‘A wonderful book with a great story and a sparky, unusual voice. I loved it!’ KATIE FFORDEEscape to the frost-sparkling Yorkshire Dales for some festive fun under the mistletoe! A saucy comedy-romance with more than a sprinkle of Christmas spice – this will lift your spirits and your excitement level!It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for costume shop owner Becky Finn. Leaving London to … level!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for costume shop owner Becky Finn. Leaving London to move back home to the twinkly rural village of Egglethwaite, she plans to build a new life for herself with fiancé, Cole.
Keen to raise funds for the struggling village hall she loved as a child, Becky finds herself at the head of a colourful group aiming to revive the Egglethwaite Christmas pantomime. But when that festive feeling sets in, she discovers there’s more to panto than innuendo and slapped thighs.
Falling in love was not in the script! But as opening night grows closer, she starts to wonder if the panto will ever make it to the stage and, with handsome co-star Marcus on the scene, if she has chosen her right leading man…
The perfect stocking-filler gift!
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE LOVE IN THE DALES SERIES:
A Bicycle Made for Two (Book 1)
more
Favorite Quotes:
‘She’s volunteering me for stuff again,’ Gerry muttered. ‘I’ll never get a moment’s peace while I’m married to that woman.’ ‘You’ll get plenty of peace when you’re dead,’ Sue told him. ‘I bet even then I won’t be allowed. I bet you’ll be there, standing over the fresh-shoveled earth.’ He put on a high-pitched voice, jamming his hands on his hips. ‘“Gerald! What’re you lying about down there for? Don’t you know it’s lambing time?”’
‘You gotta have Baby Jesus at Christmas,’ the child repeated stubbornly. She puffed herself up. ‘Last year I was Mary and I had him. Hid him in my dress so’s he could pop out when Miss said and I put him in his manager.’ ‘Manager?’ Marcus said. ‘’S’like a cot what cows eat their tea off.’
It was a baptism of fire, for Dad especially, but he took to it like a duck to hoisin.
‘You’re, er, a bit lopsided there.’ Gerry glanced down at his bosom, which had deflated on one side. ‘Oh. Right. Just a sec.’ He started pumping his arm like a one-winged chicken, and Yolanda giggled as his left breast grew before our eyes… ‘Now you’ve got one bigger than the other,’ my dad told Gerry. ‘You’re just jealous.’
‘My official age is forty-five, thank you, and I plan on keeping it that way until I’m at least seventy… Well, I think I can pass for forty if the lighting’s right.’ ‘She means if there’s a blackout,’ Sue whispered to us.
My Review:
I smirked, giggle-snorted, and gleefully barked my way through this delightfully witty and deftly crafted tale. Written from the first-person POV of returning village resident Becky Finn, this wily author’s highly engaging and deliciously alluring writing style left me unable to put my Kindle down. Her clever and enticing arrangements of words were laced with humorous observations and perceptive insights that were keenly honed, brilliantly paced, and vividly detailed in a highly comical manner. This quirky little village housed an odd assortment of uniquely dynamic personalities who were lured into staging an original pantomime performance to raise funds to save their community center. Bedlam and chaos befell the unusual production at various times throughout their rehearsals with an ever-changing script, wardrobe, ego, and talent issues that caused an alarming eye-twitch to the beleaguered director and new alliances and interesting exchanges among the cast and crew. I had a fantabulous time in the Yorkshire Dales and hope to return soon.
Mary Jane Baker is a comedic genius and I covet her mad word skills and creative imagination. In addition to an excellent day of indulgent reading, she has also provided me with two new words for my Brit Word and Phrases List with widdle – urinate; and manky – worthless, rotten, in bad taste. While the later does not apply to this book, the former may have occurred during reading due to uncontrollable eruptions of mirthful amusement.
Becky Finn moves back to her home town, the village of Egglethwaite from London. Her fiancée Cole has a rather hard time adapting to country life, and feels like an outsider. Becky is hoping that moving back home would be an ideal situation for her future being married and having children. Becky is adjusting well to life in the village and gets involved with helping raise funds for the community hall by bringing the panto back to life, a memory that Becky remembers well from her childhood.
When I started reading this book, I was not aware of the British pantomime or panto. My understanding of pantomime being an American, are clowns with white painted faces who do not speak a word and entertain audiences with the invisible mirror as their main act and usually done as a solo show. The panto that is described in this amazing story is actually the opposite, where it is a winter musical comedy theater that is raucous, rowdy, silly and loud. The panto has very deep roots, drawing on the 15th and 16th century traditions with characters that include the boy, the dame, a sidekick, lots of audience participation and of course enough innuendos to keep the grown ups entertained as well.
This is the first book I have read from author Mary Jayne Baker, and is the second book of the Love in the Dales series, and it worked for me well as a standalone. I love how funny and sweet the story is and the writing is absolutely amazing and highly entertaining. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments and I loved that this book I am enjoying after a series of thrillers I have been reading. I also enjoyed the characters and the love triangle trope between Becky, her fiancée Cole and the ever so handsome Marcus.
Baker has such a knack for amazing characters and writes a beautiful village life full of funny antics and dialogue that is highly entertaining and also heartwarming. “The Perfect Fit” is an amazing book that I recommend for a fun, hilarious and heart warming read that will put you in a great holiday mood.