Christmas – a time to slow down, take stock and have some well earned R&R after getting through another year. Well, unless you’re Kazz Fernsby. After a streak of luck so bad that she must have broken at least a hundred mirrors in a past life, Kazz decides to wave goodbye to her cosmopolitan London life, up sticks and relocate to the quaint village of Tanglewood to start a second-hand bookshop. I wasn’t familiar with the ‘Tanglewood’ series before discovering this festive instalment, however I will definitely be making a return visit through its predecessors.
“Tanglewood might be a quiet little place, but it sure had its fair share of interesting characters.”
Tanglewood may appear the classic sleepy, picturesque village, i.e. the perfect place for Kazz to slow down and reboot, however it became quickly clear that whilst it may be quaint, Tanglewood is by no means quiet. Yes, at times, it seemed that the village may contain more resident sheep than humans, but the characters it contains have enough depth and secrets to rival the excitement and drama of Kazz’s beloved London. I loved spending time with Kazz and her fabulous group of friends, but it would be unjust to mention the feisty females of Tanglewood and not mention my favourite character – Betty. We all need a Betty in our lives. At first, she seemed the classic, slightly irritating, curtain-twitcher who lurks around every corner, keeping various hands (and ears) in everyone’s business, but as the story unfolded it became clear that she has a heart of gold and everyone else’s interests at the centre of it.
“Saul had vowed never to let another woman anywhere near his fragile heart….Was he ready to break that vow? Or would he keep the wall around his heart for the rest of his life?”
With a total career change and a relocation to be contending with, the last thing on Kazz’s mind when she moves to Tanglewood is romance. Similarly, for dashing, albeit slightly aloof, farmer Saul, love is the furthest thing from his mind this Christmas, or any time really. Once burned and twice shy, he has no intention of setting himself up for more inevitable heartbreak, that is until he is tasked with helping Kazz turn her bookshop dream into a physical reality. Betty may be my favourite character overall, but Saul Green has absolutely cemented a place high up on my list of literary crushes. Even setting aside the fact that he is drop-dead gorgeous (and appreciates the solace of curling up with a good book!) the sweetest thing about Saul is, in my humble opinion, the bond he has with the adorable, if slightly mischievous, Donald the sheep. Without spoiling the end for anyone who hasn’t finished yet, Donald does turn out to be quite the charming wingman, in an epilogue perfectly romantic and warm that it could melt the snow from the top of Skirrid Fawr on the coldest Winter day. There aren’t many men who can remain dashingly handsome whilst donning wellies, but somehow with Saul, he is even more so.
Even though ‘The Tanglewood Bookshop’ finished with such a heartwarming scene, and had all the key elements of a perfect Christmas romance, Lilac Mills knows just how to keep her readers guessing until the very end. The twists and turns throughout the plot had me furiously turning the pages in a desperate need to know what happened next, muttering the lie we all tell ourselves of ‘just one more chapter’ (or three).
“You’ve got the opportunity to try something new, so why don’t you take it? If you don’t, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering ‘what if?'”
So, we have a gripping plot, great characters and a sizzling romance, what more could we ask for? Ah yes, a good old cup of cheer to put the reader right into the festive spirit! The only thing more picturesque than Tanglewood, is Tanglewood at Christmas. I read this book in the height of Summer, and could still practically smell the roast chestnuts and pine needles wafting out of the pages. Even reading this book in my sun-soaked garden, I felt a slight chill around my shoulders as though I were curled up in one of Kazz’s armchairs watching the snow fall outside. It may not even be Autumn yet, but I have closed ‘The Tanglewood Bookshop’ feeling so festive that I am quite desperate to put up my Christmas tree and break out the mince pies…
“The Christmas she had been dreading was now something she was quite looking forward to. Could life get any better?”
Social Media Links –
Website: https://www.lilacmills.com
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Purchase Link – https://geni.us/TheTanglewoodBookshop
The Tanglewood Bookshop
A fun, festive cosy romance
A rural book shop. A chance to start over. But can she make her dream a reality?
Kazz used to love the excitement of her London life, but lately her passion for expensive city living has begun to wane. So when she’s given the opportunity to open a bookshop in picturesque Tanglewood, she jumps at the chance.
But village life is much quieter than she anticipated – is she actually suited for rural living? Resigned to a boring and uneventful Christmas, when she meets gorgeous Saul she is more than ready to have some fun and enjoy the festivities. If only Saul didn’t have a reputation for being a player…
Will Kazz become the heroine in her own Christmas romance, or will he love her and leave her under the mistletoe?
This gorgeous festive romance is perfect for fans of Kiley Dunbar, Rachel Lucas and Sue Moorcroft.
Author Bio –
Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh hillside with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don’t get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually).
She’s been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet.
She loves long hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she’s usually writing, or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.
Clyde's Corner 