Dodie is a fan of old black and white from films, is caring and generous and owns a vintage clothes store in Bournemouth. She is close to her family, her best friend and cares for the homeless as well as having a boyfriend. Her life seems settled and calm until she finds an old love letter in the pocket of a donated coat. The adventures she subsequently has lead her to friendship and ultimately to love. Dodie is a lovely character and Ed's problems with depression etc after coming out of the army are sensitivity dealt with, although they are resolved rather unrealistically quickly in my opinion. I do have a hankering for a stylish vintage coat to keep me cosy this winter after finishing the book, Oxfam online here I come!

An enjoyable read centred around a vintage clothes shop and the hunt for the people in a letter found in the pocket of an old coat.

I didn't think the first chapter was necessary (and had to read it twice to get into the book) but apart from that this was a fun, interesting and fast read.

Didn't feel Christmassy until towards the end - my first Christmas book of 2017!

A Very Vintage Christmas is a well written romance. I enjoyed the plot, characters and the setting. I recommend this to readers who enjoy an escape into romance.

This is the first book I’ve read by Tilly Tennant and I absolutely loved it! I was drawn in during the first few pages – which is what I always look for in a good book – but I was even more pleased when I discovered that it was set in Bournemouth, one of my favourite places. The storyline was really interesting; Dodie sells vintage clothes and finds an old letter, dating back to the 1940s, in a coat pocket. She then sets out to find living relatives of the letter’s recipient and, of course, there’s a great love interest along the way. Tilly has a wonderful writing style and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

Overall verdict: a lovely, entertaining read and some really good characterisation that points beyond the chick-lit genre by author Tilly Tennant. A bit thin on the Christmas Tinsel, but warms you heart & soul nevertheless.

I liked the story a lot, though I felt Christmas to be rather sidelined. It was there, like low, pleasant background music, but I would have preferred more volume.

Still, aside from this "complaint", this is a really nice book.

Dodie, a lovely, warm-hearted and quirky girl-next-door, runs a vintage clothes shop in Bournemouth. She is struggling a bit to make ends meet, but is not willing to give up on her dreams. She has a boyfriend (sort of), but they seem to be a world-apart.
One day she finds a love-letter in the pocket of one a vintage coat purchased at an auction. The letter dates from 1944 and Dodie is so touched by it as well as the possible fates of the lovers that she decides to try and find the family whom it may belong.
During this "quest" she meets Ed, who agrees to help, and kinds as he seems, he has a past to deal with.
The only serious hitch of the story is Dodie's boyfriend Ryan, who is as obnoxious and uncaring as she is lovely & I just couldn't believe there were any stakes to their almost non-existent relationship. The ensuing "drama" about Dodie needing to choose between 2 men felt fake and out of proportions.
The character I really took a shine to was Dodie's best friend, Isla, and I am happy to see that she gets her own Christmas story in A Cosy Candlelit Christmas.

How can anyone say they didn't throughly enjoy this book. Well written, cute, caring and Christmas all wrapped up in charm. I want to be Friend with Dodie. If you love old movies you will relate to the entire story. Charming.

Dodie loves old things including old black and white films especially those featuring James Stewart. Her passion is her vintage clothes shop which takes up most of her time. The remainder being used to help out her friends and family. Her life is suddenly taken over by a quest to find the owner of a WWII love letter she finds in the pocket of a coat. I loved this story and it's setting by the sea in Bournemouth. I definitely wanted Dodie to find her happy ending.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Dodie is true to herself when it comes to her personality. She is the epitome of vintage. She loves everything old so it makes sense she will open up her own vintage shop. Dodie is “dating” someone but her heart isn’t into it. But once she finds the war-time love letter she knows the owner would want it and needs to track down the owner.

This is a sweet story. It doesn’t have a lot of Christmas feel, I guess more of a winter feel, until the end but that doesn’t take away from the charm of the story. Dodie is an adorable character with so much charm it is hard not to like her. Great background characters like Gran as well.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for sharing. I've already ordered several copies for my library. Patrons will love it!

