#BookReview Single by Christmas by Rosa Temple

Single by Christmas
by Rosa Temple

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Friendship, Christmas
Publication: October 3rd, 2016
Format: ebooks, ARC
Source: Author, Publisher
Connect: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

You’ve heard the saying, ‘opposites attract’ haven’t you? Well meet 27 year old Alex Marshall, a party girl with a penchant for free flowing Prosecco, and her devilishly handsome scientist boyfriend, Charlie, who loves jazz and dinner for two.

Alex and Charlie are together for 11 blissful months until Alex goes out of town and does something she will later regret. Was she drunk? You bet. Does she want Charlie to know? Well what do you think?

With the couple about to spend their first Christmas together will Charlie be the forgiving kind or will Alex be Single by Christmas?

This is a feel good, Christmas novel with very few mince pies, not much snow and absolutely no mistletoe – just a couple of best friends, a sociopathic nemesis and a lot of drinking.

Alex had a good life. She had her friends and a wonderful boyfriend. Alex and her boyfriend, Charlie may have different personalities and they have been together for a while. They were happy, but, their relationship is slowly slipping with Alex's priorities sets on something else.

I love this book. I admit that I wasn't a big fan of Alex. She loves partying and was a bit of an airhead. She may not be a good girlfriend, but she is definitely a good friend. Alex would always try to be there with her friends whenever they had issues. I love Charlie. He's really nice and patient to Alex. There have been a few times when I thought that he may be too good for Alex. But I'm really happy with how the story wrapped up too.

I love Rosa Temple's writing style. It was really easy to get into. The plot is straightforward but enjoyable. I love Alex's interaction with the people around her. And I definitely enjoy watching how Alex grew up in this book.  

The book didn't have a lot of Christmassy feeling to it, but still, if you're looking for a light romance, I would definitely recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for my review.

#OnTour Single by Christmas by Rosa Temple #Excerpt + #Giveaway

Rosa Temple is now on tour with her book, Single by Christmas from 17th October to 28th October. I'm posting the excerpt and hopefully, the review in a few more days. Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win ebook copy of the book!

Single by Christmas
by Rosa Temple

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Friendship, Christmas
Publication:  October 3rd, 2016
Connect: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

You’ve heard the saying, ‘opposites attract’ haven’t you? Well meet 27 year old Alex Marshall, a party girl with a penchant for free flowing Prosecco, and her devilishly handsome scientist boyfriend, Charlie, who loves jazz and dinner for two.

Alex and Charlie are together for 11 blissful months until Alex goes out of town and does something she will later regret. Was she drunk? You bet. Does she want Charlie to know? Well what do you think?

With the couple about to spend their first Christmas together will Charlie be the forgiving kind or will Alex be Single by Christmas?

This is a feel good, Christmas novel with very few mince pies, not much snow and absolutely no mistletoe – just a couple of best friends, a sociopathic nemesis and a lot of drinking.

Single by Christmas by Rosa Temple

Excerpt

You might be wondering what I was doing, sitting in a graveyard at five minutes to midnight on Christmas Eve. And if you guessed gravedigger or graverobber, you’d be wrong. But ask yourself, who sits in a graveyard when it’s cold and out and out spooky unless it’s absolutely critical? The church, where I attend Midnight Mass with my family every year, is just across the way. But sitting on that particular bench just inside the graveyard was absolutely critical.

You see, in the lead up to Christmas I managed to lose something. Well, not something, someone. Charlie; my reason for living, my heart, my soulmate … you get the idea. And before you start crying, don’t worry, he wasn’t buried there. At the time, I wasn’t exactly sure where Charlie was, but he knew I was there. Waiting.

By the stroke of midnight I would have known for sure if I’d truly lost him. I’d asked him to join me and my family for the service. They’d arrived earlier. I smiled and greeted them all – Mum, Dad, big sister, Elise, and her husband and my younger sister, Jo-Jo. They asked where Charlie was and I managed to hide my worst fears and say he’d be along soon, that he was held up. So they just kissed me and piled inside with the rest of the congregation.

My family had been looking forward to seeing Charlie, even more so than they were me. You see, like everyone who meets Charlie, they’d fallen in love with him. Who could blame them? He’s charming, he’s intelligent, he’s sweet, kind, generous. The list could go on. I admit those things weren’t what first attracted me to Charlie. No, the attraction was pure lust and desire. He walked into that New Year’s Eve party the year before and I was stunned into silence. And I’m never silent. Tall, well dressed, mesmerising looks and those dimples that appear every time he smiles, which he does a lot by the way.

And I love Charlie’s family, too. His mum, Leeza, his dad, Don, who Charlie gets his looks and sense of humour from, and his brother. I wasn’t sure Leeza approved of Charlie having a white girlfriend, at first, but I realised that was just paranoia on my part. His family are not like that. His mum, who I grew to admire and love, was just being protective, the way some mothers are.

