Book Review - Glad You Came by Chloe Ford

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Title: Glad You Came

Author: Chloe Ford

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Aria

Publication Date: 16th July 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

She's a runaway bride. He's a runaway popstar.

After calling off her wedding at the very last minute, Sara does what any self-respecting woman would do: she goes on her honeymoon alone.

But the fifteen-day luxury cruise around the Mediterranean implodes almost immediately when Sara misses the ship at its second stop. Stranded, sunburnt, and spectacularly unprepared, she's bracing for disaster… until she realises she's not alone.

Gus – member of the world-famous pop sensation Just4Summer – has also been left behind. Desperate to avoid the headlines and savour one rare taste of anonymity, he teams up with Sara to chase the cruise across the Adriatic.

Cue dodgy buses, missed connections, the storm of the century, and far too much proximity. As they stumble from city to city, the chemistry between them becomes impossible to ignore. But when real life comes calling, Sara must decide: is this just a summer romance… or the love story she never saw coming?

This is a book that feature's every cruise fanatic's worst nightmare - missing the ship. 

And not only once, but a series of missed connections,  while Sara has a phone that runs out of charge too fast, and very little money on her.  And Gus who she appears to be stranded with has a working phone, but even less access to anything useful. 

But that is the exact situation they find themselves in, which leads to a wonderful adventure as they attempt to catch up with the luxury yacht cruise they are on. 

Gus being a world famous pop star who doesn't want to be recognised adds a bit of extra difficulty to this while Sara ran away from her wedding not too long ago and this was meant to be her honeymoon trip.

So gotta love some close proximity and very mild peril, while also seeing how the pair start to have a growing fondness for each other. 

I love travel in all forms so I was hooked on seeing where and what they would try next, and seeing just how they would cope. 

I whizzed through this story loving every moment of it.  I'm really enjoying what I've read so far from this author and look forward to reading the rest of this series. 

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Book Review - F##k It, It’s Christmas by Holly Atwood

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Title: F##k It, It’s Christmas

Author: Holly Atwood

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 8th October 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

❄️Is your Christmas to-do list more like a never-ending roll-call of obligations?

🎄Are your fairy lights more tangled than your tights drawer?

🍷And are your homemade mince pies more pie in the sky than reality?

Join the club.

Meet Laurie: a working mother of two who is at the end of her tinsel. All she really wants for Christmas is five minutes of peace (and another Bailey’s in her coffee).

With a disastrously chaotic family Christmas brewing, Laurie has a choice to make. Should she double down on her perfectly manufactured festive cheer? Or burn the Pinterest board and embrace her imperfections so that she can have some fun too?

If you’ve spent more Christmases surviving than thriving, it’s time to join Laurie in ditching the colour-coded spreadsheets, letting the kids (and adults) stay in their pyjamas until 3 p.m. and finally raising a toast to say, ‘F##k it, it’s Christmas’.

A laugh-out-loud novel for fans of Amandaland, The F##k It List and Why Mummy Drinks.

From start to finish this had me giggling, and nodding and empathising and generally loving every single moment of this.

I love books featuring rather hectic mums that think they need to be perfect when instead they are face with the messy reality of life, and in this instance Christmas! 

And Laurie is the master of the motherly internal rant. They were brilliant, and I can imagine women of all ages especially if you have kids, or extended family to stay at Christmas, nodding in total and utter recognition of just about everything Laurie thinks. 

She is wonderful and to say for all of her intentions of planning and having a properly organised Christmas, that nothing goes according to the plan she never had time to prepare.  She is just barely surviving, and her husband doesn't seem to be much help at all. 

Her kids are fun, although like just about any book of this trope, there were a couple of inevitable scenes with far too many bodily fluids for my liking.  And they always seem to occur while I'm reading while eating!! 

I feel like Laurie could be me if I had ever had kids. I loved how her attitude changes over the course of this book, especially towards the big day itself but also towards "Perfect Clara" her sister in law.   

This is easily one of the best books I've read for a while, and should be a must read on festive TBRs for this year.  

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Christmas All The Way by Holly Hepburn

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Title: Christmas All The Way

Author: Holly Hepburn

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 8th October 2026

Rating: 4 Stars

Welcome to Freezy Tye – voted Britain’s Most Christmassy Village seven years in a row.

