If you are a big Christmas and/or winter fan, just like me, many of the upcoming November 2014 book releases will certainly have you jumping up and down with joy! The upcoming month seems to include releases by some of the most amazing authors within the world of chick lit and I can't wait to get my hands on each of these exciting new stories. November is the month in which the days really start to get colder and shops are seriously getting into the Christmas atmosphere, and I am already looking forward to spending frosty evenings inside with a comfy blanket on the couch, some cinnamon-scented candles, a big cup of tea/hot chocolate and one of these promising novels!
Which releases are you looking forward to the most? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment to this post! :)
Swati Sharma -Fashionably Yours' (1st November)
Maya Kapoor arrived in Mumbai with a glamorous dream, quite literally. Maya wants to be a serious fashion writer for the high-end fashion magazine, Glamorous but luck is not in her favour. Instead, she lands a job with a local fashion magazine, Style. Maya hates everything about it but for now this is all she has. Despite all the odds, Maya is excited about living an independent, fashionable life in the city of dreams.
At twenty-five, love has eluded Maya. But when she bumps into the dashing photographer, Aryan Malik, she falls head over heels for his gorgeous smile and charming manner.
But Maya seems to be stuck in a rut - her credit card bills are sky-high, her melodramatic mother can't stop ranting, the boss is unbearably cruel, her younger sister has decided to tie the knot, and she's not sure if Aryan could love a simple, confused girl like her.
Will Maya get the fairytale life she dreamed about or will she let everything slip through her fingers? Read her diary and find out.
Why so excited? --> Swati Sharma is one of the reviewers over at Chick Lit Club, just like me, and I'm really excited her debut novel will be released on the 1st of November! The book tells the story of Maya who is starting a new life in Mumbai. I really like the cover of the book and have a feeling it will be a really enjoyable read!
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Which releases are you looking forward to the most? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment to this post! :)
Maya Kapoor arrived in Mumbai with a glamorous dream, quite literally. Maya wants to be a serious fashion writer for the high-end fashion magazine, Glamorous but luck is not in her favour. Instead, she lands a job with a local fashion magazine, Style. Maya hates everything about it but for now this is all she has. Despite all the odds, Maya is excited about living an independent, fashionable life in the city of dreams.
At twenty-five, love has eluded Maya. But when she bumps into the dashing photographer, Aryan Malik, she falls head over heels for his gorgeous smile and charming manner.
But Maya seems to be stuck in a rut - her credit card bills are sky-high, her melodramatic mother can't stop ranting, the boss is unbearably cruel, her younger sister has decided to tie the knot, and she's not sure if Aryan could love a simple, confused girl like her.
Will Maya get the fairytale life she dreamed about or will she let everything slip through her fingers? Read her diary and find out.
Why so excited? --> Swati Sharma is one of the reviewers over at Chick Lit Club, just like me, and I'm really excited her debut novel will be released on the 1st of November! The book tells the story of Maya who is starting a new life in Mumbai. I really like the cover of the book and have a feeling it will be a really enjoyable read!
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Jenna Metcalf was with her mother the night she disappeared in tragic and mysterious circumstances, but she remembers nothing.
Over ten years have passed, and still Jenna reads and rereads her mother's journals, hoping to find some clue hidden there, in the meticulous recording of her scientific research with elephants.
Desperate for answers, Jenna uses all her savings to recruit the aid of a private detective - and a psychic.
Jenna knows her mother loved her. She knows she would not leave her. And she will not rest until she finds out what happened that night.
Why so excited? --> Lots of people who enjoy women's fiction consider Jodi Picoult one of the best authors on the block. I have to admit I haven't read many of her works, but I've already read some positive reviews for 'Leaving Time', which will be released on the 4th of November in the UK, so I'm quite curious to check it out!
Holly Madison never set out to be a wedding planner. She was just helping her stressed sister Lila with cakes and décor for her big day. But when Lila and Jack's summer ceremony is a runaway success, with high-profile guests raving about the food and styling at the pretty treehouse venue, word about Holly's expertise soon spread.
A year on, Holly has a fast-growing business on her hands, and she is struggling to keep up.
Boyfriend Marco worries that with so little experience she could be heading for a fall. After all, Holly's clients expect the very best - she's promised lawyers Mia and Eliot a snow-covered castle in the Scottish Highlands, and laidback couple Josh and Sarah a bohemian beach wedding in a Caribbean paradise. But as weather, in-laws, and wilful brides conspire against her, will she be able to deliver?
