A wholesome festive delight…literally a hug in the form of a book. I LOVED this book so much, it made me cry with its raw emotion and heartwarming moments…definitely a new favourite of Sarah Morgan’s for me! 🎄

Imogen loves her job working in events. Maybe a bit too much - she’s sending emails in the middle of the night, working on Christmas Day, and she’s taken on nearly double the amount of clients than her colleagues. We discover that Imogen’s home life has never been a happy one. And when an encounter with her estranged Mum spills over into her work life, Imogen’s boss forces her to take a month off work before she hits burnout mode. A month off seems alien to Imogen, but when client Dorothy invites her to spend Christmas at her cottage in the Cotswolds, Imogen wonders if this could be the break she needs after all.

What Imogen doesn’t bank on is the dramatic revelations that follow - revelations that will change her life forever. And the lives of Dorothy and her daughter Sara. I absolutely loved the strong female characters that we saw in this story. How much they tried to be there for each other despite things being tough. The bonds between them were so beautiful, they really did warm my heart. Special shout out to Ava and Iris for bringing the sweetness and humour!! And then we have Miles too and of course Ralph - both gorgeous characters!! This little cast of characters just had the warmest of hearts and they spread kindness wherever they went. It was so lovely to read and brought a huge smile to my face (in between the tears).

The frank, emotional conversations were written incredibly well, and the scenery was described in a way that has me wishing I was spending Christmas there too! A truly joyful read 😍

Having a difficult relationship with her feckless mother, Imogen has always hated Christmas, spending it alone in London. When her boss insists she takes some time off and one of her clients offers her the use of a rental cottage in the Cotswolds, Imogen ends up finding family and has the perfect Christmas she could only dream of.

Although this is fairly predictable, I really enjoyed the way it was told. This is another classic Sarah Morgan Christmas story. It has likeable characters, a chocolate box setting and a feel good happy ever after. I particularly liked the contrast between the two halves of the story, set in London and the Cotswolds, as they couldn’t be more different.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Didn't really enjoy the start of the story but decided to keep going to understand the connection between the characters. By that point I was hooked and disappointed when it ended.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I found it really difficult to get into. I usually enjoy books which are told from different character POV but I struggled with this one.

A perfectly nice and wholesome Christmas read. Something didn’t really sit right with me during the first 50% of the book and then it went somewhere totally unexpected and improved. The romance felt rushed but hey who am I to judge! It just all fell very, very neatly and a lot of feelings were explored.

This book is about Imogen whose life is Pitt’s she as a mother who doesn’t want her so she commits herself to work but then ends up making stories up to her work colleagues but along comes Dorothy who is a client for the company she works for and how she dreaded Christmas coming along but Dorothy is he fairy godmother a joy to read this book and easy to follow

Imogen loves her job but hasn’t been truthful about her home life to her colleagues and has invented one to fit in with them all.
When she makes a mistake at a big event she’s told by her boss to take a break as she’s close to burnout. Her favourite client, Dorothy, offers her her cottage to stay in for the month.
She settles in to the cosy cottage and thinks she will be able to relax and unwind.at last but then a long buried secret comes out. Will she be able to forgive the people involved or will she remain alone again this Christmas?

Usually love this author's books, but this one was a hard slog for me. It dragged a lot, I wasn't expecting three main POVs throughout, and nothing much was happening on the page, the characters feeling a bit humdrum and not really likeable or relatable. Had great hopes for this, but it was a let down, sadly.

This was such a gorgeous Christmas read that went in a direction I never would have expected but absolutely adored. Imogen was a very sweet character that was definitely not handed a luxurious life but rather a hellish one, courtesy of her mother and it was heart breaking to see the way she struggled to let anybody in because she felt so worthless of being important enough to really give someone her all. I can't say much more as the story that follows is a surprise that Sarah does not include in her synopsis, however what I will say is that it was a very heart-warming story bringing Imogen the love and acceptance she has been craving her whole life. There are a host of charming and wonderful characters throughout Imogen's story, including a sweet golden retriever and a handsome vet, your heart will swoon and melt at the endearing journey that lies ahead.

Oh Sarah Morgan, I adore your Christmas books so much. Every year I get excited and cannot wait to pick it up. Now I just want to be in a cosy cottage in the Cotswolds with Christmas decorations and my book. I loved Imogen as a character and Dorothy and loved the way the story all came together in time for Christmas. Always an auto buy author!

I absolutely loved this book which turned out to be so different from what I was expecting. Imogen lives alone and always strives to give 100% in her job as an events co-ordinater. At work she feels that she doesn't 'fit in' so invents a family background and even a dog in order to feel accepted. However, this all comes crashing down when she has an emergency with her estranged mother to deal with. What follows really did catch me by surprise so I'm not going to say much more as it would spoil it for other readers. Just to say that this book did make me smile but it also brought me to tears in parts. It really is a lovely story for this time of year and I have already recommended it to friends. Many thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this l9vely book.

Sarah Morgan truly knows how to deliver immersive and heart-warming Christmas stories that will get you right in the holiday mood. Her characters are authentic, dynamic, engaging, and lovable, the setting is the beautiful and evocative Cotswolds, and the Christmas atmosphere seeps through the pages. Add a farm of alpacas, some romance, second chances, new starts and new family and you will have this festive and entertaining Christmas novel that you won’t be able to put down.

The Christmas Cottage is the story of three women. Imogen, workaholic with a fantastic made-up life that hides a difficult past and loneliness. Dorothy’s life revolves around her family, her winery, and her animals. She and her daughter Sara are preparing to spend Christmas together, hoping to keep the ghosts of the past away. However, when Imogen is forced to a whole month off work, Dorothy offers her to stay at Holly Cottage and, as the past resurfaces for all three women, their Christmas won’t be at all what they expected.

