A Perfect Paris Christmas by Mandy Baggot Book Review*

I received a copy to review but all opinions are my own*
I'm sure I'm not the only one on a countdown to Christmas. 2020 has been a year we won't ever forget but I think I'm ready to say goodbye to it now. I'm currently in full on Autumn mode and before we know it the festive adverts will start, the Christmas markets will be here and I'll be having many a movie night wrapped in blankets watching Love Actually and Bridget Jones! Around this time of year there's nothing I love more than to get stuck into a festive romantic read and that's exactly what The Perfect Paris Christmas by Mandy Baggot is. 

'United in grief. Pushed apart by tragedy. Keeley Andrews knows more than anyone that you only live once. So when she receives an invitiation to spend two weeks in Paris, all expenses paid, she jumps at the chance. Ethan Bouchard has had the worst eighteen months of his life. He's ready to give up on everything, including his hotel chain. So when he meets Keeley, it simply isn't the right time. As Keeley and Ethan continue to bump into each other on the romantic Parisian streets, they can't help but wonder whether this is fate telling them to let go of the past and leap into the future...'

My Review

I have to start with the fact that I absolutely loved the main character Keeley. How much can one person deal with at one time?! Having lost her sister the previous year and now facing health problems of her own, she's not got it easy but add to that, she has to try and come to terms with the fact her friend is dying too. I couldn't help but feel for her and I just hoped that as the story progressed, she'd get her happy ending. It's not often you find a character that has gone through so much. Ethan too having lost someone recently is suffering and it was clear they were exactly what the other person needed. Their romance may have been a slow burn, but it was definitely sweet and I really did get so invested in all of the characters as the book went on.

Whilst romance obviously plays a big part in this, I liked that so much of it was about the characters pushing through their tragedies and seeing life in a new light. I think we can all agree that 2020 has put things into perspective and made us realise just how much we can take for granted. Whilst it may be different circumstances to the characters in this book, it's definitely very easy to relate to the 'live life to the fullest' message now.

One thing I really enjoyed throughout this is the feeling of being back in Paris. Mandy has captured the essence of the city perfectly and I could picture everything so clearly. It took me back to George and I's honeymoon a few years ago and now I'm longing for another trip, definitely at Christmas time too!

A final thing to mention is that I loved the relationships between so many of the characters in this. Yes, it's primarily a romance but I adored the friendships and I also really enjoyed the first meeting between Keeley and Silvie early on in the book. It felt really raw and believable and I just enjoyed getting to know all of the characters rather than just a select few.

If you're looking for a book that's sure to get you in the festive spirit early, then A Perfect Paris Christmas is the one for you!

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5 Staycations On My UK Travel Bucket List

Now life seems to be getting back to some normality, I've been making plans for the rest of 2020 and beyond. Whilst I mentioned in my city break bucket list recently that I had high hopes to get a holiday abroad in later in the year, as time goes on and with the rules changing on quarantine pretty much every week, it just doesn't feel like the right time. I'm sure for most people having to unexpectedly quarantine for 2 weeks on arrival back at home isn't ideal anyway but with my anxiety, that's just not something I could deal with, especially when we have Bear to think about. The worry would personally take away the enjoyment of the holiday so we've decided on a few UK breaks instead. I think it's easy to forget sometimes just how much the UK has to offer so now I'm finding myself wanting to go everywhere! George and I have already had a night away in York which was lovely and felt very safe and we're now planning various other trips too so I thought I'd share some of the places in the UK I'd love to visit over the next few years.

Oxford

First on my UK bucket list is Oxford and it's actually the city we're off to next. It just looks absolutely stunning. We've booked the most beautiful hotel which I've wanted to stay in for years and we already have so much planned. One of the things I really want to do is visit the Oxford Prison Museum, I'm oddly fascinated by prisons, weird I know. I also really want to climb to the top of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin which is apparently the place to go for the best views of the city and I definitely want to tick off a few Harry Potter locations! I honestly can't wait for a few days of sightseeing, cocktails and some good food.

