I adore this book! Perfect Christmas book!

Megan Taylor moved back to York, after losing her fiance to cancer. She quit her job and sold the apartment that held too many memories. Since then she ran the family bookshop with her mother and she has been hiding from the world ever since. But the shop is not doing so good.

The last resort to drive customers is hosting a book signing for a famous author Xander Stone. She instantly dislikes him. First, he runs his trolley into her ankles, then he makes fun of her taste in books That would be enough to hate him forever, but there is something about him, that makes her heart beat faster and makes her feel things that she thought she would never feel again.

And he keeps coming back. Each time they meet, the more she falls, but they both have past that has been holding them back.

Megan hosts a romance book club each week in the shop, the women of that club, their banter, the crazy dances and dressing up, that was my second favourite thing about the book. First is the romance, sweet, and slow burn, but so worth it in the end.

The writing is brilliant and there are so many Christmas vibes, which makes me excited for the holidays. :)

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was just brilliant.

Didn't get approved for this with enough time to finish it. But what I heard was good at least. I'm see if I can find it from library.

Review This was a cute Christmas story that takes place mainly in a bookshop. It would be the perfect book to put you in the Holiday Spirit. I could easily see this being transferred to a Hallmark movie, from the enemy to lover trope, the silly elderly women friends who hang at the bookstore, the falling out between the love interest in the last 15% because of a "miscommunication" and then the happily ever after.

Note that was not a spoiler. Like with all Hallmark/Christmas stories you know the formula, and year after year you keep going back for more.
At first I wasn't sure how I liked XAnder or Megan but the characters grew on me and I found myself cheering for them.

This was a quick easy read that would definatly be paired perfectly with a hot chocolate.

Thank you Net Galley for this advance copy of this book. I was not paid or reimburst or influenced for this honest review

Thank you @sagaegmont & @netgalley for the audiobook arc. The opinions are my own.
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A quaint little bookshop in York, it's near Christmas and our protagonist, Megan, runs a weekly romance bookclub. What's not to love?!
Megan has been through a personal tragedy but its been three years and she's helping her mother run the bookshop.
I finished listening to the book in a day because the narrator was so good and her different voices added charm to the book! Xander was likeable, albiet grumpily and the fact that the characters kept discussing and using book references throughout was an added bonus. Also, Jane Austen was a big discussion point with the supporting set of characters and I really enjoyed it. The bookclub meetings made me jealous because I really wanted to be there myself, especially since they were discussing Regency Romances!
The audiobook is out today! Pick it up if you are looking for some cosy Christmassy romcom!
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In a Nutshell: A sweet story containing all the ingredients that make romance books work. The male lead could have been sketched better, but overall, it’s a fun light read.

Story Synopsis:
After her husband passed away, Megan moved from London to York and has been working since three years in her parent’s old bookshop. She has her cluster of close friends but shies away from moving on. When prize-winning author Xander Stone bumps into her, literally, Megan can sense that her hibernation from romance might be at an end. However, Xander is, as you might expect, not an easy man, what with his arrogance and temper. Furthermore, the bookshop is in financial trouble and Megan has to focus her energies on ensuring its survival.


Have you ever listed out the things that can make a romance a fun read for you? Here’s what I enjoy:
✔ A grumpy hero who grows on you because he is like a coconut – tough outside, a softie inside.
✔ A sweet heroine who isn’t ditzy or klutzy.
✔ A dog. (Yes, I need a dog too!)
✔ Not too much steam. (This is my list, y’all! You might be disappointed to see this item, but OTT spicy scenes spoil romances for me.)
✔ Well-meaning and loveable best friends, who might get a tad too interfering but without being nagging.
✔ Anything related to books – authors, bookstores, books, and book clubs!
✔ Christmas. (Duh!!!!)
✔ A ‘Happily Ever After’!

You might assume that these are tough to find in a single book. Well, well, you have to eat your words, because this one had almost all of the above. (The sole exception was item #1. More on this later.)

Furthermore, it also had:
✔ Regency era dances and costumes.
✔ Plenty of discussions on Jane Austen (my absolute favourite author!)
✔ Scenes poking fun at tropes in romantic books (Including the infamous ‘only one hotel room left but it has a single bed’ trope.)

