Emma's Review & Giveaway: The Christmas Stocking and other stories by Katie Fforde

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

It's Christmas morning. The tree is decorated, the presents are wrapped and the turkey's in the oven.

Outside the first flakes of snow are beginning to fall. 

AND HERE IT IS!A personal present from Katie Fforde: six NEW perfectly themed seasonal short stories, guaranteed to make this your happiest Christmas ever! 

Amazon Affiliate Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Many thanks to Random House UK via NetGalley for my copy of The Christmas Stocking and other stories to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.

The Christmas Stocking and other stories is the second collection of festive themed short stories from Katie Fforde following on from publication of A Christmas Feast back in 2014. This new collection features six stories only two of which have been published before or featured in magazines. Those two being A Christmas in Disguise and Candlelight at Christmas. I have read and reviewed both of these before and out of the two I would say A Christmas in Disguise is the better one. Short stories really divide readers, you either love them or hate them and rarely fall in between with your opinion. I'm on the side that loves them because I feel they are perfect to dip in and out of at a time of year when you are always rushed off your feet amidst frantic preparations for Christmas. I think the stories provide the perfect opportunity to grab a few minutes to yourself and curl up and enjoy a wonderful tale without the added pressure of knowing it is a long book and one in which you will have to keep track of so many characters and plot-lines. What sets short stories apart from normal length books is that they always have a twist towards the end and that is what I look forward to the most when I am reading. I raced through this collection one afternoon and overall enjoyed the characters I met but felt some stories were stronger than others.

In the Christmas Stocking we met Romy who is selling her hand-crafted Christmas decorations at a Cotsworlds market. She is frozen standing there but thinking of the flight she has to catch to spend Christmas with her boyfriend Gus and his parents in France. Like a ray of sunshine Felix steps up to the stall and buys everything she has left. Relief for Romy that she can get out of the cold but also the thoughts that her trip is drawing ever closer don't bode well as Christmas with a man she wonders how she could be attracted to is not really top of her priorities. Through one thing and another Romy ends up bringing the decorations to Felix's house deep in the woods and she becomes stranded there. It almost felt like the pair were cut off from the world, all contact and communication was gone and it meant the pair could get to know each other despite each having a partner of their own. The story was short and sweet but perhaps not the best in this collection. I got the message towards the end how it related to the title but for me it was missing that special magic moment of revelation and surprise. The events do change Romy's life and maybe the Christmas magic did come into play.

A Dream Christmas certainly lived up to its title and could best be described as a fairytale for grown ups as strange things start to happen to Ginny and Ben on their honeymoon. Their wedding had taken place on Christmas Eve and although your wedding day is meant to be one of the happiest days of your life, Ginny can't say that is the case for her. Ginny was a person who gave into the pressures of others most noticeably her mother instead of just standing up for what she wanted. Now the wedding is over she is at the stage where she questions whether she wanted any of it all even Ben. But someone out there knows just a little magic and a few special touches will bring everything back into focus for Ginny and maker her stop questioning herself. To some, elements of this story may have seemed over the top but somehow it just worked here. The reader needs to suspend their disbelief and go with the love and enjoy the beauty and message within the story.

As previously mentioned I had read both Candlelight at Christmas and A Christmas in Disguise so I skipped these two stories. Candlelight at Christmas sees the return of Rupert and Fenella who featured in the full length book Recipe for Love. They are supposed to be organising the perfect Christmas in their home until a phone call announcing the imminent arrival of her ghastly parents in law scuppers all their plans. Can a smooth Christmas ensue? A Christmas in Disguise follows Jo as she attempts to do a favour for a friend leading to some unexpected events and a little white lie or two. Will Jo be able to fulfil her promise without discovery? Can she produce the most mouthwatering, tantalising Christmas feast on a par with the usual fair Andi is capable of producing? Will a bargain lead to her downfall or will Katie Fforde produce a twist that all short stories deserve? If you buy this collection you'll discover all the answers.

Dogs are for Christmas and The Christmas Fairy were without doubt my favourite stories in this collection. In my eyes having dogs in a story means you are straight away onto a winner. On Christmas morning as Stella is walking up to the top of the common to scatter her Dad's ashes and those of his beloved dog Geoffrey she encounters a pair of boisterous pups Tris and Izzy followed by their harassed looking owner Fitz. Little does Stella know that this brief encounter will change her entire plans for Christmas and maybe her outlook on life. Stella is a bit lost after the death of her father. Combined with that she is on a break from boyfriend Piers and looking to spend Christmas alone in her father's cottage to take stock and see what her next move should be. Adorable but naughty pups Tris and Izzy put paid to her plans and soon she  finds herself with guests for Christmas dinner. I did think woah would you really take in people on the most special day of the year although you had literally only met them that morning? But as the story developed and the main idea and message behind it became more evident, I loved how the strands began to come together and made the message and spirit of Christmas shine through. Fitz's mother Mac, although now in a care home, was a lot smarter than one would give her credit for. That little twinkle in her eye might have meant mischief but in the most beneficial way to all.

The Christmas Fairy ended this book in the most perfect way. Ella stands at the door of a cottage In Cairn, Scotland hoping to make the Christmas wishes of a family come true. She has the most unusual of jobs which she has created to keep her going in between searching for acting jobs. For Ella is the Christmas Fairy, not one who sits and surveys all at the top Of the tree. No she fulfils all your Christmas wishes to such high standards you wonder why you never had an Ella in your life before. Through one thing and another she is needed to help out Uncle Brent to make Christmas just as it always had been for Judith, Mia and Bill. I loved every minute of this story and Ella's enthusiasm for everything she does was just so infectious. She thought of every little detail and everyone's needs were catered for. She certainly used her 'fairy magic' to the best of her ability leaving no stone unturned. Ella had such heart and soul. She was kind and genuine that the reader hoped some magic would work it's way into her life and that she would find the ending she deserved. In this story it was brilliant to see the reappearance of Rebecca, Emily and Alasdair who had featured in the full length book A Summer at Sea. Again another book I loved. It's fun to spot characters you have read about before.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Christmas Stocking and other stories and yes it would be an ideal gift for someone to find in their stocking on Christmas morning. The sneak peek of Katie's new novel A Country Escape at the very end has more than whetted my appetite for its publication in February 2018.

All book titles in bold are Amazon UK Affiliate links which will earn me a few pence if anyone clicks through and makes a purchase - any money earned will go towards buying books or gifts for giveaways. 

I was also sent a copy of  The Christmas Stocking and other stories by Katie's publicist Francesca so, as Emma was already reviewing, I agreed that I would do a giveaway for my copy alongside the review.

As with all giveaways on the blog, this one is open to existing followers of the blog as a thank you for your support.  The winner will be selected at random when the giveaway ends and contacted for their postal address to post the book to them. NB. Please do not add details of this giveaway to other sites without my permission.    
 
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