Why so excited? --> Unfortunately, Abby Clements' upcoming release doesn't have a cover image yet, but the blurb has already convinced me that I need to read this as soon as it's available! I love Abby Clements' stories and 'Confetti at Christmas' sounds like such a lovely read. I love books about weddings and I honestly think this will be one of my favourite November releases!
A year on, Holly has a fast-growing business on her hands, and she is struggling to keep up.
Boyfriend Marco worries that with so little experience she could be heading for a fall. After all, Holly's clients expect the very best - she's promised lawyers Mia and Eliot a snow-covered castle in the Scottish Highlands, and laidback couple Josh and Sarah a bohemian beach wedding in a Caribbean paradise. But as weather, in-laws, and wilful brides conspire against her, will she be able to deliver?
Why so excited? --> Unfortunately, Abby Clements' upcoming release doesn't have a cover image yet, but the blurb has already convinced me that I need to read this as soon as it's available! I love Abby Clements' stories and 'Confetti at Christmas' sounds like such a lovely read. I love books about weddings and I honestly think this will be one of my favourite November releases!
Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Marian Keyes – 'The Woman Who Stole My Life' (6th November)
'Okay, I'll write my introduction. 'Name: Stella Sweeney. Height: average. Recent life events: dramatic.'
Stella Sweeney is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life with her husband Ryan and their two teenage kids in Dublin. She works with - or really for - her terrifyingly ambitious sister Karen in their beauty salon. Nothing to get excited about here. Nothing to make her particularly unhappy. Or happy...
No-one would be interested in stealing her life. But then things started to happen... One day, Stella, attempting a good deed, causes a little car accident and faces down a bad tempered, handsome stranger. She hardly gives it much of a thought. But karma is hovering, and is about to take over, swoop in and change Stella's life for ever. For better or worse.
Suddenly Stella has a life. A thrilling glamorous one. A life that other people might start to covet...
Why so excited? --> If you ask me, this cover is already enough to get excited about; it's stunning! Marian Keyes is one of the household names within the world of chick lit and her novels are always great reads. I'm really excited about 'The Woman Who Stole My Life' and can't wait to pick it up!
Scarlett Bailey – 'Secret Santa' (6th November)
Cathy Bramley – 'Ivy Lane: Winter' (6th November)
As winter descends on Ivy Lane, the frost sparkles and icy winds flurry - but Tilly is still reeling from the events of the Hallowe'en party. Only the die-hard plot holders brave the cold weather, and Tilly fears the loneliness that gripped her a year ago will return.
Resolute to stay cheerful, she throws herself into organizing both the inaugural Ivy Lane Great Cake Competition and the Christmas Party, and even squeezes in a little match-making along the way.
Surrounded by her friends at the Christmas Party, Tilly has come a long way in a year. She can feel her own heart slowly melting, but who will be waiting under the mistletoe?
Why so excited? --> Cathy Bramley's 'Ivy Lane' is a serialized novel in which the reader gets to join Tilly Parker on a year in her life, and Winter is the fourth and last part of the series. So far, I've only read 'Spring', but I really enjoyed it and I have no doubt the other parts are just as amazing as the first.
Judy Astley – 'It Must Have Been The Mistletoe' (6th November)
Lucy Diamond – 'Christmas Gifts at The Beach Cafe' (6th November)
Rachael Lucas - 'Sealed with a Christmas Kiss' (6th November)
Alexandra Brown – 'The Great Christmas Knit Off' (6th November)
Why so excited? --> Alexandra Brown is well-known for her lovely Carringtons' book series and I'm so excited she will be releasing a completely new novel this November! 'The Great Christmas Knit Off' sounds like a stunning story and I honestly can't wait to have a finished copy in my hands!
Trisha Ashley - 'Footsteps in the Snow and other Teatime Treats' (6th November)
From her novels to her magazine articles Trisha Ashley has been writing all her life and this is a collection of her work brought together in a single edition for the first time.
A fabulous collection of short stories from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Perfect to curl up with on a winter’s evening.
Why so excited? --> Trisha Ashley is a fabulous author and on the 6th of November a collection of short stories, perfect for a cold winter's evening, will be released. I've really enjoyed some of Trisha's novels in the past and I'm sure this collection will include some wonderfully enjoyable winter-themed stories.
