Review: 'When Christmas Bells Ring' by Katie Flynn (2015)

Liverpool 1938
It’s Christmas in the Courts, and single mother Rosheen Clarke and her mischievous twin daughters April and May have no idea of the cataclysmic events which will soon overtake them.
When war is declared, April and May are evacuated to the countryside and Rosheen joins the WAAF where she befriends fellow Liverpudlian Cassie Valentine.
While Rosheen worries about what trouble the twins will cause next, Cassie is fighting her love for her childhood friend Andy. Because ever since he joined the RAF, he has become arrogant and remote.
Will he change back to the old Andy when it’s all over? Or will their love be another casualty of war?
Cassie and Rosheen support each other as best they can, but it will be many years before the Christmas bells ring out again.
Katie Flynn is a household name within the world of UK women's fiction, which is no wonder since she has written and released over 50 novels already (wow!). Since I started blogging a few years ago I've had the pleasure of reading several of her books and they're always feel-good and enjoyable reads. Last year I read and reviewed one of Katie's holiday books, 'A Christmas to Remember', and was pleasantly surprised when I found a new festive read on my doormat this year, namely 'When Christmas Bells Ring', which was released by Arrow on October 22nd 2015. I looked forward to sitting down with another trustworthy Katie Flynn novel, already guessing I would end up enjoying it!
Liverpool, 1938: Rosheen Clarke is a single mother, building a life for herself while taking care of her strong-willed twin daughters April and May. While the girls are looking forward to Christmas, none of them have any idea of what is waiting for them in the upcoming years. Not soon after, the war breaks out and April and May are evacuated to the countryside while Rosheen joins the WAAF. While Rosheen worries about her daughters, her new best friend Cassie Valentine has her own problems to deal with in the form of her love/hate feelings for her childhood best friend Andy. Neither Rosheen nor Carrie knows what the war will bring to them and their loved ones and what it is the future has in hold for them.
As expected this is another wonderful and warm story by best-selling author Katie Flynn. 'When Christmas Bells Ring' is set during the World War 2 years and focuses on main characters Rosheen Clarke (and her twin daughters April and May) and Cassie Valentine. Both Rosheen and Cassie were easy to warm to and I thought both of their stories were interesting and managed to hold my attention throughout the entire novel. I loved the switch between the different storylines, giving the reader something to be curious about and it resulted in me wanting to continue reading and find out what would happen next.
Katie's writing style is comfortable to read, enough detail is provided on both the characters and the scene setting, and it fits the genre really well. I wish perhaps a bit more attention could have been paid to Rosheen and Cassie's friendship, especially since this friendship is also specifically mentioned in the book description as an important part of the novel. I wasn't really surprised by the book and its ending, but sometimes it's great to pick up a book and know beforehand what you're going to get; an enjoyable read. While I wouldn't necessarily call this a Christmas read, 'When Christmas Bells Ring' is another warm-hearted, family-orientated and enjoyable novel by author Katie Flynn; I personally quite enjoyed it and am sure many other readers will as well!

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'A Family Christmas' by Katie Flynn (2014)

