Book Review - Christmas for Commitmentphobes by Rhoda Baxter

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Christmas for Commitmentphobes

Author: Rhoda Baxter

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy 

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 1st December 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Lara is too busy trying to get her fledgling company off the ground to have time for relationships. She’s working so hard, in fact that she’s up in Yorkshire, pitching for business, just before Christmas. When bad weather sees the trains cancelled, the only place she can find shelter is a small pub called the Trewton Arms.

Thilini (‘Tilly’) loves that her art helps feed her travel addiction. She’s back in England for Christmas after two years away and can’t wait to be on the move again. 

When they meet their attraction is hard to deny. Since neither of them is ready for a relationship, can a short fling really be the solution they both need? 

Christmas for Commitmentphobes is a standalone novella in the Trewton Royd small town romance series. If you like closed door romances, with feisty heroines and realistic dialogue, you’ll love Christmas for Commitmentphobes. Ideal for fans of Lucy Parker or Jackie Lau.

This was a lovely, sweet, closed door fledgling romance, set to a cosy backdrop of Trewton Royd, at Christmas. 

Lara is only in Yorkshire as she had a client meeting,  but when her trains are cancelled she ends up staying in the Trewton Arms.   Due to a misunderstanding with the pub landlord, it leads to her first meeting with Tilly, which was rather amusing. 

Well to me anyway, not necessarily to them.  Tilly is only even in England to see her brother for the holidays, she tends to prefer flitting about working on her art, than anything longer term. Whereas Lara is committed to her job and doesn't have time for romance. 

But yet there is a slow build (ok its a novella, it may seem fast, but it wasn't necessarily an instant attraction),  connection between them both, as Tilly starts to get to know Lara.

I loved seeing Tilly, her brother Vinnie and Tracy his girlfriend, welcome Lara into their group, and seeing how she starts to soften as they put the finishing touches to the pub. 

For a short book we see some character development which was good to see, and discover just why neither Lara nor Tilly are keen to see parents for Christmas. 

I really believed these characters were real, and thoroughly enjoyed watching this festive story play out.  I really can't say much more about anything for fear of spoiling it, but I will say it's Rhoda Baxter's writing at its best, very sharp and en-point and made me want to keep reading.   

I would love to see these characters return in a longer story, and generally can't wait for my next visit to Trewton Royd, or at least I hope there will be another one. 

Thank you to Rhoda Baxter for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Belonging by Rhoda Baxter

The Amazon Purchase link below is an Amazon Affiliate link.

Amazon UK

Title: Belonging

Author: Rhoda Baxter

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 17th September 2018

Rating: 4 Stars

She’s grieving her lost love. He’s searching for his lost niece. Can attraction overcome family loyalty in this enemies to lovers romance?


Hiding away in a tiny Yorkshire village, Harriet is grieving for her lost love. His family won’t talk to her and she can’t move on from from his death. All this changes when his daughter, Niamh, turns up on her doorstep, needing a sympathetic ear.

Tim thinks Harriet broke up his sister’s marriage all those years ago. His sister’s enemies are his enemies. When his niece runs away to Harriet’s house, he knows he has to get her back before his sister finds out. But that means talking with Harriet.

As they work together to console Niamh and get her home safely, Tim and Harriet become increasingly attracted to each other. 

But with attraction comes guilt.

Can they overcome their respective loyalties and give in to love?

If you like sweet romances with smart dialogue and realistic characters, you’ll love this second book in the Trewton Royd novella series by award nominated author Rhoda Baxter. Buy Belonging and enjoy a British small town romance today.

I really enjoyed this new novella from Rhoda Baxter.  It is perhaps a bit grittier than I was expecting but it makes for a far more compelling story. 

The characters are really well formed and you really get a sense of what they have been through, something that isn't always the case in shorter books. 

Belonging is a rather apt title, as this is about a couple of people who really are trying to get a better sense of belonging in their lives. 

There is also the opening stages of a romance, that depending on your point of view is either quite sweet or rather inappropriate. 

I loved Niamh, she is 14, still grieving for her father a year on, but not getting much support from her mum. She knows who she wants to talk to about her father and is prepared to do anything to get to them.   At the same time Harriet is grieving Richard's loss and really is struggling with her life.  

Loved how although the two women had barely met before they were able to take comfort from each others acquaintance. 

Really enjoyed my visit to Trewton Royd and meeting these lovely characters.   

Thank you to Rhoda Baxter for this copy which i have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Girl At Christmas by Rhoda Baxter

Amazon UK

Title: Girl At Christmas

Author: Rhoda Baxter

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 30th October 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Tammy is normally at her happiest at Christmas when she has the flat to decorate and those perfect days between Christmas and New Year to relax. But when her long term partner dumps her, with no real explanation, her Christmas looks very bleak.

Lawrence usually spends Christmas watching DVDs and catching up on his paperwork. At thirty one, he’s already stuck in a rut.

When Lawrence has a sudden heart attack, it is Tammy who comes to his rescue. It turns out a happy Christmas can be made from the most unexpected ingredients.

