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The Magic of Christmas
A deliciously seasonal and heart-warming tale from the Sunday Times bestsellerIn the pretty Lancashire village of Middlemoss, Lizzy is on the verge of leaving her serially unfaithful husband, Tom, when tragedy strikes. Good job she has welcome distractions in the form of her Christmas Pudding Circle, a circle of friends swapping seasonal recipes, and a simmering rivalry with cookery writer Nick Pharamond – a rivalry set to come to boiling point after he snatched the Best Mince Pie prize away from her at the village show.
Meanwhile, the whole village is gearing up for the annual Mystery Play which takes place on Boxing Day. But who will play Adam to Lizzy’s Eve? Could it be the handsome and charismatic soap actor Ritch Rainford, or could someone closer to home win her heart? Whatever happens, it will certainly be a hard act to follow next year!
Previously published as Sweet Nothings, but now with fabulous new extra material.
Meanwhile, the whole village is gearing up for the annual Mystery Play which takes place on Boxing Day. But who will play Adam to Lizzy’s Eve? Could it be the handsome and charismatic soap actor Ritch Rainford, or could someone closer to home win her heart? Whatever happens, it will certainly be a hard act to follow next year!
Previously published as Sweet Nothings, but now with fabulous new extra material.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
254 people are currently reading
1700 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Ashley
39 books1,099 followersTrisha Ashley is now a full-time novelist, but she has been known to work for stained glass makers and/or plumbers. She likes to paint, eat, drink, and read literary biographies. Her previous hobbies included getting divorced and packing to move. She claims to have once actually eaten Bronte burgers at the Branwell café, but her publisher declines to verify this. She lives in North Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
December 22, 2020
2 stars throughout, and the ending warranted 3 stars. For the duration of the whole book, the protagonist was infuriatingly naive and blind to the things right in front of her. This should have been a delightful breezy Christmas story, as the plot promises, but it was full of far too much bickering for no reason.
December 29, 2019
0 stars
DNF at 35%.
If you are looking for the magic of Christmas, make sure you find it somewhere else, for you sure as hell won't in this book.
J
I am sorry for having to be mean-spirited about a Christmas-book, but this was just as BLAND as an insubstantial, meagre, undercooked Christmas pudding with bad-quality stuff thrown in at random without any flavour, taste and culinary skills.
Unfortunately, I already bought the book when I found out from other reviews that this is a recycled story of the authors, previously called Sweet Nothings, which is a very fitting title, well apart from the "sweet" part.
Some ingredients were added to milk it for Christmas, but a slap-up read it isn't.
DNF at 35%.
If you are looking for the magic of Christmas, make sure you find it somewhere else, for you sure as hell won't in this book.
J
I am sorry for having to be mean-spirited about a Christmas-book, but this was just as BLAND as an insubstantial, meagre, undercooked Christmas pudding with bad-quality stuff thrown in at random without any flavour, taste and culinary skills.
Unfortunately, I already bought the book when I found out from other reviews that this is a recycled story of the authors, previously called Sweet Nothings, which is a very fitting title, well apart from the "sweet" part.
Some ingredients were added to milk it for Christmas, but a slap-up read it isn't.
December 20, 2011
I'm sorry to say that I struggled with this book. The cover is so festive and named 'The Magic of Christmas' I really thought this was going to be the ultimate festive read. Most of the book isn't set a Christmas time, but reference is made to the Christmas Pudding Club. It gets vaguely Christmassy towards the end, but for me it just wasn't all that festive.
I didn't love it, and I have to say that I struggled to concentrate (something that I don't usually have a problem with when it comes to reading for fun!). I found it a bit too much like hard work, and having finished it, I just don't feel any love for the characters. Throughout reading, I felt disconnected - I didn't love anyone, I wasn't rooting for anyone and I didn't really seem to care what happened.
I also found parts of the storyline frustrating, as I felt the main character would have reacted far more than she actually did. There are also quite a lot of characters to get your head around, and if you don't feel that connection, sometimes it is a little difficult to remember who is who. There's a fair amount of background information too - I wasn't engrossed enough to feel this was necessary and often found my eyes flicking over it to get to the more interesting bits!
On the plus side, it isn't just your standard chick-lit. This book does deal with domestic violence, unhappy marriages, death and empty-nest syndrome. I certainly wouldn't say Trisha Ashley is a bad writer, I'd be interested in checking out her other books, which are highly praised, this one just wasn't for me - Sorry Trisha!
