BLOG TOUR: A Mrs Miracle Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Laurel McCullough is in desperate need of help.Her beloved grandmother has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and the baby she and her husband Zach have longed for now seems like an impossible dream. So when Mrs Miracle appears at the door, Laurel couldn’t be more relieved. She invites the nurse into her life and it’s not long before they become firm friends. When her grandmother’s condition begins to improve, and as Laurel and Zach continue their desperate quest for a child, Laurel soon realises that there is more to Mrs Miracle than meets the eye…

Publisher: Arrow Books

Pages: 257

This is the first book I have read by Debbie Macomber and it is a lovely festive read, perfect for when Christmas is just around the corner. Laurel is so worried about her beloved grandmother who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She and her husband Zach are out at work all day and she hates leaving her alone. When Mrs Miracle appears at the door, Laurel’s prayers are answered, apparently the agency sent her even though they told Laurel they had no one available. Mrs Miracle is wonderful and soon Laurel’s grandmother is the happiest she’s been for a while. Laurel is a little concerned though that her grandmother is convinced that Mrs Miracle is actually an angel sent from God, she puts it down to her illness and is just pleased to see how well she is doing. Laurel has other things to worry about too, her and Zach have been hoping for a baby for so long and Laurel feels like she has given up on this dream whereas her husband is determined to keep going. Laurel soon feels that Zach is keeping something from her and she needs to find out exactly what the secret is. 

A Mrs Miracle Christmas has a fairly religious undertone, I for one am not religious but I still enjoyed the book and the message that it delivers. Debbie Macomber manages to fill the story with so many festive details, making it a very comforting read as it so easy to identify with.

Laurel is a lovely character and just wants the best for everyone around her. She has had quite a tough start to life and her grandmother provided her with the love and stability that she so desperately needed. She wants to return that care when her grandmother needs it most so Mrs Miracle comes along just at the right time.

I’ve really enjoyed this book and it has made me look forward to carrying out the Christmas traditions that I have within my own family. It’s a lovely read that I would recommend. 

Many thanks to Rachel at Arrow for inviting me to be part of the blog tour, the book is out now! 

BOOK REVIEW: The Christmas Stocking and other stories by Katie Fforde

In this exciting stocking of Christmas short stories, you will:
Help your best friend cook Christmas dinner, and end up falling in love with one of the guests.
Arrive on Christmas Eve dressed as a fairy, all set to wave your wand and give a young family their best Christmas ever.
Spend an unexpectedly romantic Christmas honeymoon in a small cottage surrounded by the thickest, whitest snow.
Fall in love with a handsome stranger on Christmas morning- and his badly behaved dog.
Host the perfect and most romantic Christmas celebrations ever, entirely by candlelight. 

Publisher: Arrow

Pages: 417

This is such a lovely book to read at this time of year. I am not a huge fan of short stories but I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Katie Fforde has put together an excellent selection, many of which she has never published before. Obviously, they all have a festive theme but still they are all very different. One of my favourites was about a young couple who spend their honeymoon in a magical cottage in the woods. Somebody is clearly looking after them but there are no footprints in the snow so where is this kindness coming from?
I do love a good festive read in the run up to Christmas and Katie Fforde gives the reader a real treat with this book. The stories are full of warmth, magic, love, friend
ship, mince pies and mulled wine! So if you are looking for a book to dip in and out of in between wrapping presents and putting decorations up then look no further!

Many thanks to Arrow books for sending me a copy of this book to review! 

Book Review: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

When Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably.
Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them had anticipated. Ana must learn to share Grey's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity or independence and Grey must overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that still haunt him.
Now, finally together, they have love, passion, intimacy, wealth and a world of infinite possibilities. But just when it seems that they really do have it all, misfortune and fate combine to make Ana's worst nightmares come true...

I began Fifty Shades Freed feeling a little sad as I knew that I wouldn't want Ana and Christian's story to end. Fifty Shades Darker is definitely my favourite of the trilogy but Fifty Shades Freed finished the story off brilliantly.
Ana and Christian are starting a new life as newlyweds and this means really getting to know each other. Ana has to get used to having extreme wealth and the lifestyle that affords them. Meanwhile Christian has to curb his controlling behaviour; he fell in love with Ana's headstrong and independent nature so he needs to learn to love her without suffocating her.
Added to this is a serious threat to both of them. Christian's helicopter was sabotaged in the last book and Fifty Shades Freed begins with an arson attack on Christian's offices. Who is out to hurt them and how will Christian ever keep Ana safe?
This book explores even further how the relationship between Christian and Ana develops. They love each other so much but they still have a huge amount to learn and share.
E.L. James has created a terrific trilogy and one I know that I will read again and again. I think that the author has created two fantastic characters and as a reader you just want to know more and more about them. I appreciate that these books might not be to everyone's taste, however if you strip everything back what you have is a wonderful and completely absorbing love story and what could be better than that?

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to the lovely people at Random House for sending me a copy of the book to complete my Christian Grey addiction!

Book Review: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Daunted by the dark secrets of the tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Ana Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a US publishing house.
But desire for Grey still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, she cannot resist. Soon she is learning more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades than she ever thought possible.
But while Grey wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must make the most important decision of her life. A decision she can only make on her own. 

