Book Synopsis:
Could a sprinkling of magic save Christmas this year?Amid the salt marshes and rolling fields of Periwinkle Bay, Magda Conway is enjoying her retirement in ivy-clad Mistletoe Cottage.Yet with three weeks to go until Christmas, as the fairy lights twinkle and the trees go up around the village, her peace is disrupted when she’s left in sole charge of her two mischievous grandchildren.Before long, she’s at her wit’s end – but high on a kitchen shelf lies her mother’s handwritten recipe book. And as she turns to it for advice, she finds more than just recipes between its tattered covers: there’s a pinch of magic too, and maybe even a sprinkling of love . . .
Mistletoe Cottage is out in ebook and paperback on the 27th October 2022. You can pre-order you copy using the links below.
My Review:
Coming Home To Mistletoe Cottage is a heartwarming, festive and magical read that will be perfect for cuddling up with this Christmas.
Firstly I had mixed feelings about the main character Magda at first as she came across as being very self absorbed though I did sympathise with her a bit as it can be hard to deal with other people’s grief when you’re grieving yourself. She slowly grew on me however as the book went on and as the reader learns more about her life as a single mum. It was quite poignant to see how much she had given up but quite lovely to see how many people had rallied to help her. My favourite characters were actually the twins who’s exploits I loved to read about (it’s always funnier when it’s not your own children). Their behaviour lead to some of the funnier moments in the books and I often found myself laughing out loud at their antics, though it was sad to see how affected they were by their parent’s absence.
The discovery of the cookery book was a wonderful touch and lead to some of my favourite moments in the book. It was truly heartwarming to see Magda slowly learning to cook and to heal throughout the book, almost like her dear mum was trying to help her like she wanted. I had tears in my eyes during some of these moments as I thought they were so beautiful.
Overall I loved this book and will be re-reading it nearer to Christmas. The book is very absorbing and I soon found myself drawn into Magda’s life. There was always something happening to keep my interest and I loved soaking up the community feel in the village, where I’d love to live myself. I closed the book with a happy sigh at having read a great story but also with a hint of sadness at having to leave Magda and her family behind
Huge thanks to Susanna from Harper Collins for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Previously a teacher and assistant head, Celia Anderson now writes full time and is an enthusiastic member of the Romantic Novelists Association, having graduated from their wonderful New Writers’ Scheme. She writes stories with a strong flavour of magical realism and her fourth such novel with Harper Collins, Coming Home to Mistletoe Cottage, will be published in October 2022.Celia loves flower arranging but tries to avoid gardening, plays the piano very badly and is a jigsaw addict. She is a doting grandma to Ida and Levi and has tried several times to learn to knit them jumpers without much success (or joy). Some hobbies are probably best left alone.Currently living as far away from any beaches as you can possibly get in mainland UK, Celia has always dreamt of living by the sea, and that dream will hopefully soon become a reality. She loves walking, reading, having large bubbly baths, eating, and drinking wine. Over the years, she has found that all of these activities bar the first may be done simultaneously, although this can be messy…
Over The Rainbow Blog 