I love a heart-warming romance set in a charming village location and especially one set at Christmas. And, this was exactly that. Like sisters Scarlett and Ellie I too fell in love with the Cornish seaside village of Porthmellow with its cosy cafes, welcoming pub, village traditions and bracing seascape. The sense of community spirit as all the locals got involved in the Solstice celebrations and annual Boxing Day swim was really inspiring and heart-warming. The characters were also all extremely likeable, from main characters Ellie and Scarlett to supporting villagers such as the Carman's. 

It was a bonus to be treated to not one but two budding romances, with both sisters falling for a hot, single local. However, this was also a slight negative for me as having two lead characters, along with a third person narrative, meant that it wasn't really anyone's story. As such, whilst I liked all the characters, I didn't really connect with any of them to any great extent.

The book started extremely dramatically and promisingly with Scarlett gate-crashing the pub's Christmas Day Lunch for the Lonely after a family history gift revealed her Dad wasn't actually her real Dad and her mum doggedly refused to comment. However, unfortunately this also set the scene for the rest of the book as her mum continued to remain silent, and continued and continued for chapter after chapter. As such the story was a bit slow and drawn out in places.

That said regarding the identity of Scarlett's father there were plenty of hidden twists along the way, and his eventual identity was completely unexpected, if a little far-fetched. However, after such a long build-up and such devastating effect on the family, surprisingly it was all over and done with in a matter of pages concentrating too much on the reveal rather than the back story. Similarly there were lots of other intriguing themes that were introduced, such as Aaron's post-traumatic stress, Auntie Joan's hedonistic lifestyle and Jude's jolting fiancee, but these were never really explored. I would have loved to have heard more on each of these.

Overall, this was an easy, enjoyable read but just not a must-read in my opinion. Because it was set over the course of a year it was sufficiently festive for a Christmas book but not so much that it couldn't be enjoyed at any time of the year. I believe this is the second of author Phillipa Ashley's novels to be set in Porthmellow, with some of the original characters making cameo appearances, but it also works as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication.

After a disastrous family Christmas the year before, sisters Ellie and Scarlette are apprehensive about this year's.
Will they be able to stay in Porthmellow, will Scarlette find the identity of her biological father, will their parents separate? I really enjoyed this book, feel good factor and not at all predictable. I would totally recommend this for an absorbing winter read.

A perfect lesson in relationships and love than stand the length of time. A well written story set in Cornwall covering 2 Christmas’s and the year between. A pleasant and easy read.

Another fabulous read from Phillipa Ashley. I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. A few twists and turns in the lives of Ellie and Scarlet keep you involved in the story. As well as snippets of the old characters from the previous books, some lovely new characters to invite you into their lives. Not just a read for Christmas, but a heartwarming tale of love, loss and family values to enjoy. Thanks for the opportunity reading this lovely book. #Netgalley

Great to be back in Porthmellow though it is a stand alone story with some characters from the last book but the main characters in this book are all new. I was hooked from the 1st chapter and intrigued to find out Scarlett's story. It was a joy to read the trials and challenges Scarlett and Ellie overcome in their wish to be happy. A great book to curl up with but then I do love Cornwall. I look foward to the next book from Phillipa.

I was very happy to return to Porthmellow, Cornwall to meet with original characters and many new ones.
The Latham family are torn apart when the results of a DNA test, bought as a Christmas present, shows that youngest child Scarlett is not her fathers biological daughter.
One y ear on and the family is still dysfunctional. Scarlett returns to Cornwall to stay with her sister Ellie and to hopefully find out what h4 mother refuses to tell her; the name of her biological father.
The beautiful setting and village festivities go some way to make this a cosy read. However, I found the twists, heartache and lack of communication made the story less festive and more frosty.
A nice festive read but too much heartache to make it a warm and cosy winter read.

A lovely read for Christmas, it was nice to go back to Cornwall for the festive season. I did feel that story did meander a little however and the major misunderstanding could have been sorted out much sooner.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving an arc of this book and the opportunity to read it in exchange for my review.

3.5

A nice little Christmas drama with a village I want to live in and people I'd like to meet..Ellie moves into the manor owned by her Aunt Joan is empty so she ends up setting up home for the perfect family Christmas. Well, before long everyone piles in and there's chaos as you might expect. Sister Scarlett joins them later on and the house soon starts to turn the family dynamics around in unexpected ways.

Porthmellow. is sadly fictional but it's just the nicest village from the sound of things and I only wish this was real as I would be there in a shot. Philipa has drawn up the nicest place with the scenery, setting, community and everything in between. It's somewhere I just know I'm going to want to return to.

You can always guarantee a good read with Philpa Ashley and a Christmas in Cornwall is the best medicine at any time of year.

Another lovely story based in Cornwall. Some really appealing characters and a realistic storyline, The background speaks for itself. Delightful conclusion.

I’ve never read any of the other books from Porthmellow, so I came into this story with a fresh perspective on the characters and the writing. I was introduced to the family with a bang of a start. An exciting family Christmas celebration turned upside down by a shocking family secret long hidden and thought to be buried. The rest of the story is how each of them find peace and resolution in their own life throughout the next year. More secrets surface as twists and turns abound! Through all the ups and downs, family remains family and new beginnings are forged. A fun holiday treat.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

A perfect Cornish Christmas.
The magic of a Christmas story and unexpected romance .
I was looking forward forward for this book to come out and I wasn’t disappointed, a great read.
Loved the plot .A real life story involving family secrets.
Entertaining and highly recommendable story.
My thanks to Avon books and to NetGalley for my advance copy for my honest review.

