With Love at Christmas by Carole Matthews

Can the imperfect family really have the perfect Christmas? Juliet Joyce adores Christmas. She loves the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel, everything. Already the festive spirit is upon her, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get out of hand. Her son Tom is out of work and bringing home a slew of unsuitable partners; pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in; Juliet's father, Frank, is getting over a heartbreak of his own and Rita, her eccentric mother, is behaving more erratically each day. And has the chaos got too much for Juliet's husband Rick? With the big day fast approaching, Juliet hopes that she can stop everything spiralling out of control, because the only thing she wants is her family all around her and her home to be filled WITH LOVE AT CHRISTMAS.

I have only recently been introduced to Carole Matthews and I am loving every book I read of hers. When I read the synopsis for this book I knew this one would become a favourite and I am glad to say that it definitely is!

I am sure many people will be able to empathise with the main character, Juliet Joyce. She loves Christmas time and spends plenty of time planning for the festive period. Her main objective is to have all her family around her and to make the day as special as she can for all her join her. However, this is a mammoth task and Juliet tackles it with her best effort - going that little bit further to ensure her family's happiness.  Of course, as with any family over the festive period, there are the usual family conflicts and attitudes, all of which make the book real and believable to its readers.

As with all of Carole's books the story is one which the reader can loose themselves in. Although the book is entitled 'Love at Christmas', the story starts in September and I believe that it would be  good read at any time of the year. Matthew's brilliant writing style with humour and quick one liners is throughout this book and the story has many laughs throughout although there are a few times of sadness and all the emotions in between.

I would recommend this book to all Carole Matthew's lovers and to any readers who want to try a new author, particularly those who love 'grown up' chick lit.

Carole Matthew's also has a new release, A Cottage by the Sea, out 28 March 2013 which will be reviewed on my blog in the coming months.

Thank you to the publishers, Sphere, for sending me the book to review.