Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.

This was not entirely terrible, but I admit to finding the “reveal” super sketchy. What a bad idea that was. None of the characters were especially endearing to me, some were just overly daft.

Some issues I had included a part in the book where there are 6 people in a room, and five of them were staring at one person but the text reads “six pairs of eyes turned on Scarlett in expectation” so was Scarlett somehow staring at herself? Another bit that had me in stitches of laughter: “She was trying not to stare at his tanned feet. They were nicely shaped for a man, and he wore a pewter toe ring.” A toe ring! I’m laughing all over again just typing that.

Porthmellow seems like a nice town but the characters just don’t work for me.

Everything you want from a Christmas book! This begins and ends at Christmas, making me look forward to the festive season, but wishing I was in Cornwall. I was immersed in cornish life from the first page, with the characters and storyline taking me on a journey of families in modern times affected by the past and more recent times. Loved it! Thank you

I was somewhat nervous picking up this book since I hadn't read any other of Phillipa Ashley's books in the Porthmellow Harbour series but had high hopes since I'd enjoyed a novel of hers from a different series. Those hopes were correct because A Perfect Cornish Christmas was a delightful read!

Scarlett and Ellie think they've found the PERFECT for their family on Christmas - a DNA test! Their Dad always spoke about his Viking Heritage and now they were excited to prove it or mock him endlessly if his lineage was lacking the Viking gene. When they unveil their gift, their mother suddenly gets very cagey and they quickly find out why, Scarlett's Dad isn't the one she grew up with.

Almost a year after the disastrous Christmas gift, Ellie and Scarlett are living together in their deceased Aunt's home in Porthmellow Harbour. Ellie has begun to make a new life there while Scarlett is trying to find out if this is where her life began and if her real father still remains. Meanwhile both start to find new relationships with men that may have secrets of their own.

I was immediately swept up in this story since we have ALL heard at least one story about someone finding out that their DNA test has proven that a parent/sibling/relative isn't actually blood and I was curious to read a fictitious take on this. It was charming with enough grit to keep it from being too sugary sweet. I kind of want to start my own lonely Christmas dinner after this!

Thank you to NetGalley and AvonBooks UK for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Great characters and a great plot line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Another great book from this author
This book is a stand-alone book.
I was hooked from the first page and it’s highly recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Perfect Cornish Christmas begins on Christmas Day 2018 and ends on Christmas Day 2019. What happens in-between shows that whatever happens your family is your rock and your foundation.

Scarlett and Ellie Latham had no idea that their innocent Christmas present to their family would open a closet full of skeletons. As she stumbles into the Smuggler's Tavern in the Cornish harbour town of Porthmellow where a free festive "Lunch for the Lonely" is being held, she meets people that will figure in her life in the coming year.

As Scarlett moves into Seaholly Manor with her sister Ellie, she sets off to find answers to her questions regarding herself and her family. She learns that most members of her family have secrets that they have been hiding. She meets the handsome Jude Penberth and her sister falls for the mysterious Aaron Carman who lives just next door in Cove Cottage.

Scarlett finds the answers she was seeking but her assumptions might be a tiny bit off and once again there will be a Christmas to fix before it turns into another disaster.

Another enchanting visit to the Cornish coast. I loved the new characters, especially Scarlett, and was willing her to be happy. Quite a few unexpected twists and turns along the way, which gave me tears of laughter and sadness. Nice to bump into some old characters too, and see how they were getting on. A really good read.

Ashley's books are the ones you snuggle with on a chilly night with a mug of hot chocolate and this was exactly that. I haven't read any other book in this series, hence I couldn't recognize a few recurring people. But that didn't make a difference to how much I enjoyed the book.

All Scarlett wanted to do was to find out if she and her sister Ellie had any Viking blood in them, but the surprise is a bust as a dangerous secret is revealed during a family Christmas dinner. Scarlett, still recovering from it decides to move back to the Cornish town of Porthmellow to find more about all that she lost because of a well-kept secret by her other. She moves in with her sister, Ellie into the family mansion and goes about her investigation.

Both these ladies encounter love along the way, but turbulence and troubled time follow them like a shadow. Some hidden and well-placed twists add thrill to this cozy romance. The Winter Solistice Festival, which is one of a kind (and something I haven't heard of before) is the life of the book. The entire town coming together was truly a joy to read, The story gets repetitive and that is probably my only problem. We are told countless time about the now-broken family Scarlett and Ellie dwell in and how everyone is losing their calm and reliving that same evening again and again. The same thing keeps happening throughout the book and Honestly, it was a bit tiring.

Just like any other Christmas-y story, this one right here is about the importance of Christmas and family, and how it brings together people despite their differences. The story isn't all Christmas trees and reindeers (basically, not shoving everything Christmas-y on our face), but cute enough to continue the tradition and give us a story at the same time.

Just brilliant, Perfect, with the essence of the Christmas spirit flowing through the story, this is another charming and addictive read about two sisters over two Christmas’s. What more could you want from a Christmas book, family secrets, drama, fun, romance.A must read for all.

A Perfect Cornish Christmas was a delightful little story about a Christmas that goes horribly wrong and finding out that even the best intentions can open a major can of worms. This story ping-pongs between the two sisters, Scarlett and Ellie, so its kind of a two romances for the price of one, and neither disappointed.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas in Cornwall is just around the corner…

But after last Christmas revealed a shocking family secret, Scarlett’s hardly feeling merry and bright. All she wants this Christmas is to know who her real father is.

