Bookouture Christmas Duo Book Review & Giveaway: Christmas at Lilac Cottage by Holly Martin

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Review by Suze

Penny lives in a beautiful lilac cottage in Whitecliff Bay. Her cottage is remote, which makes her feel lonely sometimes. She has a great home and a wonderful job. She works as an ice-carver and there are always plenty of sculptures to make. The only thing that's missing in her life is company which is why Penny decides to find a tenant for her annex. She hopes someone nice will rent the place, but when she finally meets the person who she's going to share her house with he's moody and grumpy. He immediately makes sure they don't have much contact and doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with her at all. 

Henry and his daughter Daisy are renting Peggy's annex because of Henry's job. He's found a good position and hopes that the change of scenery will be good for his daughter. Daisy loves her new home and she and Peggy are getting along very well. Henry also starts to defrost. So much that he might actually like Peggy, but there's Daisy and he doesn't want his daughter to get hurt. Has Peggy taken a wise decision or is the company she got not the company she wanted to have?

Christmas at Lilac Cottage is a romantic book. The Christmas atmosphere, the beautiful setting and the abundance of coziness are making this a very enjoyable read. What I liked most about the book though is Holly Martin's sense of humor. I laughed out loud multiple times because of all the funny scenes. The villagers are hilarious and the same goes for Penny's fellow ice-carvers. I really liked this aspect of the story.

Penny, Henry and Daisy are all creative people which is something I loved. It was nice to read about their work and about their dreams and plans. They are wonderful main characters. I also loved the people from Whitecliff Bay. Their personalities are all a little bit over the top, which made me smile. Penny and Henry both have pasts, so this book isn't just about the cheerful side of life, there are also serious topics. It was a good balance for me. I enjoyed reading this unique and fun Christmas story very much.

Review by Anniek

Penny lives alone at her Lilac Cottage. Since her cottage is the last house on the hill it can get lonely sometimes. After being betrayed and left by her boyfriend after a tragic happening she keeps herself busy with ice sculpting. She creates the most beautiful pieces for every event in and near her hometown. She gets more requests than she can handle. Attached to her cottage (with a connecting door) is a small annex which Penny wants to find tenants for. When the realtor lets her know the house will be rented to Henry and Daisy Travis she is more than excited. She hopes she can become friends with the couple and is dreaming about sharing an occasional dinner and drinks together.

When Henry arrives at Lilac Cottage he's in a grumpy mood. This was the worst move ever. Everything and anything that could go wrong went wrong. Al he wants to do is put his stuff in the house and be alone. He isn't counting on Penny with her happy and bubbly personality.

Penny is such a sweetheart. She doesn't have a bad bone in her body. I liked it a lot that she turned out tougher than I thought. Although she is the sweetest and kindest person you will every meet she isn't a pushover. Henry and Penny fall in love quickly, but are trying to keep things private because of Henry's daughter Daisy. She has been through a lot and Daisy is Henry's number one priority.

I absolutely loved this story. This book promises you to be the perfect romance book to curl up with in front of a fire. I must say that it delivers every promise. The Lilac Cottage sounds perfect to me and I'd actually want to live there. The way the town has been described is fantastic, all I was thinking is: How fast can I get there... In the small town where Penny lives everyone knows everything about each other. Secrets can't be hidden very long. I believe it's charming to have so many people around you who care and who will be there for you when they are needed. No questions asked. 

Holly Martin did an amazing job, especially with pulling you into her story. I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait for Christmas time to come as it's one of my favorite times of the year. If you are looking for the perfect book to go with your happy and loving Christmas mood then this is your book. It will also be a very good present for under the tree. Whomever will be reading this story will be in for a sweet ride.

Giveaway

Enter this giveaway for a chance to win a digital copy of Christmas at Lilac Cottage together with a beautiful crystal heart necklace made by Fierce2Fancy. Good luck!

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I will contact the winner via e-mail. If I don't get a reply within 60 hours the prize will go to someone else. All of my giveaways are international, you can find the official rules here.