Thank You Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book xx
I have said before how I love reading #Christmas books in the Summer months, the perks of reviewing books ( )

"As I stood in the still air of the studio, the moonlight entering the window and falling upon the desk, I knew somehow there was something waiting for me." (Citation page 68)

Content:
Ivy is a children's books illustrator who has moved together with her husband Stuart from London back to Cornwall, where she grew up. Now that she finally is pregnant she misses her mother, who had died five years ago, even more. When she gets her mother's desk for her studio, she finds one of her mother's beautiful Christmas cards, unfinished, a card, Ivy had seen never before.It is going to be Christmas at Sea Cottage, their new home, and magic is in the air.

Theme and genre:
This is a romantic, heartwarming Christmas story about the strong ties between mothers and their daughters. It is also about friedship and beautiful Cornwall.

Characters:
Ivy Stuart is still missing her mother, but now that she knows that she will soon be a mother, things have changed and she feels really happy. There too are her friends and the nice old ladies, close friends of her mother. Cloudsea has charming, enjoyable Cornish characters who welcome the reader.

Plot and writing style:
A beautifully written, magical story, not only about Christmas, but about life and new chances. It takes place in a Cornish village with beach walks, but also stormy Winter days. The story is told by Ivy, wtitten in the first person.

Conclusion:
A magical, romantic book, that takes the reader to a cosy Cornish village. A perfect Christmas read that will make you laugh and cry, but it's the uplifting feelings that will remain with a smile on your face.

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I picked up this book looking for a happy magical Christmas story. That was not really what I got. This is a beautiful story that will arouse many emotions, hope, sadness, turmoil and definitely love.

Ivy and Stuart recently moved to a village called Cloudsea. They have left behind their hustle and bustle of life in London for a quieter life in the village. They have been trying through IVF to have a child and have not been successful. Even after a couple of miscarriages, they are still hoping and it has finally happened. They have moved into their new home and are finally expecting a child. With Ivy feeling better about things, she has finally decided that it is time to move her mother's desk into their house. Her mother passed away five years earlier and she still misses her deeply. Once the desk is ensconced in Ivy's studio (she illustrates children's books) magical things start to happen. Stuart is trying to make a living off the land where he makes strange jams, jellies, and other preserves that he sells at market. He is clearly the cook and gardener in the family, and is loving this quieter pace of life, in their cottage.

The previous title for this book was "The Postcard" and that was a great title. There was a postcard found in Ivy's mother's desk that plays a pivotal role in the story. When Ivy holds it, she feels her mother's presence and talks to her. When Ivy realizes that Stuart has been keeping secrets from her, she misses her mom even more. This book is about sustaining love and new beginnings. It took me a while to get through it because it was not what I was expecting, but keep reading until the end, you won't regret it. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

I do not understand how reviewers can state this is a ghost story. There is a paranormal, surreal aspect to the story, but this is hardly a ghost story. In addition, this is not much of a Christmas story, except that the setting is in the weeks leading up to the holiday, for there really is little mention of Christmas until about two thirds into the book. Then, all of a sudden, the author switches on Christmas (that is how it felt to me), and it becomes Christmas and the Christmas season all of a sudden.

This is the story of Ivy and Stuart, who have recently moved to Cornish village of Cloudsea, which is fairly close to where Ivy grew up. Ivy is still missing her mother who died several years ago. Yes, I also miss my mother who died several years ago, but I think the author somewhat overplayed this aspect of the story. Ivy is a children’s book illustrator, who illustrates stories written by an old, close friend. Stuart has decided to begin a new career as a farmer and innovative cook/seller of unique, new jams and/or jellies. He also gets into the catering business later in the book.

In this story, Ivy is surprised when she makes a discovery of something her mother left behind in her mother’s desk, which she has just moved from her father’s house to her and Stuart’s new one in Cloudsea. This find triggers a series of events that involve Ivy and her mother, and that impact Ivy’s and everyone else’s lives in Cloudsea. This part of the story was well done and interesting. I also found Ivy’s and Stuart’s relationship well done. At this time, Ivy and Stuart, with an unhappy history of miscarriages, are finally expecting a baby, who, they hope and think, will break this unfortunate cycle of miscarriages and the ensuing sadness that they bring. Unfortunately, Stuart’s mother is the classic mother-in-law from hell, constantly butting into their lives, offering unsolicited advice, and making all around pain of herself. Because of this and past problems with Stuart’s mother’s butting in, the couple has not told her about the coming baby, which only complicates matters.

The story is an okay one, but nothing special, in my opinion. As I said, it is not really all that “Christmassy”. The paranormal element, which was well done, adds a good element to the story. I won’t get into specifics, but the event that occurs at the end of the story (which concerns Stuart) almost seemed like it was added to give the story some surprise and added interest. It was okay, but I found it a bit much. Unlike some reviewers, I did not find myself gushing exuberantly over this story or the characters. However, the story is not all that long and does read quickly, so I got through it easily enough, and it did hold my interest throughout. I just did not find this a story to remember long after I read it, or one I would re-read time and again or during the Christmas season. I received this from NetGalley to read and review. ( )