That Loving Feeling by Carole Matthews

I mostly enjoyed this book. From the start, I really connected with the main character, Juliet. I related to her a lot with her love of books, for sure! The one thing I didn't really like was how some sections were told by Juliet in first person, and others by Rick in third person. I did like seeing Rick's point of view in some ways, because when he got into various difficult situations, it was good to see his point of view. But I would have preferred either just first or third person. However, I did enjoy many of the events that made up the story. Many of them made me laugh. The story was quite fast-paced and always changing, which kept me interested and wanting to read on. I give this book 7/10.

A Winter's Tale By Trisha Ashley

This was another good book by Trisha Ashley, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the plot of the book and the main character, Sophy. I felt very connected with her from the start. As soon as she arrived at Winters End, I too fell in love with the place, and also the little dog Charlie which became her companion. The characters of Jack and Seth as potential love interests were predicabtle but also enjoyable to read about. For example, there was something about Jack that I didn't like and was expecting him to turn out bad, but it was funny to watch him struggle on with his endeavours anyway. The book just gave me a general warm feeling inside when I read it, so I give it 9/10.

Breakfast at Darcy's by Ali McNamara

I really loved this book and couldn't put it down. I loved the whole idea behind the plot: of moving to a remote island and starting a community there. Darcy was a great leading character, even though I wasn't sure I liked her at the start. I could see how she changed throughout the book for the better and developed as a character. I also enjoyed hearing about all of the different characters, from Dermot to Megan to Niall, who differ greatly but go together so well to make the plot work. Although some parts were predictable (not that I ever see this as a problem!) there were some surprises along the way. For example, I knew that Conor wasn't right for Darcy, but couldn't quite put my finger on it until certain facts were revealed about him. The only strange thing is the title and the cover of the book do not seem to match the story line at all. However, I still give this book 10/10!

It's a Vet's Life by Cathy Woodman

I really enjoyed the latest book in this series. It was great to go back and visit some of the well-loved characters from before. The thing I love about this series is the stories of all of the different animals that visit Otter House. It wasn't all happy-ever-afters, however, with some very dramatic and serious story lines going on. I thought this added a more realistic side to the story and kept me gripped wanting to know what would happen next. The only thing I could complain about was the fact that sometimes when I was reading the book, I wasn't sure how much time had passed. It seemed as if hardly any time had passed at all, but then it would turn out it had been weeks since the previous chapter. However, overall this is a great read and I give it 9/10!

Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

This Christmas Trisha Ashley book is much better than The Magic of Christmas. I felt like I really connected with the main character, Holly, and loved finding out about her Gran's life as she did through reading her journals. I also really liked all of the other characters which Holly got to know throughout the book: particularly Becca, Jess, and of course all of the animals. There was a really festive feel to the book, which was added to by the descriptions of the snow, the cooking, the decorations, etc. The main love interest, Jude, was a slight disappointment for me. I can't put my finger on why, but I never really warmed to him as a romantic figure, and even after Holly admitted she had feelings for him, I was still not convinced. However, overall the book was excellent, and I give it 9/10. A really nice Christmas read!

Last Christmas by Julia Williams

I really enjoyed this book because it felt warm, festive and delivered a nice Christmassy message. There were ups and downs for all of the characters throughout the book - as in real life - and because these characters were so loveable, I found myself hoping things would work out for the best. The village that the book is set in (Hope Christmas) sounds idyllic, and the various characters found within it were well written and charming. Ralph Nicholas was a particular favourite because of the mysteriousness behind him. The only negative I have to say about this book is some of the names chosen for the characters, such as Cat Tinsall, Noel Tinsall and Gabrial North. It seems a bit of a cheesy way to make the story more Christmassy, but I don't think it needed this touch. However, other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I give it 9/10.

The Magic of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

I really wanted to love this book, because I have loved all of the other Trisha Ashley books I have read before. But there was something about this one that didn't quite click. I couldn't connect with the written style - the first person didn't work for me as it was very bitter and sarcastic in tone and, although I know Trisha hates this piece of criticism, she did use too many exclamation marks. This made it hard for me to connect with the main character, Lizzy. Other more appealing characters to me, such as Annie, did not feature enough and characters I did not like, mostly Nick, featured a lot. Nick was supposed to be the main love interest in the story but I found him totally unappealing. I know I sound like I'm really criticising this book, but I did enjoy some parts of it. It just wasn't for me on the whole, when the synopsis suggested it would be perfect, which was a little disappointing. I give this book 5/10.