Karen Swan – 'Christmas In The Snow' (6th November)
No secret stays buried forever...
In London, the snow is falling and Christmas is just around the corner - but Allegra Fisher barely has time to notice. She's pitching for the biggest deal of her career and can't afford to fail. And when she meets attractive stranger, Sam Kemp, on the plane to the meeting, she can't afford to lose her focus either. She learned to shut off her emotions long ago and only her sister and best friend Isobel knows why. But when Allegra finds herself up against Sam for the bid, their passion quickly turns sour.
In Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, a long-lost mountain hut is discovered in the snow after sixty years and the last person expecting to become involved is Allegra - she hasn't even heard of the woman they found inside. But it soon becomes clear the two women are linked and, as she and Iz travel out to make sense of the mystery, hearts thaw and dark secrets are uncovered, long buried by the snow.
Why so excited? --> Karen Swan is another author who releases a great Christmas-themed novel every year. 'Christmas in the Snow' sounds intriguing and I really hope I will be able to check out my first Karen Swan novel this year!
Be sure to check back tomorrow for more November 2014 releases!
'Okay, I'll write my introduction. 'Name: Stella Sweeney. Height: average. Recent life events: dramatic.'
Stella Sweeney is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life with her husband Ryan and their two teenage kids in Dublin. She works with - or really for - her terrifyingly ambitious sister Karen in their beauty salon. Nothing to get excited about here. Nothing to make her particularly unhappy. Or happy...
No-one would be interested in stealing her life. But then things started to happen... One day, Stella, attempting a good deed, causes a little car accident and faces down a bad tempered, handsome stranger. She hardly gives it much of a thought. But karma is hovering, and is about to take over, swoop in and change Stella's life for ever. For better or worse.
Suddenly Stella has a life. A thrilling glamorous one. A life that other people might start to covet...
Why so excited? --> If you ask me, this cover is already enough to get excited about; it's stunning! Marian Keyes is one of the household names within the world of chick lit and her novels are always great reads. I'm really excited about 'The Woman Who Stole My Life' and can't wait to pick it up!
A self-confessed Christmas queen, Sue Montaigne prides herself on organising the annual nativity pageant in her small Cornish village of Poldore.
But this year, what with having to deal with the repairs on Castle House after it was wrecked by a terrible storm, training a new – and frankly flighty – Virgin Mary and managing a Joseph who is allergic to sheep, she is distinctly lacking a little bit of ‘me time’.
And then there are the auditions for the new Santa. But nothing prepares her for the beautiful man who turns up, a twinkle in his eye and a promise to make her Christmas dreams come true…
Why so excited? --> Christmas time would not be complete without a Scarlett Bailey Christmas story to get into a festive mood! This author's Christmas novels never disappoint, so I have high hopes for 'Secret Santa'!
As winter descends on Ivy Lane, the frost sparkles and icy winds flurry - but Tilly is still reeling from the events of the Hallowe'en party. Only the die-hard plot holders brave the cold weather, and Tilly fears the loneliness that gripped her a year ago will return.
Resolute to stay cheerful, she throws herself into organizing both the inaugural Ivy Lane Great Cake Competition and the Christmas Party, and even squeezes in a little match-making along the way.
Surrounded by her friends at the Christmas Party, Tilly has come a long way in a year. She can feel her own heart slowly melting, but who will be waiting under the mistletoe?
Why so excited? --> Cathy Bramley's 'Ivy Lane' is a serialized novel in which the reader gets to join Tilly Parker on a year in her life, and Winter is the fourth and last part of the series. So far, I've only read 'Spring', but I really enjoyed it and I have no doubt the other parts are just as amazing as the first.
Thea's parents decide to host a big family Christmas in a house by the sea. Even though they are, in fact, about to split up. Thea herself is newly single - her sister and brother are both settled, with children, homes and a future. But Thea's boyfriend has ditched her in favour of his pedigree dogs, and Thea can't decide whether or not she minds.
There will be copious food and drink, holly and mistletoe, lots of bracing walks and a wintry barbecue on the beach. If it seems an odd way to celebrate the final break-up of a marriage and the Moving On to new partners, no- one is saying so. But then no-one had anticipated that the new partners might actually turn up to complicate the sleeping arrangements.
