Yes, you’re not mistaken, it’s another Christmas book! But … disclaimer … I promise you, once again, it’s not your typical mushy one! This one is pure magic!
Blurb:
She’s making a list and checking it twice…
Would you sign a job contract without knowing where your decision would lead you? Well, that’s what Ellie does…
Recently jobless, boyfriend-less, and out of a home to boot just before Christmastime, when a
very mysterious job proposition with an NDA comes her way from an unusual sibling duo – she says yes.
After all, she has nothing left to lose, right?
Arriving on a tiny Scottish island which doesn’t appear on any maps, we follow her down the rabbit-hole as she begins to help archiving mysterious letters to Father Christmas with wishes in every language from across the world.
Despite the strangeness of it all, Ellie quickly falls in love with the island and her life there with fellow archiver Aiden and her employers: the eclectic baker Clementine and her rather dour brother Cole, who seems to blow hot and cold with her.
But ultimately, Ellie wants to know why she’s there and what secrets are held on this island. And who will answer these letters?
For the first time in her life, she’s deciding to be ‘unboring’ and to take things into her own hands…
With just a few days to go before Christmas, an apparently chance meeting with a stranger makes Ellie question everything, and she has just one chance to bring about her own Christmas miracle…
This is a sweet mystery to unravel, with touches of magical realism and mythology inspired by Ceri’s academic background, as well as a blossoming romance, of course.
My Review:
Just to be clear, I don’t do all the mushy, romantic, meet-cute stuff. This book isn’t any of these things. It’s off-the-charts magical, whimsical and downright charming! I adored it!
Don’t you sometimes have that feeling that you want to run away, escape your life and opt for something entirely different (preferably on a secluded island somewhere)? Well, that’s what happens to Ellie – not entirely out of choice! When the rug is pulled out from under her, in every aspect of her life, shortly before Christmas, Ellie knows the universe is telling her it’s time for big changes, and to do that, she needs to take a giant leap of faith. She has no idea where exactly that will lead her.
Thank goodness she takes the reader along with her, because the journey is a joyous one! It’s not without its ups and downs. There are disappointments and mistakes along the way, but ultimately Ellie learns that family can be the people who you choose for yourself, as well as the ones you’re born with, and that you have choices and options along the journey you take. Just because you make the wrong choice sometimes, does not mean you’re stuck with that choice.
It never ventures into the soppy, sappy side of things, and remains relatable and real, which is quite a remarkable achievement. I say this because overall, I found the book to be a gorgeous piece of magical realism. It’s not easy to strike the right balance when creating something like this: what is it that you want your readers to gain? Do you want fantasy or reality? Ceri Houlbrook hits the perfect mark between the two … a beautiful balancing act of whimsy across a gossamer tightrope of magic, with the comfort of a safety net of calm and tranquility that comes with knowing that your characters and your readers have achieved the best outcomes possible. It’s simply gorgeous!
Thank you to Compulsive Readers and Bonnier Books for the blog tour.
jansbookbuzz.com 
Leave a comment