An innocent family Christmas present tears a family apart.
The next year Scarlett and her sister Emily are living in Cornwall trying to put the past behind them. Can they find the happiness they deserve and finally put the past to rest?Will their family finally become one again? Or will their secrets keep them apart?
This is the perfect book for Christmas. A feel good book.

I recieved a free digital edition of this book from Avon Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with this one, I expected a cute little romance and what I got was a romantic mystery, so I was a little disappointed

I love the Cornish setting, Cornwall is a gorgeous place and I can't wait uld imagine all the scenes that they talk about, having visited earlier this year where it rained for the entire weej, but that didn't stop us wearing shorts and having fun.

It's hard to decide on if I like any of the characters, Scarlett seemed so whiney and annoying and Ellie was trying to hard, shes a lovely girl but she's so peppy... Its annoying... I disliked her mother soich in this book and I found it hard to believe that she wouldn't tell Scarlett anything about her her biological dad until she basically forced it out of her. I did also jump to the same conclusion as Scarlett, however I thought it much earlier than she ever did. Jude was fun and not the normal type of love interest which was fun. Aaron was just th eye candy.

I found it weird with it flicking between the sisters but I understood a lot of their thoughts and feelings.

I will definitely be trying more books by Phillipa Ashley

A perfect Cornish Christmas is really a great story of love with family, and finding new love and all around solstice and Christmas. It’s all about secrets and honesty. The characters are great and lovely and the dialogs are strong. The story is great and so is Porthmellow. It’s sweet and nice and I really loved reading this novel.

Meet the Lapmans, father, mother, Marcus, Ellie and Scarlett. What should’ve be a great Christmas, turns out to be a disaster when a family secret got revealed. Then a year later Scarlett moves to Porthmellow to live with her sister Ellie in the mansion of their late auntie Joan. The reason for Scarlett is to find out about her roots, but will she find the truth and when if, are the results what she’s hoping for, or is she finding more trouble for her and her family? Sister Ellie found her home in Porthmellow after years of travelling. A new neighbor helps anyway, but it seems like every family and everyone does have secrets. It seems to be very hard to be honest.

A Christmas novel with nice people, a great place (Porthmellow), al lot of secrets, handsome man and a great festivity makes A perfect Cornish Christmas a delicious novel and a must read!

Sisters Ellie and Scarlett have the best Christmas gift for their family. A DNA test to prove their Viking heritage, they are so excited to share the results on Christmas Day. Only there is more of a surprise than they were bargaining for. It appears that Ellie and Scarlett are only half sisters.

A year has passed and Scarlett returns to Cornwall to stay with Ellie, and maybe find out who her biological father really is. Along the way both sisters fall in love with men who make them each question things about themselves.

I enjoyed the second instalment of Phillipa Ashley’s Porthmellow series. I’m looking forward to reading more.

This story definitely has all the makings of a curl up in front of the fire read. It has a fascinating storyline which definitely has a lot of unexpected twists and turns in it.

Scarlett has the perfect gift for her family, a DNA test to find out their heritage. Unfortunately, this leads to some unexpected and very awkward family consequences. The relationship dynamics in this story certainly kept me on my toes.

I liked the sisters who the story is based around. The villagers of Porthmellow are an eccentric lot and having read A Perfect Cornish Summer, which is set there too, it was good to catch up with their lives; this story could easily be read as a standalone though.

I did really enjoy the story and thought it had some fascinating outcomes, which I certainly hadn't guessed. However, at times it did drag a little for me and I just wanted to skip bits to get on with the story. Having said that it is definitely worth a read.

Entertaining, fun Christmas book. Great for a lazy cold afternoon. Cornwall in December, What more can you want. You will like this book.

A real feel-good read, perfect for this time of year with the nights drawing in and when you just want to snuggle in under a blanket and read!

There was no lead-in to the action with this book, with drama from the very first page which was great. I thought the book would be around 1 main character but actually 2 sisters shared the limelight and whilst Scarlett and Jude were supposed to be the main protagonists, I enjoyed Ellie and Aaron's story more as I felt it was a touch more romantic and realistic.

The book was set in the run-up to Christmas but wasn't overly festive which I enjoyed as Autumn and the beginning of Winter is such a wonderful time, it needn't always just be about Christmas. The Winter Solstice festival sounded fantastic and was a welcome addition to the story. The foraging aspect too was well researched and thought out; I love getting in touch with nature.

Whilst I believe there is another book set in Porthmellow, this was easily read as a standalone however I am sure I wouldn't be disappointed with the previous book and any more from this lovely part of Cornwall!

My many thanks to Avon via NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read from a great series. However, this can be a stand alone. Love being back in the Pourthmellow Harbour. This was a grand story a romance for two sisters Ellie and Scarlett. The book did have lots of repetitive moments

This was not my cup of tea. It is well written and I did get interested in the beginning but after a while, it seems that I was reading the same thing over and over again. The main story was not interesting enough to keep reading, despite liking the characters. I did not finish but would recommend for someone crazy for romance.