Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace

Favorite Quotes:<br /><br />Sam needs a third party to interpret for him on occasion, he’s that emotionally constipated.<br /><br />Wandering into the kitchen, he saw Aidan emptying the dishwasher… ‘Don’t remember you ever doing that when I lived here all the time.’ ‘That’s because you did it all for me,’ Aidan grinned. ‘Why own a dog and bark yourself?’<br /><br /><br />My Review:<br /><br />This was a light, sweet, and slowly evolving romance with relevant, relatable, and current issues. The writing style and storylines were original and easy to follow and cast with characters who were likable, hardworking, and endearing. Toss in a production of the Bard, a few tasty servings of sizzle, and mix in meddling friends and family and the end result is a light and entertaining diversion.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an arc copy of this novel. <br /><br />Oh, this was such a lovely read; just what you need either for the beach or, as intended, at Christmas. Fay Keenan writes beautifully and, with the authority and knowledge of being, like her protagonist, a teacher herself, the story flows. As such, the everyday happenings in, and atmosphere of, a high school are related just as they are and Florence, our main character, comes across as a totally realistic, warm and thoughtful character.<br />With a new house, inherited from a favourite great-aunt, as well as a brand-new teaching job, Florence is not looking for love, but it’s there ready and waiting in the character of Sam, her new next-door neighbour. <br />Keenan appears to have put much research into the work of the air ambulance brigade and Sam, newly retired out of the navy for reasons we come to be told, fits perfectly the romantic hero as the gorgeous, somewhat brooding, although basically very pleasant and caring (as well as tight-trousered when in role as amateur Shakespearian actor) pilot.<br />The romance between the two is very much will they/won’t they and the scene in Florence’s classroom at the very end of the book is both rewarding, original and a clever one.<br />This is just the book to curl up with on cold winter days ahead. A hot chocolate, a mince pie and “Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace.” What else could you ask for?<br />

This was my first Christmas book of 2020. Is reading a Christmas book in August considered too early? I don't think so. Given the amount of time in lockdown, it feels as though we deserve a good Christmas this year.<br /><br />The story is an absolute delight, despite it starting with tragedy. Florence's distant aunt has passed away and left her property to Florence, much to her surprise. She's starting a new life in the property and has a job set up as a secondary teacher in a new local school. When her noisy neighbour prevents her from sleeping, she thinks she has bad neighbours. Much to her surprise, Sam and Aiden her new neighbours are more interesting and friendly than she initially thought.<br /><br />This is a well-written romance though it took me a while to get into it. This is a heartwarming festive read with plenty of strong characters. Florence is coerced into performing in a local play and is sent straight into the heart of the community. There are plenty of twists and turns in the story to keep you guessing what's going to happen next.<br /><br />Aidan was one of my favourite characters, he was determined to make a life for himself despite going through huge emotional trauma. Sam spends a lot of time worrying about him and his story is told so sensitively it was beautiful to read.<br /><br />A fantastic festive story that is a perfect cozy Christmas read. A wonderful story and one that I am sure to remember.

I have read a couple of Fay's books and I really enjoyed them. I read the synopsis for 'Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace' and it certainly sounded like another amazing read from Fay Keenan. I was spot on as I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of this book but more about that in a bit.<br /><br />I loved the characters of Florence Ashton and Sam Ellis and I warmed to them both from the start. Florence is a teacher. Florence inherits a house from her great aunt, which she was not expecting at all. Florence ends up moving to her late great aunt's house and Florence also finds herself a job. She has fond childhood memories of going to Willowbury as a child to visit and sometimes stay with her great aunt. Florence regrets not having visited her great aunt more over the last few years but with work and things, she just hasn't had the time. Moving to Willowbury is the new start that Florence needs. There are a few teething problems with the house next door, as one of the residents has a fondness for playing the electric guitar at all hours of the night. Sam is an air ambulance pilot and he first runs into (almost literally) Florence when he is distracted by a pasty and crosses the road in front of Florence's car. It turns out that Florence and Sam live closer to each other than they might have imagined. I won't go into any further details as I don't want to spoil the story for anybody. Will Florence and Sam get the happy ever after ending that they both deserve? Well for the answer to that question and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out.<br /><br />When I agreed to take part in the blog tour for 'Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace', I hadn't actually realised that it was the second in the Willowbury series. That didn't make the blindest bit of difference to me because the book reads perfectly well as a standalone story. This was one of those books that immediately grabbed my attention and drew me into the story. I found that I took so well to the main characters that I felt compelled to keep reading and I mean that in the nicest possible way. I genuinely cared what happened to them and of course that meant that the pages were turning increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out what happened steadily grew and grew. All too quickly I reached the end of the story and I had to say farewell to Florence and Sam. I do hope that we meet them again though.<br /><br />'Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace' is well written. In Florence and Sam, Fay has created genuinely lovable characters who were described so realistically that they seemed to leap off the page and they seemed just as real as you and I. I did end up feeling as though they had both become good friends of mine. I loved the fact that this book had snow in the title, especially as I read this book in summer when the temperatures was far hotter than I can cope with. Reading this book felt like a hug in a mug, in that the story makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I felt as though I was part of the story and that's all down to Fay's very vivid and realistic storytelling.<br /><br />In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace' and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Fay's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.<br /><br />

