I kept started reading and would put down. Start again and again. maybe the cold weather described didn’t warm me up to the story. Too difficult to get into the characters. Too much. Finally said, time to read a different book

Lucy Coleman’s books are pure magic. Whimsical, witty and warm-hearted, her romantic page-turners are like balm for the soul – especially during these strange and troubling times we are living in. In her latest novel, Christmas at Lock Keeper’s Cottage, she has once again penned a sparkling, uplifting and emotional tale I simply couldn’t stop reading.

Having never known her mother, when Imogen Tolliman lost her father, she was all alone in the world. Moving in with her grandfather Tolli seemed like the logical – and only – solution and living in Lock Keeper’s cottage by the Aysbury marina helped make Immi feel less alone and less frightened. With her grandfather the star of the festive boat ride the Santa Ahoy Special, Christmas had always been a big deal in their house with her grandfather and his marine parade enchanting adults and children alike. Immi has always felt lucky growing up in Aysbury with her grandfather in a community where people cared and looked out for one another. The older she gets, the more Immi appreciates how fortunate she was to have grown up in such a magical place. When she meets handsome and charming Gray Adams, it looks like Immi’s luck is showing no sign of running out. Is he the one to make all of her romantic dreams come true? Or is there more to Gray than meets the eye?

Immi and Gray are busy making plans for the future and the upcoming Christmas celebrations. Both plan to pull out all the stops to have a Christmas they will never forget. However, the best laid plans do have a habit of going awry as they discover when it looks like their Christmas to remember will be one they won’t forget – but for all the wrong reasons! With their perfect Christmas in jeopardy and the future they had once taken for granted also in disarray, what will Immi and Gray do? Can they find a way to salvage their Christmas and their relationship? Or will past secrets and old demons resurface and threaten to put paid to their happiness? Will a Christmas miracle strengthen the tight bonds of their relationship? Or will they end up going their separate ways?

Lucy Coleman never disappoints her readers and she has once again penned a wonderfully romantic page-turner which I found absolutely impossible to put down. Christmas at Lock Keeper’s Cottage is an enchanting tale beautifully sprinkled with charm, warmth, humour and so much heart. Immi and Gray’s love story is poignant, funny, dramatic and kept me enthralled and entertained from beginning to end.

Lucy Coleman writes books readers simply cannot help but fall in love with and in Christmas at Lock Keeper’s Cottage she has written a captivating tale of hope, renewal and the magic of falling in love guaranteed to leave romantics and even the most jaded and cynical of readers with a great big smile on their faces!

Christmas at Lock Keepers cottage by Lucy Coleman

Imogen Tolliman didn’t know her mother but when her father is killed suddenly in an accident a devastated immi goes to stay with her grandfather Tollie at Aylbury marina in the lock keepers cottage. Tollie gives festive boat rides in Santa Ahoy specials enthralling one and all.

The book is full of many characters many of whom aren’t what they appear as everyone has a secret.

There is humour, drama , frustration,romance a sense of community and of being/ belonging. The ultimate feeling good and belonging .

A very well written book and i Loved it 4.5/5

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

A gentle story which isn't overly festive - just as well as I read it in April! A story where love conquers all along with some family twists and turns.

Not really sure what the actual plot of this was supposed to be, since the couple is already together and everything... But it provided a nice slice of life account of a small place within the festive season, and if this sort of thing is your cup of tea, then you're going to really like this story

It's never too early for a Christmas book! Especially not a book like this one! If ever there was a novel to warm your heart and make you forget just how horrid 2020 has been then this is the one!

Immi and Gray are madly in love. However, there just seem to have been too many obstacles in their way over the last year that seem to keep them apart and stop them beginning that journey of spending their lives together. Gray's mum has been ill and he's committed to getting her on the mend and helping out with bills. He's a good son and Immi, while frustrated at the situation realises the reason she does love him is because he is so caring. Her own life has not been easy but she's soon confident that things are on the up and the Christmas of all Christmases is on the horizon, and she simply cannot wait. Her patience and their love and commitment to one another is finally paying off and soon Immi will have all she's ever wanted in life. She hopes! But as we all know, the course of true love never does run smoothly.

Set in a village called Aysbury in what appears to be a most idyllic location, Christmas at Lock Keepers Cottage instantly transports the reader into a community that we all want to be part of. Told from the main character Immi's perspective, we soon become friends with the wonderful array of characters, each with such a warmth and sense of devotion to their community. Her grandfather Tollie is a stubborn but lovable old rogue! And, not everyone is who they seem. Some it would appear have hidden depths and Immi's wonderful caring personality brings out the best in people.

I think what I loved most about this book was the wonderful sense of contentment it gave me by the end. I honestly just loved everything about it. I loved that there was drama, a bit of historical detective work and a good old love story or two thrown in. And don't even get me started on the Santa Ahoy cruises! Goodness me. I did shed a tear or two! And, I've decided that I want to go live in Mrs Price's cottage if the Lock Keepers cottage isn't available! Lucy Coleman has done what many authors struggle with and that is to create a sense of place. Her descriptions make the reader feel right in the heart of the community.

The overriding message from the novel is that we must never let our past shape our future and make us afraid to move on. We must take a leap of faith that everything will work out OK in the end because it usually does. Bravery comes in many forms and we find our heroes in the most unexpected people and places. A highly recommended read.

A brilliantly written book that immediately transports the reader to the canalside and the riverboats. What a great storyline for the Santa rides. A great list of characters, each with their own stories entwined in each others lives. A truly adorable book that doesn't have to be read at Christmas.

I absolutely adored this book, the descriptions, the locations, the characters and the plot. I as a reader was drawn completely into the story
Immi , Gray, grandad Tollie and the community that surrounds them along with canal life made for a heartwarming Christmas or winter read!
It was full of love, family, traditions and community.
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Lucy for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Wow the scenery and homes and people in this book are described so well.

