Cora's Christmas Kiss by Alison May

"Can you expect a perfect Christmas after the year from hell? 

Cora and Liam have both experienced horrible years that have led them to the same unlikely place – spending December working in the Grotto at Golding’s department store.

Under the cover of a Father Christmas fat suit and an extremely unflattering reindeer costume, they find comfort in sharing their tales of woe during their bleak staffroom lunch breaks. 

But is their new-found friendship just for Christmas? Or have they created something deeper, something that could carry them through to a hopeful new year?

Another heart-warming Christmas novella from Alison May! Keep your eyes peeled for characters you may recognise from Alison’s previous novella, Holly’s Christmas Kiss."

This is my absolute favourite Christmas read from the 2014/2015 Christmas period, and I'm just sorry that I didn't get to it sooner.  I read this speedily before the twelth night so that it was my last festive read, and I clearly saved the best until last.

I loved the way that Alison May structures this novella, so that there are flashbacks interspersed with the present day as Cora and Liam get to know who the other really is.  I adored the time that 'Rudy' and 'Father Christmas' spent together in the present day; it put a massive smile on my face.

The story is told in such a simple way but it is utterly fantastic.  I was drawn in right from the word go and the main characters are instantly likeable.  With a title like 'Cora's Christmas Kiss', it obviously is not going to have the most unpredictable storyline but it is a wonderful romantic tale contained in the perfect novella.  

There is so much packed into this novella of 179 pages; it made me smile (so my jaw hurt), it made me frown and it made me cry!  I cannot say anything more other than I absolutely loved it (words cannot do it justice - go and read it!!!) To make a reader this happy within 179 pages is quite an achievement! Another delight from the publishers and wonderful authors at Choc Lit.