THE GREAT CHRISTMAS KNIT-OFF – Alexandra Brown
Tindledale Series, Book 1
William Morrow Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-06-238980-0
October 2015
Cozy Fiction

London (briefly) and Tindledale, England

It was to be a fun wedding with a Star Wars theme…the groom is a great fan. As Sybil stood at the altar waiting—and waiting—for Luke, it became obvious he was not coming. Indeed, he'd run off with Sybil's identical twin sister Sasha. Now, six months later,a costly error at her work place might have been her fault and she could lose her job…and Christmas is coming. Wanting to escape her woes for a while, Sybil takes the train to visit her best friend, Cheryl, who runs a pub, the Duck and Puddle, with her husband in the tiny village of Tindledale. Once there, she finds her friend out of town.

Does all that sound sad? Maybe, but now the fun begins! Sybil (Sybs to her friends, and she is about to make many) is given a warm welcome. She also finds an outlet for her mania for knitting.

The residents of Tindledale are a quirky bunch of individuals, mostly caring and generous, but with an occasional sour note. I'll only mention afew: there is the eighty-something Hettie Honey of Hettie's House of Haberdashery and her greedy nephew; there's Marigold, a pig farmer's daughter who married a lord; the colorful—and lovable—Lawrence from the B&B; and the beloved town doctor, Benedict Darcy.

Besides happily getting to know the unique characters in THE GREAT CHRISTMAS KNIT-OFF, you'll find the occasional English idiom and allusion to give the novel local flavor. And to add to the excellence, suspenseful plot lines will keep you reading to the end. This is a book I readily recommend.

Jane Bowers