Jaimie Admans set the bar incredibly high when she published The Post Box at the North Pole (link to my review). To date, it has remained one of my favourite Christmas books. Jaimie’s books are always joyfully uplifting, with a sprinkling of magic that always leaves me with a contented glow. I just love them. If you would like to read another couple of my reviews, please follow these links: The Beekeeper at Elderflower Grove and The Sunshine Teashop.
Thanks to Rachel Gilbey from Rachel’s Random Resources for the blog tour invite and support, and for arranging with Boldwood Books to provide my digital advance reading copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. You can read my thoughts below.
Synopsis
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
Review
I just loved Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle. I was absolutely hooked from the opening pages, despite the terrible scenes from the Christmas display. I could imagine the scenes as the animatronic Santa destroyed our much-loved Paddington Bear. You could be forgiven for assuming that this was not the best premise for a gorgeous Christmas book, but you would be wrong. In fact, I was chuckling away at the imaginary carnage.
Lula Haines was a delight. Her passion for Christmas was infectious, and I found myself dreaming of ribbons, bows and fairy lights despite it still being August. It’s fair to say that life had definitely been giving her lemons, and her malfunctioning display was the proverbial icing on her cake. Yet, despite all that, she didn’t feel sorry for herself; she simply dusted herself down and focused on what could be next. My kinda gal!
Oliver Bracewell was the victim of his own web of fibs. His desire to honour his late father’s memory led him down a path of deception that simply snowballed. I never disliked him; in fact, I was drawn to him and wanted him to come through his challenges unscathed.
Hollybrae Castle sounded stunning. I would love to visit and roam through the grounds. Enjoying the sights of the wildlife and dramatic scenery. There’s something rather special about the thought of a Scottish Castle generally, but at Christmas, it becomes quite magical.
Of course, fake marriage is not a new trope, but it’s always a rich source of fun and often hilarious situations. I can’t recall this extending to fake children before, but this was handled beautifully.
I would hate to include any spoilers, so I will cautiously close this review with reference to the absolute WOW! Conclusion. As grand gestures go, this one is up there as one of the greatest. I am even going to call it my Christmas book of the year.
Author Bio
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.
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