Humorous? Darn right funny, definitely a feel good book. while there is a love story in the background, the panto is the thing. The descriptions of the actors, their costumes, and their antics made it all come to life. I could hardly wait to get to the part where they actually performed the panto because the rehearsals were hysterical. If only there was a script so someone could replicate this, even if we only got to see it on YouTube, it would be a smash.
I cannot say enough good a bout it - .I loved it.!

I didn’t realize this was the second in a series when I started it, I think I might have appreciated it more had I read the first one. I’m probably not the right audience for this, I really don’t like love triangle stories. I had a hard time liking the characters (again, this is probably me not liking love triangle plots!). It definitely had some cute moments, but there was a lot going on at times too and I found myself skimming some parts.

A sweet, endearing read that is especially good if you love pantomime/theatre. The characters are amusing and the story line is fun, it was just not as captivating to me as I was hoping for. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely read one which I enjoyed.
The Perfect Gift is a magical tale of creating a panto to save the village hall. Becky moves back the the Yorkshire Dales as this is where she wants to be and gets fully involved in village life. Her fiance Cole is finding this difficult and with a certain handsome man involved in the panto will he be going back to London?
Mary Jayne Baker is a great story teller who is fast becoming a favourite of mine.

What a fun, exciting read! I really enjoyed this retelling of Cinderella and thought that the characters were well thought out and fully lovable. The story was quick-paced and had some interesting moments in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What a refreshing romance! Totally different to everything I've ever read before, with an eclectic band of characters. Never seen a panto in my life before and really wish I had.
I particularly enjoyed the respect the characters had for one another. It's a weird thing to point out, but if you've read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. Everyone was very supportive and cared for each other; a side effect of living in a village such as this. A light, feel-good novel.
3.5 stars.

Such a funny book, full of innuendo and pantomime, just right for this time of year.
Becky returns back home to Egglethwaite after living in London with her fiance Cole.
After staying in every night since returning home she is invited to join the locals at the pub where discovers the village hall is in dire need of repair, the idea of a pantomime is born and the fun begins.
Cole comes to the village but isn't to keen on joining in with the local people or Becky's family and remains a stranger. Meanwhile, Becky and Marcus start on the script for the panto.

I warmed to the characters quickly. Pip Becky's niece is quite outspoken and with her help and those of the local children they form a good story around Cinderella.
I love the ugly sisters, Becky's dad, and uncle and also the fairy godmother and the innuendo and cheesy jokes had me laughing out loud many a time. Throw in a randy bafta winning actor and his dippy glamour model wife and you have a recipe for success
A really good fun romping story.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity

I just couldn't get into this book. There was so much dialogue and so many secondary characters. While I did enjoy the love triangle/story between Becky and Marcus, there was just so much other stuff that was going on. I honestly had to skim some pages to get to scenes between Becky and Marcus. I really liked how strong and independent Becky was and how much she loved her small town, but ultimately I didn't really like the writing style or the love story.

Solid 4 1/2 stars. I liked the story, and the writing, and there's just something about books set in England that really appeals to me. The quips, the different words than I'm used to, it stretches the brain and makes me chuckle. I could use a good chuckle.

Sweet story, perfect for a flight last night. Would recommend easily.

The synopsis sounded cute, interesting and lighthearted but, sadly I struggled to connect with the characters. The writing was off to me and I could not pinpoint what it was for me. I loved the premise of the story and was excited to dive in however; I ended up struggling to finish this book.

A cute story , it was funny and the characters meshed well. The romance was great and the story ran smoothly! It has the British humor in it and I enjoy it a lot.The writing was ok I struggled a little bit.

This book was exactly what I needed in my life right now. With all the stresses of starting a new career, it was amazing to cuddle up by the fireplace and totally escape into northern England for this cute story. I don’t typically love “romance” novels, but this was different. The story center around a small town trying to save their little community center from going under by starting a panto theatre group to raise money. All of the characters were great, I love a story with quirky characters! Totally recommended for someone looking for a nice, not overly complicated, feel good book. I’ll be keeping an eye out for any other books written by this author!

Becky has moved back from London to Eggelthwaite, but her fiance Cole is still there until he can move as well which is always a recipe for disaster...... especially with leading man Marcus on the scene! To start off with Becky stays at home talking to Cole every night but then she gets involved with trying to save the village hall and organising a pantomime with hilarious results...... how will her relationship with Cole pan out now that she is back here on her own territory?

