Hello everyone!
I discovered Ms Woods completely by accident when the first book of one of her series, Three Wise Men, was made available on Kobo, and I thought to myself, what the heck.
I could do with some Christmas fluff, right?
Well, I ended up getting so much more than that!
That was a few years ago, and I now have the honour and privilege of being part of Ms Woods' ARC team, which means I'm super lucky and get to check out some of her books in advance. Tonight's one is of that caliber, but let me tell you, it is also SO worth the wait to buy it!
If you've been paying attention, Ms Woods has spent most of this year writing as Hermione Moon (her cozy witch mysteries are worth the read too, by the way), but is now returning to the world of contemporary romance.
Tell Me Your Wish is a standalone in her Christmas-themed books, and you can bet you should be picking it up.
Without further ado, let's get right into this new story, just in time for Christmas!
Tell Me Your Wish, as said before, is a standalone, but published within the bigger group of Christmas stories Ms Woods has accumulated over the years (and if you haven't yet, check out those as well, I've definitely reviewed them all on this blog at this point!). It takes place, as always, in the beautiful New Zealand, and I'm telling you if there's ever a chance I get to move there ... I might take it.
Not just for the Lord of the Rings either.
Ahem!
Single mother Tuppence is on a vacation to New Zealand with her son over the holidays, to get some vacation cheer in and meet some relatives of hers she didn't even initially know she had! But her mother came from the country, never returning to it, and Tuppence is curious about her extended family.
Especially since her own back in America is more than a bit fractured.
See, she's divorced from a cheating husband, but then again she went with him in the first place because her home life was slightly unbearable with a controlling father and weak mother (controlling here means he's one of those charismatic people who always get their way and manipulate others to do so). With her mother's recent passing, however, and her son Robbie winning a trip to New Zealand, they're both hoping for a bit of a breather.
And the family is there to help them out!
Including one Gray, the community officer, who lost his wife, Tuppence's cousin, a few years ago and has two children of his own.
And if you're thinking sparks are flying from the moment they meet, you're right.
They do.
They automatically and completely like each other, but they're both in their thirties, with children, and have more baggage than the average twenty-year-old, so they sort of hit the breaks initially. Have to be responsible, right?
Then Robbie falls into the river during a meet with Kiwi Santa (who happens to be Gray) and as he can't swim, it's all hands on deck.
This allows Gray and Tuppence to draw closer, and it's revealed Robbie is severely bullied at school which is another reason for their trip, to help him forget, but he's already terrified of going back. However, he clicks with Gray's children, who welcome him with open arms, as does the rest of the family, and as Gray and Tuppence spend more and more time together with their brood, it's clear something's brewing in the magic of Christmas.
Eventually, the family steps in to match-make - because even though Gray was married to one of their own, she's sadly gone, and everyone recognizes he's too young to mourn for the rest of his life. They just want him to be happy, and they also want Tuppence to be happy, so they help out by taking the kids off their hands and just giving them some privacy to enjoy their alone time together.
And ooooh yes, they do!
They really, really do.
Honestly it's wonderful to see because both of them are older characters than the typical ones you usually see in books where everyone is in their twenties and such, and their connection is really lovely, too.
Tuppence shares her worries about Robbie, and Gray shares his worries about his daughter, Jules, who's on the cusp of becoming a young woman and not having a female presence in her life is also complicating things. She technically CAN tell her dad anything, but, let's be realistic.
How many of us girls actually WANT to talk about some girly stuff with our fathers?
The two of them eventually join the family for Christmas at the beach house, mingling with the big party of people there, and it's worth noting that Tuppence has definitely been meeting all sorts of family since coming over, including her grandfather Jack ... and her real father.
Oh yes, there's that.
See, her mother was engaged to be married to a Kiwi guy before the American came and stole her away, but when she left she was already pregnant with Tuppence, and never really told the actual father about it.
Tuppence now has the chance though and it's lovely to see how accepting and gentle the man's wife is and all. It's just so heart-warming, you know?
At the same time, however, she realizes she can't stay there, no matter that Gray actually suggests it, but it's true she technically has a life in the US, though Robbie kinda disagrees. After a scare of not finding him, they pack up and return home - only for Robbie to be bullied even worse than before.
And Tuppence has enough.
She decides then and there to move them both to New Zealand, speaks to her ex about it so there wouldn't be an issue, and sells a diamond she always thought was worthless so she can move back. Eventually, she and Gray move in together (very quickly, but then again they're in love, everyone and their kiwi bird knows it) and form their own little family, and by Christmas time a year later, he proposes.
Tuppence accepts, and with Julia's problems also worked out earlier (she may have actually gotten pregnant and had an early miscarriage ... teenagers, right?) it's basically happily ever after.
It's just what the doctor ordered!
Perhaps not as lighthearted as some other romances with the different aspects of adulthood, parenthood, and dealing with trauma of any kind thrown in, this is still a worthy book to read because it has a certain magic to it you can only find at Christmas. The family unit in New Zealand is shown to be absolutely lovely, generous, accepting and kind, and Tuppence moving over was a no brainer. The fact she also gets to work with plants now and potentially go back to college is an added bonus, but mostly it's just that she finds happiness.
So does Gray, who can move on in a healthy manner with his life, helping his children.
The themes of this one are certainly more 'adult', so to speak, but the book is very enjoyable and there are neat little tidbits sprinkled throughout to make it even better.
There's no unnecessary drama, just two people trying to navigate life, and it's the most enjoyable story of all.
Now, where do I find myself a nice, wholesome Kiwi guy?
😂
xx
*image not mine
Other Serenity Woods Christmas books:
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