A Christmas-y romance novel that is set mostly in Miami and Columbia. A collaboration for a song brings Cara and Javi together. Both have baggage, of course, which leads to some drama and an eventual HEA.

I didn't care much for either MC. What was interesting though was the insights into the music industry and how Christmas is celebrated in Latin American countries

My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack

Two artist who’s careers are having a bit of a slump and their agents decide they should both do a Christmas single together. Follow the journey of Cara and Javi - a shy serious Brit and a Latin flirty playboy. Will the opposites clash and burn or will the opposites attract?

A well written book with Laughter, poignant moments in the story and likeable characters.

An easy romance with the odd twist you don’t expect.

This was a gorgeous and enjoyable Christmas read. Leonie Mack is always phenomenal with every story she writes and I particularly loved the banter between the main characters. It was very comedic and witty.

Leonie Mack is sure to steal readers’ hearts with her charming and uplifting debut novel, My Christmas Number One.

Cara is passionate about her music. Talented and driven, Cara does not believe in going down the same route as her fellow contemporaries and using her sex appeal to sell records. Cara wants her music to speak for itself and not have to rely on cheap gimmicks and sultry and revealing photo shoots and social media posts to get noticed. As she struggles to recover from a serious accident, Cara refuses to surrender her principles, however, when she gets the opportunity to record a song that promises to be a hit, she finds herself with no other option but to say yes – even if it is a Christmas record and the holidays are not exactly high on her list of priorities. But worse is to come for Cara. She will have to record the song with somebody who is her polar opposite: Javi. Is this a match made in heaven or a recipe for disaster?

Javi believes in having fun. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and this attitude has filtered down to his music, his relationships and most of his life. Javi had tried to be grown up and serious, but with life having shown him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t cut out for the serious side of life, Javi prefers not to worry too much and to be as carefree and easy-going as possible. Recording a song with Cara could be an excellent promotional opportunity for him – even if they don’t exactly seem to have hit it off!

Cara and Javi are like chalk and cheese and they are not exactly planning on spending any more time together than they actually have to. They will certainly not be hanging out together after hours and they won’t become friends. Until they begin to get to know each other and realise that they are a lot more alike than they initially thought. Sure, their outlooks are different, their cultural traditions worlds apart and their temperaments totally dissimilar, but will the magic of Christmas end up bringing them together? Or is theirs destined to be a purely professional relationship?

My Christmas Number One is such a lovely read. Cara and Javi’s love story is one that will make readers laugh, sigh and cry and which will keep them completely engrossed from the first chapter until the very last page. Leonie Mack writes with plenty of style and gusto and has penned a joyous, feel-good and romantic read that will put even those readers who are not so enamoured with the festive season in the holiday spirit!

Leonie Mack is certainly a writer to watch out for and I am already looking forward to her next book!

I loved the concept of the story where the two main characters come together because of a Latin-Brit single they record.

Firstly, kudos to the author’s style of writing! She tells the story in a delightful manner where she blends humor, romance and family drama beautifully. I laughed so many times, like how Cara responds to the iguana, and her reaction to the Spanish terms. Moreover, it’s refreshing to see a romantic comedy where the author does something new by incorporating new cultures and themes. I loved the musical element, as I have not read many book revolving around the music industry.

Also, Cara and Javi are contrasting characters that sizzle when they are together. Cara is down to earth and apprehensive, whereas Javi is carefree and lives his life. But both of them are adorable, funny and charming in their own manner. I loved so many moments they share like their ‘not’ first date, and the way they connect though their songs. At the same time, all the supporting characters add wonderfully to the mix, whether it is Beatriz, her father, Mamita or Coque.

However, my only minor complaint is the over use of the Spanish terms. Like Cara, terms like ‘naco’ and ‘buen punto’ was completely lost on me. I felt like I missed out on some humorous dialogues because of my lack of knowledge on these terms.

But apart from that, this was a wonderful romantic comedy which I loved, and it got it me in the Christmassy mood!

