Blog Tour – Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea by Cressida McLaughlin

Praise for the Cornish Cream Tea series:
‘A warm, cosy festive joy’ Alex Brown
‘The perfect festive treat’ Cathy Bramley
‘One of our favourite women’s fiction stars’ Heat

All Meredith Verren has ever wanted is to escape the holiday season without having to wear a
Christmas jumper. Her new job at the cosy gift shop in a picturesque Cornish tourist spot is
making it impossible for her to maintain her scrooge-like manner.
With their seasonal hampers on everyone’s wish list, Meredith must paste on a smile and fake
some holiday cheer. Then she meets handsome new arrival, Finn, who wishes it could be
Christmas every day and wants her to feel the same way too.
Can she embrace the holly and the ivy before the decorations are packed away for another year?

The warm-hearted, charming and escapist read from the
Sunday Times Top 20 bestseller Cressida McLaughlin,
author of Canal Boat Cafe and The Once in a Blue Moon
Guesthouse.
25th November 2021 | £7.99 | Paperback Original

Review

I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit, I was a latecomer to the Cornish Cream Tea stories, for me, that just shows that this is series which can be read as standalone stories, or in conjunction with other books.

Meredith is a wonderful lead character, and I immediately found myself hoping that she would find her happy ending.  When the reasoning behind her lack of Christmas spirit comes to light, it’s hard not to feel anything but sympathy for her.  I adore Christmas, but I could easily see how the joy that I find, may evade others.  Whilst she is compared to a Scrooge or Grinch, her heart is actually filled with kindness, she has a positive effect on those around her.

Finn is a larger-than-life personality type.  Initially very annoying, but his joy is infectious, and it becomes almost impossible to ignore.  There is a wonderful chemistry between him and Meredith, but can two complete opposites really attract each other?

Having read only one other book in this series, I understand that Port Karadow is a new location, so we met a whole host of new characters.  There was a brief cameo from Charlie of the Cream Tea Bus, but everyone else was shiny and new!  By far, my favourite supporting characters were Anisha and Laurie.  Both brought a warmth to the book which certainly added to the lovely festive feeling.

For me, I felt that the characters were perfectly developed and incredibly well rounded. I had a good feel for each of them and will look forward to seeing who is mentioned in future books. 

One common thread, in recent books which I have read, is the trend of wild swimming.  This exercise regime plays a pivotal role in the overall story.  I would love to try it, as it always sounds so wonderful.  Alas, it will have to wait until I have slimmed down dramatically.

This is a wonderful festive read which will remind even the Grinchiest Scrooge about the joys of the season of goodwill.

Author Bio

Cressy was born in South East London surrounded by books and with a cat named after Lawrence of Arabia.She studied English at the University of East Anglia and now lives in Norwich with her husband David. When she isn’t writing, Cressy spends her spare time reading,
returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.

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