In many ways, this was a ‘Paint-by-Pictures’ romance. But it also had a freshness about it because it took established plot points and gave them a novel twist. Yup, the predictability is there, but that is a given in this genre, hence no issues. (Actually, I don’t understand reviewers who complain about a romantic book being predictable. What exactly do you expect when you pick up a book from this genre??) Also, the romance wasn’t insta but a slow-blooming attraction that leads to something greater. It wasn’t rushed at all, and that’s my favourite kind of love story.

The title combined two of my favourite romance themes – books and Christmas. There is plenty about books in the content to keep us bibliophiles happy. There is much less of Christmas – it is more of a background theme. But the first theme was more than enough. I loved the bookish discussions between the characters, and also enjoyed how passionately they loved and defended the romance genre. It also highlights the dire situation that small bookstores are in right now. (I wish there had been a better conclusion to this aspect of the story. It was realistic but disappointing.)

The first half of the book was almost perfect. The second half brought the experience down slightly.
⚠ Xander’s character is very inconsistent, especially in the final quarter. Though his behaviour is justified in the writing, I didn’t find the rationale too convincing. A part of me felt like it was trying to build up Xander to be a modern-day Darcy. (You might find this an outlandish comparison, but if you read the book, you will understand why I thought of Darcy!) But Darcy’s character is consistent throughout the book. Xander switches on and off without any logical reason.
⚠ I expected and wanted a lot more of Christmas, especially as the title spotlights it. But as I said, Christmas is just a passing background theme. It is not a Christmas romance at its core. Having some winter scenes isn’t enough to create happy vibes or spark the holiday spirit.
⚠ I don’t think the Goodreads cover captures the spirit of the book well. The one on Netgalley is a much better fit.

The audiobook, clocking at 8.5 hrs, is narrated by Laura Brydon, and she does a marvellous job of bringing the characters to life. I enjoyed her spirited narration that matched the personality of the characters well.

Overall, this is a nice, clean romance that will work well if you know what to expect from this genre. Just remember that it is more of a ‘Bookish romance’ than a ‘Christmassy romance’.

4 stars.


My thanks to Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “A Bookshop Christmas”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

First thing I have to say is, how gorgeous is the cover?!

This is such a lovely festive story with some great characters and a plot that will keep you hooked throughout. Give me a Christmas book and base it around a bookshop and I feel you have perfection.

This book is not only a lovely fluffy read it does deal with some heavy topics mainly grief and it does this in a very real way.

I loved the lists at the end, Megan and Xander’s playlist. The die hard romantics book clubs favourite books and Xander’s favourite books.
It really added something to the story!

I listened to the audio book of this book and I felt the narrator really brought the story to life. Highly recommend!

3,5 stars (rounded up for the audiobook)

If Hallmark movies were books, this one would be a perfect fit. A cosy story to listen to with enough romance, angst, snow, and books to make it enjoyable. And for some reason perfect to listen to during a heatwave when you’re wishing for colder days with sweaters, scars, and hot chocolate milk.

The story is about Megan (told in first person) who lost her husband about 3 years ago and has been working in her parents bookshop in York since then. The shop has been struggling for a while and Megan hopes that by hosting a literary fiction event with popular writer Xander Stone to turn the tables around and save the shop. However, when Megan meets Xander (who turns out to be a rude and infuriating man) she feels a bit hopeless. They have an argument about romance novels and on a whim Megan decides to invite Xander to join the next romance book club meeting. To her surprise he actually shows up and participates fairly decently.

I like that this wasn’t a ‘love at first sight’ novel, but gave both characters the chance to deal with their grief and feelings from previous relationships and grow. Secondly, I adored the fact that they actually took book club serious and actually talked about current romance novels. Furthermore I really liked Megan’s relationship with her former husband’s parents and how supportive they were of her, her career, and her future relationships. And the plot twist omg! I kind of saw it coming, but I actually really loved it.

I listened to the audiobook which was alright. I had a bit of trouble focussing on the story at first, but the narrator did a great job at making each character recognisable with different voices and intonations which made it a tad bit easier to focus after I got used to the accent. The audiobook is about 8,5h long and I listened to it mostly on 1,25x.

Thank you NetGalley, Saga Egmont Audio, and Rachel Burton for letting me listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

PS. I like the cover of the audiobook much better than the one for the actual book.

