I haven't read any of the other books in the series but I felt this one worked well as a stand alone. A quick, light-hearted read and a cute little Christmas story about community, friendship and love.

This was my first experience reading Daisy James and I really wanted to enjoy it as I know she has a lot of fans. Unfortunately I didn't get along with it at all. The sentences are mostly far too long and complex and there was too much info-dump in places too, as well as characters who didn't stick in my memory. I had to keep going back and re-reading what I'd just read. So I'm afraid I abandoned it. 😔

However, I won't give a poor star rating to a book I haven't even finished and nor will I share this review in public. It simply wasn't my cup of tea.

Sorry. 😞

Mistletoe & Mystery is the third book in the Paradise Cookery School series. But although you can read this as a standalone as i have done but seems they are all based around food i shall find the others too.
This book is filled with delicious food and i wanted everything i was reading. In this book Millie, is off too the Cotswolds- if you havent been you must! to help Claudia present and teach her Festive Feast Cookery Course

But not only is Millie excited, she's also buzzing with anticipation to see the very handsome and cheeky Grounds Man... Zach! Who she had a brief encounter with at Claudia's other School in the Caribbean.
I loved the traditions and village community, i loved the tradition of the Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, where the villagers come and help decorate the empty tree with decorations in memory of loved ones who was no longer with them. This is very emotional read because i loved the sentiments attached to it,

Millie and Zach's relationship is so beautiful to read. Both still have alot of chemistry and feelings for one and other, if only they would be brave enough to reignite the lost flame. I love their cheeky flirty banter, but also the softer side to Zach.

Mistletoe & Mystery is an endearing, fun and Heartwarming, festive delight, there is mystery, romance, scrumptious food, laugh out loud moments, as they prepare for what could be the last Festive Feast Cookery Course.

Daisy writes the most mesmerising and amazing stories, with beautifully observed characters who spring to life on the page. Her seamless writing instantly drew me in. She has this beautiful knack of storytelling with a lot of heart and endearing charm.

Overall A totally absorbing and delicious read, which was simply a joy to read.
So Prepare to be charmed by this utterly Scrumptious and enchanting tale.


Thank you to Ellie Pitcher at Canelo for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Snow and Christmas - what a superb pair of themes for this delightfully heartwarming book set in the Cotswolds. It's festive as Millie Harper sets up a new cookery project. Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this delightfully compelling read.

I knew I would love Mistletoe and Mystery straight away, as I had already loved the character of Millie, and in this story, we follow Millie as she hosts the Festive Feast Cookery School at the gorgeous Stonlea Manor in the Cotswolds. It is lovely to see Millie still so happy and in love with Zach, and the setting of this story provides the perfect romantic, Christmas atmosphere.

As with the other books in The Paradise Cookery School collection, things never seem to be simple and straight-forward, and when things start to take an unexpected turn, Millie realises she needs help from all around her to make a Christmas Miracle happen.

I really enjoyed this story, I loved all the characters, especially Millie, I feel like I know her so well now, and its so great to see her so happy. Mistletoe and Mystery is such a heart-warming read, full of love and friendship, and reminders that life is amazing, and just perfect for this time of the year – a well-deserved 5 out of 5 from me.

The third in the series of the cooking school. I enjoyed them all, the books didn't seem that long in pages but I enjoyed the storyline. Would have been good to have had one more book back in St Lucia but I liked where this one ended. Not too many surprises. I'd look out for Daisy James again. Thank you for accepting my request for a review.

A cosy, entertaining novel, just perfect to read in the run up to Christmas. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.

Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a very quick read and quite entertaining. A little juvenile in places and repetitive in others, but still quite an easy read. The characters needed more developing and less posturing. I found them a little one dimensional. The mystery part of the book, wasn’t actually a mystery at all, just a family crisis.

I like light hearted chick lit style books, but those that make the main female character out to be clumsy and a bit silly just get on my nerves. Unfortunately this book does that. The number of times Millie falls over things is just irritating and it makes her out to be rather stupid rather than endearing.
The storyline is too predictable. The title is called Mistletoe and Mystery which makes it sound like a mystery/detective story, but it’s nothing like that. The only mysteries are why is the house being sold? This drags on for a while with the predictable ending that it gets saved in the end. The other mystery is over Claudia’s illness – which again is predictable from the start. The only weird thing about that was that the image portrayed of Claudia and Tim was one of much older people, so the ‘illness’ is odd. They are obviously not as old as they are portrayed, they are just a little bit stupid that they didn’t know what was causing the symptoms.
Sorry to be harsh, but it was all just a bit too silly for me.

Welcome to the Cotswolds Festive Feast cookery course...

Fresh off the successful opening of the Paradise Cookery School in St Lucia, Millie Harper is headed to the Cotswolds for Christmas!

Co-presenting Claudia Croft’s famous Festive Feast cookery course at Stonelea Manor is a dream come true for Millie…as is reuniting with gorgeous estate manager Zach Barker.

But arriving in a winter wonderland Millie learns the manor is under a mysterious threat. It’ll take a holiday miracle, but Millie is determined to save the school and get Zach under the mistletoe to finally finish what they started in the Caribbean!

