IN THE MAIL: A Merry Mistletoe Christmas by Judy Astley

Now that the nights have started to get darker and colder, the selection of festive reads so far has been rather welcoming! And today a new addition to the Christmas reading pile arrived - A Merry Mistletoe Wedding by Judy Astley. (The cover is beautiful!) In Judy's new novel, Sean and Thea are planning a small Christmas Day wedding, but will things actually go to plan?

It is almost a year since Sean and Thea met and it's been a roller-coaster ride: they're getting married on Christmas Day! Neither Thea or Sean want a big fuss - a simple wedding, with Christmas lights and just a few sprigs of mistletoe for decoration is all they need. But before they know it, things begin to get complicated. Trying to manage a long-distance relationship in the build-up to their Christmas wedding is one thing, but as one challenge after another comes their way, the happy couple begin to wonder if they'll ever make it down the aisle...

IN THE MAIL: Weightless / The Dish / The Trouble With Dying

This week was made by some great novels arriving in the mail, including an intriguing new book by Sarah Bannan, the new release from Stella Newman (author of Pear Shaped and Leftovers) which I've been rather excited about - and a paranormal tale from Maggie Le Page...

Weightless by Sarah Bannan
Adamsville wasn't a place that people came to. It was a place you were from, where you were born, where you were raised, where you stayed… 

Before Carolyn Lessing arrived, nothing much had ever happened in Adamsville, Alabama. Each week, at dinner tables and in the high school assembly, everyone would pray for the football team to win. Each year, the Adams High hotlist would be updated, and girls would rise and fall within its ranks. Each day, everyone lived by the unwritten rules that cheerleaders did not hang out with the swim team, seniors did not date freshmen and the blistering heat was something that should never be remarked upon. But then the new girl came. 

All Carolyn's social media could reveal was that she had moved from New Jersey, she had 1075 friends – and she didn't have a relationship status. In beach photos with boys who looked like Abercrombie models she seemed beautiful, but in real life she was so much more. She was perfect.
This was all before the camera crews arrived, before it became impossible to see where rumour ended and truth began, and before the Annual Adamsville Balloon Festival, when someone swore they saw the captain of the football team with his arm around Carolyn, and cracks began to appear in the dry earth.

The Dish by Stella Newman
The Dish by Stella Newman is the new novel from the much-loved author of Pear Shaped and Leftovers. This is a warm, passionate novel that will delight fans of Jill Mansell and Mhairi McFarlane and leave you happy and hungry in equal measure.

Love is on the menu. With a side order of lies.

When Laura Parker first crosses forks with Adam Bayley, she's only after one thing: his custard doughnut. But when she takes a closer look she sees a talented, handsome man who outshines the string of jokers she's been dating.

There's just one problem. Adam's job means Laura has to keep her job as restaurant critic for The Dish, a secret. Tricky for someone who prides herself on honesty.

Can the truth be put on ice long enough for love to flourish?

And how can you expect your boyfriend to be honest if you're not quite telling the truth yourself?

The Trouble With Dying by Maggie Le Page
When Faith Carson wakes up on a hospital ceiling looking down on her body in a coma, it’s a bad start to the week. A very bad start. She has no idea who she is or how she got there or why, and the biggest mystery of all is why she married the schmuck who wants her ventilator switched off. 
As if that’s not enough Faith has a dead gran haunting her, a young daughter missing her, and one devilishly delicious man making her wish she could have a second chance at life. And maybe she can, if she finds a way back into her body and wakes up by Friday. But if she doesn’t, this will be her last bad week—ever. 

Nate Sutherland decided long ago he’d settle for friendship if he couldn’t have Faith’s heart. But now, as she nears death, he’s going to have to listen to his feelings in a whole new way—and act. Because if he doesn’t, this week will be the worst damn week of his life. He’ll lose everything he’s ever loved. 

IN THE MAIL: Don't Tell The Brides-to-Be / Thoughtful / Once and Always

This week has been rather nice - not only was it this very blog's first birthday (Or 'blogiversary'? Hmm. Anyway, celebratory beverages all round!) but I also received some great new books in the post. One being the next novel in Anna Bell's Don't Tell series, which I couldn't wait to get my hands on! So, on with the newest reading-pile additions...

Don't Tell the Brides-to-Be by Anna Bell
Things are looking up for Penny Robinson. She's kicked her gambling addiction and even started her own business: Princess on a Shoestring, an all-inclusive service for brides-to-be looking to pinch pennies on their big day.

Between family rows and wardrobe calamities, wedding planning is no piece of cake... but Penny's got it all under control. That is, until a rival planner decides to take her down - one hard-won bride at a time.

Now Penny must fight to save her reputation and her livelihood before its too late. But when a romantic weekend away has some unexpected consequences, Penny's expectations for her career are brought back down to earth with a bump.

Thoughtful by S.C. Stephens
The only place Kellan has ever felt at home is on stage. Gripping his guitar in a darkened bar, he can forget his painful past. These days his life revolves around his music and his band mates, and that's the way he likes it. And then one woman changes everything...

