BLOG TOUR: Christmas at Honeycombe Bay - Lilac Mills

An uplifting, heartwarming seasonal romance set in a quintessential seaside village in Devon, perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Sarah Morgan.

Two Scrooges come together for a festive-free holiday season by the sea and find all their anti-Christmas plans going up in smoke when they decide to play Santa for a single mom and her child.

Eloise Garrett thinks Christmas is overpriced, overhyped, and overrated, and without any family to share it with, she feels sad, lonely and isolated. The “season for giving” is just a constant reminder that she's single, sixty(ish), and staring down retirement. But not this Christmas. Determined to avoid the most magical time of the year, Eloise decides to spend Christmas in Honeycombe Bay. Surely a seaside village in the middle of winter won't be too festive?

Ever since his wife passed away, Bartholomew Knott hasn't felt up to welcoming visitors to his guest house. With the prospect of another long, lonely winter, and having become more Scrooge than Santa over the years, Bart is dreading Christmas. However, when he's contacted by someone who dislikes decking the halls just as much as he does, Bart has the brilliant idea of opening the guest house to people who want to escape all things festive.

Christmas isn't easy to ignore, though, not even in off-season Honeycombe Bay. So when fate forces Bart to give shelter to a single mother and child whose holiday has been devastated by a terrible fire, Eloise finds herself playing Mrs. Claus to Bart's Santa-dragging the house's other guest, a heartbroken teacher looking for a break during the holidays, into the action as well. But holiday cheer isn't the only thing sparking under the mistletoe. Will the guests at Honeycombe Bay realize that, sometimes, the best way to escape Christmas is to let it into your heart?

PERFECT FOR FANS OF

- Small-town Christmas vibes

- Later-in-life romance

- Forced proximity

- Grumpy x sunshine

 

What did I think?

It's a little early for me to read something festive but when I saw that Lilac Mills had a new book out I just had to read it and I absolutely loved Christmas at Honeycombe Bay.

Enjoyment of Christmas is a bit of a bone of contention for me as there could be very good reasons why someone doesn't enjoy the festivities.  That's the case for Eloise who has no family to celebrate with so she decides to escape to the seaside village of Honeycombe Bay on its off-season.

Eloise has to persuade Guest house owner Bart to let her stay over Christmas as running the guest house.on his own after his wife died just isn't the same.  There's no messing with Eloise once she gets an idea into her head though as we sure find out throughout the book.  It's unusual to find an older protagonist in a book and I loved that Eloise and Bart are in their sixties but they still have a lot of living to do. 

As a few more rooms become occupied we are introduced to some unforgettable characters who worked their way into my heart and certainly defrosted Eloise's heart.  It is just so lovely to see friendships blossoming and an eclectic group of people becoming a family.  Consider my heart well and truly warmed!

Charming, heartwarming and uplifting, Christmas at Honeycombe Bay is an absolute delight to read.  I think it's perfect for both festive and pre-festive reading as it's obviously not too Christmassy at first with the characters wanting to avoid Christmas.  Put this one on your Christmas list!  A highly recommended read and an easy five stars.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

About the author:

Lilac Mills lives on a Welsh mountain with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don't get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually). She's been an avid reader ever since she got her hands on a copy of Noddy Goes to Toytown when she was five, and she once tried to read everything in her local library starting with A and working her way through the alphabet. She loves long, hot summer days in the garden, and cold winter ones snuggled in front of the fire, but whatever the weather she's usually writing or thinking about writing, with heartwarming romance and happy-ever-afters always on her mind.

Lilac also writes under the pseudonyms Liz Davies and Etti Summers

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BLOG TOUR: No Oil Painting - Genevieve Marenghi

A respectable septuagenarian steals a valuable painting and later tries to return it, with a little help from her friends.

Bored National Trust volunteer, Maureen, steals an obscure still life as a giant up-yours to all those who’ve discounted her. The novice fine art thief is rumbled by some fellow room guides, but snitches get stitches, camaraderie wins out and instead of grassing her up, they decide to help.

Often written off as an insipid old fart, Maureen has a darker side, challenging ingrained ideas of how senior citizens should behave. Her new set of friends make her feel alive again. No longer quite so invisible, can this unlikely pensioner gang return the now infamous painting without being caught by the Feds?

