Humbugs and Heartstrings by Catherine Ferguson

Guest Review by Sarah Pritchard

What They Say:

This is a tale about love and friendships, complete with a sprinkling of Christmas magic. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Lucy Diamond.

Two ex-friends. One Christmas to remember …

Bobbie's boss Carol is a real misery-guts, dedicated to making the lives of everyone around her unhappy in pursuit of every last penny. What makes it worse is that the two women have history: once they were best friends.

When handsome hotelier Charlie steps into the frame the two women go to battle as one sees a romantic future ahead and the other a possible lifeboat for her business. With wonderful warmth and humour, and the odd mince pie fight, the women are forced to confront their shared past, the turbulent present and, most importantly, the potential of the future.

What Sarah Says:

This was such a fantastic feel good read!  I am still thinking about it now over 24 hours after reading it and still feel all fuzzy and warm!  It is one of those books you could read again when you feel down to cheer you up and get you in the festive mood.  It is like a rom-com movie you want to watch again and again!  Had life not got in the way I would have read this in one sitting no problem I didn't want to put it down!  

Until about half way through I personally forgot about the Christmas theme it is referred to but I kind of forgot about it.  In my opinion the theme did pick up more the further into the book I got but that just means that really it is a fab read for any time of year!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as if you can't tell from the above.  Seriously though it was really well written and I connected with the main character Bobbi straight away and with the all the other characters the more I got to know them.  In parts I felt like I was reading about my own life and in others I actually wanted Bobbi's life!  I rooted for Bobbi right from the beginning wanting everything to work out for her and well you will have to read and see if it really does but I promise you won't be disappointed!  I thought it was going to be the usual predictable romance tale which I love but I was kept guessing throughout wondering if it would really turn out the way I hoped or if I was just completely wrong in who I wanted to win.  I won't tell you if I was right or not…..just go read it!

It made me laugh out loud, was a bit emotional in parts and definitely full of feel good cheeriness!  

I can't wait to see what else this author writes and I will definitely be first in the queue to buy and read it!

About The Author

Catherine Ferguson burst onto the writing scene at the age of nine, anonymously penning a weekly magazine for her five-year-old brother (mysteriously titled the ‘Willy’ comic) and fooling him completely by posting it through the letterbox every Thursday.

Catherine’s continuing love of writing saw her study English at Dundee University and spend her twenties writing for various teenage magazines including Jackie and Blue Jeans and meeting pop stars. She worked as Fiction Editor at Patches magazine (little sister to Jackie) before getting serious and becoming a sub-editor on the Dundee Courier & Advertiser. Moving south in her thirties, she set up Surrey Organics, delivering fresh organic produce to people's homes – and this experience provided the inspiration for her first attempt at writing a full-length novel.

Catherine’s first novel HUMBUG AND HEARTSTRINGS is very loosely based on Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL and is a clever, modern tale about the price of friendship, the cost of enmity, and the value of love. She lives with her son in Northumberland.

Thanks for such a wonderful review, Sarah!