A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber

A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 288

Publisher -

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A solo holiday trip inspires one woman to rediscover her passion—and remember that, sometimes, duets are more fun—in this romantic Christmas novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Hailey Morgan’s life has always revolved around music. She once had big dreams of composing her own songs, but the reality of life has led her to working as an assistant high school band teacher in Portland, Oregon. As the holidays approach, Hailey dreads the annual tradition of Christmas with her meddling family, where she’ll have to play nice while dodging their traditional expectations.

When Hailey’s close friend offers her family’s empty cabin for a rejuvenating solo retreat, Hailey finally decides to do something to make herself happy. However, her arrival in small-town Podunk, Washington, is anything but peaceful when she discovers the cabin is occupied by several wild animals. Luckily, Jay, the mayor’s son—who happens to be an incredibly charming former musician—is more than willing to help.

Soon Hailey and Jay are nearly inseparable, chopping down and decorating a Christmas tree, sipping hot cocoa in front of a cozy fire, and best of all, playing music together. Jay’s encouragement and feedback inspire Hailey to believe she might succeed as a songwriter after all. But even in her snow-dusted oasis, family holiday drama still finds Hailey, threatening her newfound peace and confidence, while she realizes Jay might be more than he presents himself to be. Suddenly her Christmas paradise has become a winter storm and Hailey must weather through the challenges to stand up for herself and embrace the holiday spirit.


My Review

Think this is my first time reading this author. Hailey is so over it, her ex has suddenly appeared after they broke up three years ago. He had zero faith in her ability as a song writer and singer which is something she loves and breathes. He eroded her confidence so much she has barely written a line let alone a song since he left. Her mother has never really gotten over it as she loved him/them and now knows it won't be long before the pressure is on, oh and it is Christmas practically. When Hailey gets a chance to escape to a cabin by herself, this is the chance to make some music and just have some her time with her guitar. She has an encounter with a wild animal and a local comes to her rescue, Jay. Jay also has a love and passion for music as well as his own issues with a musical past. The two connect and music bonds them, attraction is there, could this be perfect timing and finally everything in her world coming together?

Some of the characters in this one ripped my knitting, the ex, what an absolute banger like seriously who pops back after three years and doesn't take no for an answer. Her mum as well, so so rude and ignorant of Hailey's feelings and more interested in getting them back together. To be fair though I was like Hailey come on, find your spine and get them telt!

I loved the wee town, how they were like initially a wee bit shady but then totally accepting. Her and Jay are quite cute too and I loved the time/feel/aspect of the community there. Her sister I wasn't a huge fan of for small parts but then I actually came round to her and really liked her.

Family, friendship, music, romance, annoying exe's and an isolated wee cabin, all that was missing was befriending a wild animal and I would have been delighted. Nice read for this time of the year and just switching off from the world, 4/5 for me this time. I will be checking out her other books.

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The Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk

Christmas Fling by Lindsey Kelk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

'Lindsey is the Taylor Swift of romance writing' DAISY BUCHANAN

Laura and Callum have met exactly three times – once at a mutual friend’s wedding (Laura doesn’t remember), once at a baby shower (Callum doesn’t remember) and once right now – when Laura lets herself into his flat to find him exiting the shower completely naked (they both remember).

When Callum's parents walk in and mistake Laura for his mystery girlfriend, Laura has no choice but to play along, accepting their invitation to spend Christmas at home in the Scottish Highlands.

But then Laura's best friends show up pretending to be her family, and Callum's ex is invited, and as Laura gets closer to Callum, she can't tell if the increasingly sizzling chemistry between them is real or just a very convincing part of the act…


My Review

When Laura heads to her new home the last thing she expects to see is a very naked Callum, after some embarrassment things sort themselves out. That is until Callum's parent's mistake Laura for Callum's elusive girlfriend they haven't met. Now they have a pact, fake dating, Laura will become Callum's girlfriend Caroline, she will be the worst girlfriend ever getting his parent's off his case. He is Scottish, handsome, his family want him to come home and take the lead with the family business. Callum has his own dream, his family is a bit complicated, his sister is a firey prickly character that Laura needs her wits about her to deal with oh and Callum's ex that they all love is back in the picture, what could go wrong?

