Anita Hughes
St. Martin’s Griffin, Oct 2017
Kindle, 288 Pages
Also available in paperback
Genre(s) Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Women’s Lit
Source Author’s rep
Netgalley
Other books by this author
Christmas in Paris, White Sand, Blue Skies, Emerald Coast, Santorini Sunsets
My Disclaimer:
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book. I am voluntarily providing an honest review in which all opinions are fully my own. I am not being compensated in any way.
~ Judi E. Easley for Blue Cat Review
What it’s about…
Louisa bakes cinnamon rolls as she closes down the bakery at night. But she forgot to change the sign to CLOSED and in walks a determined customer. Noah is a prop director for a baking show and he needs some pastries for the show…NOW. Cameras can’t roll without something yummy to focus on.
Now, Noah needs a pastry chef. And he already knows Louisa makes the best cinnamon rolls in the world. So he tells her to pack her bags and meet him at the airport for a week in London to do the Christmas show. Trying to plan for every possible crisis, Louisa packs her bags and heads for the airport.
While Louisa’s mind is firmly focused on the food event, the men seem to have Louisa on their minds. Noah has warned her about the dangers, but can’t seem to avoid them himself. Digby is putting on a great act for her, but Noah is sure he’s up to some very dirty tricks.
And now Kate is getting into the swing of the season. They broke each other’s hearts all those years ago. Can Trevor and Kate get it right this time around or will Trevor shy away again? Will he give Kate a chance to make her stance clear?
Let the magic of London dressed in its Christmas best put you in the mood for the season and love when you read this contemporary holiday romance!
Technical Tidbits…
The cover is lovely and certainly catches the eye in a cool and serene Christmas scene.
The storyline is wonderful. The two couples trying to work out their problems and enjoy their holiday in London. But I had the strangest feeling very early on that I had read it before. Could it have been published somewhere else before?
The characters were quirky and fun and felt like real people we got to know and care about. You wanted to tell Louisa what a rat Digby was right from the beginning. You wanted to give Trevor a shake and tell him to put a little more steel into that spine of his.
The pace was really good. It was more than a stroll, but less than a brisk walk.
The tension kept building, like a wave, ever higher. Excellent job.
And this is where you STOP if you don’t want to see any SPOILERS…
The good, the bad, and the ugly…and how much it lit up my life… ✰✰✰✰✰
I was so excited to get the invitation to read this book. I’ve loved all of Anita’s books that I have read. So, I was looking forward to this one, too. And I wasn’t disappointed, either. Ms. Hughes’ writing was her usual sterling quality with lots of local-color which in this case is London done up for Christmas. My head was full of Christmas carols, flickering candles, red bows on green wreaths, starry skies, and such.
And both relationships went back and forth quite a bit. Louisa and Noah were so cute. She was so focused on baking, that she almost missed the fact that Noah was interested in her as a woman. That’s what almost got her in trouble with Digby. She didn’t think that he was after her as a woman until it was almost too late. Good thing Digby turned out to be a sloppy drunk and she could pour him into a bottle and leave him in a corner upstairs until the calvary showed up.
With Kate and Trevor, it was quite different because of their shared background. At first, Kate simply didn’t want to spend any time with him, but couldn’t seem to help herself. Then she relaxed and started to enjoy herself a little bit. Drumroll, please. Then, of course, they run into too much shared history and he spoils things. Trevor takes off without allowing Kate to say anything by way of explanation or defense. Not that she’d done anything wrong. What happened had been done to her without her permission. Trevor held her accountable unfairly. She gives him one last chance, which is more than I would have done. Each time, he had blamed her without allowing her to defend herself in any way and run without letting her say a word.
Well, everyone ended up HEA and that’s what we want to see. So, mission accomplished.
Recommended
815 wc
a thoughtful reveal 