Wednesday 9 December 2015

Review: Merry Mistletoe by Emma Davies


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Sherbourne Mistletoe has been prized and sold at the annual Mistletoe Fair for over a hundred years; but could this year possibly be the last? With her father’s sudden death and debts mounting up it looks as though Freya’s only hope for the future is to sell her beloved family home. And to make matters worse, the only contenders to buy Appleyard Farm, are the people she’d least like to sell it to – the dreaded Henderson brothers who seem always to make life so difficult.
It’s magical stuff though, mistletoe, and the arrival of the mysterious Amos Fry brings a glimmer of hope that just maybe Freya can fall in love with Christmas all over again.
As the snow begins to fall, cosy up and find your sparkle this Christmas with another big-hearted, and wonderfully warm read from the author of Letting in Light.

Merry Mistletoe is the first book I have read from Emma and its safe to say I loved it - I pretty much love anything magical and Christmassy, there's something special about believing in good things happening and good people having happy endings at this time of year, and for me, Merry Mistletoe delivered on every level.

Freya is the main character in this novella, and its safe to say she's not had an easy ride of late - she's struggling to keep her head above water with running Appleyard Farm since her dad died, and has a boyfriend that is quite frankly, not someone she deserves!
As Christmas approaches, Freya throws everything she's got into the Mistletoe Fair knowing deep down that after Christmas she is going to have to sell her beloved home.

As luck would have it, well it is Christmas after all, Amos comes into her life and is a godsend to help out, particularly when Freya has a nasty accident at the Fair. Its not said in the book, who or what Amos is but he's pretty special and seems to have been blown in Freya's direction to guide her - he's also a bit of a secret match maker between her and Sam.
Throughout the story we know that there is  some history between Freya, Sam and his brother 
Stephen although there is an element of mystery as its not until the end that all is revealed.

Being a novella, Merry Mistletoe was a fairy quick read, but was pack full with entertainment and details.
Freya's character, along with most of the others including Amos and Sam, were likeable and relatable, I had a dislike for both Stephen and Freya's boyfriend from the moment they were written in so I was glad that they turned out to be not so nice characters as it mixed it up an little.

What I loved about this novella is that we got straight into the story, there was no fussing about or slow start, you knew what you were reading as soon as it started. I also thorough;y enjoyed the ideal surrounding the story - I've read a lot of Christmas books but this is the first that has heavily involved mistletoe and wreath making, which are a fairly big thing this time of year, so it was unique and fresh!

I can wait to read more from this author!

I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

1 comment:

  1. Sounds lovely! Just posted on my Facebook page to promote books I like and reviewers I trust also like :) I also review for in Brook Cottage Books. My Facebook page is Lucy Loves Lovely Books. I'm featuring Christmas books this week🎄⛄

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