(I hadn't read Sweet Nothings so can't comment on how reworked it is from Sweet Nothings)
I didn't love it, and I have to say that I struggled to concentrate (something that I don't usually have a problem with when it comes to reading for fun!). I found it a bit too much like hard work, and having finished it, I just don't feel any love for the characters. Throughout reading, I felt disconnected - I didn't love anyone, I wasn't rooting for anyone and I didn't really seem to care what happened.
I also found parts of the storyline frustrating, as I felt the main character would have reacted far more than she actually did. There are also quite a lot of characters to get your head around, and if you don't feel that connection, sometimes it is a little difficult to remember who is who. There's a fair amount of background information too - I wasn't engrossed enough to feel this was necessary and often found my eyes flicking over it to get to the more interesting bits!
On the plus side, it isn't just your standard chick-lit. This book does deal with domestic violence, unhappy marriages, death and empty-nest syndrome. I certainly wouldn't say Trisha Ashley is a bad writer, I'd be interested in checking out her other books, which are highly praised, this one just wasn't for me - Sorry Trisha!
(I hadn't read Sweet Nothings so can't comment on how reworked it is from Sweet Nothings)
December 19, 2016
1 1/2 stars
This may have been one of the stupidest books I have ever read. I knew after 3 pages that this was probably not going to be for me. So why did I read the entire book? Here are a few of my reasons:
• I wanted to read something “Christmas-y”, and there weren’t too many Christmas themed books available at the library right now. Beggars can't be choosers!
• I was actually looking to read a “ho-hum” kind of book. The book could not be so good that it devoured me. This is a crazy busy time of year, and I had to be able to put the book down and walk away. When a book is really good, I tend to blow off everything else I should be doing. That was not a problem with this book!
• When I started to suspect that this novel was a stinker, I checked the ratings on Goodreads and saw an average rating of 3.89. I thought maybe I was being too hasty and should give the book more of a chance. HAH!
• Based on the book blurb description of “a group of friends swapping seasonal recipes” I thought this book would contain new Christmas recipes. There were MANY Christmas treats mentioned, but there were only 2 recipes included (at the end of the book) - Mincemeat Flapjacks and Christmas Mincemeat Spudge. Both sounded disgusting, and neither recipe gave you a recipe for mincemeat!!!
I really should have stopped reading this when I got to the part about the guy drinking his own urine every morning. Yes, you read that right… that was not a typo… a guy professed to DRINK HIS OWN URINE.
I will leave you with that charming thought. Merry Christmas.
This may have been one of the stupidest books I have ever read. I knew after 3 pages that this was probably not going to be for me. So why did I read the entire book? Here are a few of my reasons:
• I wanted to read something “Christmas-y”, and there weren’t too many Christmas themed books available at the library right now. Beggars can't be choosers!
• I was actually looking to read a “ho-hum” kind of book. The book could not be so good that it devoured me. This is a crazy busy time of year, and I had to be able to put the book down and walk away. When a book is really good, I tend to blow off everything else I should be doing. That was not a problem with this book!
• When I started to suspect that this novel was a stinker, I checked the ratings on Goodreads and saw an average rating of 3.89. I thought maybe I was being too hasty and should give the book more of a chance. HAH!
• Based on the book blurb description of “a group of friends swapping seasonal recipes” I thought this book would contain new Christmas recipes. There were MANY Christmas treats mentioned, but there were only 2 recipes included (at the end of the book) - Mincemeat Flapjacks and Christmas Mincemeat Spudge. Both sounded disgusting, and neither recipe gave you a recipe for mincemeat!!!
I really should have stopped reading this when I got to the part about the guy drinking his own urine every morning. Yes, you read that right… that was not a typo… a guy professed to DRINK HIS OWN URINE.
I will leave you with that charming thought. Merry Christmas.
February 6, 2017
In the pretty Lancashire village of Middlemoss, Lizzy is on the verge of leaving her cheating husband, Tom, when tragedy strikes. Luckily she has welcome distraction in the Christmas Pudding Circle, a group of friends swapping seasonal recipes – as well as a rivalry with local cookery writer Nick over who will win Best Mince Pie at the village show…
Not really that impressed with this one. It started off well, but then just seemed to go nowhere. Dragged on & on. I lost a lot of respect and heart for Lizzy because she stayed with a guy like Tom, no matter the circumstance. And, the "other" love interest was a dick and annoying. Did not see the appeal. Also, I did not feel the Christmas vibe with this book.