Best friends since university, Keeley and Grace first bonded over their love of nineteenth century romance classics, but life has taken them in different directions. While Keeley became the top curator at Juniper Cottage, home of forgotten author Eliza Norton, Grace settled into family life and now faces an empty nest with her son leaving for Australia.

When Grace takes a part-time job at winter wonderland shop Santa's Secret, she soon starts clashing with the owner's grumpy son, Raff. Meanwhile, Keeley is horrified when brash social media expert Xander Jones is brought in to modernise Eliza's legacy. Determined to resist his ideas, she instead finds herself unexpectedly drawn to him.

As December nears, Freezy Tye competes to retain its Christmas title. But with serious competition from a neighbouring village, and heartache dragging them down, Keeley and Grace find their festive spirit is in short supply. Can they all find a way to pull together and deliver a festive season to remember.

What a highly enjoyable story this is, focusing on best friend Keeley and Grace who are both facing some change in their lives. 

For Keeley, she suddenly has a new colleague at Juniper Cottage who is determined to increase visitor numbers, but she isn't overly onboard with the thought she may have someone to answer to.  While Grace is facing an empty nest, but then gets a part-time job at Santa's Secret. 

Santa's Secret is a massive open all year Christmas shop that has amazing displays, and every decoration you could ever imagine all under one roof.  I would absolutely love to visit, and I would fear for my bank balance at the same time. 

Unfortunately for me, the details to do with Juniper Cottage and Eliza Norton's life just weren't that interesting, as I am not a fan of history, so some of that to my mind felt a bit dry.  But I did appreciate what they were trying to do which definitely did make it seem like history comes alive. 

While I was loving everything to do with Grace's storyline, and I also enjoyed how they both were on the committee to see if Freezy Tye can win Most Christmassy village for yet another year. I loved the ideas that Grace came up with, and would have loved to be transported through the pages of the book to the village to see for myself. 

I enjoyed the ladies' love interests too, and think I fell for both men a bit. 

This is a thoroughly enjoyable first foray into festive fiction for Holly Hepburn which definitely left me feeling rather Christmassy. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - A Little Christmas Rivalry by Sandy Barker

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Title: A Little Christmas Rivalry

Author: Sandy Barker

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Ebook

Publication Date: 25th August 2026 

Rating: 5 Stars

🌟It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to win. 🌟

Sophie Reid is at the top of her game. A brilliant advertising exec and a devoted single mum, she’s this close to landing the biggest campaign of her career – the coveted Christmas ad for Hargreaves, the retail giant.

Her biggest rival? Arrogant lone wolf Drew Parker, who won the campaign last year – and the year before. If only he weren’t so hot, maybe Sophie could get him out of her head.

Drew knows exactly what Sophie thinks of him, but he doesn’t care. He’s here to win.

But when they’re forced to work together on the campaign, the lines between rivalry and attraction begin to blur.

As the festive season draws nearer, work takes them to snow-covered Switzerland – and those guarded, icy walls begin to melt. Could this Christmas be the start of something neither of them saw coming?

A rivals-to-lovers romcom full of humour, heart and a touch of Christmas magic.

What a thoroughly enjoyable book this was.  

Sophie and Drew are rivals at their advertising firm and both are determined to win the coveted Hargreaves Christmas advert account.  When they create their pitches both have utterly killer concepts that I thought were brilliant. 

Ok I preferred Sophie's to Drew's initial idea, but I wasn't thee one awarding the job.  Drew wins it, but due to it being a big campaign, he is being forced to team up with Sophie.  It's just the Sophie seems to hate him and he has no idea why. 

But yet at a company family event, Drew's niece meet's Sophie's daughter and they become friends, and also seem determined to get their adults together. There is definitely matchmaking afoot, and they are being forced to spend more and more time together. 

Sophie although appearing to hate Drew on the outside, has been having rather intimate dreams about him for a few years, and as she gets to know the real man, she wonders if she can see something a bit deeper in him. 

My favourite characters were definitely Maisie and Harlow, two adorable children, one wise beyond her years, the other just adorable and a few years younger, but a firm friendship develops. And the way that Drew and Sophie are going along with their meddling is really sweet too. 

