'Tis the season... for making book wish lists! And that means my "All I Want for Christmas" feature is going to get dusted off and used again. For any new followers to my blog, this is when I share the books that have made it onto my Christmas wishlist. I'll probably share one or two a week until Christmas. Feel free to link up your own book picks in the comments!
My picks for this post:
The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase
"An evocative novel in the vein of Kate Morton and Daphne du Maurier, in which the thrill of first love clashes with the bonds of sisterhood, and all will be tested by the dark secret at the heart of Applecote Manor.
"An enthralling story of secrets, sisters, and an unsolved mystery."--Kate Morton, New York Times bestselling author of The Lake House
Four sisters. A house with a past. One secret summer.
When fifteen-year-old Margot Wilde and her three sisters arrive at Applecote Manor in June 1959, they expect a quiet English country summer. Instead, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years before. As the arrival of two handsome neighbors divides the sisters' loyalties, Margot is drawn into the life Audrey left behind and the mystery of her vanishing. Fifty years later, Jessie is desperate to move her family out of their London home, and gorgeous Applecote Manor seems like the perfect solution. But once there, Jessie finds herself increasingly isolated, at odds with her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, and haunted by the strange rumors that surround the manor. Rich with heat and angst, in The Wildling Sisters the thrill of first love clashes with the bonds of sisterhood, taking readers on a breathless journey into the darkest secrets of the human heart."
I read Eve Chase's book Black Rabbit Hall this past year and ended up quite enjoying it. While it wasn't the Gothic thriller I was expecting, its quieter take on death and grief within a family was well done. I'm always up for historical family stories full of secrets and interpersonal tensions, so I'm hopeful I'll also enjoy The Wildling Sisters.
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
"Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.
This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever... or is it?"
This one just sounds like a cute, fun read perfect for the holiday season! I haven't read any YA for a while that really captures the warm fuzzy feeling of Christmas (a la Let It Snow), and I'm hoping this one might.
What books are you hoping to unwrap this holiday season?
