Sue Moorcroft

This novel - which I read on my Kindle - begins with what could have been rather a cliched scene: two large policeman dominate Diane's kitchen, bringing some bad news. Her husband Gareth has been in an accident, although they think he will pull through. But it rapidly becomes almost surreal. The circumstances surrounding the accident sound so unlikely that Diane wonders if it's in fact a different guy. And then, when persuaded that it is indeed her husband, she meets some people who seem to show more know her, but whom she has never even heard of.

It feels almost like a terrible dream, at first; I felt drawn into the story quickly, and found myself empathising quite strongly with Diane in her confusion. She is clearly not deluded, or mentally unstable. She's a hard-working woman with a small clothes-making business who sometimes struggles to make ends meet. She is perhaps too trusting, almost naive at times, but she cares deeply for her family and is currently missing her daughter, who is working abroad for a charity.

The story gradually unfolds, and slowly things start to make sense. Issues of greed, depression, snobbery and selfishness arise, and I began to see how such a scenario could possibly happen. Diane is far from perfect, the daughter of over-protective, angry parents who pushed her into a marriage which made life often difficult for her. Yet she is immensely likeable, as are several of the other people whom she gets to know. Sue Moorcroft has a great gift for characterisation, and tells a good story; it's a pity - in my opinion - that her work is not more widely read.

My only criticism of this book is that there are a couple of over-detailed intimate scenes. They don't quite descend into sordidity, but I felt they were quite unnecessary - and did not match well with the characters of the people involved.

Still, overall I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it highly. show less

Tamara's sister Lyddie was injured in a car accident as a teenager, and suffered brain damage. She's like a hyperactive and enthusiastic nine-year-old, with very little sense of responsibility and a passion for animals. Tamara is in a comfortable relationship with her childhood sweetheart, thinking of moving in together... then he is offered a job at a distance, and asks if she will move with him. It's the catalyst for them to examine their relationship and for Tamara to think about what her show more sister means to her. At the same time, Lyddie's former boyfriend appears out of the blue with a shocking revelation...

Oh, it's chicklist and the conclusion is predictable, but there's a whole lot more besides. Tamara is a yoga teacher, who takes on a private student in rather mysterious circumstances. Lyddie is a delightfully naive and honest person whom I liked very much. Sue Moorcroft has a great style of writing which drew me right in, and then kept me gripped when drama occurred, and I began to wonder who could be trusted.

I wish publishers would leave out the detailed intimate scenes, which mean I can't recommend this to many of my friends; they didn't fit with the rest of the book and were totally unnecessary. But other than that, I enjoyed this very much. show less

A Christmas Gift is a sweet romance novel set around Christmas, although it's not overly Christmassy so it didn't seem out of place reading it, as I did, in October.

Georgine France has had a tough time of it and when the novel starts she is dodging debt collectors, although the debts aren't even hers. She works at Acting Instrumental, a local further education performing arts college and loves her job, part of which is to organise the Christmas show.

Joe Blackthorn turns up one day as a new show more volunteer. Georgine likes him but there's something that doesn't quite seem right. When she finds out what it is she's pretty surprised! As was I, to be honest, although I was more surprised that Georgine didn't spot it a mile off.

Anyway, they do hit it off and I'm not surprised Georgine liked Joe as I thought he was a thoroughly lovely character. There's a whole lot more to him than meets the eye and I loved that about him. Georgine is fantastic too, such a lovely person with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

I have to say that I wasn't wholly into the performing arts college bits to the story and the Christmas show. I was far more into Joe's story and his background (which has more layers than an onion) and Georgine's own issues, which kind of made for a story on their own, although the arts college is key to it all and what brought them together in the first place. One of the things that stood out for me was the way the author portrayed the about turn in both of their circumstances over the years - not just rags to riches but also riches to rags.

I did enjoy this cuddle of a read. If you want an easy story with a festive feel, but still with plenty of depth to the story then this is going to be right up your street. The characters are well-drawn, the story is charming and the writing is engaging. show less

The details and the location are picturesque, and as the name suggests, it’s a great summer read. Featuring a cutesy cafe in the Kirchoffen village of France, the book is a heartwarming read.

Kat’s stance and circumstance are really relatable, especially for me, against my better judgment that they shouldn’t be. But I like it anyway. She’s an independent woman, and not just because she had to be or so the people around her think, but because she’s fierce and loyal, and despite the show more abandonment issues, she’s capable of surviving in the worst of circumstances. Her relationship with Solly makes my heart clench, and I feel desolate for the twelve-year-old who was isolated and separated from her own brother (albeit half) by their mother. The feeling of belonging she lacks is something I deeply feel and makes me feel all the more shattered.

I feel dejected for Noah, who was separated from his own daughter, just because her mother decided it’s totally normal to travel across the country without informing her little baby’s father because her husband wants to. I’m happy that he gets to see her eventually, and their love still stands as strong.

Most of all, I feel for Clemence. She isn’t Kat, and she doesn’t have to be, but for such a sensitive soul to have to go through so much drama, I feel sick.

My favorite characters are, of course, little Clemence and Angelique. But I feel the book was too slow and a little redundant for me. If Yohan is, in fact, as controlling as they come, he would have done something that could’ve been a plot twist. Though surprisingly, he never realizes it. And if Florine did want to run away from him, she’s foolish to think he’ll change. There are a lot of points in the story that contradict themselves, but it’s a fair read.

Of course, it’s for the fans of Carole Matthews and Katie Fforde, which I have decided to never read from again, they’re too slow for me, but I’m pretty sure a lot of people will enjoy the book. show less