*I voluntarily reviewed this book via Netgalley.<br /><br />I know for some that reading a Christmas story in August is just one step too far for an already crazy 2020, but I promise you, you won't regret picking up SNOWFLAKES OVER BAY TREE TERRACE by Fay Keenan.<br /><br />When Florence inherits a house from her deceased great-aunt, she decides it is time for a new life and takes a leap of faith by moving to the beautiful little town of Willowbury. With a new teaching job, a new place to explore, and new friends to make, Florence is busier than she could imagine, and love is the last thing on her mind, even though her slightly brooding next-door-neighbour, Sam, makes her heart flutter just a little bit. But as always, the past is never too far away, and they are both very different people with a lot going on in their lives. But as the snow begins to fall, could a little magic help them on their way to love?<br /><br />With loveable characters, a stunning setting, and a lovely atmosphere that worked its magic on me as a reader, SNOWFLAKES OVER BAY TREE TERRACE by Fay Keenan is simply wonderful. The author has a talent for weaving the character's emotions in such a way that you feel it all right there with them and I smiled, teared up, and fell in love with them all so easily that I could not put this book down. <br /><br />SNOWFLAKES OVER BAY TREE TERRACE is a must-read this winter season so make sure it's on your list. You won't regret it!!

This is such a charming book that hooked me from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the chemistry between Florence and Sam and knew they’d get together at some point! I also figured out Sam’s brother’s secret pretty early on too. But that didn’t detract from such a lovely story.<br />I would have liked to read a little more about Florence’s family – for example, what she found in the attic. But perhaps that’s a story for another time?<br />All in all, a really delightful book for lovers of easy-going romantic drama.

Fay Keenan does it again! What I love about her stories is the element of realism, the funny awkward moments, and the amazing passion between her characters. <br /><br />This is a truly lovely story, with a feisty heroine and a super-hot hero in uniform, and a little bit of Shakespeare and a hint of Christmas thrown in the mix.

Aunts are so handy in literature when they die and leave legacies that change the heroine’s life! It’s a familiar trope but always interesting, and this author handles it in an original way.<br />Florence and Sam are very engaging as hero and heroine. Neither is perfect as each comes with a certain amount of baggage and flaws but that’s what we want and expect from this genre. They meet, grate, grumble and finally begin understand each other, with lots of lovely will-they won’t-they along the way.<br />This is a pleasant, easy read, with the right amounts of comedy and romance and seasonal atmosphere for the perfect, festive romcom. I shall read it again during once the night’s have really drawn in as I’m sure it will resonate and entertain even more then.<br />

This a very adorable book with a nice romance evolving nice and slowly. There are some serious mental health topics that are mentionned in this book which i find nice as it gives the book a more serious side while still being light and fun. This book is also about friendship. There are some parts that I found a bit slow in the book but all in all I really enjoyed this book by Fay keenan and I cannot wait to read another book from her!

<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/photos/1586504945p8/3890838.jpg" width="400" height="125" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><a href="https://www.rajivsreviews.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">[Blog]</a>::<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjJpT-DLi-kylg65Bb1x9eA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">[Youtube]</a>::<a href="https://twitter.com/RajivsReviews" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">[Twitter]</a>::<a href="https://www.instagram.com/rajivsreviews/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">[Instagram]</a>::<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/rajivsreviews/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">[Pinterest]</a>::<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/rajivs-reviews-19263215" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">[Bloglovin]</a><br><br><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEbUnDkAWNQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1598616084i/30027024._SY540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br>I love books that give me a cozy, warm feeling, and Snowflakes Over Bay Tree Terrace did that perfectly!<br><br>To begin with, this is one of those books where I loved the characters as a couple, rather than themselves. Initially, I found Florence to be quite stubborn and set in her ‘school teacher’ ways even in her personal life. Sam also felt like a difficult guy to connect with, as he keeps his emotions bottled up. However, I loved their chemistry together. Their romance is so adorable and it was fun to see if they will/won’t be together.<br><br>Moreover, the supporting characters are endearing and I loved them all. Specifically, I loved Aiden! I thought the author did a wonderful job in highlighting his struggles. Both Sam and Aiden deal with their own struggles, and it was nice to see Florence in the mix. Also, Josie was another favorite character and I loved her friendship with Florence. She lightens up the entire story with her opinions and advice. In fact, I even liked Tom and his snobbish mannerisms.<br><br>The author setup the story against the beautiful backdrop of Willowbury. I loved the idyllic town set during winter season, and wished I resided in such a place. Surprisingly, I also found the setting of the Air Ambulance Services fascinating. I have not read much on the topic and I really admire the author for doing research and incorporating it in the plot.<br><br>Overall, this is one of those book that sets the mood for the festive season. If you are looking for a good, cozy romance, then I would recommend this book!