.jpg)
It may only be September but my Christmas reading for this year is started, and to be honest, this book will set the bar high for other Christmas reads this year.
Oliver Bracewell is in the running for a big promotion at work, and in order to woo his bosses he has promised them a traditional family Christmas at his Scottish castle, which he will host alongside his wife and two children. Never mind that he hates his job and, if he gets it, he will need to move to London. He needs the pay rise to help maintain the castle. Otherwise, he might have to sell the castle which is his last real link to his parents. Only problem is....he doesn't have a wife or two children.
Enter Lula Haines who suddenly finds herself jobless after the Christmas window display at the big store she works for goes disastrously wrong (poor Paddington Bear). When she sees a job ad for an experienced decorator to make a Scottish castle shine, she thinks why not. After a very strange interview, she is on her way to the Mull of Kintyre for a few weeks. During the interview she has also somehow agreed to pretend to be her boss's wife for the event. Her sister, who Lula lives with, is rightfully concerned, but what could go wrong.
Once at the picture book perfect castle, Lula has free reign to decorate as much as she wants. What she really wants though is to know more about Oliver. Why has he not celebrated Christmas at the castle in years? Why does he need a fake wife? Where is he going to get fake kids from and how will they be able to make it look like they are a real family?
I literally laughed out loud at the first line of this book, and then started wondering why I haven't read this author before! And that set the scene for a wonderful romantic, Christmas read. There were so many funny scenes. I laughed out loud when Lu was navigating a conversation with the boss's wives about all the various reasons when they had never met her (fictional Lu had many, many instances of illness and accidents) but there were also many heartfelt scenes and lots of emotion.
I love Lula and Oliver together. They both know that this arrangement is for a short time only, but everything just feels right between them. I also love the Christmas that they created from slinky races down the stairs, to searching for the perfect trees and so much more. And there were some lovely secondary characters as well, people who all cared for Oliver and Lula just want to see them happy both as individuals, but also together if they can realise that this fake marriage can be more.
Obviously, I loved this book, and I will definitely be reading more from Jaimie Admans. It was a great start to my Christmas reading season!
I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog. Thanks to the publisher, Netgally and Rachel's Random Resource for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.
Rating 4.5/5
Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle
A Scottish castle, a fake marriage… and one very real Christmas romance?
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.
With heaps of tartan, tinsel and Christmas magic, this uplifting romance is perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Heidi Swain, Cressida McLaughlin, Ellie Henderson or Jessica Redland!
Purchase Links
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GM2WTCSZ/
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GM2WTCSZ/
About the author
Jaimie Admans is the bestselling author of several romantic comedies –
including The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane and The Post Box at the
North Pole. Her series for Boldwood, The Ever After Street Series, is based on
the magical world of fairytales.
Social Media
Links –
Facebook: @JaimieAdmansBooks
Twitter: @be_the_spark
Instagram: @jaimieadmans1
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JaimieAdmansNews
No comments:
Post a Comment