This was just a really enjoyable story, that I devoured.  It's lovely and Christmassy and I loved the way the ad campaign turned out.  Just such a fabulous story, I loved it. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly. 

Book Review - Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle by Jaimie Admans

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Title: Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle

Author: Jaimie Admans

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 9th September 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

Tartan, tinsel, a fake marriage and one very real festive romance...

❄️ Fake marriage

❄️ Forced proximity

❄️ Workplace romance

❄️ Small town

❄️ Found family

After a window display goes disastrously viral – thanks to a malfunctioning animatronic Santa and an unfortunate encounter with Paddington Bear – Lula Haines finds herself without a job just weeks before Christmas. So she jumps at the chance to decorate Hollybrae Castle in Scotland for the holidays.

There’s just one complication: her handsome new boss, Oliver Bracewell, needs a fake wife for the festive season. To secure a promotion that could save his family’s castle, Ollie has been pretending to be a married father-of-two to impress the family-focused firm where he works. Now his bosses are coming to stay at Hollybrae over Christmas… expecting to meet his non-existent wife and children.

At first, playing along is easy as Lula is swept up in the magic of turning Hollybrae into the perfect festive escape with Ollie. But as Christmas draws nearer and she and Ollie grow closer, Lula begins to wonder if Hollybrae could become more than a temporary escape… and if the man she’s only pretending to love might actually be the one she’s been waiting for all along.

This festive season, can Lula and Ollie turn pretend love into the happy-ever-after they’ve both been waiting for? ❄️💕

What an utterly hilarious and memorable opening this was, and it really set the tone for yet another wonderful Jaimie Admans Christmas book.

I loved every second of this from the circumstances that lead to Lula losing her job as a window dresser at a West End department store, to agreeing to decorate a Scottish Castle for a month, to agreeing to be fake married to the owner of this castle over Christmas, so he can impress his bosses and gain a promotion that will mean he can afford to keep the castle - this is so much fun. 

Oh not only does Lula agree to be fake married, but Ollie borrows his house keeper's grandchildren, fills them in on the plan, and has a pair of fake children for this charade as a family man! So taking the whole fake dating trope to a new level that I was totally there for! 

And Hollybrae Castle itself is like a fairy tale castle, it's not massive, but omg it has a library in a turret! What could be more perfect, and it has great views of the Mull of Kintyre, and although the castle is rather cold, after all heating is expensive, it's a wonderful place and Lula is amazed she is able to go all out decorating it. 

Rory and Maisie the two children in on the charade, are delightful, and really put their "parents" through their paces, in terms of getting their stories straight.  They seem masters of how to pull this off, and are only demanding a Lamborghini and a pony as their payment!  

It's was wonderful to see how Ollie changed as the castle starts to come back to life, and how Lula manages to inveigle her way into his heart, as well as his life. 

I adored every word of this charming, magical and festive story. Utterly fabulous, and another hit for this always talented author. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Best of Enemies by Julie Mae Cohen

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Title: The Best of Enemies

Author: Julie Mae Cohen

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication Date: 20th August 2026 

Rating: 5 Stars

Gwen keeps a list of enemies. Not that she'd ever hurt any of them - she just likes knowing if karma catches up.

So when her childhood bully drowns in sewage, Gwen's quietly satisfied. But then another foe dies. And another. Soon, everyone who's ever crossed Gwen - from sworn enemies to obnoxious strangers - is meeting a bizarre end.

The police think Gwen's involved, but she's terrified. Someone's turning her private grudges into a murder spree, and if Gwen doesn't stop them, her newly rebellious daughter could be next . . .

This is another astounding book from Julie Mae Cohen. 

I had absolutely no idea how to predict this and was amazed and shocked by the finale. 

Gwen was a really interesting character, she seems rather battered by life, and has her own hit list of people she would love to take revenge on, and how she would like them to die. 

But it's only meant as a way of venting and clearing her head, so when people start dropping dead, that are on her list, many in suspicious circumstances she is puzzled and slightly terrified. 

She's convinced if she goes to the police, they will arrest her, and her family has had a tricky time with law enforcement as it is, so she is a bit terrified. She tries meeting up with some of the people on the list to warn them their lives may be in danger, but either she is too late, or they think she is threatening them. 

She's also concerned for her daughter Raven, who is exhibiting odd behaviours, but is determined to do anything and everything to keep her safe. 

