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This is a romantic comedy, but it’s so much more too, with mystery & suspence. There’s depth to the characters & life issues. Some great LOL moments. The setting is a quaint little French village, covered in snow. Great wildlife scenes. Orla & Erin arrive & all is not as they first thought. Then more visitors arrive. It’s December & very festive in town. There’s traditions & festivals with everyone’s participation. It’s a fun, entertaining & enjoyable read.
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I enjoyed reading One Winter at the French Chalet by Mandy Baggot. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!
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Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
I enjoyed reading this book set in a French mountain village.
Orla is sent by her editor to write a story, which has nothing to do with Christmas, it’s about a pregnant reindeer and a man who doesn’t speak called Wolf. She takes her sister Erin along with her so that her parents can work through their problems in their marriage.
The story had some laughable moments and romance.
I recommend this book.
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Found it all a bit confusing at the beginning, working out what was going on, but enjoyed the book once I got into it. I understood the pressure Orla found herself under. The characters felt believable and likeable, if a bit odd at times! Definitely a good book for a curled up by the fire read in the colder months!
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A festival feast! Mandy has created a heartwarming romance with festive feels and adorable characters. The escapism tale will take you away on a journey of relationships, love and snow.
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This book was so charming! I loved all the characters with their many quirks, and I found myself laughing out loud at their antics. (Especially Orla's sister Erin and the man she is in a situationship with.) The quaint village of Saint-Chambery was very picturesque, and the author described it so well that I felt like I was there in the French Alps. One of the best parts of the book was the personal growth from both Jacques and Orla. We learn a lot about their history and why they both struggle to get close to anyone. It was heartwarming to see them slowly warm up to each other. If you're looking for a sweet, cozy winter book that has romance, a dash of mystery, and a cast of side characters that will make you smile, definitely pick this one up! It would be perfect to curl up with while drinking a hot beverage next to a roaring fire.
Thank you to #netgalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
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One Winter at the French Chalet is set against the beautiful, snow-covered French Alps, creating a cosy winter atmosphere perfect for a festive read. However, I found the storyline somewhat unrealistic and predictable, and the characters difficult to connect with, which made it challenging to fully engage with the book.
That being said, there were enjoyable aspects, like the lighthearted romance and the heartwarming blend of humour and holiday cheer. While it didn’t fully captivate me, it still offers an entertaining winter escape for those seeking a sweet, feel-good story.
As I’ve rated this book three stars, I won’t be sharing this review widely. I tend to focus on promoting four- and five-star reads.
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A delicious escape to a remote French mountain village for travel writer Órla and her feisty young sister Erin..Sent by her editor to write about an unseasonably pregnant reindeer and a mute man called Wolf, Órla leaves behind parents who are telling vastly differing stories as to what is going wrong in their marriage. Throw in an Albanian boyfriend for her little sister, a village matriarch who runs everything with a rod if steel, an impossibly handsome strong -and not mute- recluse and total mayhem ensues. Full of humour , some laugh out loud moments, pathos, romance and charm. This book has everything you need for a winter escape
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Orla gets a last minute assignment to head to the Alps to interview a mute man and capture the birth of a reindeer, with Christmas looming and the expectation from her parents for her o be there, the timing isn’t great.
Once her sister Erin finds out she’s heading to France (albeit she has images of Paris) she invites herself, Orla doesn’t want her to come but her mum encourages it in the hopes she can find out more about who Erin is speaking to online. Then there’s the issues with her parents, is her dad selling their furniture to fund his alcohol intake or is their more to this story!
Honestly it felt all over the place at the start but once Jacques, Tommy and Delphine came into the story in France 🇫🇷 I got more invested. The location seemed so idyllic, especially at Christmas.
Thank you NetGalley, Mandy Baggot and Boldwood for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.
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I have read many of Mandy’s book and really enjoyed them some was looking forward to reading her new book but I couldn’t get into One Winter at the French Chalet. The characters were likeable and the setting in the snow and seclusion was favourable. I think it was the storyline that didn’t grab me. A pregnant reindeer and Orla coming to write about it. There were back stories going on which was fine and got my attention. I did persevere with the book and towards the end I enjoyed it more but for me,I am sorry to say,it wasn’t one of Mandy’s best.
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I rated this a 3.5, but I rounded up. Overall, I thought it was a cute read in a quaint village and made me want to travel to that village to experience that holiday magic. I just felt that the beginning and ending was a bit rushed. At the beginning, I feel like the author was trying to cram a bunch of subplots together. Like it was one after another and made it difficult for me to want to continue reading it. I really like the middle portion. It was heart warming, lots of character development, and a cute small town romance. But towards the end it was kind of losing me because it felt like random things were getting thrown in. Again, I still really liked the romance parts, it was just the subplots that didn’t make sense to me! Definitely will read another of Mandy’s books! This is my honest review 🫶🏻 I did not want to post a social media review as I’m not sure if I would recommend this one to a friend unless they were a sucker for small town romance or forced proximity. I will add my GoodReads review to Amazon once it is published!
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Found this story unrealistic unbelievable and full of predictable storylines and holes in the tale. Tried to carry on but couldn’t. Sped read to the hugely predictable end
Unlikeable characters finished it for me ….. the two sisters are awful, weak and annoying…..have loved many of Mandy Baggots books in the past, but not this one.
