Having left her executive job in London to run a tea shop on the sleepy Greek island of Taxos just four months ago, Pippa is now set to marry her childhood friend Niko. With the wedding preparations in full swing, and a Christmas fair planned to ease the financial strain the people of the village have been feeling, the arrival of Pippa's ex Henrik throws everything into doubt. Pippa has to choose - is she really happy in Taxos with Niko, or is she missing the high life in London too much? This is a sequel to Game of Scones, and I would advise reading that before this one, as while it could be read as a stand-alone novel, you will get more out of it if you are already familiar with the characters and their stories. The plot here was well thought out, there was plenty of action and suspense throughout. Pippa and Niko felt like old friends so I was excited to see how they were getting on and if their wedding would go ahead as planned. I commend the author on highlighting the issue of Syrian refugees, and dealing with it with a sensitive yet realistic approach. My only criticism is that I didn't quite feel the sparkle of Christmas in this one, it didn't feel like a festive novel to me and could have been set at any other time of the year and still been as enjoyable. (LO)
Things don't always run smoothly in the game of love in My Big Fat Christmas Wedding, the sequel to Samantha Tonge's Game of Scones. The summary says: "Former hot shot city girl Pippa Pattinson loves her new life of rustic simplicity, running a quaint teashop on a sleepy Greek island with her hot fiance, Niko. But it's been a quick change to slow living - and you can't blame a girl for wondering, 'how did I get here?' As her Christmas wedding approaches, a trip back to snowy England for her ex's engagement party makes her wonder if those are wedding bells she's hearing in her mind, or warning bells. She longs for the excitement of her old London life - the glamour, the regular pedicures. Can she really give that all up to be a fishwife? There's nothing for it but to throw herself into bringing a little Christmas magic to the struggling village in the form of a Christmas fair. Somewhere in amidst the sparkly bauble cakes and stollen scones, she's hoping she'll come to the right decision about where she belongs ... fingers crossed in time for the wedding."