Not really that impressed with this one. It started off well, but then just seemed to go nowhere. Dragged on & on. I lost a lot of respect and heart for Lizzy because she stayed with a guy like Tom, no matter the circumstance. And, the "other" love interest was a dick and annoying. Did not see the appeal. Also, I did not feel the Christmas vibe with this book.
December 29, 2012
My favourite Christmas book that I've read (so far!) is Trisha Ashley's Twelve Days of Christmas and so when I heard about her latest Christmas offering, The Magic of Christmas, I had to try it! To be honest, I was still a little wary as I have also read her book Chocolate Wishes which disappointed me - so one book I loved, one I wasn't so keen on. It felt as though this book ranked midway between those two books, unfortunately swaying on the lower side of quality.
The main thing that bothered me about this book was that I felt both the cover and title were misleading. As the book is called The Magic of Christmas and the cover is wonderfully adorned with a glittery winter scene, you'd think that the book was based around Christmas time and would give you a Christmassy feeling whilst reading it. Unfortunately, the book is mostly set during the rest of the year, with December only featuring in the (small) last part of the book. There are references to a 'Christmas Pudding Club' (CPC) throughout, but they don't seem all that significant. Credit where it's due, the ending of the book is full of Christmas spirit, but I only wish that I could've said that for a larger portion of the book.
The story centres around main character Lizzy who lives in the idyllic village of Middlemoss. Before she has a chance to leave her husband, tragedy strikes and she is left to deal with the consequences. It appears that her husband was having several affairs and so Lizzy isn't all that disappointed by his untimely end! Lizzy carries on with her life, having support from her friends in the CPC, her son Jasper, Nick the cookery writer and Ritch the soap actor. It's pretty obvious that Lizzy is going to have a relationship with Nick or Ritch, and it's easy predict who she chooses.
Though I didn't particularly connect with any character, I did think that the chemistry between the characters was written really well. Each character was well thought out, but the problem was that there was too many characters for my liking - because of this, it was difficult to focus on one character in depth. The whole book seemed a bit rushed, random things kept popping up and the plot seemed like it was all over the place.
I seem to have complained about this book a lot, but really it's not disastrous and I am sure that it will appeal to others. As aforementioned, I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and the progression of relationships and friendships. It felt like I was reading a soap opera - if you don't mind the farfetched and like a lot of drama, you will probably enjoy this. If you're a fan of cookery, even better - there are even some recipes included as an added extra after the story has ended, which is a bonus.
Overall, I was quite disappointed with this book, but it wasn't terrible - I never had to force myself to read it and at least something was always happening! Chick-lit lovers should still give this a try at any time of the year, however I would rather recommend Ashley's Twelve Days of Christmas which is on a completely different level to this one.
The main thing that bothered me about this book was that I felt both the cover and title were misleading. As the book is called The Magic of Christmas and the cover is wonderfully adorned with a glittery winter scene, you'd think that the book was based around Christmas time and would give you a Christmassy feeling whilst reading it. Unfortunately, the book is mostly set during the rest of the year, with December only featuring in the (small) last part of the book. There are references to a 'Christmas Pudding Club' (CPC) throughout, but they don't seem all that significant. Credit where it's due, the ending of the book is full of Christmas spirit, but I only wish that I could've said that for a larger portion of the book.
The story centres around main character Lizzy who lives in the idyllic village of Middlemoss. Before she has a chance to leave her husband, tragedy strikes and she is left to deal with the consequences. It appears that her husband was having several affairs and so Lizzy isn't all that disappointed by his untimely end! Lizzy carries on with her life, having support from her friends in the CPC, her son Jasper, Nick the cookery writer and Ritch the soap actor. It's pretty obvious that Lizzy is going to have a relationship with Nick or Ritch, and it's easy predict who she chooses.
Though I didn't particularly connect with any character, I did think that the chemistry between the characters was written really well. Each character was well thought out, but the problem was that there was too many characters for my liking - because of this, it was difficult to focus on one character in depth. The whole book seemed a bit rushed, random things kept popping up and the plot seemed like it was all over the place.
