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Release date: September 26, 2017

Publisher: Bookouture 

Genre: Romantic Comedy 

Blurb: 

Snow is falling and there’s romance in the air. Curl up for a cosy Christmas by the fire at Seaview Cottage…

When thirty-year-old Lily Ambrose’s latest relationship ends in disaster, she remembers happy childhood holidays in the seaside town of Shipley and decides it’s the perfect place for a fresh start.

But when Lily arrives, the town’s spirits are as low as her own: the local celebrity due to turn on the Christmas lights has gone on a cruise instead. Keen to prove herself, she calls in a favour and secures gorgeous reality star Ollie. 

Lily’s neighbours are initially thrilled, but Ollie is as uncontrollable as he is good-looking. He can’t remember the town’s name, calls the Christmas decorations tacky, and manages to offend everyone. And whilst handsome but stubborn cameraman Craig tries to help, even he can’t stop Ollie’s madcap plans to stage a romance with Lily…

Will Lily be able to keep Ollie under control and bring the Christmas cheer back to Shipley – and find herself a real kiss under the mistletoe?

An addictive, heart-warming and uplifting read about friendship, romance, and Christmas spirit. Perfect for fans of Phillipa Ashley, Cathy Bramley and Debbie Johnson.

I’m so happy to be hosting a stop on the blog blitz for The Beachside Christmas today, I just adore this series! 

Review: 

This is the third book in a series, I read and loved the first two, The Beachside Sweetshop and The Beachside Flower Stall and while you can easily read them each as standalones, I wouldn’t recommend doing so. Each book is set in Shipley and features new central characters but every book is such a fun, feel good read that you would be seriously missing out! 

This one focuses on Lily, a new resident to town who is so excited to be moving somewhere new until she realizes that the town isn’t quite as welcoming as she had hoped and she somehow finds herself offering to let a reality star and his cameraman stay with her. Things quickly get out of hand as Ollie is almost as quirky as her new neighbors and she realizes her new simple life will be anything but.

One of my favorite things about this series is that though each book features new characters you still get to check in on the ones from previous books which is always fun and a bit like catching up with old friends. Two of my old favorites, Jane and Doris Day are back and both are as hilarious as ever. These books are laugh out loud funny, there are countless hilarious scenarios that make me giggle just thinking about them now.

Lily was a lovely lady and just as relatable and lovable as all of the characters that Clarke creates. Once again, I felt like I took a mini vacation to Shipley, one full of plenty of laughs and heartwarming moments. There was definitely romance here as well, but none of that annoying instant love, it was gradual and felt so realistic and genuine. I just love Christmas books and as the weather here is finally cooling down it was the perfect read to get me thinking about the holidays, I’m like a little kid I get so excited just planning for Christmas! 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author: 

Karen Clarke writes romantic comedy novels. THE BEACHSIDE SWEET SHOP and THE BEACHSIDE FLOWER STALL are out now and THE BEACHSIDE CHRISTMAS will be available in September 2017.

Karen has also written three romcoms with a paranormal twist, all available to download

When she’s not working on her novels, Karen writes short stories for women’s magazines and has had over three hundred published in the UK and abroad. Some of them can be read in her short story collection ‘BEHIND CLOSED DOORS…and other Tales with a Twist’ 

Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children.

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