Tag: Carol Thomas

A Feast of Christmas Stories

‘A unique collection of stories that warm the heart but avoids sentimentality. Wit and humour sparkles in the stories.’ Lady Bracknell.

As the festive season approaches, I have been looking for books that capture the Christmas spirit. My concentration levels have suffered recently so I have found short stories to be the perfect escape. It is wonderful to read a complete story each night. Having discovered ‘A Feast of Christmas Stories’, I asked Patricia Feinberg Stoner, contributing author and editor of the anthology, to capture the essence of the magical collection.

With the nights getting darker and longer, and Christmas approaching fast, it’s time to seek out books to curl up with by the fire.  ‘A Feast of Christmas Stories’ is an anthology of seasonal tales with a Sussex flavour, produced by the authors’ network Chindi.

In this book of sixteen short stories you will find something to please every taste, with contributions from best-selling authors such as Beryl Kingston, Carol Thomas and Angela Petch, as well as less well-known but no less accomplished writers.

If ghosts are your thing, sample ‘Moon Shadows’ by Bruce Macfarlane, ‘Stranger on the Shore’ by Angela Petch, and ‘Tiny Tim and the Glittery Reindeer’ by Christopher Joyce.  If you prefer dragons, take a look at Christmas through the eyes of the Knucker, a local beast who’s a lot less fierce than his reputation suggests.

Alan Readman’s ‘Side by Side’ and Phil Clinker’s ‘Christmas Repeats’ are set in very different eras and locations, but both will have you reaching for the tissues.

Two sisters feature in two very different tales.  The many fans of Beryl Kingston’s novels will love ‘The First Christmas of the War’, a poignant tale of sibling rivalry, while ‘Pudding’ by Lexi Rees is a truly feel-good story with a succulent Sussex Pond Pudding at its heart.

What would Christmas be without presents?  Maralyn Green and Susanne Haywood have very different takes on the subject.  Susanne’s heart-warming ‘The Gift’ reminds us that Santa so often goes unappreciated, but ‘The Christmas Present’ by Maralyn Green – easily the sauciest story in the book – suggests an indulgence every lady of a certain age might hope to find in her stocking.

For a taste of crime at Christmas, look no further than Peter Bartram’s ‘The Mystery of the Phantom Santa’.  Peter is the author of the much-loved ‘Crampton of the Chronicle’ series of cosy mysteries, featuring Colin Crampton, intrepid crime reporter. In the final story of the book, Colin is desperate to find a news story on Christmas Eve which doesn’t involve elves and mistletoe and Santas.  With strange goings-on in the alleyway, Colin’s reporter’s nose soon detects that the stranger in the fur-trimmed, scarlet-hooded cloak is no merry bringer of gifts for children.  Suffice it to say, Crampton gets his story.

 

Please see all my Guests’ Posts and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Maybe Baby by Carol Thomas

Maybe Baby is ‘as frothy and delicious as a cappuccino’ Reviewer

It’s been a while since the last Golden Chapter feature, so we wanted something fun. Jena is presenting a delicious contemporary romance novel by Carol Thomas.  This is a light-hearted holiday read. A reviewer deemed Maybe Baby to be ‘as frothy and delicious as a cappuccino’. Unable to resist a delicious read, Jena took a sip the first chapter.

Full of love, true friendship and humour.

What an adorable book cover for Maybe Baby. I like the cute and confident young woman posing in the pretty countryside. And, did you spot the cat?

The strapline for this book is: Full of love, true friendship and humour.

Well, let’s take a look at this second book in the Lisa Blake series. Here’s the start of the book blurb.

Best friends Lisa and Felicity think – maybe, just maybe – they finally have everything sorted out in their lives.

Lisa is in a happy relationship with her old flame, and busy mum Felicity has managed to reignite the passion with her husband, Pete, after a romantic getaway.

But when Lisa walks in on…?

And Felicity is left reeling…”

Now for my review. I cut off the blurb before it got to the “but when” part, as I only read the first chapter, and the “but when” begins a few chapters later. Let’s look at Chapter One.

Are you ready to run with Carol’s characters and see if anyone collides with love?

We meet Lisa and Felicity, out for an early morning run along the promenade. As many of us know, it’s one thing to get psyched and plan to exercise more, it’s another thing to do it on a chilly morning. But having a friend helps. Felicity has called this “getting fit over thirty” and Lisa is game, even though she ends up with a blister.

“It’s good isn’t?” encourages Felicity. “The state we’re in now, that’s not good, but the fact that we’re out of the house, taking on a challenge and trying something new.”

Lisa agrees, although she’d rather stop for a fry-up. As they head to their car after the run, Lisa lets it slip that she might be a teeny bit concerned about the new women who is renting the vacant flat in her boyfriend Nathan’s property..

And so, the “But when” begins…

Chapter One is only about nine pages on my iPad, but the author has given us a fun and meaningful entrée in to the story. I liked Lisa and Felicity right from the start. They are presented in the third-person. Although this is the second book in the series, the bits of backstory are easily woven in.

We are treated to plenty of “show”, and little “tell”. I was right there, panting and stumbling on the promenade with Lisa and Felicity as they ran. I also wanted the fry-up, even though Felicity wanted a healthier choice. And I began to get those butterflies in my stomach, too, when Lisa worried about the text from Nathan.

I especially liked the part where Lisa thought about why she had gone on the early morning run with Felicity. Lisa decided that she wanted to step up and be a good friend to Felicity once again.

What a pleasant start to a contemporary romance- two good friends, trying to be their best, and then comes the boyfriend news and as the first chapter concludes it seems we are getting to the “but when”…

What will it be I wondered- “but when Lisa finds Nathan with…?” Or “but when Lisa realizes that it’s going to be harder than she thought to help Felicity?…”

I’m ready to run with Lisa and Felicity and find out more. (and at some point, will there be a “maybe baby”?)

Readers, if you have read this book, please let us know what you thought or share your review in the comments section. If you haven’t read the book yet, let’s chat about the first chapter of Maybe Baby in the comments. Here’s what I’d like to start with.

  1. Do you like Contemporary romances?
  2. Do you like to read a book series?
  3. What about the title? “Maybe Baby” -are we talking about a real baby?

Many thanks to author Carol Thomas for sending me the first chapter. And as always, applause and best wishes to Jessie Cahalin for featuring these Golden Chapter Reviews as part of her Handbag Gallery and for her continued support and friendship of book lovers!

More about Carol Thomas

Meet Carol Thomas. Her contemporary romance novels, have relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads.

Carol writes for both adults and children: Her contemporary romance novels, have relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads; while her children’s books have irresistibly cute, generally furry characters young children can relate to.

Carol Thomas lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively young Labrador. She was a kindergarten supervisor and elementary school teacher for over fifteen years, prior to dedicating more of her time to writing. Carol is a regular volunteer at her local Cancer Research UK shop. She has a passion for reading, writing and people watching and can often be found loitering in local cafes working on her next book.

Jena C Henry, April, 2019

Take a break and read more about Jena’s reading recommendation

It is always a pleasure to present Jena’s fabulous Golden Chapters.  When you are packing for your holiday, don’t forget to grab Maybe Baby and enjoy a fun read.

Please see all the Golden Chapters and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.