Two by Tilly Tennant - An Unforgettable Christmas Series (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

This week I've decided to tease the latest books from Tilly Tennant which, together, make up the series "An Unforgettable Christmas." Of course, they should be read in order. You've probably already figured out that I'll always say that.

The first in the series is A Very Vintage Christmas. It's the story of Dodie Bright, who loves all things vintage. She has her best friend Isla, stick-in-the-mud boyfriend Ryan, hilarious Gran, and her own vintage clothing shop. She tries to see the best in everyone and will often go out of her way to help others, such as her homeless friend Nick. She finds an old love letter dating back to World War II in the pocket of a coat that comes into the shop and decides that she needs to return it to the family of the woman who received it -- or the man who sent it. She doesn't have much to go on, but it leads her to the doorstop of Ed Willoughby who decides to help her search. There are lots of ups and downs but it's a delightful story without being overly schmaltzy. 

Dodie's best friend, Isla McCoy, gets her story told in A Cozy Candlelit Christmas. She finds out that she has received a mystery inheritance from the grandmother she never knew -- largely because her father exited her life when she was five. In order to receive it, though, she needs to go to the French Alps and spend time with her father. Her mother tries to stop her, but she goes anyway because she feels like it may mend the part of her that has always felt a bit broken. Besides, she has no boyfriend holding her back -- she's firmly anti-relationship. Of course this means that once she reaches St Martin-de-Belleville  the men are plentiful and tempting and romance blossoms. It's not the romantic aspects of this book that I enjoyed the most, though -- it was Isla's blossoming relationship with her father that touched me the most. The other bits were nice, but felt more like they were there because they had to be.

As always, "First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.