A Little Christmas Panto (Audio Book) by Angela Britnell

 

A Little Christmas Panto by Angela Britnell.

Narrated by Laura Kirman.

Released 30th November 2022 by Ulverscroft Ltd.

From the cover:

Can a little Cornish village panto convince a troubled Hollywood heart throb to act again? Oh no it won't! At least that's what Zach Broussard initially thinks when the eccentric Anna Teague tries to railroad him into helping out with her community pantomime production in the run-up to Christmas.

Zach has his reasons for leaving Hollywood behind, and his retreat to the remote village of Polcarne in Cornwall signals the start of a new acting free life for him. But when Zach meets Anna's daughter, Rosey - an ex concert pianist who has swapped Mozart for panto tunes - he starts to wonder whether he could change his mind, and not just about acting. If nothing else, will the residents of Polcarne ensure Zach has a Christmas he never forgets? Oh yes they will!

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The tiny village of Polcarne is an unlikely place for a Hollywood star to go to ground, but Zach Broussard has his reasons for choosing to be as far away from the limelight as possible right now, and a rented barn conversion in Cornwall seems just the spot for him to find a way to heal from the heartache that plagues him.

Zach cannot see himself ever returning to the world of acting, but Polcarne's eccentric impresario Anna Teague has other ideas. She is in the full throes of organising this year's community pantomime and is determined to help along the friendship that has sprung up between him and her former concert pianist daughter Rosey, who is back in the village after the break up of her marriage.

Zach and Rosey are definitely attracted to each other, but will an amateur production of Aladdin create the magic they need for their own happily ever after?

A Little Christmas Panto provides just the right setting for two worlds to collide, as Hollywood heartthrob Zach, and Cornish pianist Rosey fall in love against the backdrop of more than your average community extravaganza. At first it seems that they cannot possibly be a good fit for each other despite the spark they feel, but under the surface they have more in common that they think, and I love the way they discover this ever so slowly over the course of the story.

In true rom-com style there are, of course, many hiccups to be overcome before the curtain comes down, with some tricky 'yes, they will/no they won't' moments, until Zach and Rosey are ready to fully open their hearts. In the mean time, the equally bumpy journey towards a panto that is suffering from a suspicious number of mishaps drives the tale, and the vivid cast of characters both on stage, and off, keeps you very entertained. 

The biggest character of all is the wonderful Anna, whose distinctive sartorial style is second to none, but there are a lot of other players to get you cheering (and booing), with story lines that bring in all manner of human emotion and some knotty real world issues  - especially around relationships, and the dynamics of small communities. I enjoyed how Britnell throws in all the elements you need from a rollicking rom-com, with lots of sentiment, laughter, and a quirky little Cornish community to take to heart, while blending in the more weighty storylines, and tying everything up nicely with an ending that brought a lump to my throat. There is also a very subtle mystery element that pops its head up in the odd goings on at the panto, which adds to the fun.

The narration by Laura Kirman is wonderful. She really takes you between the soft drawl of southern USA and the depths of rural Cornwall with her voice talents, keeping the pace going and packing in all the feeling you need to catch you up in the story. I absolutely loved listening to her, and now have a new name on my list of narrators to look out for. 

This was the perfect little story to set me up for Christmas. Yes, it was!

A Little Christmas Panto is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Ulverscroft for sending me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Angela grew up in Cornwall and returns frequently from her new home in Nashville, Tennessee to visit family and friends, drink tea and eat far too many Cornish pasties!

A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she's visited or lived on her extensive travels. Thanks to over three decades of marriage to her wonderful American husband she's a huge fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.