I seem to have complained about this book a lot, but really it's not disastrous and I am sure that it will appeal to others. As aforementioned, I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and the progression of relationships and friendships. It felt like I was reading a soap opera - if you don't mind the farfetched and like a lot of drama, you will probably enjoy this. If you're a fan of cookery, even better - there are even some recipes included as an added extra after the story has ended, which is a bonus.
Overall, I was quite disappointed with this book, but it wasn't terrible - I never had to force myself to read it and at least something was always happening! Chick-lit lovers should still give this a try at any time of the year, however I would rather recommend Ashley's Twelve Days of Christmas which is on a completely different level to this one.
November 16, 2017
I found this less fun than the other Ashley's I've read, but maybe she's one of those authors that I need to take breaks from.
Also, this was a new/expanded version of a book she'd previously written and there were a couple of places where paragraphs were repeated a few chapters apart. Maybe not word for word, but close enough that it confused me.
Also, this was a new/expanded version of a book she'd previously written and there were a couple of places where paragraphs were repeated a few chapters apart. Maybe not word for word, but close enough that it confused me.
December 23, 2020
Not the story I thought I would be reading by the cover. Never judge a book by its cover.
November 25, 2014
If you buy The Magic of Christmas based on the title and cover because you want something enchantingly delightful set completely at Christmas time, you will possibly be disappointed. However, if you want a fun, slightly quirky, feel-good, enjoyable read set in a small UK village during the seven months leading up to Christmas, you are going to love this book. It was nothing like I expected. It was better.
I really don't quite know what genre to slot this into. It is a little Midsomer Murders, together with a tiny bit of The Vicar of Dibley (as in charmingly quirky local characters). There is romance, but it's just a part of the overall story as experienced through Lizzie's eyes. And there is a good dash of humour.
Although there are cooking references, they are a natural part of the story as it unfolds. If the cooking aspect had been overdone, I would have lost interest quickly. Instead, it added to the overall pleasure of this delightful book.
I have to admit, my favourite part was near the end during the annual Middlemoss five-hour Mysteries performance on Boxing Day. You know you have a good writer when the scene and characters become alive in your mind. That's how it was with The Magic of Christmas, particularly during that performance. I could see Lizzie in her "Eve" outfit, and picture the grumpy Moses receiving the 10 Commandments.
Pros:
1. Light Christmas theme throughout.
2. Delightful characters that you grow to care about.
3. A little bit of a mystery.
4. Feel good ending.
Cons:
1. If you are expecting this to be 100% Christmas focused, you may be disappointed.
Recommended for people who enjoy village-set fiction with a few quirky characters and a bit of romance.
I was actually a little sad when I finished The Magic of Christmas because I had grown very fond of Lizzie and the Middlemoss inhabitants. I wasn't ready to let them go.
I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Trisha Ashley.
I really don't quite know what genre to slot this into. It is a little Midsomer Murders, together with a tiny bit of The Vicar of Dibley (as in charmingly quirky local characters). There is romance, but it's just a part of the overall story as experienced through Lizzie's eyes. And there is a good dash of humour.
Although there are cooking references, they are a natural part of the story as it unfolds. If the cooking aspect had been overdone, I would have lost interest quickly. Instead, it added to the overall pleasure of this delightful book.
I have to admit, my favourite part was near the end during the annual Middlemoss five-hour Mysteries performance on Boxing Day. You know you have a good writer when the scene and characters become alive in your mind. That's how it was with The Magic of Christmas, particularly during that performance. I could see Lizzie in her "Eve" outfit, and picture the grumpy Moses receiving the 10 Commandments.
Pros:
1. Light Christmas theme throughout.
2. Delightful characters that you grow to care about.
3. A little bit of a mystery.
4. Feel good ending.
Cons:
1. If you are expecting this to be 100% Christmas focused, you may be disappointed.
Recommended for people who enjoy village-set fiction with a few quirky characters and a bit of romance.
I was actually a little sad when I finished The Magic of Christmas because I had grown very fond of Lizzie and the Middlemoss inhabitants. I wasn't ready to let them go.
I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Trisha Ashley.
December 20, 2011
Lizzy, founder member of the Christmas Pudding Circle lives in Middlemoss, a Lancashire village with the usual cast of odd-bods, soap stars, broodingly handsome Nick and the new Vicar. She manages to get by through self sufficiency and writing homely books about her cooking and gardening, with her son Jasper and her love rat husband. Saved from leaving her marriage by his sudden demise she continues to throw herself into village life, including the Boxing Day Mystery Play, but who will play Adam to her Eve?