Jimmy Trewin and his little sister are devastated by their mother's death and horrified to find themselves entrusted to the far from tender care of a hated neighbour, Mrs Huxtable. They hope their father will rescue them when his ship comes into port but this does not happen and when Cyril Huxtable is seen by the children hiding "a wad of notes" away, a wad which subsequently disappears, they realise they are in deep trouble. Cyril accuses them of theft and threatens a terrible revenge so they decide to leave Liverpool and try to find their mother's family in Wales.
Soon, they meet Miss Trent, a school teacher who has been unfairly dismissed, and agree to join forces since Miss Trent also hopes to find relatives in Wales. But Cyril has promised to pursue them until they hand over his property, and soon they realise he has picked up their trail...
Last year I got the chance to read and review Katie Flynn's Christmas novel 'A Christmas to Remember' (click here to read my review). It was my first Katie Flynn novel and I ended up quite enjoying her distinctive style. I really liked the historical feel of her stories, especially around Christmas time, which is something that set the story apart from other Christmas books I've read. When I found an unexpected review copy of another one of Katie's Christmas novels on my doormat, namely 'A Family Christmas' which was released by Arrow in October 2014, I looked forward to once again going back in time for a festive family tale set in the UK!
After the loss of their mother, twelve-year-old Jimmy Trewin and his little sister Mo were left behind by their father who went back to sea. They were forced to stay with the cruel Mrs. Huxtable and her son Cyril, who only want to use the children for their own benefit. The kids hope their father will come back to get them, but when this doesn't happen, they decide to leave Liverpool and go to Wales to find their grandparents. Thankfully, they cross paths with Glenys Trent, a school teacher who was dismissed and is also planning on travelling to Wales to find her family. Together, they start on a journey to hopefully find what they are looking for, but it doesn't take long before Cyril Huxtable manages to pick up their trail, determined to get back what is his...
This novel turned out to perfectly fit my expectations: an enjoyable historical family story in the distinctive style of the author, Katie Flynn. Even though I've only read two of her novels, Katie Flynn definitely has her own writing style and it is a style I personally quite enjoy. The first half of the book is dedicated to the two children leaving Liverpool and starting their search, and it's quite quick-paced with several things happening. The second part of the novel is a bit slower, but this also suited the things happening (I don't want to give too much away). Overall, the story was a bit predictable, but this didn't ruin the reading experience for me.
I quickly warmed to the three main characters: Jimmy is a lovely big brother to his sister Mo, who is quite grown up and determined for a six-year-old. Then there's Ms. Trent; I loved how she wanted to help the children and her story just really spoke to me. I do think it's a shame the book is not that festive; it wasn't a real Christmas read to me and could also have been given a completely different title. Yet, that makes this book even more suitable to be read all year through. 'A Family Christmas' is a real Katie Flynn novel with a wonderful British touch, a captivating storyline and a strong sense of the importance of family; a read I really enjoyed!

Rating:8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads   Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'A Christmas to Remember' by Katie Flynn (2013)

A few days before Christmas Tess Williams rushes into Albert Payne's tobacconist shop, with two boys in hot pursuit, saying she's a thief. Albert chases the boys away, and though Tess does not realise it, this incident changes her life.

Tess lives with her grandmother, Edie, in a small flat on Heyworth Street in Norwich.She has recently returned from Bell Farm, where she was evacuated during the war, and is being bullied by her schoolmates, but when the handsome Snowy White comes to her rescue she thinks her troubles are over, and returns for a working holiday to Bell Farm and her old friend Jonty.

This leaves Edie to her own devices, however, and Tess is jealous of the friendship which blossoms between her grandmother and the tobacconist.Yet though Tess resents Albert, it is to him she turns when things start to go wrong.

Thanks to the lovely people at Random House I received a review copy of Katie Flynn's 2013 Christmas release, 'A Christmas to Remember.' I hadn't read anything by Katie Flynn before, so was curious to start reading, especially since it was another Christmas read to keep that festive holiday spirit going during the last days of December!

'A Christmas to Remember' focuses on Tess Williams, a teenager living together with her grandmother Edie in Liverpool, several years after the Second World War. Before she came to live with her grandmother, she spent a few years working at Bell Farm together with her friend Jonty, but is now back in the city and back at school. Tess is being bullied, but as soon as she meets Albert Payne, a tobacconist, and Snowy White, a handsome older boy, her life starts to change. As Tess grows up, she tries her best to protect the relationship she has with her grandmother (she's not quite ready to share her with someone else just yet), but at the same time Tess herself starts to notice boys are giving her more attention than before...

Tess is a lovely and enthusiastic main character who really turned this into a great novel for me. I loved her relationship with her gran, Edie, and how the reader gets to experience her growing up and making all kinds of important decisions in her life. Next to Tess, there are some well-written and enjoyable other characters, such as Edie, Albert Payne (the tobacconist), and Jonty, who works at Bell Farm. The storyline of the novel took a bit of time to get going, but after about 60 pages I found myself immersed in the book, curious about what would happen next and where Tess would eventually end up (and with whom!).

I really liked the scene setting of the book; part of it is set in the city and part of it in the country, which resulted in a good mix. I also loved the older feel of the story being set just after World War II, when times were still relatively hard. 'A Christmas to Remember' is a feel-good, warm and easy read, which can be read throughout the year, because overall Christmas only plays a small role in the story. This novel was definitely a great introduction to Katie Flynn's writing and I look forward to picking up some of her other novels!

Rating:7,5/10