It is my pleasure to bring you my review of Jessica Redland’s Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop, as well as helping to kick off her fabulous blog tour!
Sometimes you just need a little Christmas magic to make your wishes come true…
When master chocolatier, Charlee, takes the leap to move to the picturesque seaside town of Whitsborough Bay, she is determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and set up a chocolate shop.
Luckily, she finds the perfect location for Charlee’s Chocolates on beautiful Castle Street… Now she just has to refurbish it in time for Christmas!
With a useless boyfriend and countless DIY disasters, Charlee doesn’t know if she’ll make it in time. With no ‘traditional’ family to support her, she feels lost in her new surroundings and the secrets of the past are weighing her down.
But the warmth and festive spirit of the Whitsborough Bay community will surprise her, and when plumber, Matt, comes to the rescue, it might be that all of Charlee’s dreams could come true this Christmas, and she could learn what family really means…
Escape to Castle Street for the perfect uplifting, festive read from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland. Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop was originally released as Charlee and the Chocolate Shop. Now re-released with a new title and new cover, this version has been freshly edited and features several new chapters.
Firstly, I know what you’re thinking – it’s October. Christmas is so far away! Well that is simply not true, there’s only just over ten weeks to go until the big man makes an appearance down our chimneys! So with that in mind, I was more than happy to read my first official Christmas novel of the year!
Charlee has lost her grandparents, so with nothing holding her back, she finds herself following her boyfriend Ricky to the beautiful Whitsborough Bay. With her inheritance providing her with the opportunity to finally open her own chocolate shop just like her grandfather did, Charlee is so excited when the opportunity arises for a shop on the picturesque Castle Street.
With Ricky being less than helpful, and Charlee faced with numerous obstacles, she begins to wonder if her dreams of opening her chocolate shop before Christmas were misplaced.
Firstly I think I should say that whilst this novel is focussed on a chocolate shop opening at Christmas, it is not entirely a Christmas novel. So there should be no guilt felt when reading this book in October! I really enjoyed Charlee’s character – the way that she dealt with her relationship with Ricky was a little irritating (I think another person may have moved on a little sooner), but when you understand her position, that she has no family, you begin to understand why she is reluctant to let go of him. Her passion for her craft is lovely, and her ambition really drives her forward with the opening of her shop. Of course, Matt the plumber also adds a little something to the mix!
Whitsborough Bay sounds wonderful – it is the perfect location for Charlee’s Chocolates, and the atmosphere of Castle Street really comes across through the pages. The sense of community and belonging is exactly what Charlee needs in her life! In fact, we could all do with a Castle Street in our lives!
I am more than happy to recommend this novel to you all. It’s filled with chocolate, friendship, community spirit and Christmas! What more could you want as we enter Autumn and start the countdown to the Christmas festivities! Even better, Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop is book one in the Christmas on Castle Street series! I look forward to revisiting Castle Street soon.
Thank you to Jessica Redland, Boldwood Books and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of this fabulous blog tour and for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
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Author Bio
Jessica Redland writes uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community set in Yorkshire where she lives. Her Whitsborough Bay books transport readers to the stunning North Yorkshire Coast and her Hedgehog Hollow series takes them into beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds.
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