So Scarlett heads to the little Cornish town of Porthmellow, where she believes the truth of her birth is hidden. She just didn’t bargain on being drawn into the Christmas festival preparations – or meeting Jude Penberth, whose charm threatens to complicate life further.

Everything will come to a head at Porthmellow’s Christmas Festival … But can Scarlett have the perfect Christmas this year, or are there more surprises on the way?

This was a story that had me engrossed from start to finish although I did want to shake Scarlett at times she did the right thing in the end. Another fabulous read from Phillipa Ashley.

There were a couple of blips at the start with the author forgetting what drink Scarlett had ordered but it didn't deter from the story at all.
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

A Perfect Cornish Christmas by Phillipa Ashley a five-star read that will warm you up on a cold winter’s night. Scarlett and Ellie take you along with them as they uncover their history, if you like a good Christmas story then this is one for you, throw in the beauty of Cornwall and the setting of Porthmellow Harbour. It will wrap you up like a warm hug of a Christmas present and as you read the pages, you really do unravel the story like a delicious present. I have enjoyed Phillipa Ashley’s work before, but I loved this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a feel good festive romance special. I have really enjoyed reading this book, this is a great Christmas read. I have liked the characters and the plot of this book. Overall, a delightful read.

Brilliant, entertaining story filled with interesting characters and twists.
Perfect mix of festive and intrigue, it kept me turning the pages!
Totally did not guess any of the twists!
Will definitely read more from this author 🥰

Wow, this story pulls you in from the beginning and keeps you up past bedtime, reading just one more chapter, then another lol. Its jam packed with family secrets, heartache, friendships, romance and a couple of teasers just to keep you on your toes. A book to definitely put on your Christmas list.

Ellie has been running from her past for years, but when the manor owned by her late Aunt Joan is vacant and needing a caretaker, she jumps at the chance to settle in and rest for a bit.
For Christmas, Ellie sets up household for the entire family - mum & dad, sister Scarlett, brother Marcus and his wife Heidi and two kids. It is to be the perfect family Christmas. Until it isn’t. The surprise gift from Scarlett and Ellie to the family turns out to bring more surprises than expected. It sends the family into shock and turns everyone’s lives upside down.

Fast forward to fall of the next year when Her sister Scarlett is finding herself at odd ends as well, so Scarlett requests to join Ellie in Porthmellow. Thankfully the house is large and the sisters good friends. Together they begin to make Porthmellow home. Along the way they’ll maybe find a little romance and perhaps put the pieces of the mess they made last Christmas back togehter.

102 degrees here in sunny AZ. What better time to curl up with a cozy holiday story set in the English seaside? A Perfect Cornish Christmas finds us back in Porthmellow, Cornwall with all the characters Porthmellow has to offer. While this book is part of Ashley’s Porthmellow series, it can be read as a standalone novel. And should! I am a huge fan of Phillipa Ashley’s sweet books set on the English coast. Her characters are lovely, and the stories end on a happy note. When you are searching for the perfect holiday book to keep you company with a cup of hot chocolate, pick this one.

This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 17 October 2019 .

We were first in Porthmellow in the Summer and now we are back for Christmas and whilst all the characters from that novel are featured in this, they are not the main principle characters. I wasn't sure where this book would go but I did not need to worry. 

The book opens at Christmas, Scarlett and her sister Ellie thought it would be great idea to find out more about their heritage. It isn't the present that any of them were wanting. With her family fractured Scarlett runs away from the house and ends up in the local pub for the "Lunch for the Lonely".

Ellie as been trying to hold everything together and has been staying in Portmellow since that fateful Christmas. This is not the norm for her, she is usually travelling and moving on to the next place. However Porthmellow has captured her heart and it is not just the place. Can she finally stop searching and stop and see what she really has?

Scarlett knows she was not lonely on that fateful day and now she does not know who she really is. Determined to find the truth Scarlett returns to Porthmellow and stays with her sister.

However, what she does not realise is that she will become so involved in Porthmellow, the Winter Solstice Festival and even the locals themselves. How can she possibly find out the truth when there are too many distractions?

As Christmas comes into view again can Scarlett and Ellie perhaps forget about what has happened in the previous twelve months and move forward. Or is there going to be something else hiding amongst the presents under the Christmas Tree?

The book opens with the denouement almost and you are left reeling from the after effects of it all. There are as many questions as there are answers and I was surprised by the depth of this plot line from the author. Not in a negative way but positively. How families are broken up and brought back together through actions and simple reactions the background of Christmas always seeming to exacerbate the reactions. 

Of course it is wonderful to be back in Porthmellow and the sense of the Cornish harbour at Christmas. It is as if I was there amongst the festival goers and eavesdropping on what was going on. The author has a way of making you feel part of the place she describes, part of the book. 

A slight change from perhaps what you might expect but for me it simply added another layer to he book. I cannot wait to see where Phillipa Ashley might take us next.

Wherever it is I will be there. 

A moving read which eases you into your Christmas reading with great settings and great characters which capture your heart. A must for any fan of Ashley's other works or discovering for the first time. A perfect read Christmas or not!

Thank goodness, a Cornish novel where it rains, it storms, gales do blow and overall the weather isn’t brilliant every day!
An interesting and complex small town set of characters inhabit this novel, with plenty of gossip and rows and misunderstandings. The only missing character was Aunt Joan - she deserves her own novel!
So we have people behaving badly, parties in the 190s fuelled by alcohol and wacky baccky, and the resultant secrets that finally come out. Plus PTSD, bad fiancés, fiancées, university crushes and lots more. Real people, suffering real emotional traumas.

Really lovely christmas read. I enjoyed it imensley. Easy to read and unputdownable. Thank you netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.