Christmas is my favourite time of the year and I love nothing more than curling up with a good festive themed book on a Winter’s evening. Today I have the privilege of taking part in the Blog Tour for a book that fits the bill perfectly, Christmas Spirit by Nicola May. Many thanks go to Rachel and Nicola for allowing me to read and share my thoughts on this festive novella. Enjoy!
Synopsis
It’s two days before Christmas – and Evie Harris finds herself both manless and jobless. After a chance encounter with handsome Greg (and egged on by her toy-boy-eating friend, Bea) she agrees to work at a homeless shelter on Christmas Day.
Striking up an unlikely friendship with homeless Yves, Evie begins an unwitting journey of spiritual awakening, all set against the sparkling winter backdrop of London landmarks.
A New Year’s Eve revelation is on its way . . . but will it leave Evie with a happy heart, or will she allow the pre-Christmas past to dictate her future?
Review
Poor Evie isn’t having the best start to her Christmas; she has lost her job and discovered her boyfriend has been cheating. Unable to afford the rent without her ex’s help and facing the prospect of starting the New Year with no home she does what any sensible person would do and heads to the pub with friend Bea to drown her sorrows.
It’s there she meets handsome Greg who invites her to spend Christmas Day helping at the homeless shelter where he works. With no better offers Evie agrees and finds herself unexpectedly upset when she discovers Greg is already spoken for. Crying outside the homeless centre she is comforted by Yves, one of the homeless customers and they quickly become friends.
Between Christmas and New Year the pair spend their days visiting London landmarks together which prompts Evie to embark on a journey of self-discovery with the help of wise, yet mysterious Yves. During their meetings their friendship blossoms, but how much does Evie really know about Yves?
This novella is a faced-paced read filled with love, hope and magic that had me gripped from the first sentence – and what an opening sentence it is! Despite being festively themed this book isn’t overly Christmassy, however it is set against a beautiful wintery London backdrop and I loved tagging along with Evie and Yves as they discovered some it’s well-known landmarks.
This book really gives you food for thought from its message about homelessness to the it’s ideas about reflection and change. It’s full of the right kind of Christmas spirit; helping others, love and hope instead of materialistic items, just what the festive season should be about. It’s a perfect length to devour in one sitting and it’s just as well as you won’t be able to put it down until the final unexpected and emotionally charged twist. A fabulously cosy read that will leave you with a warm glow inside, a great big cheesy smile and quite possibly slightly damp eyes.
About The Author
Nicola May lives near the famous Ascot racecourse with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan. Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks – and, naturally, enjoying a flutter on the horses.
Nicola likes to write about love, life and friendship in a realistic way, describing her novels as ‘chicklit with a kick’.
She has written eight novels, with Christmas Spirit being her first novella.
To find out more about Nicola and her books why not visit her website or check out her social media channels; Twitter – Instagram – Facebook
Christmas Spirit is available to purchase from Amazon
Fancy winning a copy of Christmas Spirit to help you get into the festive mood?
FIVE lucky winners will each receive a PDF copy of Christmas Spirit in this fabulous giveaway – Open Internationally. For your chance to WIN simply click here to enter. Good Luck!
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
*I was gifted a copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Fraser’s Fun House 
This sounds lovely, and perfect for reading during the festive season! It sounds very heartwarming, but also like it would make me cry because I’m a huge softie.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
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