Bath

Bath is one of those places I think would be gorgeous all year round but something about Christmas time there calls out to me. It's so picturesque and I just can't wait to be there one day, taking it all in. At the top of my list for Bath is The Roman Baths and a visit to the Thermae Bath Spa would be cool too as it's not anything like we've done before. I also like the look of Pulteney Bridge, the Royal Crescent and of course Bath Abbey.

Lincoln

It wasn't until a few days after George and I spoke and did some research on places we wanted to go that I realised we'd completely missed out Lincoln. I'm so glad it popped into my head as it's another city that looks gorgeous and it's a bit like York in that it's not too far away from us so we could just go for the night or even the day if we didn't feel like stopping. I'm really keen to spend some time at Lincoln Castle so we can do the Medieval Wall Walk and visit the Victorian Prison. I also definitely want to see Steep Hill and visit some cute shops and tea rooms! 

Whitby

Last year we had a weekend break in Whitby and it makes me smile every time I think about it. It was our first holiday with Bear and he just had the best time. We ate so much fish and chips and ice cream, spent loads of time at the beach and just had a lovely few days exploring. It was really special and I'm desperate to go again, hopefully next year. Whilst going abroad is always fun, there's just something nice about a caravan holiday isn't there? I love it! I always feel so happy when I'm at the seaside and I think Bear does too.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh has been on my bucket list for ages and this Christmas we're finally going! It's going to be a long car journey so I'll be taking ALL the snacks, will be stocked up with books and I'm deffo taking a cosy blanket with me. Like Bath, I'm sure it's beautiful no matter what time of year you go but it's always stood out to me as a place to go at Christmas. The photos I've seen of the Christmas market look insane, though I suppose it might be scaled down and scattered throughout the city this year instead but I'm sure it will be just as magical. I definitely want to visit Edinburgh castle aswell, Victoria Street and Dean Village, just to name a few places on our very long list.

So that wraps up my current UK travel bucket list. We already have a few breaks booked but I'm hoping to get more ticked off over the next few years! Please let me know if you have any recommendations for Oxford or Edinburgh to add to my list.

What's at the top of your UK bucket list?

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My September To-Do List

It's been a while since I last shared a monthly to-do list but as September nears the start of my favourite season and really the time I start getting organised and excited for the best time of the year (yes I am thinking about Christmas already) this seemed like a good time to share some of the things I'm hoping to get done this month!

Perfect At Least 2 Brownie Recipes

I know I talk about brownies A LOT on my blog and there doesn't often seem to be a month where I don't share at least one new variety but that's just because they're not only one of my favourite things to eat, but also one of my faves to bake. I feel like I've got a basic brownie recipe down now after many attempts and I finally feel ready to do something with that. Whether it's selling online or going to markets, I'm doing all I can at the moment to make sure that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, that can become a reality. I've been making my Bourbon Biscuit brownies a lot recently and salted caramel and they're good to go but I still need to really perfect a few others and work on some new presentation ideas. This month I want to make and perfect at least 2 more of my recipes but if I can get more in that would be perfect!

Get Ahead With Blog Posts

I often find I have weeks where I write a ton of blog posts and I can get those all scheduled and ready to go and then all of a sudden I have nothing because I've not kept up with it. I've been feeling really motivated with blogging recently which has meant I've genuinely wanted to write most days so this month I just want to keep that up and make sure I've ideally always got content ready to go. I've got loads of ideas for some new content as we head into Autumn and I've got quite a few books I want to review after a great reading month in August so hopefully I can keep up the momentum.