I think the lock keepers cottage sound so wonderful. Having lived on a canal boat when I was younger with my mum, step dad and sister I can really imagine this like I was there. I can see the appeal of living this life and would love to own a little cottage by the canal.

I love the community and family feel between the residents, especially Tollie and Immie, they have such a special bond. Poor Immie not having know her mother and her father passing away, but she seems to take everything in her stride with the strength of her community behind her.

It's really lovely that Immie encourages Valerie to join in with the community as she lives a little way out. However, it's difficult to imagine the news she shares at the end of the book.

The Christmas day debarkle with the weather is really exciting, you find yourself getting a bit stressed just as Immie does, but then again would it be Christmas Dinner if someone wasn't a little bit stressed out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was real and heart-warming.

I really loved the relationship between Gray and Immie, he clearly loves his mum having looked after her but he also loves Immie and I like this part of the book because it's honest, life doesn't always go the way you plan and it can still be just as wonderful in the end. We all have ups and downs and this is shown in this novel.

A lovely Christmas read with beautifully written characters. The plotline was wonderfully written and caused for a lot of fun and entertainment. A great escape all year round.

A gentle story which was on the whole enjoyable. Set a Christmas-time which always adds an extra layer of magic ... and add in some snow and I’m usually hooked.
However, I did find myself getting a little bored by this story - I admit I did flip forward a few pages at times in the hope that something would eventually happen, and it did ... but it did way into the book so for most of it it felt like not a great deal happened.
A little like a narrow boat journey on the canal - pretty scenery but moving slowly & sedately and rarely any change of pace.
As I said at the beginning, an enjoyable Christmas read, just perhaps a little too sedate for me.

I know some readers don't like to read Christmas books except for at Christmas time, but I personally can read Christmas books all year long and wish we had more throughout they year! Lucy Coleman delivers a great family Christmas read with Christmas at Lock Keeper's Cottage.

Immi Tolliman is a young lady that has had a rough life. Her mother abandoned her and they her father ended up dying when she was 14 years old. Immi was sent to live with her grandfather, Tollie in Aysbury. As you can imagine, Immi was not a very happy teen and actually ended up scaring away some of the people that actually cared about her. As Immi gets older and matures more, she is able to recover some of those relationships. The whole town of Aysbury is like one huge family that takes care of each other.

When Immi meets Gray, it is an immediate connection for them. Gray is a music composer and has moved back home to help his mom that has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Gray and Immi have a lot in common because Gray was abandoned by his father when he was young. Gray can't bear the thought of leaving him mom alone while she is fighting her cancer so he stays with her. There are many other side characters that we get to spend some time with during this story as well. This is a great story of people taking the leap to make things right after they have been wronged. I think that you will enjoy reading this one and it definitely gives you that warm Christmas feeling!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

First thoughts - I really struggled to get into this book. Which I was surprised at, as the characters are all beautifully fleshed out, the description is brilliant at the story and the setting were all spot on.

Then I realised what my issue was - the plot wasn't the norm. For about 2/3 of the book not a lot happens in terms of a festive problem that needs solving. It just sort of bobs along in a happy Christmassy bubble. Which is perfectly fine, if that's what you're after. I just felt like I was reading a lovely little story and that nothing was actually happening to keep my attention hooked.

However, at the end of the book had everything that I wanted from this book.

I just really struggled to get into it and it felt that I had to really persevere to get to the ending.

OK, so I read this WAY before it could really be called time to dive into the Christmas books. However, it was a lovely story. Community pulling toether, hearts and lives being healed - a recipe for a hearm-warming and relaxing read.

This was an enjoyable enough Christmas read, although not a lot really happened if I'm honest. The first 15% or so of the book was enjoyable as the scene was set and we were introduced to the major characters as well as the minor ones, but after this the story was a little flat for me. There was a lot of in-depth descriptions of what Immi was doing, like when she was decorating or cooking and it just felt unnecessary and seemed to make the book drag out.

That being said, I did love the setting and I could imagine how lovely it would be to spend Christmas in such a lovely place. I loved the sense of community in the small town and how everybody pulled together in a crisis with everyone having time for each other. It gave a real sense of togetherness which is what Christmas is all about in my eyes. I also adored the charity cruises along the canal with Father Christmas, I know I would have found that magical as a child and this was a nice touch to the story, further highlighting the true community spirit of the locals.

I was a little disappointed in this book, as I'd read another Christmas book by the same Author which I really enjoyed and this one just didn't really do it for me I suppose. It is a lovely Christmas story though, and I definitely didn't hate it, I just wish there had been a bit more drama throughout the book rather than all happening towards the end.

Christmas at Lock Keeper’s Cottage by Lucy Coleman was a great festive book that lifted my spirits in these difficult times. I loved the whole community living and helping each other out, bringing Christmas cheer to adults and children alike. This book definitely made me start to feel all Christmassy.

I absolutely adored this book! The storyline was beautifully plotted and perfectly captured the festive spirit, and the characters were all so lovable with their own unique stories that intertwined them all.
The relationship between Immi and Gray was perfection. The ways in which they pulled together through the highs and lows really did make my heart happy....and it was impossible to not fall a little bit in love with Gray myself!.

The perfect festive read, I would recommend this book to everyone!.

I thought that this was a gorgeously heartfelt book that was written with love, feelings and a warm sentiments.

It had a great storyline that I found to be uplifting and addictive, it gave me a genuine smile when I was turning the pages. The writing was lovely, the characters were well developed and I warmed to them right from the start and this was a simply delightful story.

No hesitation in giving this one 5 stars - definitely a book I would very highly recommend!!

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