It's funny, silly, Christmasy, fake relationship but you can see they have a wee spark and attraction. His family are wealthy and Laura aka Caroline is going to be a nightmare for them. Oh and lets no forget her besties, checking in by text because who agrees to travel off with someone, to their family, for the Christmas holiday, pretending to be their girlfriend. Laura also keeps herself away from relationships, she has her own issues and keeps men at arms length but of course there is something about Callum.

Funny disasters, rubbing folk up the wrong way, some not very nice behaviours from some, it is the perfect blend to read and escape your own life and just laugh at the daftness and moments Caroline aka Laura finds herself in. She is some lassie and her two pals are a bit bonkers as we find as the story develops, I quite like Kelk's previous books I have read (I am behind on a couple though) so I knew I would like this one too, 4/5.

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The Palace Girls by Emma Royal

The Palace Girls at Christmas: The captivating historical novel of drama, secrets, and love, the perfect festive read by Emma Royal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Pages - 354

Publisher -

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Buckingham Palace, Christmas 1952

When plucky young Caroline Stratton is offered a secretarial job at the Palace, she can’t believe her luck. Moving upstairs from her friends in the Royal Household’s staff is daunting, but she’s determined to make her East End family proud.

Then, just days later, her brother is framed for murder and arrested. Caroline is devastated. How can she help him, when she risks losing the livelihood that keeps her family afloat if the story came out?

With the Palace preparing for the first festive season of the new Queen's reign, can Caroline find the strength to trust her friends, and prove her brother’s innocence in time for Christmas?

This heart-wrenching, inspiring historical saga for fans of Downton Abbey and The Crown is the perfect novel to curl up by the fire with.


My Review

So this is book three in a book series but my first dance with this author/series. Predominantly set in Buckingham Palace, Christmas, 1952, Caroline is one of the staff taking care of the Palace, cleaning/household duties, being invisible when the royals need them to be. When a chance to move to be a secretary for the royal correspondence Caroline can't pass up the opportunity. A girl from her background always feels she has something to prove and this is another feather in her cap. When her brother is arrested for a horrific crime toward a local Caroline fears for everything, her job, her family, their reputation but she knows her brother is innocent and even if it means risk to herself she won't let him rot in jail for a crime she knows he didn't do.

So Caroline has a couple of pals working in the palace too, one is pregnant, Helen, and has some baggage and drama from I imagine the previous book and Milly who is getting married. I think the other books would maybe have centred around the other two and this is Caroline's time. We go between her adjusting into her new job role, the prickliness of some of the workers and some of the nicer ones oh and the Queen has taken a wee interest in her personality so there is wee snippets of the royals throughout.

It has a dash of drama, dastardly characters, friendship, families, life in the Palace, love and lasting effects from previous traumas. It absolutely works as a standalone but I will be going back and reading book one and two as I liked this and think I will enjoy the others. 4/5 for me, a few moments I was like girl what are you doing, NO! and others rooting for her, be interested in catching up with the other books in the series.

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December giveaway x1 £10 Amazon Voucher (UK Only)

Sorry it is a wee bit later in the month, I cannot believe it is almost the second week in December! I absolutely need to get a move on and sorted, this may be my least organised year!

So up for grabs is x1 £10 Amazon voucher, UK only cos the voucher comes straight from 'zon. Don't worry I will be sorting a wee bookish one that will be open to all, I will try get that up asap.

To enter just fill in the entries you want in the Gleam below, good luck and if you are doing your Christmas shopping, may the odds be ever in your favour, it is wild out there! xxx

December Giveaway x1 £10 Amazon Voucher (UK only)

Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh

Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 766

Publisher - Piatkus

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

He's underwater, but she'll pull him out, whatever it takes. With his world unraveling around him and pressures rising at home, Joey Lynch's life has never been in more turmoil. Desperate to prove himself worthy of the only person he's ever put his trust in, Joey fights hard to save himself from his addiction, but the odds are stacked against him. Day by day, the water is rising. Giving into his demons would destroy everything he's worked for—but soon, even love doesn't seem like enough to reach the surface. Unwilling to give up on her best friend, the boy she's fallen for, Aoife Molloy fights back against Joey's self-destruction with everything she has. But she's drowning, too, in this world she doesn't understand, with only her fiery heart to guide her. As circumstances change and unexpected hurdles rise between them, hearts will break and mend and break again. All the while, Aoife refuses to turn her back on Joey—because he's always had hers, too. In the end, it will be up to both of them if their hearts are worth healing and their love is worth saving.


