Meet me in London by Georgia Toffolo. Published by Mills and Boon.
I would firstly like to thank Netgalley, Mills and Boon and Georgia Toffolo for the E ARC copy of this book.
We meet Oliver and Vicki. Oliver is brought in to get the Chelsea store of Russell and Co back on track for the opening day. His cousin is not coping, getting the residents back’s up and is basically not making a good job of things. As well as having this stress, Oliver is coping with family issues, especially his Mother wanting him to find a wife, settle down and produce the next generation.
We also meet Vicki, she works in a bar, across the street from the new store, teaches 3 young girls sewing and fashion design, as well as designing and selling her own dresses. She is off men.
One night she and Oliver meet at the bar, Oliver sees her as his way to get his mother off his back, but she refuses his marriage offer. Later they meet again by accident, they talk and she agrees to the fake fiancé role. This then becomes their story. It was so well written and the characters and situations so believable.
It is also a story about the bond of friendship and how true friends are there for you no matter what and will do all they can for you. I loved the bond between Vicki and her 3 friends Zoe, Lily and Malie. To have friendship like that is so special.
I would highly recommend this book. If you can hold off reading it, until the Christmas tree is up, then settle yourself in your favourite chair, snuggle under your favourite comfy blanket, have a cuppa and some cake or cookies beside you, the fire on, candles flickering, the tree lights twinkling and Christmas music playing in the background and immerse yourself in this book. You will not be sorry.

This was a lovely light hearted book i found this to be the perfect escapism and a nice cosy book to read while relaxing in the bath. As a fan of made in Chelsea it was interesting that the characters names in the book lended themselves to those in the series this is a perfect uplifting Christmas read and would love to read about further adventures of the other characters If this book were made into a series of them.

I’m a sucker for a nice book cover. I know it’s fickle, but if a cover catches my eye - particularly Christmassy themed books - I simply have to read it.
The cover of Meet Me in London is a real beaut! I love the backdrop of London at nighttime with the twinkling snow. Although it was slightly strange to be reading a winter/Christmas book during a spell of unseasonably warm and sunny weather!

The book is fairly predictable but don’t let that put you off. It’s a good, light, straightforward, heart warming read about the virtues of true friendship. If you need some ideas for your Christmas wish list, or some ideas for gifts for family or friends, then Meet Me in London would make a lovely Christmas present.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Mills & Boon for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A pleasant and relaxing read, ideal for putting your feet up with on a sunny afternoon. If you like your fiction without any edge of the seat tension, with likeable and straightforward characters and a fairly predictable happy ending then this is the book for you. I think there are some potential interesting back stories to develop with some of the supporting characters and if I was Toff, that’s where I might go next.

I am not usually a big fan of “celebrity” authors but this one intrigued me. It is what it sets out to be, a love story, very romantic but surprisingly very well thought out. There is a back story to the heroine which isn’t too tragic or too fluffy. Although the characters are quite cliche’d I thoroughly enjoyed it from the first page to the last.

I really loved this book. Victoria and Oliver’s romance was so sweet and simple but the story had so many more elements than just that. The characters and the way they met was believable and relatable and I really enjoyed the way that Victoria’s past was explained and carried on throughout the book. The difficult subjects were dealt with sensitively and helped to give the characters a greater sense of realism. Would definitely recommend.

I’m not familiar with Georgina Toffolo, so I came into this with no expectations, I simply liked the blurb of this. It features Victoria who is both a fragile yet strong woman who is sworn off relationships due to the way her last relationship ended. Oliver is open to relationships, as long as they haven’t been suggested by his mum at least, however whilst he does believe in the concept of ‘the one’ he hang been in love yet and is in no rush to find her especially whilst he is busy running the family business. Both characters have a good viewpoint and a reasonable amount of depth to them, the story runs well and also introduces the characters of the next three novels whom I’m looking forward to seeing where life takes them.

A book full of relationships!
I really enjoyed this book - I loved the characters, the families, and the friends, and all the different relationships and especially the romantic developments between Oliver and victoria.
I would definitely recommend this as a Christmas read - but I think you may read it too quickly. Sit back and enjoy it for true romance and a happy ending

Meet Me In London - Georgia Toffolo

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Mills and Boon and Netgalley.

Before I start on my actual review, this book was predictable - but don’t let that put you off.

Oliver Russell is trying to get ready for the opening day of the new Russell & Co department store in Chelsea. His mother keeps asking if he will be bringing someone home for Christmas. Victoria works as a barmaid and spends all of her spare time working on her designs as she is an aspiring fashion designer.

In an effort to get his mother off his back, Victoria agrees to be Oliver’s fake fiancee, in a ruse that is due to end on the opening day of the department store. As with many well laid plans there is family drama, family meetings, secrets and hidden feelings.

However, this was a warm and comforting book. There are a few difficult topics covered in this book, but they are handled in a sensitive manner. Set in the run up to Christmas, this is a good book to read on a dark evening.

Rating: 4.5/5

I really hope that this is the first in a series as I look forward to learning more about Oliver and Victoria.

I generally veer away from stories written by 'celebs', fearing that they only get published and/or do so well on the basis of the face behind them rather than on the books own merits. However, I decided to take a chance on this one, and I was pleasantly surprised as I actually quite enjoyed it.

Toff has clearly stuck to what she knows here by basing the book in Chelsea, but there's nothing wrong in that! She knows her setting well, and that comes across. The story itself was a sweet romance, well thought out and cleverly told by going between the two main character's perspectives.

