Sunday 11 November 2012

Review of "Married by Christmas by Scarlett Bailey"

** I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.  Thank you to Hannah Robinson at Ebury Publishing @Hannah_Robbo for the copy, and Scarlett Bailey @ScarlettBailey for doing such a fabulous job **

* What it's about *

All she wants is the perfect Christmas Eve wedding....

It's been on Anna's wish-list since she was a little girl, dreaming of a far happier family life than she'd ever experienced.

But now - only two weeks before her big day - her perfect husband-to-be drops a bombshell...

Only nothing's going to stop Anna's plans - not even the pesky inconvenience of discovering her groom already has a wife!




* What I thought * 

Having read, and adored A Night Before Christmas last year as part of my December month of packing in as many Christmas books as possible, and then reading Scarlett Bailey's advent calendar story, Santa Maybe, I was delighted when a copy of Married by Christmas arrived one morning.

I have been putting off reading it until an acceptable time which I felt was close enough to Christmas.  Now that the shops have fully embraced the Christmas spirit, the Christmas adverts are out (I have heard rumours that the Coca Cola advert has been aired, which means it must be nearly Christmas) and I have heard my first Christmas tune on the radio, I decided it was time to settle down in front of the fire and read this book which I had very high expectations for.

I was not disappointed in the slightest, and the only niggling worry I have is wondering how long I have to wait for the next Scarlett Bailey book.  

Married by Christmas is as magically festive as 'A Night Before Christmas' but in a completely unique way.  This book involves a last minute dash to one of the most Christmassy places in the world (no, not Lapland) and boy is it magical.  Scarlett has the knack of making me want to climb into the book and live out the life of Anna, albeit a fairly complicated life.  Scarlett Bailey's descriptions are moving and funny in the right doses, and her characters are well-developed and the sort of people you would enjoy in your life.

Anna is a very deep character - and the underlying moral to the story is a meaningful and important one; your past doesn't have to taint your future, your genetics will not overcome the goodness inside of you.  Live your life for you and follow your dreams.  

This might not be the most unpredictable book in the world, and it might not be the most festive-filled book out there this year, but it'll leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.  You know there is a twist coming, you know what you want the twist to be, and you'll keep turning the pages until you find out whether you get your Christmas wish.....!

Please Scarlett, don't make me wait another year for more!

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