Well, it's no secret that I love Trisha Ashley, she does "older" chit-lit with a light touch and a quirky sense of fun. This is in her usual vein, based "Sweet Nothings" an oldie of hers that is terribly difficult to get hold of. Lizzy is another engaging heroine and although the exaggerated and cosy village vibe is a bit "Vicar of Dibley" it's a cheerful, fluffy Christmas read, which is just what I needed and it's got me in the festive mood.
Now all I need is a glass of mulled wine, but I'm not sure about the mashed potato fudge!
Well, it's no secret that I love Trisha Ashley, she does "older" chit-lit with a light touch and a quirky sense of fun. This is in her usual vein, based "Sweet Nothings" an oldie of hers that is terribly difficult to get hold of. Lizzy is another engaging heroine and although the exaggerated and cosy village vibe is a bit "Vicar of Dibley" it's a cheerful, fluffy Christmas read, which is just what I needed and it's got me in the festive mood.
Now all I need is a glass of mulled wine, but I'm not sure about the mashed potato fudge!
December 27, 2011
This book is probably a bit more exciting if you're into cooking, but overall I thought it took a long time to say little with spots of 'action' too rushed to make too much of an impact. Given it's title I agree with the other person that it's not particularly festive.
Lizzy is a long suffering wife to an adulterous husband, Tom, who has spent years making her miserable in her marriage. With her son, Jasper, about to leave for university, Lizzy decides she will leave him when Jasper is out of the house. Before they reach that stage, Tom dies and Lizzy finds herself widowed.
In the small village she has a lot of friends, his family and a smattering of hostile parties and Lizzy finds herself in the midst of planning the Christmas play, trying to help out where she can, coming to terms with the empty house she now lives in and the one or two prospects for a new man in her life.
Overall the plot is pretty thin on the ground and the characters pretty flat and undeveloped within the village to the point where you can end up getting some of the more secondary ones confused.
Lizzy is a long suffering wife to an adulterous husband, Tom, who has spent years making her miserable in her marriage. With her son, Jasper, about to leave for university, Lizzy decides she will leave him when Jasper is out of the house. Before they reach that stage, Tom dies and Lizzy finds herself widowed.
In the small village she has a lot of friends, his family and a smattering of hostile parties and Lizzy finds herself in the midst of planning the Christmas play, trying to help out where she can, coming to terms with the empty house she now lives in and the one or two prospects for a new man in her life.
Overall the plot is pretty thin on the ground and the characters pretty flat and undeveloped within the village to the point where you can end up getting some of the more secondary ones confused.
January 10, 2015
Lizzy and her husband Tom and their son Jasper live in a village but things are not going well for Tom and Lizzie and an accident happens that leaves Lizzy a widow and things unfold to what really happens and will Lizzie fall for someone else or not.
December 13, 2020
This should be renamed ' The Magic of Autumn, with a small amount of Christmas'
October 26, 2017
Having read other the books by this author I wasn't surprised to see the same format of recipes, romance & misunderstandings but as that was what I was in the mood for I wasn't disappointed - though I do wonder how many books can be written featuring a small village with a tradition of plays at Christmas!....& how do these people fund all their baking? Never mind find time to work with all the bottling, pickling & jamming...
All-in-all, it's a heart-warming tale & I have to admit that I did find the dialogue of the Mystery Play very funny, & despite it being set in Lancashire, I could hear it said in a thick Yorkshire accent, sounding just like my husbands gran did, "I am reet disappointed in thee Lucifer - I can hear it now :o)
All-in-all, it's a heart-warming tale & I have to admit that I did find the dialogue of the Mystery Play very funny, & despite it being set in Lancashire, I could hear it said in a thick Yorkshire accent, sounding just like my husbands gran did, "I am reet disappointed in thee Lucifer - I can hear it now :o)
December 15, 2023
I would have quite enjoyed this book at any other time of the year but I picked this up in December because I wanted some Christmas cheese..... the first 85% of the book is set through the summer and although she may have been planning what she and her pudding circle were gonna do for Christmas, the whole book was completely lacking everything I was looking for. Very little Christmas despite the cover and title, uncomfortable relationships that were not what I'd call romantic, some rather unpleasant characters.... sigh....
December 31, 2023
I was looking forward to this as a nice cosy Christmas read and was really disappointed that it wasn't. It was set mainly in autumn with a little Christmas mention.