But, I digress. My family had no idea that I’d seen Charlie twenty-four hours prior to the service and that we’d had a heated argument and that Charlie had practically slammed a door in my face. Minutes before that I’d made a complete and utter fool of myself in front of his wonderful family and he’d walked away with such disgust and disappointment in his face my heart broke in two. He’d closed the door on me but I hadn’t stopped sending begging texts and hysterical voicemails just so he would show up on Christmas Eve – like he’d promised me. I wasn’t expecting a miracle, just praying for one. Because it would have taken a miracle for Charlie to walk towards the church, bypass the tall wooden doors, see me on the bench, push open the graveyard gates and tell me he’d forgiven me.

With everyone nice and warm inside the church, I continued to sit watching puffs of vapour appearing in front of my face from every exhale, brimming with an apology that may never be heard.

You might be saying, “If Charlie’s that wonderful, why couldn’t he just come to the church, it’s Christmas after all?” You have to know, he’d never be that unforgiving without very good reason.

Honestly? It took a whole year of knowing Charlie to finally understand what it is to love someone completely and to be loved the very same way in return and just one month to lose it all.

And this is how …

About the Author

Rosa Temple is a writer of romantic comedies, chick-lit and contemporary romance. To date she has published one novella, Sleeping with Your Best Friend, and her first full length novel, Natalie’s Getting Married, was published on 14th March 2016.

She has tried her hand at various occupations, from tea lady (albeit for one morning only after being returned to the agency because half an office block suffered caffeine deprivation) to supervising the office running the London Bar Exams.

Rosa is a Londoner born and bred and still resides in West London with ambitions to escape to the country when a suitable country pile becomes available.

In 2014 she was awarded a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA from Brunel University.

Rosa admits to being a reluctant keep fit addict. She owns a yoga mat, a pair of trainers and a spin cycle that gathers dust in the corner of her writing room. She vows that she will run the London Marathon again but has been saying this since her first and only marathon, run in 2010. Hence the trainers.

Having been a ghostwriter for several years, Rosa has written several magazine articles and has penned a multitude of one off novellas and novella length series in the romance genre and in its various sub-genres to include: contemporary romance, historical, adult only, romantic comedies and sweet romances.

Rosa is a member of a writing critique group who meet monthly. This lively and hard working group keep her on her toes as she hones her writing, listening and editing skills.

Rosa’s husband and eldest son are both musicians, her second son swims at a National level for his London team.

Before devoting the majority of her time to her writing of romantic comedies and chick-lit, Rosa was a singer (that’s how she met her husband) and still continues to perform and write songs.

Early reviews show that Natalie’s Getting Married is a favourite of many readers and book bloggers and she follows it with Christmas romantic comedy novel, Single by Christmas, with plans to publish a book series in the very near future.

Rosa loves to chat (about anything really) so follow her on Twitter @RosaT_Author or visit her blog, Rosa Temple Writes, on rosatemplewrites.blogspot.co.uk

Read an excerpt of Natalie’s Getting Married on Goodreads or Facebook

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Review: Christmas Confessions & Cocktails by Vicki Lesage

Christmas Confessions & Cocktails: A Humorous Holiday Memoir with Sassy Drink Recipes
by Vicki Lesage

Genre: Chick Lit, Memoir, Humor, Family, Christmas
Publication: July 25th, 2015 by Party Girl Press
Format: ebook
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

American-turned-Parisian Vicki tells it like it is, from her crazy Christmases growing up in the Midwest to her even crazier holidays in her new home in France. Bizarre gifts, stomach-turning food, and holiday travel disasters are just some of the tales you'll chuckle at in this installment of the Paris Confessions series.

This Christmas-themed memoir features 25 funny and heartwarming essays, all with a tenuous tie to Christmas, and pairs each with a delicious drink recipe. So grab your martini shaker and get ready for tasty cocktails and hearty laughs this holiday season!

A humorous collection of holiday-inspired stories with Christmas drink recipes If you're looking for a great read this holiday season, don't miss Christmas Confessions & Cocktails! The 25 stories in this holiday collection take you on an adventure full of Christmas spirit (and spirits, with the Christmas cocktail recipes). And it makes the perfect Christmas gift!

I feel that Christmas is fast approaching. Probably because I've been watching some Christmassy movies recently, and reading Christmas Confessions & Cocktails helps with the mood. I've read Vicki Lesage's previous books, and fell in love with the author's style and voice. They're witty, light and highly entertaining. Christmas Confession & Cocktails is no different. I'm still in love the author's voice and writing.

In this entertaining Christmas memoir, the author has collected 25 short stories of her Christmas memories from her childhood up to her married life. There are a few stories in this book which had been included in the previous books, but I'm okay with it. It was nice to reread them again. It was fun to read the parts about a few differences in celebrating the holidays in France and America. Or perhaps it was differences of family traditions?

There are some humorous, crazy, heartwarming and saddening moments. And, in the end, what really matters in this holiday is being with your family, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the author's big family through this book. It reminds me a bit of my family when everyone was still around.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to get into the holiday spirits, especially since Christmas is just months away. And even if you're not celebrating Christmas, Christmas Confessions & Cocktails by Vicki Lesage is still a light and fun book to read. Plus, the author has been generous to share a few cocktail recipes that you might want to try.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review.