Kiera is the kind of girl Kellan has no business wanting - she's smart, sweet, and dating his best friend. Certain he could never be worthy of her love, he hides his growing attraction...until Kiera's own tormented heart hints that his feelings might not be one-sided. Now, no matter the consequences, 

Kellan is sure of one thing: he won't let Kiera go without a fight.

Once and Always by Elizabeth Hoyt
Small town cop Sam West certainly doesn't mind a routine traffic stop: speeding ticket, stern warning, and sayonara. With a whopper of a blizzard closing in, that's all he has time for. But the lawbreaker he pulls over is anything but typical. From her mile-long legs to her razor-sharp wit, Maisa Bradley is like nothing Coot Lake, Minnesota, has ever seen . . . and she's about to take Sam on the ride of his life.

Whoever said blood is thicker than water probably wasn't related to a former Russian mobster. But an innocent mix-up and rumours of stolen diamonds soon have the Russian mob taking an unusual interest in the sleepy little town-and Maisa facing heated scrutiny from a certain tall, dark, and handsome deputy. Sam's dazzling blue eyes beg her to reveal all her secrets, but how much should she tell? Getting snowed in with the sexiest cop in the frozen north may not be the worst way to decide...

IN THE MAIL: The Rocks / The Anti-Model Agency / The Girl on the Train

Seeing as it's been a while since I last shared with you some of the latest novels I've recieved in the mail, I think it's time to do it again (and to make this a regular thing!) Getting a new book in the post, or even via email, never fails to brighten my day, so here are three newly-acquired novels on the reading pile...

The Rocks by Peter Nichols

When I was contacted by Quercus about The Rocks, I was rather intrigued. The Rocks is described as a darkly comic womens' fiction novel, from an author whose work I have not yet read, so this is quite exciting.

One summer’s day in 2005 an elderly couple meet by accident on a Mallorcan hillside. They haven’t crossed paths since their divorce over fifty years ago but during a passionate argument they plunge over the cliffs together to their deaths. 

As their grieving families plan the funerals a long buried history is revealed, unravelling over sixty years, amid the olive groves and bars, the boats and poolside parties, the lives and relationships of two intertwined families within an expat community of endearing and flawed characters. And as one story is revealed, another, sweeter one, a love story of a couple from the younger generation, arises in the wake of their elder’s failures.

The Rocks is a darkly comic, bittersweet, finally heartbreaking novel, that slips back in time to reveal the shocking incident that marked and altered these lives forever.

The Anti-Model Agency by Nicky Schmidt

I've been a big fan of Nicky Schmidt since her first novel, Naked in Knightsbridge. It was a quirky, unique chick-lit novel that I couldn't help but love, as was her next book, Marrying Out of Money. So I was excited to hear about The Anti-Model Agency - which is due to be released in February - and to receive a review copy. 

The moment Dizzy Kane is catapulted from her council estate to the catwalk, she promises herself there is no going back. However, when fate and the urge to feast on fries and booze step in, Dizzy is fired for failing to maintain her size zero figure, losing her agency and rockstar boyfriend along the way. Finding herself back in the airless little flat she grew up in, with a mother completely lacking in boundaries and a geeky neighbourhood boy who only has marriage on his mind, Dizzy sets about taking revenge on the industry that turned its Paris-thin back on her. 

(...and in my bag!)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Okay, so I wasn't sent this one - I've been hearing great things about The Girl on the Train on Twitter recently, so on a weekend shopping trip, I headed into Waterstones and picked this up. Just a few chapters in, and unable to put it down, I can see why this novel is gaining such praise. This is Paula's debut novel.

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she's only watched from afar. Now they'll see; she's much more than just the girl on the train...

IN THE MAIL: Beauty / The Key to It All

It's always exciting to receive new reads in the mail, and so we thought it'd be fun to share some of the great new titles on the to-be-read list. This week, we're rather looking forward to reading about Louise Mensch's heroine Dina, who's determined to remain a the top of the beauty game, and a group of people  who are about to be given a strange yet life-changing gift...

Beauty by Louise Mensch
Dream Big. No Limits. Be Bold. Manhattan is there for the taking . Blend it. Sculpt it. Shape it. Use it...There isn't a woman on earth who doesn't have her beauty secrets. But for Dina Kane, beauty is more than just business. It's power. And it is the secret. She's dragged herself up from poverty to Park Avenue. She's rolled with the punches. And she's learned how to win. Now someone is out to destroy her, and all she's built. They've underestimated Dina Kane. She's staying at the top - and she's happy to wait for the perfect moment to exact her revenge...

The Key to It All by Joanna Rees
When five random people simultaneously receive 'the key', they don't realize that their lives are about to change forever. Shrouded in secrecy, the mysterious silver key is delivered to each of them along with a code, a web address and a promise that - if used wisely - it can unlock a door to luxury and privilege beyond their wildest dreams. However, as each of them begins to use the key, they are propelled into a world of hazy moral choices, and soon start to question their enigmatic gift. Who is funding the key's lavish promises? And why have they been chosen to receive it? Only the bravest will use it to seek the truth...