I wasn't overly keen on most of the characters for one reason on another.
I usually love Tricia Ashley books but this one didn't do much for me.
I wasn't overly keen on most of the characters for one reason on another.
I usually love Tricia Ashley books but this one didn't do much for me.
January 3, 2020
Quite a basic book with too much drama for my taste. Overall not so Christmas-themed as I expected which is shame.
December 7, 2021
This is not really Christmassy at all until the last 80 pages! A little bit disappointed over the minimal Christmas theme (given the title) but it was an easy read.
January 25, 2021
A book that would have worked with good editing and chopping chunks of dragging bits. Those pieces are just fill-ins and not much addition to the book. This book doesn't hold the charm that first attracted me to Trisha Ashley Novels.
January 15, 2020
Coming soon.....
July 26, 2015
I really struggled with this book and I'm glad I'm not alone.
Firstly, things that drew me into reading were: 1) the cover is so festive 2)the title "The Magic of Christmas" I really thought this was going to be a warm book and great time to read it on a freezing cold, miserable, wet July weekend. I'm glad I didn't read it in December now.
A lot of the book focuses on the Christmas Pudding Club and it's not really about Christmas to begin with and then towards the end it get's a tad Christmassy, if you can call it that. I found the character of CPC were all quite boring too, if I'm honest.
There was also a lot of characters, the mother and son of the dysfunctional family as the main characters, the extended family, then a random band of characters in this slightly boring village. It was very slow and the author talked of how things were going to progress through the characters in the story and this seemed to dull the story for me.
I definitely found reading this book more of a chore than a hobby I enjoy, I don't feel like I connected with any of the characters and the main character Lizzy was unbelievably weak as if waiting for a fairytale to come and whisk her away, which annoyed me immensely as she never pushed to relieve her pain with her husband and other goals in her life. I also felt like I wasn't interested in any of them whatever happened.
The only thing I liked about this is that it deals with an aspect of domestic violence something in which many authors tend to dance around by using the death of a husband, although the was no physical violence in the book, I did think having the awareness in the book helped.
I can only apologise to the author, I'm sure she's very good at other books but this one was just bland and I couldn't find a connection.
Firstly, things that drew me into reading were: 1) the cover is so festive 2)the title "The Magic of Christmas" I really thought this was going to be a warm book and great time to read it on a freezing cold, miserable, wet July weekend. I'm glad I didn't read it in December now.
A lot of the book focuses on the Christmas Pudding Club and it's not really about Christmas to begin with and then towards the end it get's a tad Christmassy, if you can call it that. I found the character of CPC were all quite boring too, if I'm honest.
There was also a lot of characters, the mother and son of the dysfunctional family as the main characters, the extended family, then a random band of characters in this slightly boring village. It was very slow and the author talked of how things were going to progress through the characters in the story and this seemed to dull the story for me.
I definitely found reading this book more of a chore than a hobby I enjoy, I don't feel like I connected with any of the characters and the main character Lizzy was unbelievably weak as if waiting for a fairytale to come and whisk her away, which annoyed me immensely as she never pushed to relieve her pain with her husband and other goals in her life. I also felt like I wasn't interested in any of them whatever happened.
The only thing I liked about this is that it deals with an aspect of domestic violence something in which many authors tend to dance around by using the death of a husband, although the was no physical violence in the book, I did think having the awareness in the book helped.
I can only apologise to the author, I'm sure she's very good at other books but this one was just bland and I couldn't find a connection.
November 14, 2024
First read 2/1/09 I believe this is also known as The Magic of Christmas
Recipe for a fun read:
- Take one attractive 41-year woman with a sense of humor and strong baking abilities,
- Add one philandering husband whose brain tumor has brought out a far less attractive side of his personality,
- Stir in one tall-dark-and-handsome celebrity chef, (married) with past ties to our heroine,
- Add one charming young son, shortly to leave the nest,
- Mix in 3 mistresses, not benign and with murky motivations
- 1 fetus (father unknown)
- An accidental death (or is it?)
- A supportive best friend
- Assorted uniquely crazy members of an extended family
Mix in with one Village Mystery Play
Allow to simmer for 231 pages, stirring until thickened and then serve with a dash of humor!
Lots of fun...I enjoyed this one.
One caveat: If you are new to chatty British-style woman's fiction/chic lit, you probably won't love this. But if you like authors like Katie Fforde then this will be great for you.