It’s been years since Megan lost her husband to leukemia. At the time she’d been working in the publishing industry but after his passing she retreated home and began working at her parent’s bookshop. And while she was part of a romance book club I don’t think she ever expected to find love again…until Xander came along. But this wasn’t love at first sight, not by a longshot. Before she knew he was the well known author that was set to have a launch party at her shop, Xander had already made a bad first impression, running into her at the market and being quite rude about it, then turning up just as the shop was closing and demanding a look around. Megan calls him out on his rudeness and it’s not long before feelings change. This was a cute romance that also dealt with grief and moving on. At first I didn’t like Xander (of course that was exactly the author’s intent) But to see him take an interest in the things Megan loved, and the slow reveal that he’d suffered a loss as well (though nothing like Megan’s), it was sweet. The backdrop of the bookshop and the romance club was great, especially with the characters discussing classical romance tropes even as they were happening in the book. Laura Brydon does a wonderful job with the narration, making the story an absolute pleasure to listen to. While I tend to prefer my romances to be more of the rom-com variety, I am always a sucker for a good Christmas love story. Thanks so much to Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to and review an advanced audio copy of A Bookshop Christmas.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RH1H6H61MP3F5/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was a cute contemporary romance. Who doesn’t love a good holiday romance in the middle of the summer? Megan Taylor, recently widowed, helps run her family’s bookshop out of not only obligation, but also for her love of books. She literally runs into Xavier Stone, an award-winning author, at the supermarket. Soon Megan and Xavier find themselves on a date. Is Megan ready to move on? Is she ready to stop hibernating and live her life? Both Megan and Xavier have a ton of baggage that they have to work through in order to have a relationship. The parts of the story that I enjoyed the most were the family drama over the bookstore. These seemed to be the most realistic parts of the entire thing. The characters and writing style were decent, however, nothing blew me away. I would definitely call this one a cozy romance. If you like Hallmark movies, this one is for you.

I really liked the premise of this book, and the plot SHOULD have been brilliant, but unfortunately the eye rolls got more and more frequent as I was reading it, which meant I couldn't fully enjoy it.

The plot follows Meg, who was widowed at a young age when her husband died of Leukemia. Three years later and she's working in a failing bookshop owned by her parents, plodding along until author Xander Stone comes to launch his latest novel at the book store, when she starts to open up her heart again.

Unfortunately, there were parts that were really repetitive, such as all the tummy flips, flutters, churns, etc, along with all the blushing, skin prickling, and hot flushes that Meg got at every interaction with Xander. There was also a lot of going over and over how Meg had hidden away from the world since her husband had died, and how similar a journey her and Xander had been through. There was also a lot of going on about "romance novels" and their tropes, followed by the Meg / Xander story weakly trying to copy some familiar tropes.

Spoiler ahead: it is also frustrating, as with any love story, to find the characters declaring love for each other within 4 weeks of knowing each other, moving in within a few months, and getting married within the year (even though they've both been married before and apparently had reservations about getting into another relationship)

On the whole, this could have been much better than it was. It was enjoyable, but very frustrating and repetitive to listen to. The narrator of the audio book I have previously enjoyed, but her "cockney bloke" impression for the main love interest wasn't great and made him seem a bit of a caricature.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was the perfect way to drive the long journey from London to Inverness and the narrator was wonderful. A modern love story where the characters aren’t perfect and the irony of romance tropes form part of the narrative. Fantastic!

This was an adorable bookstore romance. I love that it uses several romantic tropes, sometimes ironically. I also don't want to put too many spoilers in this review, but I can say the surprises in the book were on point.

This was a very cute holiday romance with a big helping of literary commentary sprinkled throughout. It was s fun story, and the characters were all pretty likable. I really enjoyed it.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Laura Brydon. Her voice was light and flowy--super easy to listen to. She did a great job with all the characters.

Do you like books where the couple meet for the first time and they are rude to each other only to discover later that life is going to throw them together again and they need to play nice? This book was the perfect example of that. Zander literally bumps into Megan and then erupts in nastiness, only to discover that she is the book store owner hosting the signing of his new release. Whoops! Let the fun begin!

