Date of Reading: 14/11/2019
Author: Lucy Coleman
Publisher: Aria
Publication Date: September 5, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4.5/5
(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)
About the book:
Christmas and romance are in the air...
It's
December 23rd and while everyone else is rushing home for the holidays,
workaholic Leesa Oliver is dreading switching on her out-of-office for the festive season. And it seems her equally driven boss, Cary Anderson,
isn't relishing spending Christmas at his family's country estate either.
So together, they draft an unexpected Christmas contract: They'll spend half of the holidays with each other's families, pretending to be a couple. Leesa knows the insufferably good-looking Cary will make her Christmas more bearable, but what happens after the last of the mince pies have been eaten...?
Leesa signed off on a sensible business agreement, but somewhere, amongst the fairy lights and carols, something seems to have changed... It seems there might just be some magic under the mistletoe this Christmas!
Review:
The fake date trope has been used and reused by many authors but one could never get tired of this storyline. So when I got this book, I was expecting a very predictable albeit relaxing storyline. Suffice to say, I was never prepared for this unique take on such an age-old storyline.
Leesa Oliver is not a swooning heroine; she is a businesswoman keeping to the realities of life. Wedding? Been there, done that and now it is over. So a business contract to pretend to be someone's boyfriend (even if he is a hot CEO), is not supposed to be hard. Surprisingly, she keeps to her bargain. There is an attraction for sure, but both know from their experience that chemistry won't necessarily mean a happy marriage. As you must have guessed by now, this is a slow-burning romance. Written solely from Leesa's perspective, we come to know of a really powerful and caring woman who comes to her decision with the head as well as her heart.
And it is not simply about two lovers. This is also the story of two families mending their inner struggles with the help of these two brilliant, brave people. Spanning from one Christmas to another, this also brings the two families together as an ideal marriage should be. They are really an entertaining bunch, especially Cressida, Cary's grandmother. I relished each moment with her as if I have read all her romance works.
Beginning with a Christmas where winter roars with fury and ending in the next year under the mistletoe, Lucy Coleman has produced a well crafted, brilliantly engineered Christmas story to remind us once again that the season is magical whether we believe it or not. So hop on guys, we are in for a ride . . .
Meet the author:
From interior designer to the author, Linn - who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman - says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’ When she’s not writing or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.
Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been shortlisted in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.
Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.
So together, they draft an unexpected Christmas contract: They'll spend half of the holidays with each other's families, pretending to be a couple. Leesa knows the insufferably good-looking Cary will make her Christmas more bearable, but what happens after the last of the mince pies have been eaten...?
Leesa signed off on a sensible business agreement, but somewhere, amongst the fairy lights and carols, something seems to have changed... It seems there might just be some magic under the mistletoe this Christmas!
Review:
The fake date trope has been used and reused by many authors but one could never get tired of this storyline. So when I got this book, I was expecting a very predictable albeit relaxing storyline. Suffice to say, I was never prepared for this unique take on such an age-old storyline.
Leesa Oliver is not a swooning heroine; she is a businesswoman keeping to the realities of life. Wedding? Been there, done that and now it is over. So a business contract to pretend to be someone's boyfriend (even if he is a hot CEO), is not supposed to be hard. Surprisingly, she keeps to her bargain. There is an attraction for sure, but both know from their experience that chemistry won't necessarily mean a happy marriage. As you must have guessed by now, this is a slow-burning romance. Written solely from Leesa's perspective, we come to know of a really powerful and caring woman who comes to her decision with the head as well as her heart.
And it is not simply about two lovers. This is also the story of two families mending their inner struggles with the help of these two brilliant, brave people. Spanning from one Christmas to another, this also brings the two families together as an ideal marriage should be. They are really an entertaining bunch, especially Cressida, Cary's grandmother. I relished each moment with her as if I have read all her romance works.
Beginning with a Christmas where winter roars with fury and ending in the next year under the mistletoe, Lucy Coleman has produced a well crafted, brilliantly engineered Christmas story to remind us once again that the season is magical whether we believe it or not. So hop on guys, we are in for a ride . . .
Meet the author:
From interior designer to the author, Linn - who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman - says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’ When she’s not writing or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.
Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been shortlisted in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.
Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.
This looks divine!
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you SO much for your very kind words... so delighted you enjoyed the story. And HUGE thanks for being on the tour! xx
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good Christmas read.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, I am on this tour tomorrow and was pleasantly surprised too.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I love a trope done well.
ReplyDeleteAmazing review Finitha I am really glad you fully enjoyed reading this book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
ReplyDelete