Covent Garden in the Snow - by Jules Wake

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

The perfect Christmas romance for fans of Karen Swan.

Tilly Hunter has fabulous friends, her dream job as a make-up artist with a prestigious opera company and Felix, her kind and caring husband to be. It looks set to be the most perfect Christmas yet!

But when a monumental blunder forces her to work closely with new IT director Marcus Walker, it's not only the roast chestnut stalls on the cobbles of her beloved Covent Garden that cause sparks to fly…

Super serious and brooding, Marcus hasn’t got a creative bone in his sharp-suited body. For technophobe Tilly, it's a match made in hell.

And yet, when Tilly discovers her fiancé isn’t at all what he seems, it's Marcus who's there for her with a hot chocolate and a surprisingly strong shoulder to cry on … He might just be the best Christmas present she’s ever had.

My Opinion:

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

Covent Garden in the Snow drew me in from the start. First of all, I love the title and the cover. Secondly, it’s set in Covent Garden! Thirdly, it follows Tilly Hunter, who is a make-up artist with a prestigious opera company. I have never really been into operas, but we sang songs from them before and it’s close to musicals, so it was really interesting to read all this background information.

Tilly is engaged to Felix. He is very easy-going, but I just didn’t like him. Anyway, Tilly is kind of forced to work closely with IT director Marcus Walker. The two of them couldn’t be more different, but that’s what made the storyline interesting.

She also discovers something about Felix and her situation with her family is not easy either. There is a lot going on in her life.

I loved getting insights to the opera and I really liked the scenes between Tilly and Marcus. Jules Wake has a great eye for detail and captured the atmosphere around Covent Garden beautifully. The storyline is cute, full of ups and downs and just perfect for Christmas. I very cosy and sweet book.

Rating:

Jules Wake on Twitter: @Juleswake

Website: http://www.juleswake.co.uk

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

The Office Christmas Party - by Aimee Duffy

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Natalie Taylor and Dean Fletcher are serial Christmas party crashers. But when they start crashing the same parties, the mittens are off!

As much as she loves Christmas, after her mother’s death, events planner Nat can’t face the jolly season anymore. So to get her festive hit she crashes everyone else’s party. It’s a sweet gig, until she meets her competition, tech empire millionaire, Dean, under the mistletoe…!

When it comes to relationships, Dean doesn’t do serious—being left at the altar will do that to a guy. So when he meets feisty Nat, the first woman in ten years to pique his interest, he’s tempted to break his one-night rule…just for the holidays!

Nat and Dean might get more than they bargained for in their stockings this Christmas!

My Opinion:

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

I don’t actually know how to start this review, because on one hand I like the book and on the other hand I didn’t.

The story follows Natalie Taylor and Dean Fletcher. Natalie is done with relationships and she doesn’t like the time around Christmas, so she starts crashing Christmas parties. Dean is not a man for a serious relationship, due to things that happened in his past, but then he meets Natalie. The funny thing: he is a party crasher too.

Unfortunately, the story is very predictable and there were many parts I didn’t like in the plot. It didn’t have a smooth flow for me and I didn’t like how the story developed. I usually don’t mind predictable, but here something was off for me.

The steamy and hot scenes were a bit too much for me, because it was way more than I expected and it kind of overtook the whole atmosphere. Aimee Duffy’s writing style is entertaining and fresh.

Rating:

Aimee Duffy on Twitter: @AimeeDuffyx Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Christmas at the Candied Apple Café - by Katherine Garbera

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

There’s nothing so magical as Christmas in New York… 

Santa is coming to New York!

Snow is falling, excitement is high and the delicious scent of chocolate drifts along Fifth Avenue – the Candied Apple Café is ready for Christmas! And no one is busier than publicist Iona Summerlin. With so much to do, she doesn’t have time to think about men, dating, or the fact her last boyfriend ditched her for her brother… Relationships are off the menu!

Hotel boss Mads Eriksson is not looking forward to the first Christmas since losing his wife. His six-year-old daughter Sofia has lost her belief in Christmas magic along with her mother, and he has no idea what to do. But an unusually festive business meeting at the Candied Apple – and meeting the beautiful Iona – starts to defrost Mads’ frozen heart, and suddenly life seems full of light and sparkle again.

If only they dare to believe, maybe all their Christmas dreams will come true!

My Opinion:

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

This is the perfect book to get you into the Christmas spirit. It’s set in beautiful New York and the characters are adorable!

It follows Iona Summerlin, who is a publicist and works at Candied Apple Café with her friends Cici and Hayley. She doesn’t want to think about men or dating, she is busy enough with work.

However, Mads Eriksson comes along and everything changes. He is a hotel boss, his a six-year-old daughter and lost his wife after Christmas last year. It’s a lot for him and he also sees, how his daughter Sofia struggles. Sofia is absolutely adorable and gets along with Iona very well. She calls her dad “papa”, which makes it even cuter and I alove all the moments she shares with her dad and after a while also with Iona. Sofia definitely adds a lot of sparks to the story.

Iona and Mads share a lot of deep and exciting moments as well and the chemistry between them is on fire. However, there is still his grief and it kind of stands between them.

Candied Apple Café is fabulous and so full of heart. I really liked the place from the start. Katherine Garbera captured this wonderful and festive atmosphere of the café and of New York beautifully. It’s like being there with the characters.

I loved the storyline, but at times it wasn’t authentic enough for me and things moved pretty fast, that’s a bit of a shame, because the idea around it all is great.

A lot of traditions are part of the story and that was marvellous to read about. It’s the perfect holiday read, very uplifting, sweet and wonderful.

Rating:

Katherine Garbera on Twitter: @katheringarbera

Website: http://www.katherinegarbera.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US