I would never have guessed how this would turn out and I was hooked on each and every page, while I uncovered more and more of the story, and was intrigued throughout. 

A highly enjoyable novel of revenge from a fabulous author. 

Thank you to Zaffre and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - When Sparks Fly by Portia MacIntosh

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Title: When Sparks Fly

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 28th September 2026

Rating: 4 Stars

Fireworks are flying over the coastal town of Marram Bay, but Lia is about to have sparks of her own...

Moving back home was never part of Lia’s plan. But then again, neither was everything falling apart. Now she’s back in the seaside town she swore she’d outgrown - living with her parents, sleeping in her teenage bedroom, and trying not to think too hard about the life she left behind in London.

At first, it’s exactly as she feared: the same pub, the same people, the same routines. Comfortingly familiar and yet completely suffocating. Until one slightly chaotic night leads to her getting locked in a pub toilet with a handsome stranger. He’s charming, funny, mysterious - and gone before she even learns his name.

In a town this small, he’s bound to turn up eventually - but when he does, Lia realises it’s going to be far more complicated than she thought.

When her past and present start to collide, Lia has a choice: keep chasing the life she thought she wanted, or stay put and see what happens when the sparks start flying.

This was another really enjoyable book from Portia MacIntosh who always has a good hit rate with me. And it's been a long while since I last read a Marram Bay set novel, to the extent that I had to after the first bit of the book, try to look up to see if I had already read this under a previous name. 

I can't see any evidence of it, although it has been previously published as a novella, and been extended for this iteration, but it did leave me with a slightly disconnected feeling throughout.  I think I just wasn't expecting anything new from this setting, especially with some of the far more exotic locations Portia has been setting books in recent years. 

But that is totally a me thing and it didn't take away from the fact it's another fun story from this author, and I enjoyed seeing Lia tie herself up in knots between two brothers. 

She is continually trying to do the right thing but one is her childhood crush and the other she started fancying after being trapped in a toilet with him, and had no idea they were related until she accepts Si's offer to move into the home he is working on, so that she can have from privacy from her parents. 

Despite what I may be implying there is no cheating or anything from Lia, she makes herself very clear or at least tries to, and she realises what a sticky situation she is in.  

Not helped by the fact that she has got herself a new job and that involves working with Adam, in addition to living with him.  it's just one messy situation, made messier by her love of alcopops of her youth, plus her childhood friend trying to be some sort of influence on her.

This was a nice, quick and easy book to devour and it gave me a lot of much appreciated escapism.  

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Book Review - Dead Happy by Nick Spalding

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Title: Dead Happy

Author: Nick Spalding

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: 15th September 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

For Alex Lowry, life is for the living. Even if that comes with a lot of risk.

And where some men his age might just buy a sports car, he's become a full-blown adrenaline junkie. Whether it's lawnmower racing, rock climbing, or medieval combat, he'll give it a go - whatever makes him happy!

His daughter Hannah thinks he might have lost the plot. Chances are, she's absolutely right.

So when Alex's risk taking goes too far, and painful revelations from the past come to the surface, she has to intervene, before it's too late...

Dead Happy is a darkly funny, deeply moving story about family, guilt, and finding the courage to face your demons.

What a wonderful book this is, filled with laugh out loud moments but also far more poignant ones too. 

I'm starting to believe that Nick Spalding is becoming an advocate for men's mental health, based on his past couple of books - as this one also features a man that is clearly struggling. 

Alex appears to have a death wish, or he is an adrenalin junkie,, or something similar as he keeps starting, or taking up assorted hobbies that don't appeal to the typical person. 

In amongst it we have Medieval fighting, drag racing, rock climbing (ok that is a bit more normal), chainsaw carving and more. 

He claims he is trying to be a role model to daughter Hannah by showing her not to be afraid of things, but he takes everything far to far. 

He's chasing highs, or danger even when he sort of knows it may not be the best idea. 

And when you finally learn what is driving him, well my heart went out to him, and I was starting to get a bit emotional myself. 

This is a totally brilliant book, that will definitely make you laugh and potentially cry too.  Another hit from Nick Spalding. 

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - All Bets Are Off by Estelle Maskame

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Title: All Bets Are Off

Author: Estelle Maskame

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Black & White Publishing

Publication Date: 13th August 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

Three women. One bachelorette weekend. Zero chance of everything going to plan...

