The front cover says festive joy on every page and I tend to agree.

This is the story of Florrie Appleton, Ed Harte and their bookshop Happy Hartes (which I really wish was a real place).

Set during the month of December (shocker), as this seaside town gears up for the most wonderful time of the year, Florrie and Ed are looking forward to welcoming customers into their shop. But when Ed's interfering father calls, could their dreams of renovating and expanding the shop be halted?

With a mix of romance, drama and heartfelt moments, this is a story designed to entertain from start to finish. Even when emotions ran high, the author did a fantastic job of keeping a more joyful atmosphere in place.

Let me just mention the Happy Christmas Memory Project. Something Florrie offered to her boyfriend Ed to give him the experiences he never received as a child. An absolutely wonderful idea that made me smile. How good would it be to see this occurring in real life!

I loved that the bookshop seemed to be an added character, at the heart of everything - heart/Harte - see what I did there. The separate storylines from various case members all seemed to circle back round to this gorgeous setting. Very cleverly done.

Book four in a series, I hadn't read any of the prior books however, this didn't take away from anything and I believe it can easily be read as a stand-alone book. Although, I'm now tempted to go back and read the rest of the set as Micklewick Bay seems like such an idyllic place to live and the people living there were like old friends I wanted to catch up with.

Cute and cosy, this was a tale offering a big, warm hug that envelopes you as soon as you begin to read and doesn't let go until you reach the final page.

Such a cute and heartwarming story set in the picturesque town of Micklewick Bay. This nis number four in the series, which I read as a stand-alone. I do wish I had read the previous books just to get myself acquainted with the characters, because you see a lot characters from her previous books that I feel like I would have understood better had I read the other 3. However, you can still read it as a standalone. (for me personally, I just truly love character development and plots driven or centered around characters!)Florrie and Ed are such a cute couple, and it was nice seeing the town and their friends/found family supporting their dreams. It is truly all things Christmas complete with snow, twinkling lights, ice skating, and of course mulled wine. The story captures the Christmas spirit perfectly, full of family and friendships, with a good dose of community spirit and some romance in there too!
My only complaint is the ending and how anticlimatic it was. The whole time you're like waiting for something big to happen...and it just never does.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this cute and cozy Christmas ARC!

I had high hopes for this, but they unfortunately turned out to be too lofty. There were some cozy Christmas vibes, to be sure, but the characters weren't particularly dynamic or engaging. The dialogue (both internal and spoken) felt very forced and unnatural. I also didn't realize this was the 2nd book in a series, so there were definitely some background items that I missed out on.

It was a quick, easy read... just didn't put me in the holiday spirit.

Overall: 2 stars (It was ok)

**Thank you to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I was not a fan of this one it felt like if I had read the other books in the series I might have known more about some of the characters it felt like a lot of characters and again this was my issue.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy-Christmas + bookshop = a great festive read. I particularly liked that the bookshop featured more heavily than the romance. Would recommend for a nice, cosy, escapist read.

Easy read for winter. I enjoyed the storyline and both MC - and their friends! At times it does feel that the author was trying to make sure everyone knew the back story but I hadn’t read the previous book and felt it went a little overboard, sometimes jarring me out of the story. That said, the Christmas memory storyline was cute and made me think of snow ❤️

Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea is the fourth book in the Micklewick Bay series. The title and cover of this book caught my eye and despite not having read any of the other books in the series it didn't impact upon my enjoyment of this book at all and now I have the fun of going back to read the others as I liked this one so much.

Florrie and Ed are doing their best to make their bookshop business profitable despite the interference of others who want the building for themselves and are happy to throw a spanner in the works at any opportunity. Adding to the pressure are family issues and issues from the past that don't help at all. Despite this, Christmastime at the Little Bookshop by the Sea sounds idyllic for children and adults alike and the plans for expansion are underway which hopefully means that there will be a fifth book in the pipeline.

A recommended read that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Lots of holiday vibes and a touch of mystery. This book is the second in a series, which wasn't apparent from the promo copy, and I think I might have understood the characters better if I'd read its predecessor. But I enjoyed it anyway; the combination of reliable holiday pleasures (snow and sleigh rides and hot drinks) with a small-town seaside locale provided maximum seasonal coziness.

I loved this book and did not want to put it down. It is part of a series and so now I want to read the others to find out what I have previously missed. A great Christmas read.

Returning to Micklewick Bay at Christmas is the ultimate festive treat. Cosy and heartwarming the book is a perfect piece of romantic escapism guaranteed to give you all the warm and fuzzies. Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Rachael Lucas and Jessica Redland

Very much a cosy read, very gentle in tone, lots of description that will make you feel christmassy but not too much plot. There was a bit too much tell, rather than show for me, I suspect it might also have helped if I had read the previous books was enjoying the characters once again.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book really hard going, there was pages and pages of thoughts and description, I ended up reading only what was being "spoken", I have now taken a dislike to the word "lasses", I only kept reading until I found out the big secret and it wasn't worth the effort. The MFC was not very dimensional and to not ask a question because it "could spoil the day" was a bit strange really, as this happened more than once, I would not rush to read another in this series.