This book left me a little on the fence. While I loved the flirting banter between the hero and heroine, the dialogue and texts were funny and witty and often made me laugh. But then when these people actually meet, it's like they get all wooden and stiff, which is weird, as if you're reading two parallel tales of 2 couples and these never really meet up...
However, what really did it for me in this one was the care the author took with the music aspect. Half of it flew over my head as I have pretty much no notion of music, scores, beats, and all that musical composition hoopla/language, but the POVs of both the protagonists, who are song writers, is riddled with these kinds of references - and this sounded like what someone making music would sound like, hearing the world in notes and beats, expressing themselves in musical terms, their viewpoint being music. Really well done and hats off to the author for this bit, as she really went above and beyond in this aspect to make this feel realistic to the world

An enjoyable read if a little long winded in places. Two people who initially don't click at all but the chemistry wins out and the book zings.

I would definitely read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed getting to know Cara and Javi. I loved there building relationship.

Most of the way through the book you're thinking are they going to get together aren't they. Then there's the curve ball that I didn't expect near the end of the book.

Cara in the beginning seems quite uptight on the outside and when you first meet Javi he seems uptight too but as they get to know each other they both begin to come out of there shell a bit.

The too-Ing and fro-Ing between the pair gets a little frustrating at times but that shows how good the writing is to evoke this emotion. I smiled and laughed so many times throughout the book.

I really liked Javi's reaction to Carla's health condition, as if it was something he didn't expect but didn't change how he felt about her or who she was.

I don’t know what to say about this book. Not really a Christmas story, slightly bizarre at times, but by the end of it I’d bought into the characters more and enjoyed it.

A Christmas story about writing and performing that perfect Christmas song and the relationships it effects. Javi's career is on a downward slope and Cara's is stalled. Their agents get together and propose they record a Christmas single. Javi is a bit of a playboy, Cara is rather shy and does not want any kind of relationship. Well, when you are forced to spend that much time together, some feelings are bound to occur. Both Cara and Javi have had things happen in their past that have brought them to this point. Javi has a daughter that he doesn't really know or spend time with, but his ex-wife needs him to take her for awhile when she goes for an acting job. This forces them to get to know more about each other and Javi decides he rather likes be a father. When Cara and Javi open up to one another, they start to have romantic feelings, but will it work. From Columbia to Miami to London we see all sorts of Christmas traditions and the culture and lifestyle they have grown up in and presently live with. I found that part of the story interesting along with all the promotion and production for their song. There are barriers and roadblocks along the way that they will have to get over if they are to have a real relationship and I enjoyed seeing how they dealt with things. I really liked the main characters in this story. Cara's father was not my favourite, but he does come around at the end. If you enjoy Christmas stories, stories about musicians or just something a bit different this year, then pick this one up, it is an enjoyable story.

I struggled to get into My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack as I could not get to grips with the narrative. There was a constant referral throughout to music terms that didn’t hold my interest so I gave up on it.

A heartwarming and sizzling romance about two musicians and their unexpected (and unwanted) collaboration on a new Christmas song. The ironic part is both of them struggle with the Christmas season as they are haunted by the past. Cara and Javi are complete opposites, but each of them have something to learn and take away from this collaboration. A beautiful Christmas romance about nostalgia, moving on from the past, and dreaming about the future. I loved the complexities of their stories, their pasts, and their faults. It is just what I want in a light holiday read that still keeps me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

Cara and Javi meet when they are put together by their record contract to make a song together. Niehter is what the other expected. They don't get off to the best of starts, but as they spend more time together they start to get to know each other and unconver each others secrets.

Do they have a chance together when they live completely different lives?

A great festive read.

Wonderful heartwarming story. Good strong characters and a nice storyline. Lovely easy reading, great for getting into the Christmas spirit.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It helped to imagine younger versions of Emily Blunt and Benjamin Bratt (with the Columbian accent he used on Modern Family) as Cara and Javi respectively.

I did enjoy the deep dive into music composition and styles and really wanted a soundtrack to play while reading. I especially loved learning about the Dia de las Velitas celebrations. I went down a rabbit hole looking at images on the internet after that section. So beautiful!