Another fantastic book by Tilly Tennant! I have loved all her books and each one somehow manages to be better than the last. I was so eager to read this that I even read it in September, which is usually much too early for Christmas books for me, but I couldn't resist. Absolutely loved Dodie, the main character, and the story was just so gorgeous - an old love letter that Dodie wants to return to it's rightful owner. I loved Ed and the unraveling mystery behind the love letter and the pace with which Dodie uncovered the clues was just perfect! Brilliant little twist at the end that I didn't see coming either. Fantastic. Can't wait to read Isla's story in the next book now!

A very good Christmas read. A good storyline, quirky characters. A good book to curl up with on a cold winter's night.

I was interested in this book as I live all things vintage, and this book was no exception.
A romantic story, finding the couple from the old love letter, with a twist along the way.
Easy to read and likeable characters.
First book I've read by this author so very much looking forward to the next book!

I was a bit disappointed in this story. It kept plodding along and then in the last few pages it was done.

I have enjoyed some of Ms. Tennant's books in the past. This one did not disappoint either. Entertaining read.

Dodie owns a vintage clothing store and, while trying on an old coat, she finds a circa WWII love letter in the pocket. This sets in motion a sweet love story and a mystery all in one and tied up with a pretty Christmas bow!

A very heart-warming and delightful Christmas story. A loving war-time letter from George to Margaret leads to an emotional reunion and romance in the present. In addition, the story features a good for nothing boyfriend, a quirky Gran, and a reminder that there are those among us that are less fortunate.

What a simply delightful story, which surprised and pleased me in equal measure. It certainly is a book that encompasses the spirit of good will that is generally around in December, without being overtly Christmassy.

By which I mean, although its set in December, and Christmas does feature, its not the main focus. The focal point of the book is the letter that is found in a woolen coat that Dodie finds, while sorting out a new order of vintage clothes for her little shop.

She can't help but read it and is struck, as I am by just how romantic a story it tells, and Dodie becomes determined to reunite this letter with the family of either of the people involved. Only a few small things, she knows the address from 1944, only first names and the first letter of the lady's surname. Not an easy task!

Early in her search she meets Edward who against his better judgement ends up not only helping Dodie, but seems to keep bumping into her about town. Yet Dodie has a boyfriend, Ryan, although even early on I wasn't too convinced by their relationship.

There are three other characters of note for various reasons. Dodie's gran - every single time she was featured I was laughing, she is the sort of gran who continually has different classes on, seems to know everyone and yet feels slightly dotty at the same time!

Isla is Dodie's best friend, and is going through some big things herself. which I won't mention, as I am looking forward to getting to know her properly in Tilly Tennant's second Christmas book for this year.

Nick is the last character who is definitely worth mentioning, he pops up from time to time, but due to his situation, he gives a bit more of a serious / real tone to the book, reminding you that its not just Christmas decorations and presents at this time of year, but for others Christmas is a whole different ballgame.

A Very Vintage Wedding is such a wonderful book, that had me smiling, laughing at times, but also almost had me feeling emotional too. It has a great premise, and with Tilly Tennant special kind of writing magic you have a charming book, and I can't wait for A Cosy Candlelit Christmas.

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

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

In this story we follow Dodie, who lives in Bournemouth and works at a vintage store. One day she finds a love letter in one of the coats and finds to find it’s true owner.

She reads the letter and finds out when it was written, who wrote it and who it was for. There is also an address on it and Dodie goes there to find out more.

All she finds is moody Edward, who is not helping at all at first. However, he comes round and wants to help. Obviously that also means that these two get to spend a lot of time together. In my opinion there were sparks flying between them from the start and Tilly Tennant captured them beautifully. I think the two of them make a great team and by getting to know each other closer, they also develop feelings. Of course the are not aware of them at first and some misunderstandings and drama put some stones in the way too. Dodie has a boyfriend after all and Ed’s past plays a role as well.

Towards the end we find out, why Ed was hesitant and this adds a lot of tension and more excitement.

