Callie’s Christmas Wish 

Still Raving About Rhys

by Jessica Redland

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

 

Christmas is approaching and love is in the air at Bay View Care Home. Supervising carer, Callie Derbyshire, is blissfully happy with her new boyfriend, Rhys. The tree’s up, the lights are twinkling, and, with the Christmas Eve wedding of one of the residents, Iris, to look forward to, everything is perfect.

Well, almost.

Rhys’s ex has him at her beck and call, yet refuses to let Callie meet their baby daughter. Callie’s ex is intent on stirring up trouble. And Callie’s favorite resident, Rhys’s nanna, Ruby, hasn’t been her usual self since Iris announced her engagement.

Convinced that Ruby’s lonely, especially after discovering the truth about her lost love, Callie’s determined to give Ruby’s romantic story the happy ending it deserves. Ruby might be adamant that the past should be left in the past. But, when it comes to true love, surely a little well-meaning meddling and a Christmas wish or two can’t do any harm. After all, it’s never too late to let love in again. Or is it?

A heartwarming Christmas story of finding new love, and the courage to revisit a love that was lost long ago.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I’m not about to dump you and if I was, which I’m not, I certainly wouldn’t do it at work two days before Christmas. What do you take me for? I’d do it by text on Christmas Day instead.

 

Even with her face scrubbed clear of make-up and her hair hanging damp and limp around her shoulders, she was still really pretty. I’d cruelly been hoping that she needed to be caked in make-up and would be rough as a badger’s arse when she removed it.

 

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

 

I don’t believe a word she says. She’ll either have a hangover, period pains, or bullshititis.

 

I love you… Deeper than the ocean, higher than the sky, and longer than time…

 

My Review:

 

I love a feisty heroine, especially an elderly one. If I am destined to remain above ground into my eighties I aspire to be as spry and adventuresome as Ms. Redland’s brilliantly crafted octogenarian character named Ruby. I adored her as well as the totality of this cleverly amusing story.   I was heavily invested in the characters and well entertained from beginning to end by the humor and poignancy found in the unusual situations and choices made. The storylines were engaging, unpredictable, wryly witty, and highly original. Ms. Redland’s writing is always keenly observant and insightful while simultaneously humorous and thoughtfully discerning. Her quirky characters were intriguing and although they weren’t always likable, I remained curious and interested in knowing more about them.   And I picked up three new entries for my Brit word list, with rota – work schedule, grizzling – crying or complaining, and sea fret – fog from the ocean.

 

Author Bio –

Jessica had never considered writing as a career until a former manager kept telling her that her business reports read more like stories and she should write a book. She loved writing but had no plot ideas. Then something happened to her that prompted the premise for her debut novel, Searching for Steven. She put fingers to keyboard and soon realized she had a trilogy and a novella.

She lives on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast — the inspiration for the settings in her books — with her husband, daughter, cat, Sprocker Spaniel, and an ever-growing collection of collectible teddy bears. Although if the dog has her way, the collection will be reduced to a pile of stuffing and chewed limbs!

Her passion for North Yorkshire is shared by fellow-writer and great friend, Sharon Booth and, together, they are the Yorkshire Rose Writers.

Jessica tries to balance her time — often unsuccessfully — between being an HR tutor, trying to re-learn how to play the piano, studying towards a Masters in Creative Writing, and writing itself. Who needs sleep?

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @JessicaRedland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandWriter/

Website and blog: www.jessicaredland.com