Guest Book Review: Michele Gorman - The Reluctant Elf

Reviewed by Tanya Phillips

Meet Britain's Worst Innkeeper

Single mother and extremely undomestic goddess, Lottie, has five days to become the ultimate B&B hostess to save her beloved Aunt Kate’s livelihood.

When Aunt Kate ends up in the hospital, Lottie and her seven-year-old daughter are called to rural Wales to stand in at the B&B. Without the faintest idea how to run a hotel (she can barely run her own life), Lottie must impress the picky hotel reviewer and his dysfunctional family who are coming to stay over Christmas. Without the rating only he can bestow, Aunt Kate will lose her livelihood.

But will Danny, the local taxi driver who she hires to help her, really be Santa’s little helper, or the Grinch who stole Christmas? 

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Firstly can I say how much I enjoyed this Novella, it leaves you feeling happy and realising that good can come out of bad.  I was attracted to the novella as it is set in Wales; although I do not have fond memories of the area that it is set, I remember two holidays in Rhyl as a child and it rained the whole time... although I would love to visit again now as an adult.

Lottie Crisp lives in London with her daughter Mabel and works for a software developer, the only family she has left is her aunt Kate after her parents died in a tragic car accident whilst on holiday in Australia.  

Aunt Kate was there to support her through the tough time and now it is Lottie’s turn to return the support by running Aunt Kate's B&B over the Christmas period because her aunt is in hospital following her own car accident.  

The B&B will be open for a gentleman and his family who is going to be responsible for giving it the rating that Kate really needs to pay off her debts.  But Lottie is in for a shock when she sees the B&B for the first time as it is not the idealistic Victorian house she is expecting.  

Along with her daughter she needs to show the inspector and his family that the B&B is safe and a lovely setting for families to come and visit.  But a big problem with running the B&B is that Lottie cannot cook and of course that is something that guests expect her to be able to do.  However this may be the least of her worries...

Does Lottie pull off the impossible?  Does Aunt Kate come out of the coma?  Does the B&B get the rating it needs?  You'll have to read it for yourself to find out!

This Novella is a great read that you can finish in one sitting.  I know I will be purchasing more of Michele Gorman's books in the future. 

I'd like to thank Michele for sending us a copy of her novella and Tanya for her review.