Scarlett’s family based in the Cornish harbor town. We begin with Ellie taking over her late Aunt Joan’s manor, gathering her family together for Christmas. A family secret blows the family apart as all family members try to come to terms with the news when a Christmas present of a family tree DNA test reveals Scarlett and Ellie are not full sisters.

A year later and Scarlett is determined to find out who her birth father is and moves in with Ellie as she believes he is from the local town and her agenda is to find out who he is. As she delves further the women in the family have a shock when they realise they have all had dealing with a local man over various decades once the truth is revealed. While Ellie has spent her life travelling and not putting down roots in case of getting close to people but has she finally found her forever place in Porthmellow?

Ellie and Scarlett both help with the festive preparations in the harbor town as the town pull together for Christmas. The community spirit is woven throughout the story and makes it an ideal place to live – even I want to! Both sisters become immersed in local life and even have their own romances along the way – full of misunderstandings, warmth and humour.

As soon as I saw that this book was 1. Set in Cornwall and 2. was about Christmas I had to read it. Why? Because I love both thats why.

All Scarlet wanted was to make her family happy especially her Dad when she and her sister set out to do the Ancestary DNA test to see f they had Viking blood. Problem is it didn't go according to plan, and Christmas wasn't really what they expected it to be. The thing is Scarlett wasn't having a too good a Christmas what with her boyfriend dumping her and her business taking a hit as well.

Ellie, Scarlett's sister has returned home and decided to stay after travelling the world. She has settled in Porthmellow where her beloved Aunt had an amazing property now owned by her mum. Problem is after the Christmas where everything had gone wrong is going to be able to stay in Porthmellow where she has started to set down roots?

This was a really good read, it had romance, secrets, friendship and family angst. It had everything I like in a contemporary read. I was impressed with the style of writing and read it pretty quickly. I liked that it was focused not only on Scarlett and Ellie but on the town of Porthmellow and their family as a whole.

Everyone in the book has a secret of some kind be it that they have had an affair, been heartbroken or are still married. These subjects made the book for me and it showcased the importance of family and friends in time of need.

Scarlett was so traumatised last Christmas that she ran out of the family home in her bunny slippers into the cold wintery weather and ended up finding shelter within the Smuggler’s Tavern at the Lonely & Lost Christmas lunch. She returns to Porthmallow the following year mortified that she has to face the people who tried to comfort her in her time of need. Scarlett feels as if she needs to get to the bottom of the secrets that emerged during that time and finally find peace. Phillipa Ashley really knows how to set the scene and draw you into the drama and joy of Christmas in a small Cornish seaside town, fabulous. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After surprising their family with a DNA discovery kit for Christmas, Scarlett and Ellie uncover some hidden family secrets! The book follows the sisters as they prepare for their next Christmas, a Christmas where the family is divided by their mothers past.
Both girls are now living in Cornwall and finding their own love and happiness, naturally with some complications along the way! Throw in the great reveal of who’s the daddy? and a lot of Christmas festivity this is a Perfect Christmas read.
I loved this book having not read anything by Philippa Astley prior to this book. The characters were well written and the delicate subject of DNA well researched, and of course the subject of Christmas always makes for a good read
Thanks for allowing me to read. I’ll be looking out for anything by this author again!

