Lovely follow up to the previous book. Nice easy to read book. Great to find out how the caharacters are getting on and see this twist this time

I really enjoyed Annie's Christmas by the Sea and I thought it was a fantastic follow up to the book published earlier this year! I loved the initial visit to Salt Bay so I was really looking forward to revisiting for this Christmas. I loved the characters from the first visit so was delighted to see them again in this book, I love the way that they interact together and Liz has a lovely way of describing them and the locality to make you feel as you are there with them. The book can easily be read as a stand alone, but if you are planning on reading the previous book, I'd recommend that you do them in order as what happens in book one is covered in this book. This is the kind of book that you need to sit down with a mug of warm hot chocolate and a mince pie - delightful! A four star read from me and hoping we can go back to Salt Bay next year!!

Annie’s Christmas By The Sea is the follow on from Annie’s Holiday By The Sea, as it follows on I would advise reading the books in order to get full enjoyment from the books and as they are fabulous books so why wouldn’t you want to?

It was great to catch back up with Annie and the other characters again. The setting is as wonderful as I remembered it and was instantly transported back to the village.

Annie seems to have acquired even more family in this book. Barry I’m not to sure if I was supposed to take to him so quickly, but I did. I thought he was a brilliant character and he brought even more fun to the story. Storm is your typical teenager but you just know that deep down there is lovely girl inside.

I had to feel sorry for Josh and Annie. They haven’t been together long but both have so much going on in their lives that it makes it hard for them to find time for themselves and things start to take their toll.

Annie’s Christmas By The Sea is a story very much about relationships, new and old. There is a real sense of community that you only tend to get in small places. A story that was a joy to read and perfect for the run up to Christmas.

https://twitter.com/thebooktraiHow I only wish Salt Bay was real. It certainly feels very real and rugged. Cornwall is beautiful at any time of year but at Christmas it seems all the more magical somehow. Annie Trebarwith is happily settled in Salt Bay and snowSis in the air. This is a book to sit down with with a pre Christmas mince pice and a smile on your face. When her rock god father Barry turns up, all hell breaks loose and there are some very funny shenanigans at work especially when another unexpected visitor turns up. The story is full of Christmas Cornwall magic but at its heart is a fine story about family, heart and realising the real meaning of family at Christmas. It'll warm the Cornish cockles of your heart without you having to sit in front of a roasting fire. Many will recognise the family dynamics and even if you're in a gorgeous country village, some problems and niggles seem to follow you everywhere. A warm and fun novel perfect for Christmas and all the emotions the holidays entail.

What a fantastic sequel, and a highly enjoyable story in its own right.

I thoroughly enjoyed my return to Salt Bay, and the book starts shortly after the previous one ended. Besides the choir and Annie still getting used to have family in Alice and Toby, and her boyfriend Josh, and Salt Bay not being London, Annie has one more huge shock to deal with.

Out of the blue her father and half sister show up, and decide to stay with Annie for a while. They are not exactly suited to life in Salt Bay and the early interactions are cringe worthy and hilarious. As the story progressed though you get to know them both a bit more and I ended up really liking them both.

One of the secrets from the first book is expanded up on more this time, and in Annie doing her best to help everyone involved in it, has to keep something rather large from he boyfriend which doesn't go down too well.

IF you are planning on reading Annie's Holiday by the Sea, then I would suggest doing that before reading this one, partly so the events occur in chronological order and also as reading them the other way around would be to my mind confusing. This can be read as a standalone and all the key points from book 1 are mentioned enough so that you don't feel like you are missing out.

Despite having Christmas in the title I feel this is a book that can be enjoyed all year around, as although its set in the winter months, Christmas doesn't play a massive part in the overall story.

I am loving Liz Eeles writing style, she has a great way of describing her characters so that they feel so real. I could really picture the action. I loved also getting to know a bit more about other residents of Salt Bay, and really hope that there will be more Salt Bay books in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I've reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Bookouture, for this review copy in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Noelle for allowing me to be part of the Blog Blitz for this book.

This is the 2nd book in the Salt Bay series. We return to Annie who has returned to Salt Bay to live with her Great Aunt Alice. Annie and Josh Pasco are now a couple and life couldn’t be perfect. That is until Annie’s long lost dad, Barry turns up bringing her teenage half-sister, Storm! As she’s never met her dad before, and still finding it difficult to be a ‘family’ person after so many years of it being her and her mum, Annie is understanding hesitant about the sudden influx of kith and kin. It doesn’t really help with Barry and Storm clashing with every person in the village, but at least Great Aunt Alice is enjoying her new houseguests as she’s invited them to stay a bit longer! This whole situation appears to be driving a wedge between Annie and Josh, and with Annie entering the Salt Bay Choral Society into a Choir competition it’s obvious that things are not going to run smoothly!

It was great to be back in Salt Bay, and at Christmas as well. How pretty must the little Cornish village be with Christmas lights and a sprinkling of snow! It’s lovely to see Annie still with Josh, but I have to admit I think Josh is even grumpier in this book than what he was in the last. Personally, I probably would have kicked him into touch a long time ago for being so miserable!! It was also lovely for Annie to finally meet her dad and find out her true ancestry as she was always told her dad was a Viking (not the Norse kind unfortunately!) Her sister Storm must have been taking lessons from Josh in how to be the gloomiest person in Cornwall, although you can’t blame her when she has had to follow Barry from gig to gig for the majority of her life!!

This was just as funny a book as what the first one was. I chuckled my way through this one, with Barry being my favourite character. It was lovely when he was being sincere and truthful with Annie, but his best moments were when he wasn’t! It was great to have an aged old rocker trying to share his love of Black Sabbath with the choir! I also loved seeing Troy back. He has to be the most tactless and insincere man ever, but he is so funny with it! A fantastic Christmassy story that has you crying with laughter! Oh and I agree with Annie on the subject of Doctor Who….it’s a no brainer that David Tennant is the best Doctor!! Well recommended! Five stars!