Well the Fifty Shades trilogy just gets better and better. At the end of Fifty Shades of Grey Christian and Ana have broken up as Ana doesn't think she can give Christian what he needs. So Fifty Shades Darker begins with Ana and Christian apart but it soon becomes clear for both of them that they need each other.
E. L. James brings us a little more of the love story in this book. It was fascinating to see the compromises that both are prepared to make in order for their relationship to work. There are graphic sexual scenes again but this book goes a little deeper, however, as before, I felt that the sex scenes reveal a lot about Ana and Christian. In this book, Ana has to admit to herself that although she has limits, there are some things that Christian does which she actually really enjoys. Christian is discovering a whole new side to himself; he has always taken sexual pleasure in hurting women but he can't bear the thought of Ana being in pain.
Added in to this is Christian's past, one of his ex-submissive's contacts Ana; she wants to know how Ana has managed to hold on to Christian. Christian will do anything to keep Ana safe but as he has already found out, Ana does not always do as she is told.
Fifty Shades Darker also explores Christian's awful childhood and we begin to understand why he behaves in such a way. Ana and Christian continue to be fascinating characters in the second instalment. I felt as though they were entirely believable and I wanted more than anything for their relationship to work.
Fifty Shades Darker ends on a bit of a cliff hanger again, E. L. James certainly knows how to make you want more. I can't wait to read the third and final instalment but I know that I will also be quite sad that there are no more books as the world of Christian Grey is completely addictive.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, this is a novel that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind- until he turns up at the store where she works part-time and invites her out.Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find that she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more. But Grey is tormented by inner demons and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view...

For the last few weeks I have not been able to turn on my computer without reading something about Fifty Shades of Grey. E.L. James's trilogy is simply everywhere and I was intrigued by the hype. This books definitely seems to have divided people, you will either love it or hate it so I decided to find out which way I would go.
Fifty Shades of Grey began as Twilight fanfiction and had the title of Master of the Universe. E.L. James retitled it and changed the characters from Bella and Edward to Christian and Ana. Don't let this put you off, I actually really enjoyed Twilight but I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea. There are no vampires in Fifty Shades of Grey but the general idea is the same of falling for someone that you should really stay away from and becoming completely consumed by them.
Anastasia Steele meets Christian Grey when she covers for a friend and interview the hugely successful and wealthy Grey for the college newspaper. Ana instantly feels something in Christian's presence but she finds him majorly intimidating and becomes flustered and embarrassed. Ana has never reacted to a man like this before and she is relieved when the interview is over yet once she has left, she cannot stop thinking about Christian and the effect he had on her. It comes as a huge surprise when he turns up at her workplace and asks her out on a date. She knows she is entering a different world in terms of Christian's wealth but she has no idea about his other lifestyle choices. Christian does warn her that she should stay away but this makes Ana want him more and their love affair begins.

Christian has many deep and dark secrets which are alluded to but not all are dealt with in this first book. The major one though is Christian's need for BDSM, bondage, domination and sado-masochism. Christian likes to hurt his partner during sex; he wants to be the dominant and Ana his submissive. This would be a whole new world to most people but it is even more so for Ana who has to admit to Christian that she is a virgin. Christian will be her first sexual partner; initially he is shocked and doesn't feel that Ana will be able to handle his world but in the end he cannot push her away and instead has to make compromises and that is something he is not used to doing for anyone.
These compromises create Ana and Christian's relationship. She has to discover her limits and what she is prepared to endure; Christian on the other hand has to discover what he is happy not to do; he usually gets everything that he wants but he risks losing Ana if he pushes her too far.
Obviously a book about BDSM is going to have graphic sexual scenes. I expected to be more shocked than I was, instead I found that the sex scenes exposed how Christian and Ana's relationship and love for each other was developing.
As I found with Twilight, this book is  completely character driven. I totally fell for Christian and could completely see why Ana was so attracted to him. Fifty Shades of Grey is completely addictive, when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. At the end of the day it is up to you whether you believe the hype or not. I would certainly recommend finding out for yourself. I have already ordered the second book and I can't wait to read more about Ana and Mr Grey.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Book Review: The C-Word by Lisa Lynch

The last thing Lisa Lynch expected to put on her things to do before you're 30 list was beating breast cancer, but thems the breaks. So with her life on hold, and her mind close to capacity with unspoken fears, questions and emotions, she turned to her Mac and started blogging about the frustrating, life altering, sheer-pain-in-the-arse inconvenience of getting breast cancer at the age of 28.
The C-Word is an unflinchingly honest and darkly humorous account of Lisa's battle with The Bullshit as she came to call it. From the good days when she could almost pretend it wasn't happening, to the bad days when she couldn't bear to wake up. Lisa's story is emotional, heartbreaking and often hilarious. The C-Word will make you laugh and cry and ultimately reaffirm your faith in life. 

My sister lent me this book after telling me how brilliant she thought it was, she wasn't wrong! Lisa Lynch wrote much of the book as a blog when she discovered that she had breast cancer at the age of 28. She is frank throughout the book, she really does tell it as it is which can make difficult but important reading. I say important because I think that  most people come into contact with cancer in some way during their lives. I have had friends whose mums have had breast cancer but you don't always feel right in asking too many questions about it but I think that Lisa Lynch addresses most things that I have ever wondered about.
As the synopsis says, reading The C-Word reaffirms your faith in life. Lisa Lynch is not looking for pity or pats on the back, she is just telling people about her experience. Her young married life was turned upside down and her and her husband's future were changed forever. Being nearly the same age and only a year into marriage it definitely made me question how I would handle such a situation. Realistically I have no idea but I would hope I would have just a tiny shred of the courage, honesty and humour that Lisa Lynch expresses in this brilliantly open book.