A Christmas Feast and other stories by Katie Fforde

A Christmas Feast and other stories by Katie Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A delicious Christmas feast of short stories from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of A French Affair and The Perfect Match.

Add some extra sparkle to your Christmas by joining Katie Fforde for a perfect, romantic Christmas feast of short stories. Collected together for the first time and including one brand new story.

Make your Christmas wishes come true...

I listened to the audio version of this, this is what I thought.

Would you consider the audio edition of A Christmas Feast to be better than the print version?
I have never read the print version, however this is great in order to get your jobs done. By being a collection of short stories, I can listen to a story at a time and really get into it. The only thing I would say is that some of these stories have already been published as separate short stories, one of which I had read. I did enjoy listening to the one I had previously read.

What other book might you compare A Christmas Feast to, and why?
Any other festive selection of short stories.

Have you listened to any of Jilly Bond and Rita Sharma ’s other performances? How does this one compare?
This was the first, however I really enjoyed the narration and would look for others by them.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
short but sweet treats

Any additional comments?
It would have been nice to have been told that some of the short stories had already been previously released, especially for those who have the print versions.

I will marry George Clooney(by Christmas) - Tracy Bloom

I Will Marry George Clooney by Tracy Bloom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Slogging her guts out in a chicken factory, whilst single-handedly bringing up a teenager who hates her, is far from the life that 36-year-old Michelle had planned.

But marrying the most eligible man on the planet by Christmas could change all that, couldn’t it? 

Sometimes your only option is to dream the impossible - because you never know where it might take you…

Motored through this book, it actually only took me two days to finish it. Incredibly unlikely story line but with Tracy Bloom's natural gift at comedy writing it was a really easy read which had good laugh aloud moments.

The story is about Michelle a single mother with a teenage daughter who has long since given up her dreams and ambitions and who works in a dead end job in a chicken factory. During an argument with her daughter Josie she foolishly says that if she manages to marry George Clooney by Christmas then her daughter has to agree to give up her no hoper of a boyfriend Sean and ideas of quitting school and make something of her life. Josie readily agrees assuming her mother has lost the plot and since there is no chance she can make this happen Josie believes she has already won the bet.

Although we know it is a stupid story line its told in such an engaging and funny way that you almost want it to happen for her and you're driven on to the end to see how this can possibly end happily for Michelle.

Michelle is an endearing character, she's hard working with a daughter who appears self centered and unappreciative and she has made sacrifices to give her a good life and the chance to make something of herself. When she sees her daughter ready to throw away everything for a boy Michelle has to do something to stop her hence this wacky idea of marrying George Clooney. Once having made the statement she confides in her work friends Gina and Daz who join together to help her make it happen (or not).

We also learn a lot more about Michelle and her relationship with her own mother as well as her relationship with Josie her daughter, they have a strange parallel. Michelle can't quite match up to her sister Jane (who tragically died) in her mother Kathleen's eyes, and she can't quite be the mother that Josie wants her to be either. Josie is frustrated that her mother has never revealed who her father is and Michelle is constantly being compared to her dead sister and reminded what a failure she is. The appearance of a face from the past also spurs Michelle on to prove to her daughter that you are in charge of your own destiny and following your dreams is always worth while.

Good laugh out loud moments, identifiable characters and a satisfactory ending - all you can ask from a read. Would rate this one 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for good reads and Amazon.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

weekly wrap up - week 29 7/12/14

This week has gone so quick and I cannot believe the first week of advent is already over! After last week's weekly wrap up, I decided I wanted to get the Christmas tree up, so it is! I absolutely love this time of year and love looking at my tree! Anyway I have done all my Christmas shopping now, so I can relax with a good book, a cup of tea and listen to some festive music! Anyway back to the books...

This week I have been sent: 

Book Geek tote bag to review and I have a fab offer coming your way, for all you book lovers!  Make sure  you check out yesterday's post for the discount! 

The Liar by Nora Roberts
The life I left behind by Colette McBeth 
The two of us by Andy Jones 

This week I have bought: 

Presents, do they count?!?!

Books I have read this week:

Secret Santa by Scarlett Bailey

I hope you all had a great reading week and thanks for stopping by at The Book Corner, I loved  hearing what you have got this week so please leave a comment to let me know. 

Save the Date - Allie Spencer

Save the Date by Allie Spencer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'Family weddings can be hell.

...and, marooned in Italy for her cousin's nuptials, Ailsa can be forgiven for thinking that this one is worse than most. With the bride and groom at loggerheads and the guests in uproar, it is a million miles away from the rest and relaxation she'd been hoping for.

And then suddenly, in the middle of the mayhem, she comes face-to-face with Nick, the man she walked out on just a few months earlier.


How can Ailsa help get the wedding back on track when she and Nick can't stop arguing? But if they do, she might remember why she fell in love with him in the first place - and then there really would be trouble.'




This is the first book I have read by Allie Spencer, and I have to say I found it a comical, light hearted, holiday read.


Ailsa has had an invite for a family wedding in Italy, the problem is she is reluctant to go and hasn’t RSVPed yet. It has been sitting in her kitchen for months and the date is nearing. One night after she has been out with her friend and has returned home, she receives an email. She is not sure who it is from, however she gets more and more insisting on her being somewhere. It all becomes clear that it is her cousin Jess, and she wants Allie to attend her wedding in Italy, to put family issues behind them.

Ailsa has problems of her own and feels that actually it may do her good to get away and accepts the invite and whisks herself off to Italy. Allie is nursing a broken heart with her husband Nick, they weren’t married too long but it was a whirlwind romance that got them to the place they are at today.

The book is written through the eyes of Ailsa, she is a likable and humorous character, it is very easy to get sucked into this book and you feel you are one of Ailsa’s friends with her in Italy, willing things to go her way.

While in Italy all is not plain sailing, there are many family wedding dramas between Jess, her parents and the wedding planner. Ailsa also has her fair share of problems with her ex, Nick and a new canine friend… Arthur.

There was so much going on in this story that kept it well paced and was not confusing. I enjoyed this a lot, I read it exceptionally quickly and was sad when it ended. Allie Spencer has the right balance between romance and humour. I loved that Arthur had his own personality and ended up getting into mischief and even though Ailsa is ‘not a dog person’ ends up forming a relationship with the pup and ends up taking responsibility for him.

The cover is stunning and I must say this was what had me hooked before I even read the blurb. It just screams SUMMER READ to you across the book shop! It makes you want to be away on holiday and you begin to dream about the setting.

One thing I would say is the blurb didn’t encourage me to read this book, I felt that the humour in the novel doesn’t come across through it and I think that’s something that’s important. To be able to write humour with romance I think is a skill in itself and I feel that this shouldn’t have gone unnoticed on the blurb.

The story has a good plot with strong characters, it is rammed with action, drama, romance and heartbreak. This is a perfect summer read for the beach. And if you are not away while reading it, by the end you will wish you were, with it set in a stunning location you will wish you were sipping cocktails and drinking champagne along with the other wedding guests.