Today it's my turn and the last day of the Blogtour Christmas Island by Natalie Normann.
About the Author
Natalie Normann grew up in a shipping town on the west-coast of Norway and always wanted to be a writer. Actually, she wanted to smoke cigars and drink whiskey like Hemingway but settled for chocolate and the occasional glass of Baileys.
Her writing journey started with short stories in women’s magazines until her first book was published in 1995.
About the book
In the bleak midwinter…
A really frosty wind is making Holly’s life absolutely miserable. After all the years of hard work it took Londoner Holly Greene to become a doctor, now it could all be taken away and she only has herself to blame. She’s retreating to her brother’s rustic home on an island off the coast of Norway to lick her wounds. Only, it’s the middle of winter and icy slush plus endless darkness isn’t exactly the cheery, festive getaway she had imagined.
Nearly stumbling off the edge of a cliff in the dark, Holly is saved by Frøy, a yellow-eyed cat of fearsome but fluffy proportions, and his owner – grouchy, bearded recluse, Tor. Tor has his own problems to face but the inexplicable desire to leave a bag of freshly baked gingerbread men on Holly’s doorstep is seriously getting in the way of his hermit routine.
Call it kindness, call it Christmas, but Holly’s arrival means midwinter has never looked less bleak.
Review
Holly is escaping professional embarrassment by spending Christmas with her brother on a remote island. Not sure Holly understands what that means when she actually arrives there and thinks nothing of setting off on foot in the dark and the cold. What could possibly go wrong?
Holly and Tor, and the beast called Froy aren't really what you would expect in a Christmas story, but then they come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and shades. I say shades because it isn't exactly a light jovial jingle bell story, but it does have its funny moments even if it takes place in an area that is quite cold and dark.
I liked the way Normann plotted the story. It gives the romantics what they want, but holds off on the magical elf dust. It becomes more of a two people meeting under peculiar circumstances and fighting a mutual attraction. There are dangerous cliffs in the dark and predatory cats that follow ladies who sing in the dark, which is the comedy that balances the more argumentative and somber moments.
It's a story with a strong Nordic vibe with beautiful descriptive passages on the surroundings, and yet it has all the ingredients of a romantic Xmas read set in any other setting, which makes it a bit of something for everyone read - oh and those with a hankering for Viking like hermits who are guarded by large cats.
Oh, and Froy needs his own book. Just saying.
Buy Christmas Island at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: One More Chapter, pub date 14 Oct. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. At Hive. At Bookshop.org.
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