Recipe for a fun read:
- Take one attractive 41-year woman with a sense of humor and strong baking abilities,
- Add one philandering husband whose brain tumor has brought out a far less attractive side of his personality,
- Stir in one tall-dark-and-handsome celebrity chef, (married) with past ties to our heroine,
- Add one charming young son, shortly to leave the nest,
- Mix in 3 mistresses, not benign and with murky motivations
- 1 fetus (father unknown)
- An accidental death (or is it?)
- A supportive best friend
- Assorted uniquely crazy members of an extended family
Mix in with one Village Mystery Play
Allow to simmer for 231 pages, stirring until thickened and then serve with a dash of humor!
Lots of fun...I enjoyed this one.
One caveat: If you are new to chatty British-style woman's fiction/chic lit, you probably won't love this. But if you like authors like Katie Fforde then this will be great for you.
December 9, 2012
This book was definitely not my cup of tea. Although it has some nice elements like recipes, dogs and the fact that it's set in a small English village, I did not enjoy it much at all. I did not like the way the author writes about certain things, how we have to guess half of the time how the main character is feeling and how other characters are briefly presented once (and many in the same paragraph) and then you have to recall who they are throughout the book, with no help from the author. There was not much happening either, but if you're interested in reading about rehearsals for a Christmas play, by all means, read this!
Also, it was not at all as Christmasy as I'd hoped, since the cover is so festive.
Also, it was not at all as Christmasy as I'd hoped, since the cover is so festive.
December 17, 2018
The plot is awful, the only plus point being that the “other guy” isn’t really an other guy whatsoever and she never has feelings for him, which is *slightly* different from some other chick lits.
The author is fairly insulting to a lot of different groups of people - especially vegans. For instance, the vegan girl mentioned in this novel is in a guitarist in a terrible band, smokes weed, has no backbone, is naive and useless, ends up eating meat because her boyfriend told her it was vegetarian and is altogether a dreadful character.
Badly written and not really enjoyable except for the northern version of the bible which did make me smile. The rest was basically garbage.
The author is fairly insulting to a lot of different groups of people - especially vegans. For instance, the vegan girl mentioned in this novel is in a guitarist in a terrible band, smokes weed, has no backbone, is naive and useless, ends up eating meat because her boyfriend told her it was vegetarian and is altogether a dreadful character.
Badly written and not really enjoyable except for the northern version of the bible which did make me smile. The rest was basically garbage.
January 24, 2011
I quite enjoyed this one- my first Trisha Ashley book remains my favourite (Twelve Days of Christmas). Lizzie's husband is killed in a car accident, 2 years after recovering from brain surgery. He'd been a changed man- and she had planned to leave him once her son started Uni.
She writes cookery/bio books- and one of her dh relations also writes cookery books. He sends her postcards from his travels with recipes from that region.
The book also follows the other characters from the village.
She writes cookery/bio books- and one of her dh relations also writes cookery books. He sends her postcards from his travels with recipes from that region.
The book also follows the other characters from the village.
April 1, 2019
If you're looking to read something to send you to sleep then this book will be perfect. The cover looked so inviting that I stupidly paid money for what turned out to be a mix of clichès and repetitive drivel.
Absolutely bored to tears and lost interest in what little plot there was within the first few chapters. Sorry for being harsh but I am amazed that this even got published.
1 star given for a misleading cover that conned me!
Absolutely bored to tears and lost interest in what little plot there was within the first few chapters. Sorry for being harsh but I am amazed that this even got published.
1 star given for a misleading cover that conned me!
November 16, 2022
The mystery play is quite amusing but the rest of it is more irritating than romantic. I don't see why Nick even likes Izzy, with her dog-in-the-manger attitude & complete lack of insight. I'm not feeling the chemistry & it's all a bit twee at times. Otherwise it's a pleasant, easy read in a nice village setting, with little to do with Christmas.
January 30, 2008
A strange book, told in the first person, that combines chick-lit, surreal almost-humour, and crime in a village setting. Surprisingly enjoyable, once I got over the switches between past and present tense, and the ultra-chatty style.
January 10, 2012
Bit disappointed by his one - much prefereed The Twelve Days of Christmas.
July 1, 2013
Very Katie-fforde-ish, but in a good way. I have a feeling I read this one already before, but couldn't tell for sure.
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