Everyone loves Christmas, don’t they?

Synopsis

‘Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, and magic under the mistletoe…

Flora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she’s gutted when her Scrooge-alike boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams – and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?

Before she can say ‘sleigh bells’, Flora’s on her way to Lapland in a campervan-cum-Christmas-shop. She can’t wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn’t expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There’s just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.

Can Flora convince Connor of the joys of Christmas – and will she find a festive romance along the way?

My review

If Flora could celebrate one holiday all days of the year, it would surely be Christmas. So even if her boss is more like The Grinch, she loves working for Deck The Halls Christmas Emporium. But when she gets fired, Flora has the opportunity to follow her dreams.
So now Flora is on her way to Lapland and has a campervan/ Christmas sop – on – wheels.
Lapland is just what she needed, but meeting Connor surely isn’t. Their first meeting was already one filled with misunderstandings, but now he appears to be in charge of the markets where Flora is staying.
And to make things even worse, he absolutely hates Christmas! Flora suddenly has a new mission: convince Connor that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!

I love the time around Christmas, but to say I go all the way in preparations and celebrating is also an exaggeration.
From the beginning of December I start singing that certain song about what I want for Christmas and when it’s snowing I surely enjoy the magical atmosphere, from the inside although!
Hot chocolates and beautiful lights surely can lift my spirits, but that’s in for me. So somehow I understood Flora’s love for the holiday, but I wouldn’t ever think to go to Lapland!

But I loved Flora’s enthusiasm at being able to do something she dreamed about! Of course, if everything would go smoothly from the beginning until the end, I wouldn’t enjoy this story so much!
Not only does Flora has to search for a new camper, but her first encounter with Connor isn’t the happiest encounter of encounters!
I nearly laughed my pants of reading how absurdly suspicious they both were!
But I also found it funny to see how they pretended to have that same mistrust afterwards.

Seeing how Flora is struggling to adapt in Lapland, and sometimes failing, was very entertaining to read. But also seeing how she is able to make new friends in a new environment was sweet. 
Obviously she doesn’t get along with everyone, Connor included initially, but I loved seeing how she won’t accept being bullied!

But what truly warmed my heart was seeing how Flora tries to show Connor the real spirit of Christmas. Some of Connor’s points were right, and his reluctance understandable, but then there were moments where Connor shows how kind and caring and also how funny (even if not on purpose) he can be.

A Christmas story without any romance wouldn’t be complete, so of course there are some romantic bits.
But those feelings weren’t the main characters. For me it was about starting over, following your passion, and feelings what Christmas is truly about.
Kindness and spreading joy is important during these holidays, but not only during this period, but everyone should show these emotions every day!

This was a lovely story, about a lovely character with her heart at the right place. Sometimes all it takes is courage to follow your dreams. You cannot know for sure where it will take you, but it will certainly be an adventure.
And just because you don’t believe in certain aspects of the Christmas period, doesn’t it mean you’re a Grinch. But it’s a matter to find the things that you do enjoy and open your heart and mind about it. And with the right nudge in your back, you’ll never know what will happen next!

After finishing this book, I was completely in the Christmas mood, trying to name all the reindeers of Santa, seeing if it would be too early to set up my tree (unfortunately the tree is still not set…) and drinking hot chocolate with a big smile on my face!