A wonderful story of how Nell who loves romcon movies, the idea that love hits you like a lightening bolt and that there is a soulmate for everyone out there. As a hotel owner Nell is hosting her best friends wedding as well as being her bridesmaid. But when the mother in law starts to upset the apple cart, Nell finds it hard to not step in. She also doesn’t realise how very important her friendship is with Tom and how he is always there when she needs a shoulder to lie on. A lush story of love and friendship

I'm not a fan of this series I tried 2 book and DNF.

*******************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.********************************

A gorgeous read. Nell has taken over the family business - a small boutique hotel and when a new hotel opens locally, she starts to struggle with various issues.
She is planning a wedding for her friend- and has to deal with a brideszilla mother of the bride, whilst trying to keep her best friend happy looking forward to the wedding of her dreams. She organises a wedding fayre to attract more business and I loved the preparation and description of the day. I felt as though I was there to choose everything for a wedding.
Romance, friendships, fraught families and a Christmas setting all make for a wonderful Christmas book.

Nell runs her parents boutique hotel in swollowtail bay, this has been her dream for as long as she can remember however the arrival of the new chain hotel in the same area looks set to derail her dreams.

With the help of her best friend Tom can Nell save her hotel as well as seeing the love that she has been blind to for so many years.

I enjoyed this book to a certain degree, however, it seemed to drag on and on for an age with nothing really happening. Despite whatever obstacle was put in her way, everything always seems to turn out perfectly for Nell.

The book was ok but I wouldn’t rush to read it again.

This is the first book by Katie Ginger I've had the pleasure of reading. Didn't realise until the end of it that it was actually the third book in the series. Thoroughly enjoyed it and loved all the characters, and can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

I was so so looking forward to reading another novel by Katie Ginger, I loved the first two novels set in Swallowtail Bay and I couldn't wait to get stuck into this one. However, unfortunately I didn't find myself enjoying it as much as I thought I would. I couldn't really relate to the characters, the location didn't really do it for me and overall I just couldn't get into it.

I look forward to seeing what Katie Ginger has to offer in future, but unfortunately this particular novel wasn't for me.

About 85% of this book is about planning holiday events at a struggling inn in England. 5% is a boring rival hotel sub-plot, and 10% is what you picked up the book for - a sweet holiday romance.

Yes, this could be a Hallmark movie. The main character spends most of her time oblivious to her doting romantic interest as she tries to figure out how to run the Inn her parents left her. Then, miraculously, in the last 15% of the book, they realize they love each other and share one chaste kiss. A nice, completely vanilla, un-scandalous romance to give your grandma for Christmas. Sadly, not the engaging love story I was looking for.

It took a very long time to get through this book because the plot was so boring and the romantic tension sooooo lacking. I think the author was more concerned with setting up a world to begin a series in and that's why there was so much extra description, tedious party-planning details, briefly mentioned auxilliary characters, etc.

In the end, the characters just didn't capture my heart enough to recommend this book to anyone else.

This is such an enjoyable book!

The key phrase in it is ‘the one’ and it refers to many ‘best’ things: the one wedding dress, the one best wedding venue in Swallowtail Bay, the one best friend, and The One, the man of Nell’s dreams.

Nell is fabulous. She’s both romantic head-in-the-cloudsy, and very down to earth. She’s confident one moment, and a dithering bundle of nerves the next. She’s perfect in being so realistically imperfect.

Tom is gorgeous in an understated, natural way. He’s Nell’s The One, but of course, she doesn’t realise that. Will she finally stop alternating between daydreaming and overworking and see what’s under her nose?

Swallowtail Bay is a bustling, interesting place with a population of interesting characters who enjoy good and bad relations, friendships and rivalries with each other, and there are interlinked and opposing businesses too. It’s beautifully portrayed.

Lots to entertain and enchant you in this seasonal romcom.

I loved Spring tides at Swallowtail bay so when I saw on netgalley that there was one called Winter Wishes I thought it would be the perfect cosy read. Unfortunately what I didn’t realise was that it’s a series and there is a summer one in between. Having said that it didn’t change how I felt about the book. It’s cosy and very easy to read, a typical chick lit book which I don’t always love but I love how easy they are in more difficult and uncertain times. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys easier to read books.

Nell owns a hotel in Swallowtail Bay. She doesn't have many guests so she is trying different things to get more people interested in staying there Her best friend Cat is getting married in the hotel during Christmas. Her groom Kieran is best friends with Tom and he is in love with Nell.
Another hotel in town is jealous of Nell and they are posting bad reviews on a hotel website.
A good little romance.

This was the first book I have read from Katie Ginger, I realised afterwards its part of the a three part series and it’s the third book 🤷‍♀️ You don’t need to read the first two to enjoy reading this one however and I loved it! I adored Tom as a character and I found myself invested in his happiness as the book went on!

A lovely Christmassy read, perfect for the build up to the festive season 🎄 🎁 🎅 available now on amazon £1.99 for the ebook 😊

5/5 ⭐️

Recommend ✅

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This was a heartwarming winter read, with wonderful characters and an engaging story. It was very well written and if you want something to get you in the christmas spirit then this book will definitely do that.

An entertaining and well written romance. Great plot, characters and setting. Romance readers will enjoy this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

I think this is a great story. I loved the cover which is what drew me to the book first.
The story is a very nice, laid back story about friendships, family and love. Nell owns a hotel, her friend Tom has always been there for her, they are also best friends with cat and keiron who are engaged to be married at Nells Hotel.
Throughout the wedding planning there is some ups and downs with families and friends but these things happen! I did enjoy the story and the characters were very likeable. Thank you to the publishers, netgalley and the author Katie ginger for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review

A good book to read in the lead up to Christmas, based in the aptly named Holly Lodge Hotel.