I wrote this after hearing a radio interview in which an art detective revealed how a stolen Titian was dumped at a bus stop outside Richmond station. In a red, white and blue plastic bag! I just couldn’t shake such a compelling image. I volunteered at Ham House for many years, and my passion for this Jacobean gem, together with the volunteers’ indomitable spirit, gave birth to my unlikely anti-hero.

With over five million members, the National Trust is a huge British institution. Yet, next to nothing has been written about it in terms of contemporary fiction. Until now.

While No Oil Painting explores themes of insignificance and loneliness in older age, particularly for women, it is mainly intended to entertain and offer a small haven in dark, uncertain times.

What did I think?

No Oil Painting is a fun and heartfelt book that is very entertaining.  I loved the floor plans at the start of the book; it felt like I was actually visiting Ham House and it inspired me to look it up online to make it a more interactive reading experience.

I really liked Maureen and it's heartbreaking how invisible she is to others.  It's good to have an older protagonist for a change and I think Genevieve Marenghi has highlighted an important issue of feeling lonely and worthless as you get older; just because your hair goes grey, it doesn't mean you should fade out of existence.  I really empathised with Maureen, especially when she hears people talking about her as that is never a pleasant experience.

Maureen has a plan to alleviate her boredom as a National Trust volunteer; she will steal her favourite artwork while Ham House is being used as a film set.  When the theft gets discovered quicker than she expected, Maureen finds out that she isn't as invisible as she thought.

Atmospheric, entertaining and authentic, No Oil Painting is a really fun read that reminded me a little of a Carry-On caper mixed with the Scooby Gang but with real issues in a real setting.  Even the painting that Maureen steals is really hanging on the wall in Ham House.  I enjoyed this one and think it's well worth a read.

I received a gifted paperback for the Rachel's Random Resources blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Purchase links:

UK Kindle

UK Paperback

US Kindle

US Paperback

About the author:

With a BA in English and Philosophy, Genevieve worked for eleven years at the Weekend FT, where she helped create and launch How To Spend It magazine.

She volunteered for years as a National Trust guide at Ham House. This became the setting for her debut art heist novel, No Oil Painting, which was listed for the inaugural Women’s Prize Trust and Curtis Brown Discoveries, and was published by Burton Mayers Books on 10th October 2025.

Her writing uses dark humour to probe the difference between our perception of people and their true selves. The gulf between what is said and what is meant. She considers people watching an essential skill for any writer; overheard snippets of conversation or a bonkers exchange at a bus stop are like gold nuggets. She’s been known to follow people to catch the end of a juicy conversation or argument. Women aged over fifty are essentially invisible anyhow and she views this as a kind of superpower.

Unlike her protagonist Maureen, she hasn’t used this to commit art theft. Yet.

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Giveaway

Giveaway to Win National Trust chocolate, and a Ham House towel and fridge magnet (Open to UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Gleam box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Win National Trust chocolate, and a Ham House towel and fridge magnet (Open to UK Only)

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BLOG TOUR: Same Time Next Week - Milly Johnson

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.

 

Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

 

Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

 

Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

 

Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week? 

 

Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

 

Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…

 

What did I think?

Milly Johnson is one of my favourite authors and her new book, Same Time Next Week, is a fabulous as the author herself.  I could never pick a favourite Milly Johnson book as I love them all but Same Time Next Week would be a definite contender.

There are a lot of characters to get to know and you certainly do get to know them throughout the book.  I loved them all as I laughed, cried and fist-bumped the air with them.  I was totally invested in their lives and I am missing them so much I want to read the book all over again right now.

It's so good to have older protagonists who are coping with changes in their bodies and their lives.  Milly tells it like it is and she is so right about the whatdoyoucallit...the menowhatsit thingy.  I thought it was just me who forgot words and left sentences unfinished.  I really must thank Milly for making me feel not quite so abnormal.

This book has everything: lots of drama, bucketfuls of emotion and a huge heart.  It's like a soap opera in a book and I didn't want it to end.  An easy five stars for another outstanding Milly Johnson book and a very highly recommended read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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