The mix of a wintry-looking cover and a promising summary were the reasons why I wanted this book. No doubt, this was a nice read and at some point a bit touching. But I have to admit, that there were some things in this novel, I had my problems with connecting them with a wintry or Christmassy novel.
The Christmas Promise*
by Sue MoorcroftPublisher Harper Collins UK on December 1, 2016
Genre Novel
Pages 368
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶½
For Ava Bliss, it´s going to be a Christmas to remember ... On a snowy December evening, Sam Jermyn steps into the life of bespoke hat maker Ava. Sparks fly, and not necessarily the good ones. Times are tough for Ava – she´s struggling to make ends meet, her ex-boyfriend is a bully, and worst of all, it´s nearly Christmas. So when Sam commissions Ava to make a hat for someone special, she makes a promise that will change her life. She just doesn´t know it yet.
Story
Ava is disappointed. Her hats haven´t sold out at the market as she had hoped and now she is on her way to a Christmas party. She of all people who have nothing but bad feelings for this time of year will give her best friend company at a party she knows nobody. But when she meets with Sam, and he asks her to create a hat for his sick mother, everything changes. Not only her business life but her private life changes as well. Her ex-boyfriend turns out to be a bully and she has to learn that someone else wishes her bad things.
Style
This novel is brought to the reader through the personal perspective of Ava and Sam. Both show what they think of things and how they feel about certain things. But if you are looking for some very romantic stuff you are wrong. For my taste, the stalking ex-boyfriend and the cancer of Sam´s mother were a bit too dark for such a novel. Sure, I get it, that the author obviously needed something to give Sam a reason to act the way he does, but that could have been shown in a bit different, lighter way. The language the author uses is clear, sometimes very blunt, and mostly with a certain kind of sensitiveness. And sometimes a bit dry.
Characters
A bully, a very jealous friend, a very sick mother, and some famous people give this novel a taste of how the world can be when money doesn´t play a big role because you´ve got enough of it.
Ava is a charming young woman, who grew up with parents who don’t give a damn if it is Christmas or not. They just don´t see a point in celebrating it or to give their daughter a special time. And with the fact in mind that her beloved grandmother died on Christmas, she is done with those emotional days. She rather works during the holidays and earns herself some money. As a strong and independent woman, she feels good about it, and as long as her friends are with her, why not?
Conclusion
A nice to read a novel, yes, but I didn´t get the wow factor. Don´t get me wrong, I hadn´t a bad time reading it. But I wasn´t thrilled either. There are other winter novels with Christmas in it that got me more.Happy reading
*I read the German edition new release October 27, 2016, by Fischer TB
Sue Moorcroft
Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times and internationally bestselling author of contemporary fiction and reached the coveted Number 1 spot on Amazon Kindle UK with THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE. She's won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, the Readers Best Romantic Read Award, and the Katie Fforde Bursary. She writes contemporary fiction of life and love and is a past Vice-Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and editor of its short story anthologies. Her novels, short stories, serials, and columns have appeared around the world. She has created writing courses for the London School of Journalism and DigitalSea and is the author of a writing guide. An army child, Sue was born in Germany then lived in Cyprus, Malta, and the UK. She's worked in a bank, as a bookkeeper (probably a mistake), as a copytaker for Motor Cycle News and for a typesetter, but is pleased to have wriggled out of all 'proper jobs'.
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