I really adored this storyline, because it included friendship, family, love, Christmas and a little mystery. The Christmas vibes are wonderfully portrayed and together with the story they create a magnificent atmosphere.

This was my first Christmas book of the season and it’s a fabulous start. It made me fall in love with Tilly Tennant’s and I’m really excited for Christmas already.

The storyline had me smiling throughout, gave me a warm feeling and the writing adds so many sparks. The description of Bournemouth, the different places and the setting in general is on point. I felt like being there with the characters. It’s not your typical women’s fiction book and I totally mean that in a positive way. There are so many themes covered in this story and I enjoyed every second of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher, Bookouture, for this review copy which was provided in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Noelle at Bookouture for organising the Blog Blitz and allowing me to be part of it today!!

This is Book Number 1 of the Unforgettable Christmas series. It is also my first Tilly Tennant Book (*hangs head in shame!) and certainly won’t be my last!!

Set in the beautiful seaside town of Bournemouth, we meet Dodie Bright. Dodie loves anything vintage and this includes her vintage car, vintage clothes and matching vintage styled hair (although the colour can change slightly!) Dodie, unsurprisingly, owns a vintage clothes shop. One day, when sorting through clothes she won at an auction, Dodie finds, in the pocket of a fabulous green woollen coat, a letter dated June 1944. It is written from George to his sweetheart Margaret. Dodie is so moved by the letter, she decides to try and track down George or Margaret and return the letter to them.

This was a wonderful book! The story of George and Margaret, sweethearts through the war, is moving and the idea of the letter being a piece of history and Dodie wanting to return it to the rightful owners is original and captivating. Where would I begin to look if I had found the letter? Over 70 years have passed, it certainly won’t be easy! Dodie decides to try the address on the front of the letter and this is where she meets grumpy and unpredictable ex-solder Ed Willoughby. Ed agrees to help her, and despite Ed’s ‘mood swings’ they appear to get on well. I just kept my fingers crossed that something happened between them as they seemed to make the perfect couple. Although, as with a lot of these types of books, love never runs smoothly, particularly with Ed’s trouble past and Dodie’s useless boyfriend Ryan on the scene!

Dodie’s character is lovely – she’s one of those characters that you just fall in love with straight away. She just seemed to be nice to everyone – she’s always there for her best friend Isla, she gives food to the local homeless man, Nick and she even forgives Ryan for all the insensitive things he says to her. I love the setting of the book, with the Dorset coast being described magically, especially at night! I also love the way there are little references to films throughout the book (I counted 5 film titles!) I don’t know if this is unintentional or if it was all part of Dodie’s vintage character (as they were all ‘classic’ films!)

My own personal favourite was the reference to chips and gravy (when I read it, I said to my husband “I knew I wasn’t the only one who liked it!”. I may be a southern girl, but I have Lancashire roots and have been bought up with chips and gravy. My southern counterparts just don’t get it! If you wanted gravy from a chip shop when I was younger, you had to go home and make it!! (The chip shop also closed at 9 p.m., but that’s a whole different story!)

This is a truly wonderful story!! It certainly wasn’t the chick-lit romance that I expected! It’s a story of friendship, love, family and of course Christmas!! This is my 3rd Christmas book of the year and I’ve finally found a book so Christmassy that I’ve started to deck my hall with boughs of holly…..

Fabulous!! Five Big Fat Vintage Stars!!

From the beautiful festive cover to the believable characters, this book made me smile.

Dodie owns a vintage shop in Bournemouth, her life is happy with her best friend Isla, her very eccentric gran and her boyfriend Ryan. Dodie finds a love letter in the pocket of a old coat which was written during the war and she wants to find the owner and return the letter to them. She meets Edward who is now living at the address on the letter and he somehow ends up helping Dodie to discover the mysterious owner.

This was an easy enjoyable read, the characters are realistic, Dodie has a heart of gold and was very likeable as was her gran. This was a lovely read and I am looking forward to Tilly Tennant’s next book.