I didn't read the first book but I don't think it had a missive impact on reading this one

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately I didn’t. While the setting was lovely the characters felt very flat to me. The dialogue was painfully stilted and weird and urgh, don’t even get me started on the overdone “I could just ask but will rather keep quiet so this book can have a miscommunication plot” trope. I’m sorry but this book could have been so much more. 2 stars for the beautiful bookshop setting.

'She loved Christmas and, in particular, she loved Christmas at The Happy Hartes bookshop.'

I love Christmas.

Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea by Eliza J. Scott is a book about Florrie and Ed, the owners of The Happy Hartes Bookshop. It's Christmas in Micklewick bay, and Florrie is determined to make it the best one for Ed yet, filling their days with as many festive activities as she can as part of her 'Happy Christmas Memory Project'. But a phone call in the middle of the night from Ed's father has her mind spinning, and Ed is keeping something from her. Between his refusal to call his father back, and the amount of time he is spending in the attic, Florrie can't shake the feeling something is wrong, and it might involve her beloved bookshop.

I really wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. Christmas in a little seaside town, focused on a bookshop sounded like my ideal book, but.. I just felt like I was missing so much from it. The book is good, and there is some really sweer moments. If you're looking for a cute easy Christmas read, then you'll really enjoy this book.

However I really feel like I was always wanting a little bit more. I got to Chapter 10 and remember thinking nothing has really happened. A lot of what happened between Florrie and Ed felt like it could have been resolved if Florrie had just turned to Ed and said, 'look you're acting a bit suspicious, and it's gotten worse since your dad called, can you please just tell me whats going on and put my mind at rest.' They're both adults, but a lot of the time they weren't really acting like it. Ed disappearing right before Christmas and just coming back like yeah I didn't take my phone I tried to call the bookshop but the signal was bad sorry, just seemed like it wasn't realistic, Florrie immediatley forgiving him didn't feel right either. And then all the secrets coming out in the penultimate chapter felt so rushed. I just had a lot of frustrations with this book.

I also felt like I just didn't connect with Florrie and Ed. I get that their love story was told in another book in this series, but they just felt a little bland in this book. There were time where Florrie frustrated me, and I felt that other than once or twice you never really got a clear picture of who Ed was.

All in all I was personally disappointed. I was expecting something a little different to what I got.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a captivating read that held my attention from start to finish. The story was well-paced, and the characters felt real and engaging. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing an early copy—it was a pleasure to read!

The perfect holiday read for romance and book/ bookshop lovers. It feels like a cozy story that would be a great gift for the holiday season. Ed and Florrie are a cute couple. I wish I had known this was part of a series although it can be read as a standalone.

Cute story, but was a bit slow for me. Definitely got me in the holiday mood though, I loved the description and location of the book. I have read a few by Eliza now!

3.5 stars, rounded up. This was the perfect segue into the holiday season! The story takes place in Micklewick Bay and has the cutest English names (Florrie has a pup named Gerty, I mean come on!). The characters were so fun and lovable, and I just wanted to make a cup of tea and cozy up in front of a fireplace while I read.... either that or quit my corporate job and pack it all up to experience the small town charm of turning my phone off for days on end like Ed. I will say, however, at around 300 pages, this book mayy have been a bit long which is why I rated 3.5 initially, but I also had to reread nearly every paragraph to understand the English phrasing (which I actually LOVED and thought it added to the charm of the book). There's also a slight element of mystery, but it's veryyy cozy and lighthearted. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read the other books in this series!

This was so cute, but it was a little but sad at times and I wasn’t expecting that. I really enjoyed the set up of the book and all of the cute vibes were there.

I didn’t realize this book was in a series so I think I may have missed a few important plot points and more information about the characters but I did still enjoy this. I am thinking about picking up the other books in the series. If i had read those other books, I probably would have enjoyed this a little bit more.

Although I did still enjoy it!

Thank you to Netgallery and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story takes place in Micklewick Bay, in the Happy Hartes Bookshop as Florrie and Ed prepare for the holiday season. Florrie takes on the task of creating especially meaningful Christmas memories for Ed while navigating her nervousness about the amount of time he is spending in the attic. An unsavory character, Dodgy Dick, enters the picture with plans to buy the bookshop from Ed and Florrie. When things don't go accordingly, Dodgy Dick sets out to dismantle their festivities.

This story is a quick and pleasant read. Eliza J. Scott could teach a mastery class on creating atmosphere without being redundant, which is not an easy feat. There were so many great descriptions that really satiated my longing for a warm, cozy, and festive book. It was the perfect book to begin the holiday season! If you are looking for a cozy, holiday read, this is the book for you!