Girl At Christmas is a novella in the award nominated Smart Girls series. If you like authors like Lindsey Kelk, Sarah Morgan or Milly Johnson, it's perfect for you.  Grab a copy and get into the Christmas spirit today.

What a fabulous little novella this is. Having read Girl in Trouble, I was delighted to get to meet Lawrence fully in this story. 

It is a complete standalone, as the previous characters are only present in a really minor role.  This is a really quick but enjoyable story, and touches on a health issue of Lawrence, as well as a rather sweet romance. 

I loved the way this story developed, it was well paced, and was just really enjoyable. I don't want to say too much but its definitely one that fans of Rhoda Baxter will love, and those who have never read anything by her, gives you a good insight into her writing style and ability. 

Book Review - Girl In Trouble by Rhoda Baxter

Amazon UK

Title: Girl In Trouble

Author: Rhoda Baxter

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 7th October 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Olivia doesn't want kids. Walter does. Is this an argument Olivia can afford to lose? 

Grown up tomboy Olivia doesn't need a man to complete her. Judging by her absent father, men aren't that reliable anyway. She's got a successful career, good friends and can evict spiders from the bath herself, so she doesn't need to settle down, thanks.

Walter's ex is moving his daughter to America and Walter feels like he's losing his family. When his friend-with-benefits, Olivia, discovers she's pregnant by her douchebag ex, Walter sees the perfect chance to be part of a family with a woman he loves. Can Walter persuade the most independent woman he's ever met to accept his help, let alone his heart?

Girl In Trouble is the third book in the award nominated Smart Girls series by Rhoda Baxter. If you like character driven romance, alpha heroines and sparkling dialogue, you'll love this series. Ideal for fans of Sarah Morgan, Lindsey Kelk or Meg Cabot's Boy books. Buy now and meet your new favourite heroine today.

What started off as a book that was light hearted and fun, turned into something that was simply marvellous, and with the level of attachment I had to the characters, I had a lump in my throat for a large amount of the last fifth or so, and practically in tears for some of that. 

It's just that the characters really got under my skin, I really cared about what happened to them, which is the sign of a great author, and fantastic writing. I wanted continually to know what would happen next,  and actually a fair amount of this book I wouldn't have predicted at the start which is also good. 

I absolutely loved getting to know both Olivia, and her tomboyish ways and also Walter who seems like a good guy and clearly loves his daughter even though he can't see her that often. 

During the book they both go through some rather large and life changing events, as well as getting to know each other a lot better.  From the rather hilarious entrance that Walter makes, to his text conversations with best friend Lawrence, and the way he is with Emily, I was building up the picture of a rather great guy, with just a slight (ok rather large) phobia. 

Olivia though is best man at her best friends wedding and we first meet her at the stag do, in some classic scenes, with great banter, and the whole time you get the feeling she loves being one of the lads, and she has distinct opinions on what she wants from life. But whether its time for those opinions to change, well you will need to read for yourself to find out! 

I absolutely loved every second of Girl In Trouble, its witty in places and utterly emotional at other times, and it deals with some deeper issues too, which gives it added depth that may be unexpected from the gorgeousness of the cover. 

I've read a few books by this author now and I can say without a doubt that the books are getting better and better, and that I really can't wait to read Lawrence's story in Girl at Christmas. 

Thank you to Rhoda Baxter for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Guest Post - Representation Matters by Rhoda Baxter

If you’re a regular reader of my books (thank you!), you’ll know that I always have at least one Sri Lankan secondary character in there somewhere. There’s a reason for this. Let me give you some background. I’m Sri Lankan by descent. Although I was born in England, we travelled around a bit (my Dad’s an engineer and went around the world building things) and I spent a lot of my formative years in Sri Lanka. I was a voracious reader, I read every English language book I could lay my hands on. At that time, there were very few English books written about non-white characters (I think the first book I read where the characters were not white was Roots, which I didn’t read until I was in my teens). This didn’t bother me. In fact, I barely noticed it. I just assumed that all the people in ‘book world’ were white.

 It was only many years later, that it occurred to me that ‘book world’ wasn’t a separate place, but a reflection of the real world. But it wasn’t a terribly accurate reflection, because not many people looked like me. Again, it didn’t bother me as such because, the point of fiction for me was to step into someone else’s head. I have a strong enough imagination that the colour of the skin of the character poses no challenge. I can read and enjoy their story regardless of what colour they are.
 Then I decided to write a romance novel. I wrote it about people who were Asian. It was only when I tried to sell this book that I realised there might be a problem. I wrote a second book - more commercial in tone, with white main characters - I found a publisher relatively easily. This seemed to work, so I carried on writing white characters, smuggling brown people into the background. It wasn’t a big deal, because I still hadn’t realised quite how much representation mattered.

What changed it for me was having daughters. My girls are mixed race. In the winter they’re merely golden skinned, but in the summer, they’re brown. Like me. When they were tiny, they didn’t notice that they were different from their school friends. But as they grew older, they did. Then one day, one of them mentioned that she wasn’t pretty because “only white girls are pretty”. Naturally, I was horrified that she thought this. It was then that I finally noticed that my girls were reading books and watching films in order to learn about their world... and they were not seeing many people who looked like them. Now, I can’t do much about the films and TV series (although, CBBC and Netflix shows make a serious effort towards diversity), but I can do something about what I write.