Cosy up with this fun, festive visit to the Cotswolds premier cookery school! Perfect for fans of Jenny Oliver and Sarah Morgan

Lovely feel good read. It was well written and flowed well. I enjoyed it very much. The plot was good and interesting. Hard to put down

This book was a pleasure to read. It’s just perfect to get you in the festive mood.

I hadn’t read the others in the series before I read this one, and it’s perfectly fine to read as a standalone, but I now really want to read the others, as this one was so good.

Millie is such a character. She’s so disorganised and a bit clumsy, but you can’t help but love her!

I was drawn straight away into the lives of everyone in Stonelea Manor and the village, and the characters are superb.

The writing in this book is wonderful, the imagery and language are so evocative, it really adds depth to the story.

Such a well written, feel-good and cosy novel, it has all the elements for the perfect Christmas read.

I really love how village community is so close with each other and they are all ready to help right away. That’s what I really like about those village communities. When they are so helpful and stay close to each other. I know that some villages are not like this but in my mind, it is like this.
I really loved Millie, our main character in this book. She is clumsy but also helpful. There is some charm around her that makes you love her right away. She is one of those characters that just grasps you right away and doesn’t let you go.

An absolutely stonking novel about Christmas, cooking, love and care.Millie works in a French patisserie, In the UK. She has previously worked for Claudia, who is a celebrity chef, at her hotel and cookery school in the Caribbean, and whilst there fell in love with their estate manager.
Claudia contacts Millie, and ask her to help at a Christmas themed cookery school in the UK, just before Christmas. Millie is thrilled, but somewhat confused as to why Claudia needs her help. This is further compounded when she arrives to find Claudia is very tired, and not well; and that the estate manager is the young man she fell in love with.
The unfolding story and the solving of the mystery make a wonderful novel some compulsive, that I read it in three sittings! I was desperate to see if Millie could fall in love again, why Claudia was so tired, and why the mistletoe was so necessary. Readers who adore cookery, love stories, and passion, will love this book.

This is a lovely funny festive book.
This is the third book in a series but can be read as a stand-alone book. However I would recommend that you read all the books in the series as they are so good.
A brilliant read

What’s it About? This is the third in a the Paradise Cookery School series, and sees pastry chef Millie off to work at the prestigious Cotswolds Festive Feast cookery course - she's excited not just about the job of a lifetime but also at being able to meet up again with the gorgeous estate manager, Zach. However, when she gets there she finds the school under threat and herself under a time limit - both to save the school and get Zach under the mistletoe.

What I liked This book made me hungry. Seriously, the descriptions of food are mouthwatering and it's a cute little easy-reading festive romance. It's a bit paint by numbers but I knew that going in and for the most part it just made me smile.

What I liked Less I hadn't realised it was the third in a series when I started and there were a few references that I missed although that was my fault; I can't blame the book. It was perhaps a little too predictable and I honestly didn't feel much of a spark between the two love interests - again, maybe because I was coming to their story late. Also, I felt like the resolution to the whole mystery part came too quickly and too easily: more drama please.

A continuation of the series Paradise Cooking School. Can be a stand alone but you will definitely want to read the first book Sunshine and Secrets. How can anyone not enjoy a story with scenery, food, Millie, Zach and a bit of mystery.

This was sweet in all meanings of the word! Unfortunately there were no illustrations or recipes. But then who could compete with a pastry chef with a Michelin star...
I was hungry all the way through the descriptions of the cookery course - the only thing missing was the description of what they ate at the Xmas day meal - apart from Yorkshire puddings - which is a bit strange and very Northern. And they seemed to make different items form those described as being on the menu that day, but perhaps the chef rustled them up for them as extras?
Generally a nice book and very suitable for all cozy readers and everyone who likes ot read about cookery.
I’m giving it 4 stars for making me hungry - the descriptions were delightful, and I agree Parkin is heavy - but so gingery...

A really sparkling Christmas read - and one I'm glad I read after Christmas as I don't think the scales could have taken it if I'd discovered all the goodies beforehand!

Amelia Harper is a pastry chef in a London patisserie, producing gorgeous dainty treats. Unexpectedly, she has the opportunity to travel to the Cotswolds to help out in the famous cookery school run by Claudia Croft in her manor home - giving her the opportunity to be re-acquainted with Zach Barker, who she is very excited to meet up with again.

This is a sequel, and if you want to read both books then definitely read them in order. Whilst not dwelling on the first one, this story gives enough information for subsequent events to make sense. What a wonderful, heartwarming story this is! With plenty going on in the cookery course, in the manor and in the more widespread community, the spirit of Christmas is bursting forth from the pages. A real feel-good read, one I have loved reading and which has set me up for the chilly month ahead of us! Daisy James is another author who always delivers a fun, lighthearted read to keep your attention throughout leaving you with a satisfied sigh as you reach the final page. Highly recommended to lovers of a great rom-com.

My thanks to publisher Canelo for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Firstly the front cover is beautiful and inviting. Just looking at it makes me feel all Christmassy. This is another great instalment by Daisy James filled with loveable characters and a perfect side order of Christmas food. At less than 200 pages this is the perfect read to cosy up with on a winters night. It will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling and a lovely smile on your face. Just make sure to stock up on food beforehand, this is not a book to be read on an empty stomach.