One More for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

One More for Christmas by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out as able over 5 days

Pages - 416

Publisher - HQN

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

For sisters Samantha and Ella Mitchell, Christmas is their most precious time of the year—a time for togetherness, love and celebration. Most of all, it’s about making up for everything their childhood Christmases lacked. But this year, they’ll be buying presents for the most unexpected guest of all—their estranged mother. It’s been five years since they last saw each other. But when their mom calls out of the blue and promises that this Christmas will be different, Samantha and Ella cautiously agree to spend it all together…

Gayle Mitchell is at the top of her career, but her success has come at a price—her relationship with her daughters. She never seemed to say or do the right things. Her tough-love approach was designed to make them stronger, but instead managed to push them away…until a brush with her own mortality forces Gayle to make amends. As the snowflakes fall on their first family celebration in years, the Mitchell women must learn that sometimes facing up to the past is all you need to heal your heart…



My review

Gayle is a career woman, top of her game that has come at quite a cost, a personal cost and Gayle hasn't spoken to her daughters in a fair few years. When Gayle takes unwell, publicly on a tv appearance and taken to hospital they reach out to her daughters, will this be what brings them together or is the troubled past about to be a troubled present?

Samantha and Ella have managed just fine without their mother, barriers built to protect themselves. Ella has a loving husband and little girl, Samantha is a bit like her mother in that her career is everything but so is happiness. Circumstances force a long awaited reunion over Christmas, Gayle hates Christmas and has never been an emotive demonstrative mother. The girls love Christmas and are the opposite of their mother who never embraced nor encouraged the spirit of Christmas. Oooft things are about to get hairy.

Family drama, relationships, unresolved anger, hurt, let down is just some of the issues these ladies are harboring and now about to be together, under one roof and at the time of year that cause them alot of bad memories/blood.

Gayle is a bit of a cold fish and at one point I wanted to slap her for what she said but as the book goes on and we learn more about the characters I thawed towards her a bit. Still livid at one particular thing. The family they are with in Scotland are just lovely and it was a nice contrast to the ladies.

Dysfunctional families, secrets, love, lies, miscommunication, relationships - it has a blend of just about everything. 3.5/5 for me this time, read Morgan before and will read again.

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One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan

One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

To celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Grace has planned the surprise of a lifetime for her husband—a romantic getaway to Paris. But she never expected he’d have a surprise of his own: he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock but refusing to be broken, a devastated Grace makes the bold decision to go to Paris alone.

Audrey, a young woman from London, has left behind a heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no money and no knowledge of the French language, suddenly a summer spent wandering the cobbled streets alone seems much more likely…until she meets Grace, and everything changes.

Grace can’t believe how daring Audrey is. Audrey can’t believe how cautious newly single Grace is. Living in neighboring apartments above the bookshop, this unlikely pair offer each other just what they’ve both been missing. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding this unbreakable friendship might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them…



My Review

Meet Grace - organizer extraordinaire, super wife and mum, getting ready to celebrate her 25th anniversary with her husband. He has his own surprise, he wants a divorce and like that Grace's world falls apart. Her anniversary trip for them to Paris will not go unused, Grace is going on the holiday of a lifetime to pick up the pieces of her life and face her past and present.

Meet Audrey, a young lady with a harder home life than first appearances, she is good at hiding things. When the opportunity to go to Paris turns up she jumps at it, despite not being able to speak French, she is determined to give it a go.

A chance encounter brings Grace and Audrey into each others paths and a friendship blossoms. Audrey has much she can teach Grace and Grace has much she can offer Audrey. They are both so so very different, age, personality, life styles, attitudes and both exactly what the other needs.

Oh man I was rage at some points, some characters are so oblivious and selfish, infidelity obviously features and this isn't a spoiler - tells you in the blurb. Lots of mixed emotions and its a bit of an emotive rollercoaster, I think depending on what has happened in your own life dear reader will depend on how you are impacted by the book.

Friendship, personal growth, joy, sadness, loss, family oh there are so many themes within the book. I have read Morgan before and I will read her again - I think the book will have mixed reactions from people, again depending on your life experiences but I think pretty much everyone would enjoy it, 4/5 for me!

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The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - HQ Stories

Source - Bought & review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…

Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…

As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?


My Review



Suzanne McBride just wants everything perfect, her daughters are coming home for Christmas, business is booming and things are great. Suzanne is stressed, not only is her nightmares still coming but her three girls are going to be together and she just wants them all to be happy. Suzanne adopted the three girls as children and just wants them to be happy, healthy and close. Posy lives there, primed to take over the business when Suzanne retired, Posy loves the mountains, climbing and adventure. Beth is beautiful, has her own little girls and the perfect family life but secretly wants more, something for her. Hannah is career driven and keeps her cards closest to her chest, she doesn't call Suzanne mum and even her sisters feel she is keeping them at length. This will be the Christmas they all need to be honest with themselves, each other and with honesty comes truths, upset and things that will change the family as they know it.

The chapters jump between the characters, seamlessly giving the reader a chance to get to know each of the ladies, how they are and perceived by each other. How they all appear to each other but as we read their chapters we see a different side to them or how they actually see themselves.

As with any family there are issues, perceptions, anger, the past influencing the present/future and this family are no different. The setting is predominantly the Scottish highlands, it is cold, snowy and the perfect setting for a Christmas themed story. If you like family dramas, relationships, love, siblings and unresolved issues from childhood impacting adulthood you will love this. Sank it pretty much in one sitting, characters you can either relate to or invest in, 4/5 for me this time. I will absolutely be looking out for more by this author and actually think I have one or two on my tbrm.

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