So I wrote a book with a main character who is mixed race (Grace, in Please Release Me). Her ethnicity is essentially irrelevant to the story and it’s barely mentioned, but she had black hair and brown skin. The book came out, people like the story, it gets good reviews. Hardly anyone has noticed that the heroine is different to any other heroine. The only person who commented was someone Sri Lankan, who said she was delighted to see someone who looked like her in a romance novel. This leads me to think that readers aren’t as resistant to diverse characters as the publishing industry thinks they are.

I’ve used race as an example, but this applies across a huge range of factors. At long last, it is now possible to see same sex romance in ‘romance book world’ without it being a scandal. But what about disabled people? Do they not fall in love in book world?

If we can live in a world where people of all races and abilities and orientations can hang out together, we should reflect that in the fictional worlds we create too.

So I will continue to write Sri Lankans into my novels. Why? Because I have to start somewhere. Representation matters. When my daughters are old enough to read my books, they will be able to see themselves in ‘book world’. And that means a lot to me.

Thank you so much Rhoda. I love your books but rarely notice what ethnicity the characters are, far more focused on what they do, or who they fall in love with, but of course you are correct, book world is no where near as diverse as the real world. 

The book was released on the 9th of October and will be on special offer at 99p until the 15th of October (after that the price will go up to £2.99). If you buy the book before the 15th of October you will also get a book of short stories and a companion recipe book (containing recipes from the prequel Girl Having A Ball) absolutely free.

Buy link: books2read.com/u/4Doy6r

Grown up tomboy Olivia doesn't need a man to complete her. Judging by her absent father, men aren't that reliable anyway. She's got a successful career, good friends and can evict spiders from the bath herself, so she doesn't need to settle down, thanks.

Walter's ex is moving his daughter to America and Walter feels like he's losing his family. When his friend-with-benefits, Olivia, discovers she's pregnant by her douchebag ex, Walter sees the perfect chance to be part of a family with a woman he loves. But how can Walter persuade the most independent woman he's ever met to accept his help, let alone his heart?

Girl In Trouble is the third book in the award nominated Smart Girls series by Rhoda Baxter. If you like charming heroes, alpha heroines and sparkling dialogue, you'll love this series. Ideal for fans of Sarah Morgan, Lindsey Kelk's I heart novels or Meg Cabot's Boy books. Buy now and meet your new favourite heroine today.

Rhoda Baxter bio:

Rhoda Baxter writes contemporary romances with heart and a touch of British cynicism. her books have been nominated for a variety of awards. She lives in Yorkshire with her young family and is on a mission to have afternoon tea in as many cake shops as she can.

You can find her wittering on about science and romance and cake on her website (www.rhodabaxter.com), Facebook or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter). Do say hello.

Book Review - Girl Having A Ball by Rhoda Baxter

Title: Girl Having A Ball

Author: Rhoda Baxter

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Choc Lit

Publication Date: 27th September 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

What if you had to learn to stand on your own feet?
Although Stevie lost her parents when she was very young, she’s always been able to rely on her brother, Marsh. But now Marsh is married and Stevie feels like she is losing him too. Determined to prove her independence, Stevie sets about transforming her life, giving up her dead-end job and following her passion for events management.

Her first assignment takes her to a stunning manor house in Oxford where she is tasked with organising a charity ball on a shoestring. Between canapé worries, celebrity guests and trying to keep the hyper-critical Lady Beryl happy, Stevie’s teenage crush, Tom, resurfaces to confuse things even further.

But ‘poor needy little Stevie’ is now ‘Stevie the strong woman’ and she won’t let a man get in the way of her dreams – will she?

Girl Having  A Ball is a highly enjoyable story, that is a lot of fun. The romantic element was slightly predictable, but its the journey that is always the most entertaining, and it certainly had me smiling as the story progressed. 

Stevie initially comes across as a bit flighty and I initially had large concerns over whether she would be able to organise the charity ball, as the kickstarter for her new career. In fact I was foreseeing disasters that didn't even occur, although that's not to say anything at all ran smoothly. 

I left the book feeling very impressed with Stevie, she experiences a great deal of personal growth over the month or so the story progresses for, as she learns to deal with all manner of  challenges. 

Stevie had a crush on Tom, when she was only 13 and now he is a high powered workaholic businessman, but that may have on re-meeting Stevie, twigged she is now quite a bit over 18, and a woman! The main insights we have into Tom are from his communications with his best friend Og mainly over email, which shows how confused he is about his work currently, as well as his feeling for various females. 

My overall feeling of Girl Having A Ball was that is was a lot of fun. There are smiles and giggles to be had, as well as information about a great charity that the ball is for. I loved some of the solutions to the problems, and really liked the big manor house setting in Oxford.  It was a lovely story to read, and as my second book by this author, I will definitely be curious to see future releases. 

Thank you to Choc Lit and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.