I loved everything in this book. The many Christmas activities, the adorable romantic and supportive hero who comes to the rescue, the children and the animals who add hilarity when needed, the vivid descriptions, the fantastic food, the magical vibe of the village, and the author’s beautiful writing. The Christmas Cottage is the perfect book to curl up with on those days leading to Christmas: uplifting, romantic, and magical, I didn’t want it to end!

Lovely story about a workaholic woman, with a horrible mother, who through a series of events finds herself on forced leave through the Christmas period, and ends up staying on her favourite client's estate for the holiday.

Imogen's whole life is her work as she has no other family, apart from a horrible mother, who she always tries to help. But because of an incident with her mother she ends up overloaded with work and drops the ball with a big client, so her employer asks her to take some time for herself and come back after Christmas. Imogen really doesn't know what to do with herself, as work is her whole life, but she gets an invitation from her favourite client to stay in a cottage on their estate over Christmas. Unbeknownst to her there are other reasons for this, other than just being very kind, and these reasons slowly reveal themselves throughout the book.

There are a host of great characters (other than the mother!), along with animals - especially lovely Ralph the dog, along with romance and a family reunion. Just a lovely, warm feeling book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

A lush cosy Christmas read. Following three women, a lonely Imogen who is tangled in some lies at work and burns out. Dorothy and Sara, a mother and daughter with a painful past. All is revealed at the Christmas Cottage. Sweet, poignant with a little bit of romance sprinkled in. Sarah Morgan never disappoints with her Christmas stories.

This is a lovely, warm, Christmas novel with a very unusual theme.

I guessed that the dynamic events organizer Imogen was gong to crash and burn; and felt nothing by sympathy for her when it happened. But thank goodness for Rosalind who had her career didn't go down the tubes as I thought it would.

Her move to the Christmas Cottage took the novel in a direction I did expect, but without the twist.

This kept moving to Christmas Day with snow, lovely dogs, alpaca's, romance and lots of Christmas spirit and in all its a lovely story.

Although its four stars - it didn't go the way I thought it was with a big show down but I was left wondering well, what happened when you made contact with them.

Merry Christmas- looking forward to next years Christmas Novel Sarah.

It’s not Christmas without the latest Sarah Morgan festive release. I look forward to it every year and every year it’s one of my top festive reads.

Imogen was such an unexpectedly likeable character. The first few chapters made her seem like a stuffy, snobby workaholic. Dropping the bomb that she made up a dog so people would like her was almost the final straw, but she’s a very complex character. The more I learnt about her, the more I started to empathise with her situation - not that I know anything about what she went through.

I don’t want to reveal what the big secret is but it was completely unexpected. The Christmas Cottage was a little sad for a while and I did wonder when the usual magic of Sarah Morgan’s Christmas novels would appear, but as usual, the familial dynamic was wonderfully written. There’s a lot of emotion throughout the entirety of The Christmas Cottage but the happy moments far outweigh the sad ones.

The romance that we did get was very sweet but it was a secondary thought. Which is fine by me, the relationship between the women was much more important. It felt like the romantic relationship progressed a little too fast but Imogen needed something good in her life so I’ll let it go. I’m also a sucker for a man who falls first and harder.

The Christmas vibes were off the charts and I especially enjoyed Christmas day and basically any of the festive activities that included Iris and Ava. They were adorable and hilarious. Often children aren’t written very well in these types of books but Sarah Morgan does a great job every time.

I wouldn’t say The Christmas Cottage has been my favourite read of Sarah Morgan’s so far, that title is currently sitting with last year’s The Christmas Book Club, but it was a wonderful read and much quicker than I thought it would be. The almost 400 pages felt a little intimidating before I started reading but I flew through it. I’d highly recommend you check out The Christmas Cottage.

Get a nice hot drink, sit in a cosy chair by the fire, and be ready to be taken into a heartwarming Christmas read.
Imogen is well liked and successful in her job but the home life that she portrays to her work colleagues is one that she has created. Underneath a brave front is a lonely young woman rejected by her own mother.
Dorothy is a client of Imogen’s and they both enjoy catching up for a meal socially whilst doing business successfully. Dorothy offers Imogen somewhere to escape for Christmas. An idyllic but secluded cottage in the woodland on the outskirts of a friendly village seems to be the perfect place to go.
Imogen does not realise the secrets that are going to come to light. The local vet along with his 4-legged friend may just become very welcome saviours.
Sarah Morgan has done it again. Characters and a Christmas scenery that draw you into the warmth of the story. A perfect wintery, Christmas escape.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Sarah Morgan for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a beautiful story by Sarah Morgan. She never fails to deliver a heartwarming story with well drawn characters that both draw you in and make you feel sad when you reach the perfect ending.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy in return for an honest review.

Imogen doesn't stop. She throws herself into her work and gives it her all but shes never been open about her life outside of work and that's all about to come crashing down. Imogen needing though perhaps not accepting a break goes to stay at a client's holiday home and her life is about to change once more but for the good this time?

Oh I so love a Christmas Sarah Morgan story. She is just brilliant at getting all the emotions just right. Her books are amazing and this one was too. The story is so interesting and i loved how it all developed. The ending was just sheer perfection. The story is mostly told by Imogen but we also see parts through Sarah and Dorothy's eyes too which just helps develop the back story. I have to say Ralph and Benson are my favourite characters in this. Who doesnt love a dog and alpaca. The story flows beautifully and the settings just sound stunning. A brilliant festive read.

This was enjoyable as all of Sarah's books are. This was different to her other Christmas stories whereby Imogen has no family. I didn't really understand where this story was going until the twist - and then I was invested!

The Christmas atmosphere was prominent in this story and the close family dynamics that this author is so good at writing about was definitely present in this story.