It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
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The few weeks before Christmas are such a lovely time. I love to walk through the city and look at the beautiful decorations in the shop windows. To me it is the best time of the year. Currently, it is still nearly two months to go until Christmas. However, due to “Christmas at the Candied Apple Café” I am really looking forward to Christmas.
I think I have that in common with Iona, the main character and owner of the Candied Apple Café. She loves Christmas, backing cookies and attending those many seasonal events. The only thing she hates about this time is that she is single and is surrounded by happy families and couples.
The story is also told from Mads perspective. Mads used to like Christmas but he was never able to celebrate Christmas the way normal families do. His wife was many years ill and died a year ago. This year he wants to rediscover the spirit of Christmas together with his six-year-old daughter Sofia. As they have no Christmas traditions as a family they need to come up with new ones. Therefore, they get a little help from Iona. The best part for me was to witness how Iona and Mads but also Iona and Sofia get to know each other and gain each other’s trust. It might not have been love at first sign but to me, it felt real.
I loved the atmosphere in the book. It has a really nice pace. There is enough action but is also reflects the dead season. The reader gets a feeling for Iona’s daily life and gets to know her friends which are also lovely. I would love to read a book about their lives, too. Together they have a fabulous business. Most of the time I wanted to eat chocolate and to have one of their nice-or-naughty truffles. In real life I must find a place that serves peppermint hot chocolate.
The language is vivid. I could see the window decoration of the Candied Apple Café or the different seasonal outfits from Iona. I could also feel the Christmas spirit. Everyone who loves Christmas and a love story should read this book. It is the perfect attunement into the Christmas season.