My Review

If you haven't read Saving 6 you need to as this is a follow up to that book, you could get away with not reading Keeping 13 and Binding 13 but I would read them anyway as they are good and also were we meet Joey but you can start with Saving 6. So we don't do spoilers in our reviews so I will try not to but as it is a follow on from Saving 6 some of it won't. So we left things with Joey and Aoife in a pretty sad state and this book delves deeper into that. Aoife is fiercely loyal to Joey despite how far he goes into self destruction, even to the point I was like GIRL!!!!

The book goes into a lot of dark places, abuse, addictions, domestic violence, family violence, alcoholism, drug use and ingestion, fighting, sexual violence, self harm, threats like so much darkness. The chapters go between Joey and Aoife's points of view, as things happen and Joey reacts to it and the fall out for Aoife. Family dynamics, secrets, betrayals, love, loss, spicey scenes and the characters are teens as you know so things that affect and are relevant to that age group.

I have the next two to read and looking forward to them but also have the fear because they are absolutely engaging but also have dark dark themes, 4.5/5.

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The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 451

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin’s Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.


My Review

I have read ACOTAR series and people said this should be the next series to read, I have this and TOG and so many folk said to read this first, another said read it 3rd but I read this as my first entry to TOG. Meet Celaena Sardothien, wow she is very self involved and loves herself. She is a very good assassin, one of the best and part of a select few who works for, ruled by their master Arobynn Hamel. He tells them the target/contract and the obey, well in theory. This is my first exposure to her and I wasn't a huge fan, then I liked her, then I didn't and flip flopped about lol.

So these are novellas but they all follow on to each other so it even if you aren't a big novella fan you would enjoy how this goes. We learn about her past, a little insight as to how she is, Sam is also an assassin and has a prickly relationship but then she is so c*cksure and arrogant at times you understand why she rubs folk the wrong way.

As we go through the stories we get more of her personality and actually see a softer side and despite being the way she is she does have a moral compass which warmed me to her for sure. I had goosebumps a few times, an I KNEW IT AHHHHHHH, rage lol. Oh all the stories in this book I think the one across the desert was my fave, it reminded me of an old 80s movie, REMO lol. It has a wee bit of everything, romance, action, murder, heartbreak, betrayal, love, tragedy, personal growth, slavery, abuse, violence to name but a few, prepare yourself, 4.5/5.

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Backstage Passes by Angela Bowie and Patrick Carr

Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie by Angela Bowie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 368

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Angela Bowie has produced this scandalous, sexy, and uncompromising memoir of her turbulent years with David. She recounts how she launched him from cult hero to superstar and managed his career. Angela witnessed and shared it all―the bisexual orgies; David; decline at the hands of satanic cults and cocaine; and the lives and loves of Mick, Elton, Marianne, Iggy, Rod and Lou to name a few.



My Review

I didn't really know much about David Bowie, yeah his songs well some of but that was about it. Didn't know he had been married nor really any of his rise to fame stuff. Angela Bowie I didn't know until she was on celebrity big brother and her famous scene of the David's dead and poor Tiffany. Anyway after that stint I Googled her and saw she has this book, bought it and in true Lainy style it stayed on my tbrm since 2016 til now!

The book centres hugely on her and David's time together, we get a little of Angela before it and some of her antics whilst married but doing her own thing. What a wild time she had, free love indeed. She does name drop some people throughout the book and some very spicy stories of sexual times/partners before during and after (but still married) with David.

She drops the lowdown on what it was like being with him, dealing with his managers, people in his circle, getting to stardom and the before. His and her usage of drugs, both their sexual experiences together and apart, even dropping some names of people we know and again, free love.

She is a very different person from the one we seen on CBB and I don't know how much of what she wrote will be a surprise to folk. She did say there was a lot of people not happy about the book and her interview she gave once the NDA expired, I need to look up a few of the interviews and songs.

It is certainly an interesting read, Hollywood scandal, gossip and an insight into Bowie's creative process and rise to fame and how it affected him as he rose, 4/5. Interesting for sure and who doesn't love a bit of gossip and sneak peek behind the curtain of celebrity life/showbiz.

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