Loved this book and it was great being back in Egglethwaite with old friends. A great fun book with loads of comic episodes that leaves you with a big smile on your face

What I love about this author and this series is the humour that dominates the plot and acts as the perfect counterpoint to the deep emotion of some scenes. Again, this story concentrates on community spirit. How after a little persuasion and give and take, they work as one for the good of the village.

The storyline is engaging and unique, again a characteristic of this author. The quality of characters, the events and emotions bring James Herriot's Vet stories to mind, which I love.

There's romance too, which is a realistic mix of poignancy and laughter and adds just the right amount of sweetness and spice to this delightful story.

Love in the Dales is a great series, well worth reading.

I received a copy of this book from Mirror Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A good easy read. This is a sequel so is better read after the first book (I bought the first to do just that) as the characters will make more sense to the reader. The humour in this book is excellent and using the pantomime to play out the lives of the characters is inspirational. I didn't see 'the dress' coming in to play again so the author surprised me there. It's easy to warm to the characters and i really like the fact it is set in my home county of Yorkshire which is more unusual than you think.

I am going to say honestly that I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I don't read a lot of romance or chick lit but as a new librarian, I am trying to expand my reading and explore genres that I am not familiar. Right off the bat I enjoyed the writing and characters, Becky was instantly likable and the supporting characters were given enough story to be important but didn't take away from the main love story. I liked that the author wrote as if we were friends with these characters and didn't feel the need to over explain or rehash the existing relationships. (full disclosure, I have nor read #1 in this series but did not feel that I needed to in order to enjoy or understand this one.)

One of the plot points that has usually made me put down romances is the idea that there has to be a bad guy in the story. I loved that Baker didn't feel the need to make Cole into some super villain that the audience had to hate in order for them to feel good about the blossoming Becky/Marcus relationship. Sometimes in life, people fall out of love or find themselves not "fitting" as much as they did in the beginning and that's fine! That's life and the author did a great job writing about the end and beginning of relationships.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing (especially the British terms!), the characters, and the non-cheesiness of the story. Even the somewhat over the top finale was fun! I would recommend this book to people hesitant to try romance and hope they will like it as much as I did.

This was an entertaining enough read, but it was my first time reading this author and I found the style a bit twee. Also, I have to say I'm not a fan of stories where the heroine starts out with a bland, unsuitable partner and ends up finding someone bigger, brighter and more colourful. Just not my thing. Still, I liked the theatre aspect and it provided a pleasant bit of escapism for a while.

Rating 3/3

A very sweet story about never settling for someone you've LEARNED to live without but fight for passion that you CANNOT live without. Often times in life, I see people *settling* with someone because its their comfort zone and we are too scared to take the risk love entails, but do they end up happy? Most of the times not. Like in Becky's case - she would have settled for a boring life with Cole because it was her safety net had it not been for Marcus and her pantomime team who opened her eyes to see what love and life is really about.

I rated this a 3/3 because I disliked Becky at first - she wasn't brave in any sense of what I'd expect for a protagonist and because the story was a drag. I could barely keep my eyes open trying to finish this and came very close to DNF'g.

I loved the first book in this series and this one is a great follow-up! However, it also works quite well as a stand-alone if you haven't read A Bicycle Made for Two. Becky has recently moved back to her hometown of Egglethwait, a charming English village, and is determined to help the village hall raise funds to stay open. She's juggling that, along with her fiance, her costume business, and working her way back into the community. There's plenty of humor, romance, and drama, both on- and off-stage. The story kept me entertained and I really like the characters. They make me want to visit Egglethwait and I appreciate their strong sense of community. The ending was quite satisfying, though not without some bumps in the road. I'll be looking forward to reading more books by Mary Jayne Baker!

I received an advance copy of this book and this review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Becky Finn was a great addition to this series. I love this little town and all the towns people. I really wish I lived in such a place. I enjoy keeping up with these characters growth, the way their lives are shaping into adulthood, and of course, the original adults growing old, even in denial.

This book is about loss, but it's also about learning about yourself and growing up. As you get older you realize more and more how important YOU are. You learn to make your needs a priority. That's exactly what Becky did and it was a fun journey along the way.