Nell loves watching romcom films and dreams of her own wedding and looks forward to arranging the wedding 0f two of her best friends. Trials and tribulations proceed the day, but will she fulfill her dream of meeting her own true live?

An excellent festive story that made me smile. It's heartwarming and uplifting, the perfect escapist book for these sad times.
I liked the plot, the well thought characters and the setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Ginger and HQ Digital for the ARC of Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay.
This is my personal review.
This is the third and final book in the Swallowtail Bay series.
This book is the story of Nell who runs the Holly Lodge in Swallowtail Bay. She is doing everything she can to keep the Lodge profitable, but things are not looking too good for her. She has the help and guidance of her best friend Tom. They have been friends for years and Tom is in in love with Nell, but she just cannot see that yet.
I so enjoyed the first two books in this series but for me this one just fell flat. I did not feel the connection between Nell and Tom. There were no sparks between the two for me. I wanted to cheer for them throughout the book but just could not do it.

What a delightful, festive romcom this proved to be, though I sometimes felt quite angry with several of the characters!

Nell loves watching festive romcoms and can cite excerpts and events from them but she is still hoping for her own romantic hero to appear in her life. Little does she know that her best friend, Tom, has been in love with her since they met. He’s brilliant at helping her as she strives to make her boutique hotel profitable but she’s struggling since another hotel opened locally. When the manager of that hotel sets out to ruin her business, she’s going to need all the help she can get! Not only that, but her other best friend, Cat, is going to get married in Nell’s hotel and Cat’s Mum, Brenda, is worse than any bridezilla, undermining Cat and belittling her ideas so it is turning into like Brenda’s dream wedding and Cat’s nightmare! With all of this going on, and Tom also having health issues to contend with, this is going to be a Christmas they’re unlikely to forget – let’s hope they get to remember it for things going well rather than going wrong!

This is a moving story, with great characters and some important messages. Trying to daydream your way in life may mean your missing out on spotting your opportunity to really live your dream life. Lack of communication almost ruins two romances, making this a roller coaster ride to some HEAs, with a couple of villains and lots of lovely folk, though sometimes you just want to wake them up. Actually, considering everything happening in their lives, I can’t believe the Epilogue occurs so much later! Still this is a story to get you in the mood for the festive season.

Thank you to HQ Digital for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Unexpectedly sad for a Xmas story
It’s a simple festive story about Nell, who has taken over the running of her parents’ small hotel Holly Lodge. In the run up to Xmas she is losing business to the large Langdon Mansion Hotel and hoping, by hosting her friend Cat’s wedding at Holly Lodge, she will boost her trade and future bookings as a wedding venue as well as a unique boutique hotel experience. Her best friend - the loyal Tom ( who has secretly been in love with her for many years) is always on hand to help out.
As the story progresses we see Cat’s conflict with her overbearing mother Brenda over the wedding plans, Nell’s constant day dreaming of one day getting her own “perfect” wedding and groom, and Tom’s deteriorating eyesight. There is also the growing conflict between Nell and the managers of Langdon Mansion, who are constantly trying to undermine her successes within the community, and posting bad reviews online about her hotel.
While the story was quite enjoyable I didn’t find it very festive and Tom’s diagnosis left me feeling very sad. Not what I want from a Xmas story.
Tom was a lovely character, far too good in my opinion for Nell, who I found to be quite irritating. The other characters Cat and Kieran were quite superficial, but maybe, as I’d not previously read any Swallowtail Bay books , they’d been explored in detail in those stories.
The conflict between Holly Lodge and Langdon Mansion didn’t seem to go anywhere and ended up as something of a damp squib, which didn’t really add anything to the overall story.
If you enjoy simple romances with a festive feel you’ll probably enjoy this book, but be prepared for the sadness element towards the end. I prefer my Xmas romances to have a happy, feel good feeling, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

In conclusion to this trilogy we are approaching the most wonderful time of the year and what better way to spend it than at a wedding!

Nell runs Holly Lodge a small boutique hotel in Swallowtail Bay, but business is not great and when an incident at a competitor's hotel starts to cause trouble for Nell, it seems she is going to have to try some different events to get business moving again.

One thing she has decided on is that hosting her friend Cat and fiancée Kieran's wedding at the hotel is going to be the best event ever. Nell is a romantic and lives in her imagination with the help of all those wonderful romcom movies out there to pass the time. She wants to give Cat the best wedding that she can, the wedding that she wants but it seems that Cat's mother wants to give Cat the wedding that she should have. Will Nell be able to steer the wedding to a happy ever after.

As well as dealing with difficulty mothers and fraught brides, Nell decides to host a wedding fair, a wreath making event for the local elderly residents and also holds the school's carol concert. She relies on the help of her old university friend, Tom. There friendship is strong and tight, but it seems that Tom is hiding some life changing secrets of his own and cannot begin to share them with the one person he truly loves.

Whilst this might appear a light fluffy read full of weddings and Christmas cheer it brings a real sense of friendship, community and sticking with the ones you love.  Overcoming obstacles, is the key theme throughout the book and there are many to overcome, tyrannical mothers, loss of control, stray cats, disability, trolling on the internet, there is a lot that touches not just Nell but all the main characters in the book.

But for Nell will she every have that happy ever after she wants when she realises life is not a film?

A great read full of fun and frivolity and plenty of humour and heart warming moments. And let's be honest - you can't beat a winter wedding!

Bring your tinsel and tissues to this book and sit back and enjoy.