I have been a fan of Phillipa's work now for a little while. I love the way in which she writes such feel good, light hearted, romantic and amusing books. I couldn't wait to get a copy of 'A Perfect Cornish Christmas' as it sounded like just the sort of read I needed at that time because I needed a distraction from something that I had been worrying about. I also knew that I was going to be in for one hell of a read given how much I have enjoyed all of Phillipa's previous books. I was correct on both counts. I absolutely, totally and utterly loved reading 'A Perfect Cornish Christmas' but more about that in a bit.
I couldn't help but take to the character of Scarlett from the first moment I met her and by the time I got to the end of the book, I had started to consider Scarlett as a very good friend. I really felt for her because a shocking family secret was revealed the previous Christmas leaving Scarlett not knowing who her birth father is. She has had the rug pulled out from under her feet and Christmas has been tarnished for her. I just wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to give her a huge hug and lend her a shoulder to cry on. Scarlett desperately wants to find out who her father is and so she travels to Porthmellow, which is where she believes she will find answers about the circumstances of her birth and ,fingers crossed, she will find out who her father is. What she didn't bank on was being welcomed into the Porthmellow community with open arms nor did she expect to meet a particular resident, who is very charming but he threatens to make Scarlett's life even more complicated. What will Scarlett do? Does Scarlett find out who her father is? Will Scarlett live in Porthmellow permanently? Well for the answers to those questions and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I was addicted to this book before I even opened the book and began to read. I loved the front cover and the synopsis of this book sealed the deal as it were. I became seriously addicted to reading this book and parting with the book even for just a nanosecond was simply not an option. I binge read the book over the course of a day, which is pretty good going for me. Usually I have the attention span of a gnat and I am easily distracted but not with this book. I think that I had taken so well to the character of Scarlett and I wanted to find out if she got her happy ever after ending that she so deserved. I reached the end of the book far quicker than I had wanted to or anticipated, which I was disappointed about. I don't mean that in a negative way but I was enjoying the author's writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just didn't want the book to end.
'A Perfect Cornish Christmas' is brilliantly written, but then I find that all of Phillipa's books are brilliantly written. She writes such warm stories and reading them feels like a hug from a mug. I know that might sound silly to some but what I mean is that this book makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, which would be the same if the mug was to hug you. Now I am confusing myself so I had better get back to the review. Phillipa certainly knows how to grab your attention and once she has your attention she doesn't release it until the moment you close the back cover of the book after having finished reading the story. Phillipa writes so realistically and uses such vivid descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. Through her descriptions of the area, the author has made me want to visit Cornwall again.
In short, 'A Perfect Cornish Christmas' is a heart warming and fun read, which I would thoroughly recommend to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Phillipa's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an advanced e-copy for an honest review.

I requested this book because I wanted to read some Holiday books, and yes! This is the perfect read for the season. Also, who knew reading about Cornwall would’ve been so much fun.

Okay, quick disclaimer this is my first time reading anything by Phillipa Ashley, and while this can be read as a stand-alone, there’s a companion novel that comes before this called A Perfect Cornish Summer that I’ve not read. I recommend you guys check it out just in case.

Scarlett, our main protagonist(although we get to see her sister’s Ellie story as well), is not feeling very joyful this season still she decides to go Porthmellow, a little town in Cornwall to find who her real father is. However, she gets caught up in all the festivities and meets handsome and charming Jude.

I’ve rarely read women’s fiction because I love the romance more, but I was so into the familial dynamics, the town peoples (their Winter Solstice festival) and how they affected Scarlett, the love stories of both sister, and how it discusses the importance of belonging. However, I did feel their parents lacked motivation for some of their decisions, and in that aspect, it felt repetitive.

In the end, the book is about what pretty much every other movie or book about Christmas is about, family, love and the feeling of togetherness. Which is exactly what I was looking for, and what I got. I would definitely like reading more from this author in the future.

A sugar sweet story set in a Corniish village with an edge to it brought about by a family mystery and resulting fall out. It was not really my cup of tea being more like reading the plot and dialog of a soap opera. However, fun for those who like an extended version of woman's magazine fiction.

A family’s world is turned upside down by the reveal of a “surprise” present during the annual Christmas celebrations in Cornwall
One year later and Scarlett returns to Porthmellow to stay with her sister Ellie to try and uncover a family secret. Turns out that there is more than one secret to uncover and more than one family involved .This is a lovely story full of twists and turns that will make you want to move to Porthmellow to join in the fun . The main action takes place during the Christmas season but it would make a great holiday read too.

A fun light read, I did read A Perfect Cornish Summer first to get into the series. Good Christmas theme as it stretches from one Christmas to the next - my review on my blog at

https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2019/11/09/book-reviews-phillipa-ashley-a-perfect-cornish-summer-and-a-perfect-cornish-christmas/

An engaging Christmas story about a complex family and their relationships, set in the beautiful Cornish village of Porthmellow.

Following the previous year’s family Christmas when everything went drastically wrong, Scarlett and her sister Ellie return to the Manor, a family home. Both are trying to start new lives and repair family relationships.

Every chapter is written from each sister’s perspective, Ellie and Scarlett becoming involved with potential new partners, and problems and misunderstandings which occur as the story unfolds.

The book is well-written, full of warm, interesting characters who come alive on the page, beautifully described Cornish scenery, along with several twists and turns which all combine to make an entertaining read. All culminating at the Christmas festival when the answers to secrets are discovered. The story moves along at a steady pace, with a real Christmas feeling. This is the first book written by this author that I’ve read, but would love to read her other books.