I simply adore a tortured male protagonist, and Zander fits the bill perfectly, add in a bookshop, Christmas and a secret, and you have a perfect festive story.

Romance, heartache, humour, a Regency party, a book club and a cute dog - you couldn't ask for anything more!

A nice quick read. Loved the parallels with the Regency romances and the modern story line.

Will seek out more from this author.

I really wanted to get lost in this book but I just couldn't stay focused. I am not sure if it was a little too "woe is me" or just kind of a lot going on, this wasn't one of my favorite holiday romances this year.

Romance. Atmosphere. Super characters. A book club. A lovely read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton was a lovely read. A bookshop set in the cobbles of York city centre you felt you were there with all the characters in that little cobbled street. A perfect book to start getting you into the Christmas spirit. Devoured in one sitting, I was hooked.

A great book to read on a winter’s evening. Full of festivities, friendships, family and romance.
Following the standard romance trope the main characters discuss in the book, it involves initial dislike and mid-story misunderstandings turning to romance. I really enjoyed the additional thread of thought this produced while reading & the fact the characters identified it themselves.
A lovely Christmas read, peppered with interesting characters and a story that kept my attention throughout and had me fully invested in the relationships not only between the two main characters but also between other characters in the book too.

A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton

After a break up Megan returns back to her home city to move back to live with her romantic writing author mother , who also ( badly ) runs the family bookshop.
She soon sets to getting the bookshop tidy and even sets up a book group and author events.
Cue a chance meeting with a man in a supermarket and the plot for the book begins.
If you know York , you will really be able to imagine actually being in this story by the authors wonderful descriptions of the city.

This was a really good read. Easy story to follow, charming setting and great characters. Really enjoyed it.

A great festive read. At first I thought it was a little slow but then I really got invested in the storyline. I really enjoy reading Rachel Burton novels and shall certainly be on the lookout for more books by her in the future,

This book is the perfect mix of emotions, with tender and heart-breaking moments. This book attracted me with the cover and title - I mean Christmas and Bookshop this was destined to be a great book.

I am definitely putting this on the list of books I am recommending for the holiday season. A thoroughly enjoyable festive read with great, well-written characters in a beautiful setting.

Great story, great characters and I really liked the writing. Such a lovely charistmassy story. Highly recommend.

This is exactly what you need in a cozy Christmas romance - an unlikeable (but also very likeable) male lead that you can't help but fall for, a romantic setting (winter in York!), literary references, and a sausage dog!

With a plot that explores grief, A Bookshop Christmas isn't all festive and jolly and fun, but I thought that Rachel Burton explored the topic in an extremely realistic way and it added to the story as opposed to just serving as a random subplot.

Perfect for fans of Hallmark movies that make you sob but fall in love at the same time!

A book I almost finished reading but I let it expire on my Netgallery app before I did 🤦🏻‍♀️
I read most of it and it was sweet and satisfying. Christmas+bookshop+good characters = recipe for a great comforting book

A well written Christmas story that held my interest throughout. I enjoyed reading widow Megan Taylor and prize-winning author Xander Stone go from enemies to lovers. I can relate to how she felt after her husband died. The story was well worth reading. I received a copy of this book via Net Galley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Lovely festive feel good book! The storyline and characters are so relatable! Sit back with a cup of hot chocolate and relax with this beautiful story.

I really enjoyed this, and though it was set round Christmas time, I didn't feel as though Christmas dominated the story, which was great because I'm not ready for Christmas reads just yet. Great story, loved the main characters, and the setting. I did find Megan's two friends a bit annoying at times, but maybe that's my age. :-) All in all, loved this story. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There can't be a better setting for a booklover- than a bookshop at Christmas. Xander holds an author event that Megan helps to organise. She's hoping it might be the answer to the struggling store. He's a difficult character- but she finds him agreeing to attend their weekly booknights in the store. They are planning a Regency Christmas party and it was fun to read about the plans and preparations.
The characters are all very interesting and you are drawn into their world.

A book set in a bookshop, in Yorkshire, at Christmas time? Yes please!! I was delighted to be approved to read this festive read via netgalley from Rachel Burton and was trying to save it to read nearer the festive period, but I just couldn’t resist reading it early. This book is a hug in a book and a love letter to the romance genre. In it we meet Megan, a widowed bookseller in York, who falls for rude but gorgeous Xander Stone (who is giving out major Mr Darcy vibes). Can they get their HEA? This book kept me thoroughly entertained while I was stuck in bed recovering from the side effects of my annual flu jab. It was the perfect read for me while feeling poorly and I read it in one sitting. I also wanted to support the author after learning she has the same chronic health condition as me. This was my first read from Rachel Burton but I will definitely read more from her in the future.

A bookshop is the perfect setting for a magical Christmas story.

This heart-warming romance shows that life can eventually carry on after loss. Rachel Burton has taken a very difficult subject, the death of a spose at a young age, and treats it with sensitivity. She shows how it takes time to recover, and can often be overwhelming, but with the right person happiness is possible. This isn't a sad or maudlin story, but one of hope.

I immediately connected to Megan the main character, and Zander has all the marks of a broody hero with a soft side to him. The challenges they face are believable and entertaining, and I was rooting for their budding relationship to develop despite all the set backs and misunderstandings.

The cast of characters were all well drawn and likeable and I especially liked the book group's weekly meeting at the book shop and their extravagant plans for the Christmas party. Special shout out to Zander's dog as featured on the cover.

I do love a bit of Christmas magic, though you can enjoy this story at any time of year.

Young widow Megan Taylor is looking forward to Christmas and hopes that perhaps she can keep her family’s bookshop ticking over for another year. Perhaps if she has a famous well known author for a signing event that might make the tills ring!

Trouble is the author in question, Xander Stone is rather an arrogant and self- cantered individual with exacting requirements and certainly doesn’t want to be associated near the romance books in the shop.

Immediately getting the back up of Megan with his immediate dislike of all things romance, Megan suddenly wakes up from where her life is and realises if she doesn’t do something soon she is not going to do anything in her life anymore. And the first thing to do is prove to Xander Stone that romance novels are in fact not trashy words written on the page and worthy of consideration.

Of course it seems that Xander has a romance secret all of his own and it is certainly not what Megan is expecting, although I could see it coming a mile off! With Christmas round the corner and the bookshop about to be taken away from Megan, it seems that perhaps she needs to take a few risks.

Something about the book didn’t work for me, it felt like a couple of stories woven to make one. The Die-Hard Romance Book Club held at the bookshop had some great characters not really explored, the Regency Christmas party seemed very left field and the romance between the two main protagonists was a bit too forced for my liking. All of this meant I perhaps didn’t warm to the book like I could have done. However, others will love it I am sure, so don’t let one persons opinion put you off.