As Cornwall experiences the biggest snowstorm in living memory, the festive atmosphere comes under some strain. Will Thea manage to find some happiness for herself? Will the mistletoe work its magic on them all?
Why so excited? --> Another wonderful Christmas novel to look forward to this November! I love Judy Astley's work; her stories usually include great characters with a specific focus on family, and they are set in beautiful Cornwall, which also sounds like a great setting for a Christmas novel!
After a hectic summer running her beach café in Cornwall, Evie Flynn is looking forward to her first Christmas with new boyfriend Ed – she’s determined that it’s going to be the most perfectly romantic one ever. Cosy nights in front of the fire, spicy mulled wine, mince pies... what’s not to love?
But the peace is shattered when Ed’s ex suddenly gets in touch again, and then some unexpected guests arrive: Ed’s surly brother Jake and Evie’s heartbroken best friend Amber. Add in the stress of trying to finish her very own recipe book, snow blizzards and family dramas and Evie’s Christmas starts to look as if it’ll be a total turkey. Will any of her festive wishes come true... or is this Christmas just a recipe for disaster?
Why so excited? --> Lucy Diamond is treating us to a special Christmas novella this November in which we get to revisit the characters from her novel 'The Beach Cafe'. I'm a big fan of Lucy Diamond's work and I'm really excited she's releasing a Christmas novella this year!
Kate has taken to life on the remote Scottish island of Auchenmor like a seal to water: she's given a new lease of life to the Laird's estate in her day job; she's befriended the once-nosy locals; and even young Laird Roddy is not quite so grumpy these days.
Better still, Kate has just had her best idea yet: they'll turn the castle into the most gorgeous wedding venue in Scotland. The pressure's on as the first wedding is booked in for Christmas Eve - just weeks away. But with a mismatched bride and groom, a hysterical PR on her case, her own relationship woes and a huge storm blowing in, can Kate pull it off in time?
Why so excited? --> Another Christmas novella based on an existing chick lit novel! In this case Rachael Lucas is treating us to a Christmas story based on her book 'Sealed With a Kiss'. A Scottish castle and a Christmas wedding... That's already more than enough to count me in!
Heartbroken after being jilted at the altar, Sybil has been saved from despair by her knitting obsession and now her home is filled to bursting with tea cosies, bobble hats, and jumpers. But, after discovering that she may have perpetrated the cock-up of the century at work, Sybil decides to make a hasty exit and, just weeks before Christmas, runs away to the picturesque village of Tindledale.
There, Sybil discovers Hettie’s House of Haberdashery, an emporium dedicated to the world of knitting and needle craft. But Hettie, the outspoken octogenarian owner, is struggling and now the shop is due for closure. And when Hettie decides that Sybil’s wonderfully wacky Christmas jumpers are just the thing to add a bit of excitement to her window display, something miraculous starts to happen…
From her novels to her magazine articles Trisha Ashley has been writing all her life and this is a collection of her work brought together in a single edition for the first time.
A fabulous collection of short stories from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Perfect to curl up with on a winter’s evening.
Why so excited? --> Trisha Ashley is a fabulous author and on the 6th of November a collection of short stories, perfect for a cold winter's evening, will be released. I've really enjoyed some of Trisha's novels in the past and I'm sure this collection will include some wonderfully enjoyable winter-themed stories.
No secret stays buried forever...
In London, the snow is falling and Christmas is just around the corner - but Allegra Fisher barely has time to notice. She's pitching for the biggest deal of her career and can't afford to fail. And when she meets attractive stranger, Sam Kemp, on the plane to the meeting, she can't afford to lose her focus either. She learned to shut off her emotions long ago and only her sister and best friend Isobel knows why. But when Allegra finds herself up against Sam for the bid, their passion quickly turns sour.
In Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, a long-lost mountain hut is discovered in the snow after sixty years and the last person expecting to become involved is Allegra - she hasn't even heard of the woman they found inside. But it soon becomes clear the two women are linked and, as she and Iz travel out to make sense of the mystery, hearts thaw and dark secrets are uncovered, long buried by the snow.
Why so excited? --> Karen Swan is another author who releases a great Christmas-themed novel every year. 'Christmas in the Snow' sounds intriguing and I really hope I will be able to check out my first Karen Swan novel this year!