This really was a charming Christmas romance, but it had numerous passages dealing with the death of pivotal people in their lives. There were also plenty of light and humorous parts. I loved the Regency(?) Christmas party that the romance book club puts together and all the different characters in the book club! There are little subplots also that make the book interesting involving Megan's family and the book store and Xander's writing and his publisher. Overall it was a super fun book to listen to!

Thanks to Saga Egmont Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

A perfect book to read while sipping hot chocolate, with or without a shot of Kahlua, while under your snuggie with your adorable rescue dog laying by the fire as the snow falls outside your bay window. I've never really watched a Hallmark movie, but this is everything I think one would be like.

Told by Megan in the 1st person. She is working at her family's bookshop and is still in a funk years after her young husband passed away. When she meets Xander it is not love at first sight since he's a total grump and rude. Eventually they begin seeing more and more of each other and the feelings start to develop.

All of the characters are likable and relatable, except Xander who does run hot and cold. I really liked his secret.
Also, I really liked Megan's relationship with Joe's parents and how supportive they were of her years after Joe's death.

All in all a sweet slow burn clean romance.

Narrated by Laura Brydon for 8 hours and 30 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. I thought she did a lovely job with all of the different character voices.

This book was a cute, quick listen. York at Christmastime is the perfect setting, although I wanted a little more wintery or holiday descriptions! I loved that the characters were having a regency-era-inspired holiday party with their book club.

The exploration of love after the death of a spouse was interesting, and I really enjoyed getting to see Megan's perspective as she dealt with the guilt of moving on.

I also really felt for Megan's family as they struggled with losing their bookshop! I appreciated that this ending was different than other "save the bookshop" stories, though.

The audio production was great, and I'm glad I listened. I loved these accents!

A feel-good British holiday romance between a widowed bookshop owner and a best-selling author who clash right away but get stormed in together. Lots of Me before you and PS I love you vibes. This was light-hearted, heartwarming romance perfect for Hallmark Holiday fans! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Three years after her husband's death, Megan is still trying to move forward. On top of that, her bookshop is struggling and she's not sure it's going to make it. When famous novelist Xander Stone agrees to do a book signing at her shop, she is thrilled. But his rudeness and condescending manner do not bode well for the event. Angered by Xander's scorn towards romance novels, Megan invites him to her book club and begins to see a different side of Xander Stone.

This is a sometimes light romance which, interestingly enough, pokes fun at some romance tropes while simultaneously introducing many of those tropes into the actual book. There are several nods to Jane Austen and some poignant discussions of the financial plight of bookstores right now. I'm not sure this transports me completely to the Christmas season, as I think most of the book could have taken place at any time of the year and I didn't completely feel the holiday spirit.

I have some problems with Xander, the most important of which is that he has a habit throughout the book of suddenly becoming rude and extremely verbally abusive out of the blue, with no warning. It happens more than once, and the explanation for it is not good enough. I also don't like the name Xander as a shortened form of Alexander. It sounds like a little boy's name. But considering his behavior and penchant for temper tantrums, maybe it's fitting.

The other characters are likable and the narrator, Laura Brydon, does a good job differentiating between all the characters and bringing their personalities alive. This takes my rating from two stars to three.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Saga Egmont Audio. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

AUDIO REVIEW
I love Christmas and I love books so as soon as I saw this title this book was always going to be a win win for me and I wasn’t disappointed. This truely was a magical listen and it wasn’t long before I was experiencing the holiday season and I also need to point out I want to become part of the book club that Megan runs, honestly what a fantastic name for romance readers “ Die Hard Romance Readers”.
This is bookshop owner Megan Taylor and prize winning author Xander Stone’s magical journey and from the time he rams his supermarket trolly into her ankles, sparks fly……
The author Rachel Burton is new to me as is the narrator Laura Brydon but that’s going to change because I need to check out more works by both of them. A truely magical escape with wonderful characters. This is a cute, sweet romance that left me excited for Christmas
Thank you NetGalley for the audio version of this magical story.

The perfect Hallmark movie in book form! This was such a festive audiobook that I absolutely adored. The story was cute focusing on a heroine who lost her husband and moves back home to help run the family bookstore. I really liked that slow burn romance of this one, which I don’t usually, but the writing was done very well that I was glad nothing was rushed with our characters.