Extract from Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles by Phillipa Ashley

As much as I love Christmas September is still a little too early for me to start reviewing Christmas books but as Phillipa Ashley has a been a great supporter of me and my blog I still wanted to support the blog tour for her latest book Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles.

For Maisie Samson, this Christmas is going to be different. After years working in a busy Cornish pub, she’s moved back to quiet Gull Island where she grew up, to help her parents run the family inn.

But even though she can’t wait for the festive season to arrive, Maisie cannot shake the memories of what happened to her last Christmas – the day she lost everything. She keeps herself busy, setting up the tree and hanging mistletoe ready for her first proper family Christmas in years.

Until a new arrival to the island walks into her bar and changes everything. Australian backpacker Patrick is looking for a job for the low season. When Maisie takes him on, she doesn’t expect him to last the week, but to her surprise Patrick is the perfect fit. Charming and handsome, could Maisie allow herself to hope that she and Patrick could be more than just colleagues?

As Christmas approaches, Maisie finds herself dreading the spring, when Patrick is due to leave. With the help of a little Christmas magic, can Maisie get the happily ever after she always dreamed of?

So today it's my pleasure to be sharing with you an extract from Chapter Two.

Maisie rested his glass on the drip mat but he didn’t pick it up. Their eyes met over the top of the bar. The look was at his instigation so she felt duty bound, as the hostess, to return it, even if gazing into those roguish blue eyes had the same effect on her as it had the first time. ‘I bet no one gets the better of you, Maisie Samson,’ he said so quietly that even she could barely hear.

She snapped out of her momentary trance. ‘How do you know my name? Has the Gull Island grapevine been at it again?’ she said, wondering if he’d made enquiries about her after she’d hurried away from him. She knew now why she’d run away. Having him here in the flesh in front of her brought all those emotions flooding back: desire, lust, longing. Those feelings had overwhelmed her. It was too soon to feel so strongly attracted to a man again... Too soon after losing Keegan. Too soon after losing everything.
The Blond was cool as a cucumber. He grinned and flipped his thumb over his shoulder. ‘No grapevine. It’s over the door.’

‘That could have been my mum’s name.’ In fact, her father’s name had hung there until she’d taken over the new licence earlier in the year.

'What’s your mum’s name?'

’Hazel.’

‘Nah. You’re no Hazel.’

‘What do you mean, “I’m no Hazel”?’ said Maisie, fascinated despite the fact that a couple of the regulars had started to pay attention to her conversation with the Blond. 

Almost as if he sensed they were being watched, he lowered his voice but still made no move to pick up his drink. ‘There’s nothing wrong with Hazel. Sure it’s a very nice name and your mother is a lovely woman, but Maisie... hints at mischief. Trouble.’

Maisie rolled her eyes while her heart thumped. ‘Trouble for you if you keep on with the cheesy lines.’‘Cheesy?’ He laughed out loud. ‘I’m the customer here. Aren’t I always right?’‘You’re forgetting the other sign.’‘And what sign would that be?’ She pointed to a small plaque hanging off a nail on the brickwork next to her. ‘The landlady’s never wrong.’

Keep an eye on the blog next month as Emma will be reviewing Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles: The Driftwood Inn.