Will not be reviewing far and wide as I am not wanting to offend or hurt anyone.
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Thank you to netgalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this book for my honest opinion. A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging story,fabulous location, some delightful characters and some cute sounding creatures. Add in a bit of matchmaking, a moody male loner, a career woman and a few sparks and you have a perfect cosy read.
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I've reviewed so many Mandy Baggot books that are based in Greece. They were all great. I was interested in One Winter at the French Chalet not just because it's one of her books, but because I wanted to find out how she'd create a book based in France.
I was impressed. The weather isn't quite cold enough for a winter story, but I was so eager to get into this that I couldn't wait to start it.
Ut's atmospheric, uplifting and feelgood. The perfect Christmas-themed book for any time of year.
Thanks to Mandy Baggot and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
4 stars
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Free courtesy of Netgalley
I normally really like Mandy Baggot's books but this one just didn't gel with me, even though the book was well written, I just could not connect with any of the characters. The main woman Orla was all over the place trying to do her job, look after her sister and parents, it just didn't feel right. We didn't really find out much about Jacques life and why he was like he was, just loose references to it. The only characters I sort of liked was Orla's 16 year old sister, who spent her time conversing with a man she had never met, but at times she seemed more grown up than Orla.
Did this feel like a Christmas book, no sadly not but it is worth reading, but not as good a book as I'm used to by Mandy
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Amazing. Very festive, heartwarming read. Love every minute of reading this. Loved the drama and the way you could see the romance blooming between Orla and Jacques.
Thank you Mandy Baggot, Boldwoods Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
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This was an enjoyable read that was quick and easy and I finished in a short sitting. I found that I didn't really gel with the main character but aia still really enjoyed the book
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I love a Christmas book, and love France sadly this just didn’t hit the mark. The start of the book is hard to follow and chaotic with far too many similes. The characters weren’t very appealing and the story lines rather silly and far fetched. I have read this authors books before and they seem to swing from enjoyable and entertaining to a dire waste of time, unfortunately this tends towards the latter.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
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ARC Review: *One Winter at the French Chalet* by Mandy Baggot
Mandy Baggot is back with a heartwarming romance that will sweep you off your feet and whisk you away to the snow-capped mountains of the French Alps. *One Winter at the French Chalet* has everything you want in a winter read—charming characters, a magical setting, and just the right amount of festive romance to warm your heart on a cold night.
Orla Bradbee, our heroine, is a travel writer with a ticking clock on a Christmas assignment that’s far from glamorous. Sent to a rural French village to interview a man who refuses to speak, she’s already dealing with enough stress at home—her teenage sister Erin is caught up in a questionable online relationship. The *Overworked Heroine* trope is at play here, with Orla juggling her career and family while navigating a holiday deadline.
The setting of Saint-Chambéry is pure Christmas magic. Nestled in the French Alps, this cozy village comes alive with twinkling lights and snowy vistas. But it’s the enigmatic Jacques Barbier, a brooding, silent figure with a rugged exterior, who truly steals the show. Jacques embodies the *Mysterious Brooding Hero* trope perfectly, and from the moment Orla arrives, sparks fly. Their chemistry is electric, even if Jacques refuses to let her in at first. But of course, Orla’s determination—and perhaps a bit of holiday magic—starts to melt his icy defenses.
The story takes a delightful twist as Orla and Erin work together to unravel both the mystery of Jacques and the online "Romeo" her sister is tangled with. The *Sisterly Bond* trope adds a sweet layer to the story, grounding the romance in a real-world connection. Erin’s situationship gives Orla another reason to dig deeper into the lives around her, making the stakes even more personal as Christmas looms closer.
As Orla gets closer to Jacques, the *Grumpy-Sunshine Dynamic* emerges, with Orla’s persistence and optimism breaking through Jacques’s stoic exterior. Their love story is a slow burn, but the tender moments between them—like shared glances across a snow-covered chalet or a cozy fireside chat—add to the charm of their growing connection.
The French Alps, with their snowy peaks and cozy chalets, create the perfect backdrop for Orla and Jacques’s romance. The vivid descriptions of the scenery and the rustic village life in Saint-Chambéry really bring the story to life, making you feel like you’re right there in the middle of it all.
*One Winter at the French Chalet* is the perfect read for anyone craving a wintry escape filled with charm, mystery, and love. Mandy Baggot has crafted a romance that will make you believe in the magic of the season and the power of love to heal even the most guarded hearts.
*Microtropes*: Overworked Heroine, Mysterious Brooding Hero, Grumpy-Sunshine Dynamic, Sisterly Bond, Small Town Charm, Snowy Getaway, Slow Burn Romance, Holiday Magic, HEA.
-Behindhergreyeyes
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Orla is a travel writer who is sent out to a small village in the French Alps just before Christmas. Due to problems at home, her teenage sister, Erin, goes with her.
On arrival they meet the reclusive and bad-tempered Jacques, also known as Wolf, and Delphine who runs the village shop.
The premise of the trip is for Orla to write about a pregnant reindeer and a mute man. Yes, there's a lot of silliness in this book!
The book has the beautiful snowy setting, heaps of French festive traditions and, as usual, Brits who wear trainers and thin jackets in sub-zero temperatures. It would be good to have a lead character with a little more intelligence, but this is still a good bit of escapism with a lovely festive feel.