Christmas is always the happiest time of the year…

Synopsis

A festive treat brimming with the magic of bookshops and Christmas… 

In the seaside town of Micklewick Bay, Florrie Appleton and Ed Harte are gearing up for a magical Christmas at the Happy Hartes Bookshop. Florrie’s book-themed decorations are the talk of the town, while Ed’s dazzling window displays could have been plucked straight from a fairytale. With romance in the air, this promises to be their best holiday season yet. 

But after a surprise phone call from his father, Florrie worries that Ed is keeping a secret. Why is he spending so much time in the attic? And what’s making him act so distantly?

Determined to make this Christmas unforgettable, Florrie packs their days with festive treats from gingerbread hot chocolates to sleigh rides under the stars. But when Ed disappears just a few days before Christmas, Florrie fears the worst. Will her holiday dreams shatter like a dropped bauble? Or is Florrie in for a Christmas surprise of her own? 

The perfect festive read to get you in the holiday spirit, Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea will delight fans of Jessica Redland, Jenny Colgan and Phillipa Ashley.

My review

Florrie Appleton and Ed Harte couldn’t be happier, as not only they are very much in love with each other, but they are also running rather successfully the Happy Hartes Bookshop in Micklewick Bay. And this Christmas Florrie believes that it’s going to be a real magical one. When she hears that Ed has missed many Christmas traditions, she is determined to create as many memories together with him. However, when Ed gets a surprise call from his father, Florrie feels that Ed is keeping things from her, making her fearful for a repeat of the past… Especially as Ed starts to act even more distantly…So what kind of Christmas will it be for Florrie? One filled with lovely memories, gingerbread and love? Or will it be one that will shatter her heart in littles pieces?

I have to say, it was a while ago that I last visited Micklewick Bay, so it took me a little bit to remember the lovely place and the great couple that Florrie and Ed are…

But once my memory came back, I truly enjoyed reading how one of the loveliest couple were faring.

It was so sweet to see how Florrie and Ed were thriving. Not only seeing how well they are running the bookshop, what amazing ideas they are even having for the future. And then there are the displays that Ed has created…just wow, I could see it all in my head too!

But what was just so lovely, was seeing the love between these two amazing people. We know how a struggle it was for them to get to this point, thus seeing how well things are going was so heartwarming.

Florrie and Ed are in sync with each other on so many levels, even if their upbringings were so different from each other. They would do anything to see each other happy. In Florrie’s case that even means to make Ed experience the thrills linked with Christmas, even if those things are normally done during childhood, like building a snowman, the excitement of opening Christmas gifts and so on. And seeing how Ed’s excitement is infectious, put a real smile on my head.

However… and unfortunately there is a however… there are some darker clouds over this Christmas. Clouds that may put in danger everything Florrie and Ed have been building. And clouds coming from different directions. Because it’s not only that ominous call that Ed receives from his dad, but also a dodgy character returns on the scene.

And perhaps the thing that scared me the most, was Ed’s odd behaviour. Even if I had my own idea of what Ed was probably doing, there was a bit of fear that history would be repeating itself once again.

If I was already being a bit fearful, I couldn’t imagine what Florrie must be going through. And so we see that no matter how good things may seem to be going, fear is always lurking around the corner, fear that all the happiness is all that easily taken away once again…

Of course this wouldn’t be Micklewick Bay if Florrie and Ed would be surrounded by just like them amazing people. People that we also know and have been rotting for their own happy end. And seeing how a united bunch they are all, truly warmed my heart all over again.

Obviously Christmas is doing its magical thing in this book, because for sure the story, beside the dark clouds, is filled with so much love. Love that make you look brightly towards the future, love that makes you want to create new memories that will last a lifetime, love that will make you cry happy tears (but also sad ones).

I truly enjoyed reading this story, bringing me back to a wonderful place, with wonderful people who deserve all the happiness in the world. But we also see that even in romance books, things don’t always go easy or are that straightforward. Yet we also have to keep the faith, trust the people that we love and that love us.