Be More Active On Instagram

With Instagram, similar to my blog, I find I have weeks where I've got tons of photos I want to share and I'm quite active most of the week and then other times I don't upload for weeks and pretty much disappear. Does anyone else do that? Sometimes I just feel I have nothing interesting to share and I find it quite easy with Instagram to just think who actually cares? It's one platform I find I really do worry about what others think and I'm forever questioning myself which can take the enjoyment out of it. Recently I've been uploading a little more, on my grid and on stories and I'd love to keep that up this month. My followers have been stagnant for I don't even know how long now but generally I just want to be a bit more active on there regardless.

De-Clutter & Charity Shop My Things

It doesn't seem that long ago that I last did a big de-clutter but somehow things have built up again and there's now so much that can go to a charity shop that's just in the way. I always take bags of books every few months as I just don't have the room for all of the ones I get through and not long ago I took a massive bag of clothes too so I'm planning on doing that again this month. I think it's finally time to part with the clothes that are hanging in my wardrobe that I either don't like anymore, don't fit or don't suit me. I also need to de-clutter our kitchen cupboards and get rid of loads of mugs that are just taking up space.

Bring Out The Autumnal Decor

I could have got out the pumpkins and Autumnal candles before now but I've somehow managed to restrain myself. Now September is here, I'm going full out for Autumn. I just can't wait for it to start going dark early, to bring out the cosy blankets and beautiful cinnamon scented candles and for there to be a chill in the air again. Ahhhh it's just the best.

Get Prepared For Our Next Trip

Last month George and I had a night in York and it was just so lovely to do something normal again. Whilst I had high hopes we'd still get abroad this year, in the end a few things just made me too anxious and we have Bear to think about too so it just didn't feel right. I have my fingers crossed for next year. We've decided on a few UK breaks instead so we're off to Oxford for a few nights later this month. I like to get sorted early so I need to make some lists, start packing and get the flat in order before we go.

What's on your September to-do list?

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3 Photos I Loved In August

Last month I shared 3 of my favourite photos from July and I loved writing that post so I'm doing one for August too. I'm not sure I'll do them every single month but now life is slowly (in a way) getting back to normal, we're doing a lot more and it's a nice way of looking back on the previous month. Despite it being absolutely BOILING at the start of August which I was definitely not a fan of, it was a great month and one thing I always enjoy about August is that it's one step closer to Autumn. It's when I really get my countdown on for all things Halloween & Christmas so I always feel a bit brighter when it comes around. Anyway, here's 3 photos I loved in August!

A Night In York

Last month George and I had our first little UK break since lockdown & I can't quite find words for how good it was to be doing something like we used to again & to have time just us two. We chose York as it's still quite close to home and it's the perfect city for sightseeing. Every corner you turn there's cute cobbled streets, quirky tearooms and beautiful shops and come rain or shine, it's always absolutely stunning. We had a gorgeous afternoon walking around the city then in the evening we had a meal at Cosy Club which is one of our faves. Basically drowned myself in cheese. Just perfect and exactly what we needed.

An Afternoon In Castleton

Castleton is one of my favourite places to go with George and Bear. It's such a cute village and exactly the sort of place I imagined being able to take our dogs one day before we got Bear. It's the perfect place for a long walk so Bear always comes back absolutely shattered and we go to the nicest little cafe every time. It always feels like a proper day out and no matter the weather, it's just beautiful. When we went earlier this year it was snowing so that was an experience and this time it pretty much chucked it down with rain most of the afternoon but we all still had such a lovely time. Just look how pretty it is!

One For Me Please?!

I think they'll be a picture of Bear every time I do one of these posts! As always there's loads of pictures of him I could have picked but I love this one from our trip to Castleton. He loves any sort of human food and is always sitting patiently hoping he'll get some so of course he was holding out for some ice cream whilst we were in the queue. He's so cheeky but so adorable. I'm not gonna lie, he's going through a phase at the moment of borking, stealing clothes and just generally acting like a 6 month old again. Some days have been hard but he's beyond worth it.

And that wraps up 3 photos I loved in August! I can't believe we're in September already but so incredibly excited about it. Autumn is coming and I'm ready for it.

Are you looking forward to Autumn?

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