A light, but thoroughly enjoyable read.

Victoria dreams of becoming a dress designer and spends all her spare time designing and making clothes and encouraging teenagers to do the same. A department store opening in her neighbourhood threatens to ruin local businesses until she meets Oliver, the son of the owner. A feel good romance, hard to put down, predictable but totally enjoyable, as Victoria fights the demons from her past and falls in love.

If you like reading romance, this is the book for you. Easy to read , great feel good factor and a happy ending, what more could you want!

This is a wonderful book, I really enjoyed it and could not put it down after a slow start. It is abit slow for few chapters in beginning but totally worthy sticking with it.

Victoria and Oliver, so good to see both struggle with how they feel and not want to say anything. I loved how Georgia spread the opposite thoughts throughout the chapters combining situations and how they felt about it in one chapter rather than a chapter each. It made the chapter flow beautifully and tension grow.

Talkinf to my kindle is very good, but I could not resist shooting at Oliver to say something or Victoria to just believe.

A truly heart warming story, overcoming barriers and embracing possibilities.

Loved it!

#NetGalley #MeetMeInLondon #bookreview #christmasreads2020

I loved the cover and blurb for this book and requested it before realising it was written by ‘toff’ - this was a massive turn off for me.

The author is a well known reality tv personality and, although she always comes across as lovely on tv, isn’t necessarily someone I would like to read books by. With this is mind, it took me a while to get started on this book.

The book was well written, flowed well and scene descriptions were good. I would’ve liked more character chemistry to really gel with the story.

Unfortunately, I could not get Toff’s voice out of my head when reading!! I found this really distracting and very annoying. I appreciate this is entirely my problem, but something that may impact on others reading too?

I finished the book and liked the story. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 📚

There has been, it seems to me, a sudden rush of books about department stores. This is my 3rd in 2 weeks. All about renovations and the staff and machinations and…
This is nicely written book and as it happens Portobello Road is under renovation at the moment and under pressure from developers who are trying to buy up the area with the antiques – not for a department store though, but for flats. Small developments are permitted as we are so short of living accommodation here in London.
This is another warm book again. Victoria is a very giving person and Ollie comes across as someone who has been trained to the that English reticence and inability to express emotion that comes from the boarding school and rigid upbringing that older parents, with a very large business empire to manage, can impart.
I loved the closeness of Victoria’s friends and how they had all found he best life for them after their teenage tragedy. But small coastal villages are somewhat over romanticised in my opinion and lead people to think it is all happy living, when often it isn’t – too many people and no privacy and rather inbred. That said, I totally agree about Chelsea Physic Garden – it is a wonderful place.
As its name implied, it is all about medicine and was set up in 1673 as a botanical garden for the doctors of the time with a wonderful collection of plants for all sorts of uses from medical to dyeing to…

What an absolute dream of a debut!

Victoria is a hustler. She works long hours in a bar to supplement her income as she develops her design collection and teaches fashion to underprivileged kids. She is also 1 quarter the most badass group of girlfriends since Sex and the City. She has a secret about the effects of a horrifying car crash on her and the reactions of previous relationship partners has meant that to protect herself from this is in the future, she has built a rather large wall around her heart.

Oliver is the boss of a major department store chain – think Selfridges – who is reluctantly taking up the helm of the family business to allow his father to rest following an illness. The tough part is, Oliver has his own dreams that this job is keeping him from. He doesn’t know what those dreams are yet but he certainly knows what they are not! Add to that his meddling mother who is parading scores of eligible young women his way in an attempt to marry him off and he is about at his wits end.

So when he promises that he will bring his fiancée to a family event with no such person in his life, he has to find one and fast!
It is at this point that he meets Victoria and what starts as a mutually beneficial deal soon becomes something much more meaningful. Can Oliver put his long held belief that he doesn’t do relationships aside for her? And can Victoria be honest about herself with the man she loves and risk rejection all over again.

This book is not only a fun and flirty romance with all the escapism, as one would expect from Toff, of a wealthy life in Chelsea. But more than that, this book is about recognising your worth just as you are and not holding yourself accountable to the expectations of others. It is about finding your dreams and living the life that makes you happy. And most of all, the strongest current throughout this book, is that of strong female friendship. That ride or die friendship that is so unique to women. Unconditional, honest and sometimes challenging but above all else, supportive and loving.

I loved this book and I will be happy to add the paperback to my favourites collection upon publication.

A light, easy if somewhat predictable read but very enjoyable. I might even re read it in December.
I would have liked a bit more chemistry but that's just me.

I really enjoyed this book, it was an enjoyable read and I really didn’t want it to finish. I found it very entertaining and very much a holiday read ideal for sitting on the beach in the sun and enjoying this book. I do hope this author writes more books in the future.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Yessss Toff! I loved this story and was hooked from start to finish. I loved the characters and found myself very invested in Oliver’s and Victoria’s love story from the beginning. A perfect feel good chick lit, I will be on the lookout for more from this author. A strong 4 stars!

A very fun and fluffy Christmas romance!

A classic holdiay romance that had me swooning along with Victoria as she and Oliver embarked on their whirlwind fake engagement and everything that came with it.

I read this book in a couple of hours and simply coukd not bear to put it down because of the enthralling plot and easy style of writing that has mr utterly engrossed.

A great book is you're looking for a sweet holiday romance to get you into the Christmas spirit.