One Family Christmas

Another fantastic Christmas read; this is pure entertainment all the way! Lottie's Nana has provided a family Christmas every year; so on the first yuletide with her - and the last in the family home - Lottie thinks it's more important than ever that they all get together to celebrate for one last time. This year will be very different, however, as Lottie - not known for her prowess in the kitchen - has volunteered to cover all the meals. Added to the family turning up, a stray dog crashes the party and everyone seems to be hiding a secret. Can they survive the annual get-together? This is a great book on two levels: it's a good solid family drama, plump and ready to burst with everything going on and the mood is constantly lifted by the humour peppered throughout. The family dynamics are completely realistic; the inclusion of the pets gives so many opportunities for laughter and Bella Osborne never misses. We all have our own family issues and I'm sure that this will raise memories for every reader, but the hilarity kept me reading long after I should have laid the book aside last night. Wonderful characters, a great story and giggles aplenty make this one sparkle from first to last, leaving me with a great big grin on my face. Absolutely recommended and worth all five glittering stars!

I really loved this book, it was set over a very chaotic Christmas with lots of mishaps along the way, very funny! Lottie had fairly recently moved back in to Henbourne Manor with her Gran, who unfortunately has just died quite suddenly. Her Gran always hosted the family Christmas and made sure everyone attended and, as the house is now being sold, Lottie feels it is her responsibility to make sure everyone attends their last Christmas together at the Manor. So attending the big family gathering is Zach (Lottie's brother) and his girlfriend Emily (who hasn't met any of the family yet), along with Zach's daughter Jessie. Then there's Angie and her boyfriend Scott (Lottie & Zach's mother), their Uncle David and his wife Nicola and their 19 year old son Rhys, and Great Uncle Bernard who currently lives in the house, and his carer Dayea. Then thrown into the mix is Lottie's old love, vet Joe, who has just moved back home to start up his vet practice It is absolute mayhem, but in a really nice way! There are secrets and events galore that come out during the course of their stay - engagements, pregnancy, old affairs, a heart attack (sort of), and a surprise birth. How Lottie managed to keep them all together and still stay relatively sane I have no idea! Very, very enjoyable and definitely a 5-star Christmas feeling read as it's set right over Christmas and the New Year and even has some snow! Very entertaining.