Snow Angels Secrets and Christmas Cake by Sue Watson- a Hilarious and Heartwarming Holiday Tale

I received this book for free from Publisher for review consideration, opinions expressed are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.

Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake Publication Date: Oct. 17, 2014
Pages: 232
Format: eARC
Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“For Tamsin Angel, Christmas is always the biggest and best… chic parties and a little showbiz sparkle are a must. This year though, things aren’t going quite as planned…

With bailiffs suddenly at the door and her husband nowhere to be found, it looks like Christmas just got downsized. Moving into her sister’s one-bedroom flat, she wonders whether things will ever be the same again.

After losing her husband on Christmas Eve, Sam Angel has rebuilt her life around her son Jacob and her new business – The White Angel Bakery. She’s also found herself a very handsome, loving boyfriend, but is struggling to let go of the past.

Thrown together with a sprinkle of Christmas magic, Sam and Tamsin might just learn a little more about each other – and themselves. But when disaster strikes at the bakery, will they be able to save the day in time for Christmas?”

My Thoughts:

Tamsin and Sam are as different as sisters could be. Older sister, Tamsin, seems to have it all, a big house, two kids and a successful husband. All she has to worry about is throwing the most fabulous party amongst her elite group of friends. Younger sister, Sam, is a widow and single mother of a little boy. She struggles to start her own bakery and has a boyfriend who adores her but can’t seem to bring down her walls to let him love her.

In the beginning, Tamsin is one of those shallow people that gets on my nerves. She’s spoiled and elitist but she has a soft, protective spot over her sister Sam. These sisters don’t seem like they would be friends if they met on the street but they do have a unique relationship and tolerance for one another because they’re sisters. I liked Sam, she’s down-to-earth and trying her best to provide for her son, Jacob, while pursuing her dream of opening a bakery. However, she’s haunted emotionally by her dead husband’s ghost.

The story really picks up and hilarity ensues when Tamsin’s world comes crashing down on her and she’s forced to move into Sam’s modest apartment. From where will they put all Tamsin’s designer shoes to the awkward moments when the sisters want some privacy with their respective boyfriends, this book had me laughing out loud (and don’t worry I didn’t even hint at the parts that made me laugh the loudest). In fact, this book was so funny, that it was one of my books that made me laugh in my Bookish Thanks Photo Challenge post.

To offset the commotion and laughs, this book also explored the more dramatic concepts of alcoholism, abuse and grief. Through the course of picking up their own lives, each sister must come to terms with their past. For Tamsin, she reveals to Sam how very different their childhoods were growing up in the same house. And for Sam, she confesses what really happened the night her husband died and how it’s impacted her relationship with her current boyfriend.

The other component of the book I loved was of course, the desserts! My sweet tooth was drooling at the descriptions of the treats Sam was baking up and the atmosphere of the quaint, cozy and warm little bakery. I could just picture the White Angel Bakery and it’s warmth, coziness and packed to the brim with breads and deliciously divine sweets.

Snow Angels Secrets and Christmas Cake is a perfect hilarious, heartwarming and delectable read to get us in the Christmas spirit and to remind us about the true meaning of the holidays and family.

Setting:

Since I am doing the Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge, I have been mapping my reads. This book takes place in Cheshire, England and I felt like I was there with the cold, snowy weather, tea time and trying to decipher what some of the British phrases meant. Interesting to see the differences between British and American English.

Favorite Quotes:

Tamsin of Sam: “It seemed to me that she’d been trying to catch and keep those snowflakes all her life. She would grasp at things, ideas and people and like a snowflake, she wanted to touch them, possess them, keep them in the moment – but just like when we were children, they always melted in her hand and she was left with nothing.”

Sam of Tamsin: “I giggled, [Tamsin’s over-the-top Christmas decor] was complete madness, but as I watched Tamsin, walk down the stairs I softened. She seemed so happy, smiling like a little girl – this was all she wanted to be loved, for someone to say you are okay, fabulous even – and don’t let anyone tell you any different.”

“In the window were the cakes I’d baked earlier that day; snowy white frosted cupcakes, pure white macarons with scarlet cranberry filling and a beautiful Christmas cake, covered in a blanket of pure, white icing. It was stacked with white champagne truffles and dotted with tiny white Christmas roses and I thought about how different everything had veen less than eight hours ago when I’d carefully placed those sugar roses on top.”

Challenges Satisfied:

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge – England

What holiday books do you enjoy? What books have made you laugh out loud? You know I’m always looking for new books to read so tell me your favorites!