Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris Also by this author: A Vintage Christmas
Series: Evie Taylor #1
Also in this series: A Vintage Christmas
Published by Simon & Schuster UK on 13th October 2011
Genres: Chicklit, Christmas, Love & Romance
Pages: 496
Format: eBook
Source: I bought it
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
Evie Taylor, a girl with a big heart, gets lost in the big city. For the past two years, Evie has lived an invisible life in London. Her neighbours think she’s just moved in, her sister mistakes her for a live-in nanny, and even Evie’s manager at work can’t remember her name.
But all that is about to change . . . this Christmas has brought a flurry of snow and unimaginable possibilities into town.
Evie works in the stockroom of an old-fashioned, family-run, London fashion department store. Hardy’s is a beautiful, wood-panelled jewellery box of a building, but it’s in dire need of a makeover.
One day Evie overhears that if the entire store’s takings don’t turn round by Dec 26th – 3 weeks’ time – the family who own it will be forced to sell to one of the big chains. Hardy’s is in need of a Christmas miracle.
Determined to save her beloved store, Evie hatches a plan to secretly transform it into a magical place to shop again. But has the time come for her to be noticed too? When an accidental romantic encounter with handsome, enigmatic Nate gives her the chance of a whole new identity, she takes it.
This story is set in a classic British department store, which seems to have lost it sparkle. in it’s heyday it was the top store of it’s kind. Everyone loved Hardy’s. we begin on the 1st December and each chapter counts down to Christmas stating how many shopping days are left. I loved this. as each chapter passed my Christmas spirit increased. I absolutely LOVE Christmas and Christmas shopping. this store sounded like the kind of Christmas I used to watch in films. Films like Miracle on 34th Street.
I didn’t understand Evie at first. She seemed to be stuck in this dead end job and she wasn’t happy. None of the staff knew her actual name and just seemed to see her as someone to unload their problems on. I soon realised that Evie was a bit broken. After her ex unexpectedly dumped her she crumbled. she didn’t know what to do. By fading into the background she attempted to prevent herself from being hurt again. One day she decided she was fed up of being invisible and wanted to be noticed.
When she hears of the problems with the store and how they have 3 weeks to increase their profits or the store will close she just has to do something. this store means everything to her. When she was a child her parents would take her here every year and these trips meant the world to Evie. She just couldn’t face the thought of Hardy’s not being around any more. So she set about anonymously remaking parts of the store.
I don’t want to ruin the book too much but Evie’s little helpers are the best. I loved each and every one of them.
This book was excellent. A fantastic example of Christmas Chicklit at it’s best. It has everything that will make you warm and fuzzy on a cold winter night. This has definitely got me in the mood for Christmas.
About Ali Harris
Ali is a magazine journalist who has worked in the world of glossy magazines for ten years.
She grew up in deepest darkest Norfolk, where she spent her formative years dreaming of the bright lights of the big city. At 18 she swapped sheep for show tunes and moved to London to do a degree in performing arts. After three years of ‘studying’ (read: doing jazz hands) she became…. a waitress. In her spare time she started writing a book (about a frustrated waitress, of course) and soon realised that writing was her true passion. After many rejection letters she decided just getting paid to write for a living would be a step in the right direction. One work placement at a celebrity style magazine later and she’d found her spiritual home. Surrounded by clothes, shoes and celebrity gossip she threw herself into her new career and was ecstatic when she bagged a job at Company magazine.
Ali was soon given her own dating column but then, she met ‘Email Boy’ and her column became focused on their blossoming relationship – she even won an industry award for her efforts. She left Company in 2005 to broaden her horizons as a freelance journalist, writing for Cosmo, Grazia and ELLE, amongst others. She also got married to Email Boy (now going by his official name of Ben) and then got lured back to the world of glossies with a job at number one women’s magazine, Glamour. She left in 2009 to write books and have babies.
Ali’s debut Miracle on Regent Street was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2011. Her second novel The First Last Kiss was published in January 2013. Her latest novel, Written in the Stars, is out now.
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