Adelaide Sinclair is weeks away from her dream wedding to the love of her life... or so everyone believes. Her bachelorette in Vegas is meant to be the ultimate send-off, until her fiancé crashes the party with his bachelor crew, including Connor, the first boy she ever loved... and the only one who knows the truth.

Hailey Clark would rather be anywhere else than a Las Vegas. When the email of a lifetime lands in her inbox - her shot at becoming a published author - she suddenly needs to balance her maid of honor duties with chasing her dreams. Easy enough... until she ends up handcuffed to the bride's charming younger brother, Theo, and her carefully laid plans go up in glittery smoke.

Evelyn Sinclair is finally twenty-one and ready to party, but she's also desperate for cash - and running out of time to get it. A little light theft seems like the perfect solution... until she tries to help herself to a Rolex from the wrist of a dangerously attractive stranger who insists on payback.

What happens in Vegas definitely won't stay there. By the end of the weekend, everything will change.

Gotta love a book set in Vegas, and with it being a hen party, which the stags effectively crash, there is plenty of room for chaos and shenanigans.

All the women seem to be hiding things from each other, which leads to some very interesting situations. 

Addy the bride to be is not being honest with herself, Hails suddenly needs to work over the weekend while also being dared to be handcuffed to Addy's brother. And Evelyn is determined to win big, or come up with another inventive way to earn a fair amount of cash over the trip. 

There is a lot of alcohol involved, but we also get see some of the Vegas sights, including the fountains at the Bellagio. 

This is the first time I've experienced this author and I was hooked from start to finish. I was enjoying this so so much, it's just a shame it had to end. 

What a great book. 

Thank you to Black and White Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Starry Nights over Dragonfly Lake by Alison Sherlock

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Title: Starry Nights Over Dragonfly Lake

Author: Alison Sherlock

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 1st August 2026

Rating: 5 Stars

Are the stars aligned or is it case of star-crossed lovers?

Astronomer Beth Jones dreams of forever love but with every romance ending in heartbreak she’s sworn off men. Hiding out at Maple Tree Lodge after losing both her job and Jeremy, her boyfriend, can Beth discover a new way to keep her passion for stargazing alive whilst putting aside her hopes and dreams for a fairytale future?

Carpenter Noah Jackson doesn’t believe in love of any kind and refuses to trust anyone, even his own, estranged family. But when he arrives at Maple Tree Lodge to pick up a surprise inheritance, a winter storm forces him to stay when all he wants to do is flee.

When Jeremy turns up unexpectedly at the hotel in an attempt to win Beth back, Noah is catapulted into a fake romance in front of her ex. Beth knows that Noah isn’t looking for love and he’s the complete opposite of everything she’s been looking for, isn’t he?

As the starry nights begin to weave their magic, can Beth and Noah learn to open their hearts and start to trust each other?

And perhaps trust the true feelings in their hearts as well…?

Praise for Alison Sherlock:

What a wonderful story and addition to this series. 

I was completely engaged from the first few pages and the book didn't let go of its hold over me until the end.  It was great to be back at Maple Tree Lodge and with the Jackson family. 

And this time there is a new to us member of the family get to know, a cousin who has been estranged and that Ben and Hannah aren't sure whether they can trust or not.  But Walter wants to give him a chance, plus give him an unexpected inheritance. 

Noah isn't sure he wants to stick around, but slowly but slowly he ends up staying another night and then another and starts to help out with building the new lodges. He doesn't intend to put down any roots but things just seem to occur. 

While Beth is trying to get over a heartbreak to a louse of a man, and has retreated to Maple Tree Lodge to be with her found family.  And with her friends and plus Noah who she claims a fake relationship with to try to ram home the message to Jeremy that it really is over, she starts to grow in confidence with regards sharing her love of astronomy with others. 

I loved seeing how both characters developed and how although having similarities in their childhood's neither were stable, how it has affected their thoughts on love in completely different ways. 

I wanted to hug both Beth and Noah individually while also knocking their heads together at times.  

This story set over the autumn and winter, really gave the cosy warm vibes of the seasons. I finished with a smile on my face and my hear warm, while already keen to read the next book in the series. 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.