Today I am thrilled to be part of the Blog Tour for The Christmas Wish by Tilly Tennant. Thank you to Noelle from Bookouture and the author for the tour invite and copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly.
Description:
Christmas is coming but it doesn’t feel that way for Esme. Jilted by her cheating fiancée Warren and mourning the death of her beloved grandmother she’s determined not to let life beat her and books a trip to Lapland, on a holiday that her grandmother had always dreamed of taking.
Beneath the indigo skies of Lapland, love is the last thing on Esme’s mind but she can’t ignore a spark with Zach, a broodingly handsome actor, also nursing a broken heart. But when Esme is bombarded by messages from Warren promising he’s changed and she discovers that Zach is hiding something-will her head be turned? And when a trip to the northern lights reveals the full extent Zach’s own secret past is there any hope that Esme will get the happy ending that her grandmother wished for her?
My Review
We first meet Esme when she lands on her grandmother’s doorstep visibly hurt and upset but unwilling to say why. In the beautiful Derbyshire village with her grandmothers loving care, she begins to recover and we begin to find out the reason for Esme’s heartache.
It turns out that Esme had escaped a controlling and toxic relationship with boyfriend Warren. She has to build back family approval as well as her own confidence but she knows she has made the right decision. With her lovely grandma by her side she begins to look to the future. However, Warren continues to contact her through text messages, asking her to go back to him.
On a Christmas shopping trip, disaster happens and Esme finds herself alone and devastated again. When she finds tickets to a trip to Lapland for herself and her grandma she has no idea what to do.
The idea of travelling alone is daunting for Esme but she finds herself part of a group of sole travellers who agree to link up for the trip. Hortense and Brian make great travelling buddies but it is Zach who Esme really connects with.
Tilly Tennant does an absolutely magnificent job of describing the breathtaking Lapland experience, but for me it is the characters which make this book so memorable and outstanding. Esme’s travelling companions are intriguing, flawed but incredibly warm, especially the handsome theatre producer Zach. Matilda, Esme’s grandmother is the sort of grandma that my heart aches for, then there is the despicably cruel Warren to throw shade into the mix.
As for Esme, you feel like you are going on an emotional journey with her. At times, she frustrated me so much but I grew to love her and desperately cared about her happiness. There are serious issues dealt with in the book, incredibly poignant moments but other times I genuinely cried with happiness.
Who could want for more?
Author Bio:
Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop girl, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and has not stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor, and considers herself very lucky that this enables her to read many wonderful books before the rest of the world gets them.
Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her next Tilly Tennant novel. She also writes as Sharon Sant, where she explores the darker side of life, and Poppy Galbraith, where things get a little crazier.
Author Social Media Links
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TillyTennant/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/TillyTenWriter
WEBSITE: www.tillytennant.com