New Release – Advance Reading Copy

It’s getting cold out so I think it’s a great time for a holiday story!

Title: Notting Hill in the Snow

Author: Jules Wake

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Publisher: One More Chapter

Pub Date: October 11, 2019

Source: ARC via NetGalley

Description:

Viola Smith, plays the viola in an orchestra (yes really!), she’s bright, bubbly and enthusiastic about absolutely everything. And it’s enough to drive some people crazy…especially if they’re a grumpy widower with an eight-year-old in tow.

Nathan Williams hates Christmas, despite his small daughter’s efforts to stop him being the Grinch. But when he’s caught up in the community nativity play and meets Viola, her enthusiasm is infectious. As the snow starts to fall on Notting Hill and the bells ring out across London, Nathan might have to admit that Christmas isn’t so bad after all.

Four Stars

This was my first time reading a book by Jules Wake and it won’t be my last. If I feel I completely know the characters and the surroundings, I’m happy.

Notting Hill in the Snow. Such a beautiful location and time of year – perfect. I enjoyed the scenes involving the nativity performance at the school, Christmas shopping, selecting a tree, etc. so much fun.

The little girl, Grace is the highlight of this story. I love her. I want to take her home and keep her. So sweet, such great emotional dialog. Awesome.

Slight spoilers ahead…

Viola needed to learn when friends and family truly needed her and when they were using her. She was taken advantage of by her cousins and I’m not sure that part of the story was fully resolved. I would have liked to see an example of them changing their ways.

I had a big issue with the romance aspect of the story. We learn early on in the book that Nate is married. Again – he’s married! Not a spoiler there because, as I just said, we learn that early on in the story. (ppssst, he’s married)

Judge for yourself. I will read more by Wake. Hopefully all the romantic players will be single.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy of this title.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Jenna

AVOIDANCE is out today, August 1, 2018.

Book One in this series is Collision – you’ll want to read that one first. Trust me, you’ll really enjoy it. You can read my review HERE.

Description for Avoidance:

After the shocking return of her mother, Merritt Adams is faced with emotions that she had buried deep inside of herself for almost a decade. While the love of her life is busy fulfilling his dreams, Merritt is left to her own devices. Searching for solace in all the wrong places, her avoidant behaviors spiral out of control. If she doesn’t learn how to take responsibility for her actions, she could end up on rock bottom – alone.

T.J. Cutler is an MMA fighter who knows all too well what happens when one tries to run away from his problems. He may be the only person who can get through to Merritt, having lived through his own nightmarish childhood. T.J. can teach Merritt how to fight against her demons, but she needs to prove that she is committed to following his rules.

Life is full of choices, and Merritt needs to start making the right ones. It could mean the difference between life and death.

Avoidance is the continuation of Merritt’s story from Collision. Topics include family, love, romance, loss, death, tragedy, depression, anxiety, suicide, alcoholism, fighting, tattoos, and overcoming struggle.

About Kristen Granata

Kristen Granata was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1986. She moved to Staten Island with her parents when she was two-years old, and lived there for almost twenty years. Kristen attended community college, and became a teacher in 2012. She self-published her first novel, Collision, and is currently working on the sequel. She lives in Howell, New Jersey, with her wife and two step-daughters.