The Christmas Wish: A heartwarming Christmas romance

· Bookouture
3.8
4 reviews
Ebook
307
Pages

About this ebook

‘Literally couldn’t put it down!… makes you laugh and tugs at the heartstrings, all in one go!... absolutely perfect!... breath-taking… made me cry and it made me laugh… filled me with festive warm feelings… Love love LOVED it!!.’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars

 

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?

 

Readers are falling in love with The Christmas Wish:

 

‘Put a smile on my face!... I've LOVED it!... the most heart-warming of stories… loving every single page… drawing you in and not letting you go until the end of the very last page… totally captivated!’ Chat About Books, 5 stars

 

‘I absolutely loved this story. Got me feeling festive and ready for Christmas already! I lost myself in this story… It was perfect!... A brilliant heart-warming ending too… Beautiful.’ Between the Pages Book Blog

 

‘I loved this book from the first page, it was so enchanting… had you hooked… full of heartbreak, romance, finding out what you really want from life... Worth far more than five stars and didn't want it to end… Simply brilliant.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘5++++stars. Loved this story right from the beginning… it was like I was there... I fell in love with the characters... Highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer

 

‘I loved everything about it and devoured it in one day straight!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Loved, loved, loved this Christmas book.  I would highly recommend it to all.  Thank you Tilly Tennant for this wonderful story.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Amazing... I read this story over the course of 48 hours and that says a lot considering my kids are needy lol.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Fabulous... I only meant to read a chapter or two but have ended up finishing it in one sitting!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Beautifully written... romantic, heart-warming... unputdownable. I loved it.’ The Cosiest Corner

 

‘Once started I had to finish.’ Fabulous Book Fiend, 5 stars

 

‘A book that I couldn’t put down. Pretty awesome… I read it in one sitting...  I have no words to describe the emotions it invoked.’ The Karibbean Kollective, 5 stars

 

‘A once in a life-time trip of discovery, learning to love yourself, finding yourself and taking back your life. A heart-warming festive story set in a stunning location. Once I started reading I just could not stop!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘This book had me in tears! A wonderful story of love, Christmas, and reclaiming yourself!!!’ My Life as a Dog Bed 

Ratings and reviews

3.8
4 reviews
Gaele Hi
October 24, 2018
3.5 Stars Rounded I have to start by saying that I adore Tilly Tenant and her stories, and the way she manages to craft characters that could be ripped from your life and put on the page. That being said – I had some seriously difficult times with Esme and her lack of self-awareness – and perhaps that was the point. So while this story started out a bit overly-angsty, with a not so surprise return from Esme’s moronic and abusive ex, complete with attempted bullying, guilt tripping and assorted other childish behaviors straight in the face of someone who was just starting to recapture her own feet beneath her…. I honestly thought that she would cave. And Kudos to Tennant for not allowing Warren’s influence to dismantle Esme once again. As for the trip, the joy found in the atmosphere in Lapland, the inclusion of Brian and Hortense and their very ‘in your face’ affection that felt very much a ‘vacation romance’ at first, then took on a life of its own as the two are eminently suited. The attraction to Zach, and his grief balanced out by a genuine ability to see Esme as she is, not through her own lenses colored by the ever-insecure Warren, and the reticence that Zach showed early on that has Esme questioning his sexuality and finding that it made her far more comfortable and free in his company after years of being isolated by Warren that perfectly illustrated the slow dissolving of the walls built around Esme with plenty of encouragement by Warren, that isolated her and created an endless cacophony of self-defeating voices criticizing her every move. All with Zach’s help, even if his own behavior was often erratic and far too confusing for someone in Esme’s stage of growth. But, with a careful eye (and ear) to the voice and wishes of Matilda in her head, the stand-off / show-down with Warren on the last night, and Esme’s own decisions to firm up plans to live at her house and not in an overpriced London flat, were clearly coalescing and showing her well on the way to healing and reconnecting with things lost during her relationship. Coming back a year later and discovering the slowly-progressing relationship with Zach, a renovated and reinvigorated cottage still filled with Matilda’s things but brighter and livelier because of Esme at the heart of things brought a lovely hopeful sense to the story, and showed the growth and change that Esme has achieved, once the weight of Warren was lifted away. Perhaps not a favorite of mine by Tennant, but one of her most skillful in the depiction of the changes that are possible, even when things seem most dire. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Midge Odonnell
December 12, 2018
2.5 Stars I couldn't really get to grips with the characters in this story at all. Somehow the connection between reader and the page just didn't happen for me. At first I felt intense sympathy for Esme after she fled her controlling boyfriend to her Grandmother's house in Derbyshire, especially as she seemed to be overcoming her personal demons and rebuilding her life. Unfortunately, she soon suffers an extreme case of recidivism and allows him back in to her affections after the death of her Grandmother. I think it was that point that she lost me if I'm being honest. Sure, she decides to take the trip that her Grandmother had planned to Lapland for them both but she still doesn't deal with the boyfriend, she sneaks away whilst he is at work and then refuses to answer her phone or read her text messages. It did drive me ever so slightly up the wall. I am aware that there are people trapped in toxic relationships like these but somehow Esme's feels almost glib and she does a disservice to anyone in that situation for real. The scene setting in Lapland is wonderful and did make me want to visit myself. Admittedly I am a complete sucker for anything Santa and the thought of watching the Aurora Borealis does bring a deep joy to my heart. Ms Tennant does make it all seem rather magical and mythical; particularly the visit to see the Real Santa Claus. Unfortunately, the setting was not enough to make me a happy reader. The characters are all more like caricatures than real people - Zach is tortured by his past, the snowmobile guide (who's name eludes me) is lovelorn, the two old people on the trip fall in to steamy clinches at the drop of a hat and then argue over nothing to both of their enjoyment. Nothing really more than surface for any of them, including Esme. A pleasant enough festive read but there are much better out there.
Kevin Anne-Marie Halfpenny
October 23, 2018
5++++stars Loved this story right from the beginning....I actually thought I was watching the story unfold it was like I was there... Esme is going through a tremendous heartbreak so she goes to visit her grandmother who tries to help Esme see the truth...Esme's boyfriend is a leech. Esme learns while living with her grandmother, Matilda, that Matilda always wanted to see the Northern Lights in Lapland...but now that Matilda is up in age she may never see them... I fell in love with the characters in this story except for the ex boyfriend/fiance...he was just horrible and kind of reminded me of an ex boyfriend of my own who needed a lot of TLC... Highly recommend

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