Just For the Holidays | Sue Moorcroft #bookreview #justfortheholidays

The #1 bestselling author returns for summer! Grab your sun hat, a cool glass of wine, and the only book you need on holiday…

In theory, nothing could be better than a summer spent basking in the French sun. That is, until you add in three teenagers, two love interests, one divorcing couple, and a very unexpected pregnancy.

Admittedly, this isn’t exactly the relaxing holiday Leah Beaumont was hoping for – but it’s the one she’s got. With her sister Michele’s family falling apart at the seams, it’s up to Leah to pick up the pieces and try to hold them all together.

But with a handsome helicopter pilot staying next door, Leah can’t help but think she might have a few distractions of her own to deal with…

A glorious summer read, for you to devour in one sitting – perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

Just For the Holidays was published by Avon in both ebook and paperback on 18 May 2017.  You may have seen my guest post recently for the Just For the Holidays blog tour, where Sue Moorcroft wrote about her  *ahem* challenging start to a holiday in France. (If you missed it, you can read it here).

A month long holiday in a gite in an idyllic part of France might be anyone’s idea of a perfect break. But not for our heroine Leah. Reluctantly persuaded to join a family holiday with her sister Michelle and her husband – whose marriage is in its death throes, plus their two young children, Leah goes along however its not quite the relaxing time that she envisaged.

Unexpected events mean that Leah goes from being ‘Cool Auntie’ to ‘Deputy Mum’ and for a thirty something singleton by choice who cherishes her independence, this is not what Leah signed up for. I did feel for her, I really did. The thought of being responsible for two quarrelsome teenagers would send me running for the hills, however Leah steps up to the mark admirably. Her cooking skills do help and win her some brownie points; her job as a chef/chocolatier enables her to rustle up a meal in a heartbeat and her chocolate distraction techniques save the day more than once. (Just a word of warning, with the amount of chocolate tasting and baking going on, you could find yourself raiding the kitchen cupboards!).  She has some unexpected distraction in the form of Ronan, the rather handsome next door neighbour and a helicopter pilot no less, who is recuperating following an accident. Ronan has his teenage son Curtis with him and whilst all three teenagers hang out together, they seem to be on a mission to stop Leah and Ronan doing the same!

Don’t get the impression that this is a fluffy rom com; although it is humorous, it has much more depth than that, covering more serious subjects as infidelity, pregnancy, bankruptcy but it also has just a little raunchiness to add to the romantic interest.

Sue Moorcroft has a talent for making her characters engaging or unlikeable (in this case, for me, there were both), but whichever, they are always completely believable and with storylines that reflect issues that could face any family. The family dynamics here are very well written as is the emotional turmoil and consequences that our characters have to deal with, particularly those affecting the children.

I liked Leah and full credit to her for just getting on with the job and for not bailing out but my favourite character was Ronan – mostly for the obvious reasons! To add to his apparent gorgeousness, he’s intelligent, fun, considerate but also very responsible. He has plenty of problems of his own to deal with and it transpires that a moody teenager turns out to be the least of his worries!

I always enjoy this author’s books and Just for the Holidays is no exception. It’s a perfect read to get you in the mood for a holiday, or just a perfect read at any time really. Sue Moorcroft takes her research very seriously and at the end of the book she describes her helicopter flight that includes a pretend crash. Now that’s dedication for you!

My thanks to the publisher Avon for the paperback copy to review together with a ‘grow your own sunflower’ box.  Not being a natural gardener, I’ve surprised myself with how well these have done over the last 3 weeks and I guess the time is soon coming when I will have to do something with them!

About the author:

Best-selling author Sue Moorcroft writes women’s contemporary fiction with sometimes unexpected themes. Her last book, The Christmas Promise, was published by Avon Books UK. It reached #1 in the UK Kindle chart and did well in mass market paperback both in the UK and in Germany (WinterZauberKüsse). Her next book, Just for the Holidays, will be published on 18 May 2017.

Sue has won the Best Romantic Read Award, been nominated for a RoNA and is a Katie Fforde Bursary winner. She also writes short stories, serials, articles, columns, courses and writing ‘how to’.

An army child, Sue was born in Germany then lived in Cyprus, Malta and the UK. She’s worked in a bank, as a bookkeeper (probably a mistake), as a copytaker for Motor Cycle News and for a typesetter, but is pleased to have wriggled out of all ‘proper jobs’.

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