Anna Holley, the third of four sisters, has always felt a little bit forgotten. A family tragedy when she was a child had her retreating deep into shyness, and social anxiety kept her on the fringes of the cozy, chaotic bustle of the busy vicarage.
When she finished school Anna left for Manchester and tried to avoid coming back home and the well-meaning nosiness being a Holley sister in a small village like Thornthwaite meant… but when her father says he has an important announcement to make, she’s drawn back home for the happy chaos of a vicarage Christmas.
Avoiding her sisters’ bossy questions, Anna heads out to the local pub one night, and meets a handsome stranger nursing a pint. Somehow, unburdened by expectations, Simon seems like the perfect person to spill all her secrets to—including a hopeless, long-held crush on her sister’s boyfriend. Confident she’ll never see him again, Anna returns home… only to discover the next day that Simon is actually her father’s new curate!
Anna is beyond mortified, but Simon won’t let her retreat into her usual shyness—and for once Anna is forced to confront the past, and all the fears and feelings she’d tried so long to hide. But with his own heartache that needs to heal, can Simon help Anna to make this the most magical Christmas either of them have known?
Christmas is my favourite time of year, so of course signing up for a Christmassy blog tour in the middle of summer was something that made perfect sense for me but of course you're reading this in October which is a little bit more socially acceptable. I haven't read any of Kate's other books, usually chick lit isn't my thing but since Christmas is definitely my thing I gave this a chance.
Anna and Simon are the budding new romance in this book and it's really fluffy and nice but on the flip side, Anna has a more complicated personality that leads to some tough moments as she deals with her past and things threaten to get the best of her. Luckily Anna has Simon to help her out and make Christmas special.
I think a lot that happens in this book is so relatable, not just the getting drunk and spilling your secrets to a stranger part, but the emotional journey that Anna goes through and how hesitant she is to put herself out there.
All that being said, this is definitely a feel good story unlike a lot of the books I read, you can cuddle up with this book on a Sunday afternoon and feel better at the end of the evening, so I would recommend to any fans of chick lit.
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Kate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of over 60 books of women's fiction and romance. She is the author of the Hartley-by-the-Sea series, set in England's Lake District and published by Penguin. She is also, under the name Katharine Swartz, the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell. She also writes for Harlequin Presents.
She likes to read romance, mystery, the occasional straight historical and angsty women's fiction; she
particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots. Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever. You can read about her life at http://www.katehewitt.blogspot.co.uk.
Website: http://www.kate-hewitt.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katehewitt1
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