A Dash of Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan - #bookreview #blogtour

Florence gazed around her at Winstanton's bustling Christmas market, full of shoppers passing each other with studied determination, whilst people who knew each other occasionally stopped to chat...

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I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

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The Blurb

CAN LARA ADD A SPRINKLING OF MAGIC THIS CHRISTMAS?

Jacob introduces ever tastier treats to the Sugar and Spice cafe’s menu as the Christmas Spirit knits her magic into the lives of those finding this Christmas tough.

Florence is struggling to make ends meet and afford the present she knows her son wants for Christmas. Her ex-husband flaunting his new girlfriend and their baby isn’t helping her mood.

Widower Jude feels a failure as a father to his two young children after the tragic death of his wife. The move to Winstanton was meant to make life easier. Can he learn to carve out time to build new friendships and give himself the chance to grieve?

Rachel’s boss has given the promotion he promised her to the man twenty years her junior, whom she trained. She’s fed up with being taken for granted, and the lack of sympathy from her husband and teenage children.

Retired David feels Grinch-like as his son expects him to look after his grandchildren all the time, without taking his life into consideration. He used to love Christmas, but this year it has lost its sparkle.

Can the warm welcome at the Sugar and Spice café help them find their Christmas spirit?

A feel-good festive romance with a heartwarming community and a generous helping of Christmas spirit!

My Review

A trip to the Sugar and Spice Cafe is an annual must for me. This is probably my favourite Christmas series and I always look forward to a new one being published immensely.

Set in the picturesque and homely fictional village of Winstanton, the warm and welcoming Sugar and Spice Cafe attracts many customers. Each of the books features just a few of the regulars and I got caught up in their stories completely.  Jacob, who runs the cafe, is in each of the books that I have read, along with his niece Lara, who is pivotal to the plot.

I love Lara's warm-heartedness and the way she cares about others. Every Christmas she weaves her magic to ensure people get people get the Christmas that they deserve. She is a wonderful character to get to know and, like all the characters in the book, comes alive on the page.

This is a genre of book that you begin reading knowing that everything will be okay in the end. It is lovely to spend time with these characters in the cafe. Descriptions of the cakes on offer made my mouth water. I almost felt as if I were there. 

Such pure escapism makes for joyful reading. It is heartwarming to read and I finished the book feeling very satisfied with the ending. If there is one festive book you are going to read this year, make it this one. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1915589071

Publisher: Susan Buchanan

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 300 (paperback)

Series: Book 5 of the Christmas Spirit series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Susan Buchanan writes contemporary romance, women’s fiction and romantic comedies, usually featuring travel, food, family, friendship, community – also Christmas!

Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit, A Taste of Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, The Leap Year Proposal, You Can’t Hurry Love and The Boulangerie on the Corner.

As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.  

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors. 

She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador. 

When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out.

You can also find Susan at:

Author Website

Facebook

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Instagram

Bluesky

My Other Blog Posts Featuring This Author

A Little Christmas Spirit

A Taste of Christmas Spirit

The Leap Year Proposal

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Maisy's Big Book of Kindness by Lucy Cousins - #bookreview

 

Maisy is very kind.

There are lots of ways to be kind ...

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Discover how kindness makes Maisy's world go round!

Join Maisy and her friends as they explore all sorts of wonderful ways to be kind, such as sharing, caring, giving, helping the planet and more! This beautiful, bright and joyful celebration of kindness will be an inspiring addition to the bookshelves of little ones and their parents, carers and teachers.

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Maisy's Big Book of Kindness is a lovely book for pre-schoolers and those who are learning to read.

As in the title, it is aimed at highlighting the ways in which we can show kindness. The book demonstrates ways in which Maisy shows kindness through sharing, giving, caring, helping and playing together. Each short section demonstrates ways in which Maisy is showing kindness towards her friends. It also touches on the issue of forgiveness.

I could very much imagine this book being shared with children in the nursery classroom. Equally, it would make a wonderful discussion point between younger children and their parents/carers.

The illustrations are bold and colourful and will catch the eye of little ones. I can absolutely see myself sharing this with my almost two year old grandson and I am certain he will love it.

There are many other Maisy books and this is a wonderful addition to the previous publications. 

There is also a Maisy website with resources for children, parents and teachers https://www.maisyfun.com/forchildren/

ISBN: 978 1406381795

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats: hardback

No. of Pages:  48

About the Author:

Lucy Cousins was born in 1964, attending a school in Kent. After doing a foundation course at Canterbury College, Lucy did a BA Honours in Graphic Design, followed by a postgraduate degree at the Royal College of Art.

Maisy, the famous mouse, “drew herself” one day, when Lucy was doodling various animals on a piece of paper, looking for inspiration, and the first Maisy book was published soon after Lucy left college. Maisy, who also stars in her own television show, has become one of the best-loved characters in children’s books, and is recognized the world over. Lucy won the Bologna Ragazzi Non-fiction Prize 1997 for Maisy’s House and has been Highly Commended for the National Art Illustration Award 1997 for Za Za’s Baby Brother, images from which were also used in a publicity campaign by Tommy’s, the baby’s charity. Jazzy in the Jungle won the Smarties Book Prize in 2002. Hooray for Fish!, published in 2005, is a celebration of life under the sea. Lucy lives in Hampshire with her husband and has four children.

Lucy finds that illustration comes more easily to her than writing, which tends to work around the drawings. “I draw by heart,” she says. “I think about what children would like by going back to my own childlike instincts.” And what instincts they are! Lucy now has sold more than 31 million books in worldwide, including picture books, sticker books, cloth books, colouring books, board books, pull-the-tab and lift-the-flap books, three-dimensional play sets, a clock book… Where does the prolific Lucy – a mother of four children – find the energy? “I’m quite disciplined,” she says of her productivity. “If I’m having an ‘ideas’ day, I just sit at my desk and draw and write until I feel something is happening – though I admit that this is usually helped by a cup of tea, some lively music, and an abundance of sunshine.” As for outside inspiration, she says she’s sometimes influenced by the work of other artists, as long as those artists are children. Says the author-illustrator, “I get more pleasure and inspiration from walking around a primary school than from any art gallery.”

(book and author media courtesy of Walker Books)

(all opinions are my own)