The Magic of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

januar 08, 2015

The Magic of Christmas by Trisha Ashley

In the pretty Lancashire village of Middlemoss, Lizzy is on the verge of leaving her cheating husband, Tom, when tragedy strikes. Luckily she has welcome distraction in the Christmas Pudding Circle, a group of friends swapping seasonal recipes – as well as a rivalry with local cookery writer Nick over who will win Best Mince Pie at the village show…
Meanwhile, the whole village is gearing up for the annual Boxing Day Mystery Play. But who will play Adam to Lizzy’s Eve? Could it be the handsome and charismatic soap actor Ritch, or could someone closer to home win her heart? Whatever happens, it promises to be a Christmas to remember!

I read The Magic of Christmas during December expecting a magical Christmassy journey. The book is good, but it did not live up to those exact expectations.

As I had wrongly presumed, it doesn't just span Christmas. It actually spans the many months leading up to Christmas and while the village's Christmas play is a central point throughout the book, I never really got the Christmas mood going. But I also found that I didn't mind that, because the book was plenty good fun regardless.

When Lizzy's ass of a husband (finally) dies, she's left in a bit of a mess. Her late husband's lovers keep popping up left and right, causing trouble, and her own love life suddenly becomes quite interesting with several seemingly interested fellows - some more trouble than they're worth.

The book is very much about the warmth of home, good food and the security of family and friends. It's a nice read, though a bit of a flimsy one, and it's lovely to curl up with on a cold December night. It may well be January now, but it's definitely also readable the rest of the year 'round.