Letterbox Love #104

Letterbox Love is a way to give all of the books I receive for review some exposure. Summaries are taken from the cover, or Amazon/NetGalley/Goodreads in the case of e-books, unless otherwise stated.

The Snow Sister, Emma Carroll (paperback)

Pearl was putting the finishing touches to a person made out of snow. And that person, with coal for eyes and a turnip for a nose, was now wearing Pearl’s sister’s best shawl.

It’s Christmas Eve, and Pearl Granger is making a snow sister. It won't bring her real sister back. But a snow sister is better than no sister.

Then a mysterious letter arrives, with a surprise that will stir the heart of Pearl’s family.

Will Christmas ever be the same again?

I’m yet to read Emma Carroll but I’ve heard such wonderful things that I’m excited! Thanks Faber!

All About Pumpkin: The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby, Natasha Farrant (paperback)

It’s hard being the normal one in such a crazy family.

Bluebell, Twig and Jas have been sent to stay with Grandma for the summer. The countryside is how Bluebell remembers it – full of fun and adventure. But this year, it feels different somehow.

There is sobbing and shouting. There are cantering horses and night-time dares. Confusing boys and grandmas to look after. But there is also laughter and more than this, there is love – and that’s what being a family is all about.

I LOVE this series! Thank you Faber! And I’m quoted inside – yay!

Christmas at Lilac Cottage, Holly Martin (e-proof)

Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…

Penny Meadows loves her home – a cost cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.

When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them all feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.

As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore…

While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and the Christmas Eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally b the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?

No, YOU’RE stocking up on Christmas reads in September! Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture!

Zom-B Fugitive, Darren Shan (hardback)

Exhausted and jubilant, B Smith has finally located the virus that could save mankind. Can she transport the precious test to safety with Mr Dowling’s mutants hot on her heels?

I stick the tube inside my hollowed-out stomach and root around until I find some pliant flesh to wedge it into. I grit my teeth as I work the tube firmly into place, taking no chances, not worrying about the discomfort. When I'm satisfied, I shake myself roughly and jump up and down. The tube doesn’t budge.

I feel like an expectant mother, only instead of carrying a baby, I’m carrying hope for the entire world. If I can get this to Dr Oystein, the stalemate will be broken and he can uncork a tube of Clements-13, bringing the curtains down on every zombie and mutant on the face of the planet.

‘So, no pressure,’ I giggle.

I turn my back on the safe, limp into the corridor and make my slow, sluggish, excruciating break for freedom.

Woo! I love this series! Thanks Catherine!

The Iron Warrior, Julie Kagawa (e-proof)

The Iron Prince – my nephew – betrayed us all.

He killed me.

Then I woke up.

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind’s glimpse of the world of faery only lasted just a brief moment, the human world has been cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the power of the Forgotten Queen. Now, she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Summer and Winter – a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.

Leading the Lady’s Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan’s nephew and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase. To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten.

In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan’s enemies must become his allies, and the world of fey will be changed forevermore.

I LOVE Julie Kagawa’s fey novels so I’m very excited, and a little sad, to see how it all ends. Thanks NetGalley and MiraInk!

Sophie