While it took me a while to warm up to these characters, I guess that's similar to how they take almost half the book to understand each other. I liked the contrasts between Cara and Javi. I especially liked how Cara dealt with her anxieties but she didn't let it be an excuse. She was really strong, determined, and self-aware. That doesn't happen with a lot of female main characters in Christmas rom coms. She was doing ok in life but meeting Javi moved her out of her carefully constructed comfort zone and helped her expand her career, her confidence, and her memories of the past.

The writing is just wonderful. Most especially, the descriptions of all the different locations (London, Miami, Barranquilla, Tayrona National Park...), The author really puts you in the location with her characters.

Highly recommend for a romantic Christmas read that has more depth and substance than the typical sugar cookie versions.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

From the first chapter, I was genuinely hooked on this book. The warmth in the writing is so evident in every sentence - the author clearly loved the plot of this book and it shows. It is just utterly gorgeous writing.

I was immediately swept away with the characters, I was invested, I really wanted to discover their back stories - they weren't dragged out. The book was beautifully paced in a way that made perfect sense. There was no rushing - it wasn't needed.

The characters - ADORED. all of them, even Cara's Dad! Their personalities made sense to their back stories and their lives, their cultures, their traditions.

Honestly, I could rave about this book all day! Utter Christmas perfection!

I had been prepared for Leonie Mack’s debut romance My Christmas Number One to be a ‘Hallmark-esque’ holiday romance complete with Christmas tree-lighting, cookie-baking, and enough snow to cool me down during California’s heatwave. Surprisingly, the fresh plot is largely unpredictable and largely set in tropical locations. I quickly realized that this poignant, interracial love story between a Colombian superstar and a British amputee pop singer was the slow-burn romance that I did not know I WANTED.


FULL REVIEW published on All About Romance - https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/my-christmas-number-one-by-leonie-mack/

This story has a very strong and engaging start with is brilliant as it really gives the reader something they can sink their teeth into. It is also very intriguing hinting at character pasts which the reader will just eat up. Something else the reader will love is watching the relationship between the characters grow and develop as the story builds.
It is also very interesting to see this different side to the music industry, as well as the places this story takes you. It is clear from reading about the different places/ music industry that the Author has done their research well.
Overall this is the perfect Christmas story, with the added bonus that you can enjoy this all year round. It is the perfect story to read while sipping your choice hot drink, under a blanket in a comfy spot. The characters are designed to make the reader fall in love with them, and the song written within the story makes this reader want to go listen to it.

Wow this was so much more than what I was perhaps anticipating - on top of their being Christmas, Christmas music and well I was anticipating romance, there was also a travel element to it that I adored, and some incredibly powerful moments with both main characters.

Cara is an inspiration, something tragic happened to her 10 years ago, and although it still has big effects on her life, she is so much more than that, she is a rock star and is no longer a fan of Christmas - but has been asked to collaborate with Javi on a Christmas single.

Javi, just wow, he is one smooth mover, I'd happily join him in any dance club for his hip action alone!! Except when it comes to Cara all his normal moves seem to desert him.

And the single they are working on, Nostalgia is beautiful, I could sort of imagine the blending of styles, as I do love a Latin beat, and as some of the lyrics are explained in more details it is a really meaningful song for Javi.

I would love to tell you more about the travel element, the Javi family element, all of the things Cara is dealing with - but given I went into this book blind, almost solely based on the cover well, I think that is the best way to approach this one.

I wouldn't want to spoil any elements of a book that I would already love to see as a movie, in fact really do think would make a fabulous film - possibly a fab Hallmark Christmas movie, or anyone else, as it has all the makings of a gripping plot, challenges to overcome and some top notch chemistry even if it is being denied.

I can't believe this is Leonie Mack's debut, as if that is a debut then wow as to my eyes this is an author to watch out for.

And due to the aforementioned travel elements and different Christmases discussed I'd say its safe to read early into the run up to the festive season, as its certainly Christmassy but in a slightly different way!

If it's not clear, then I love, love, loved this book!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A quite unusual, heartwarming and poignant Christmas story that kept me hooked, made me smile and moved.
The plot is gripping and I loved how the author deals with topic like grief and PTSD.
The characters are well written and I rooted for them.
The author is a good storyteller and I loved how the plot flows.
It was an excellent read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.