Portobello Book Blog

As a big fan of Strictly and having enjoyed one of Helen Buckley’s earlier books, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Helen recently took part in my #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight feature and you can read that here About the book From disco balls to Christmas baubles …Ex-dancer Emily Williams turned her back on the … More Strictly Christmas Spirit by Helen Buckley #bookreview @ChocLitUK @rararesources @HelenCBuckley

Amazingly that’s a whole month of authors stepping into my Festive Spotlight nearly over but don’t worry – there’s still another two each week in December in the run up to Christmas! My final #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight for November is Suzanne Snow. I have her book on my reading list for December so watch out for a … More The final #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight for November is Suzanne Snow – A Country Village Christmas – @snowprose @canelo_co @Katrina_Power

I’m delighted to be joined by Phillipa Ashley today. Phillipa’s latest novel, A Special Cornish Christmas, was published by Avon Books earlier this month and it sounds a perfect heart-warming Christmas read. Here’s Phillipa to tell us about the book and some of her plans for Christmas. Thanks for joining me today Phillipa. First of … More Phillipa Ashley is today’s #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight – A Special Cornish Christmas – @PhillipaAshley @AvonBooksUK

What things would I wish for in a Christmas romance novel? A female lead character who has had troubles in her past and is afraid to let herself love – Cara is someone I took to heart immediately. A gruff male lead who the female lead takes a dislike to, yet is still strangely attracted … More A Christmas Wish on a Carousel by Lottie Cardew #bookreview @MsLottieCardew

Just last week Kirsty Ferry took part in my #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight feature – you can read that here – and I’m so pleased to be sharing my review today of the book she was talking about then Christmas of New Beginnings. Spoiler alert – I loved it! Read on to find out more. About the book … More Christmas of New Beginnings by Kirsty Ferry #bookreview @Kirsty_Ferry @RubyFiction @ChocLitUK

Today’s #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight is Helen Buckley whose Spotlight series of novels published by ChocLit are all inspired by popular reality tv shows. Her latest is Strictly Christmas Spirit and you can all guess which show inspired that one! I’ll be reviewing the book next week but in the meantime, let’s find out about Helen and her … More Helen Buckley is today’s #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight – Strictly Christmas Spirit – @ChocLitUK @HelenCBuckley

If you’ve been following my #AuthorIntheFestiveSpotlight series, you’ll have spotted that Jessica Redland has already taken part. You can read her answers here. I’ve now managed to catch up with one of her festive releases for this year, Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café, although as she explained in the Festive Spotlight feature, it’s not really … More Snowflakes Over the Starfish Cafe by Jessica Redland #bookreview @JessicaRedland @BoldwoodBooks #boldwoodbloggers

Joining me today to chat about her Christmas book is author Daisy James. I’ve read quite a few of Daisy’s books and they are such lovely, feel-good reads. I’ve met Daisy on a few occasions too and can tell you she is as lovely as her books! Let’s find out more about Daisy and her … More Daisy James is today’s #AuthorInTheFestiveSpotlight – Snowflakes at the Hummingbird Hotel – @daisyjamesbooks

Like many people, I adored Away with the Penguins and was eagerly awaiting the follow up to find out what happened next for Veronica and her penguin pals. Let’s see what Call of the Penguins is about… About the book Meet the heroine everyone’s talking about . . . Fiercely resilient and impeccably dressed, Veronica … More Call of the Penguins by Hazel Prior #bookreview @HazelPriorBooks @TransworldBooks

Everyday Kindness is a collection of short stories all on the theme of kindness featuring stories from over 50 authors. These authors write in all different kinds of genres. Some of them you may well already be familiar with and others will likely be new names. With such a selection, there is bound to be … More #BookReview – Everyday Kindness: anthology of short stories. Edited by @LJRossAuthor and published via @DarkSkiesPub