Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea by Eliza J. Scott
I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity review an ARC of this novel.
*This book is part of a series.
I really enjoyed the premise of this story. I love stories about books, bookshops, and Christmas. The development of the setting with phenomenal details of Christmas and decorations swept me away. Mickelwick Bay seems charming and inviting. The sense of community with the Happy Hartes bookshop is inviting and pleasant.
This book had great potential but there is a distinct disconnect with the reader and the main characters, and I think it stems from their inability to communicate with each other. The plot seemed choppy and did not flow, it actually got stagnant with Florie’s suspicions of Ed, and it seemed to stall out completely in spots. The middle of the story was slow paced. The overuse of ambiguous words and phrases disconnects the reader completely and interrupts the flow of the story.
I was just unable to connect or stay connected to the story and that made it difficult to finish.
2/5⭐️

I have loved each and every one of the books in the Micklewick Bay series, and a return visit is always welcome.

Encapsulating two of my favourite things, Scott delights with a joyous Christmas read that's centred around The Happy Hartes Bookshop and it's community spirit.

It's a heartwarming read guaranteed to give you all the fuzzy feels inside. A gorgeous story of family and friendship fills the pages whilst the characters fill your heart.

Florrie Appleton and Ed Harte run the Happy Hartes bookshop in Micklewick Bay. Florrie plans a series of fun Christmas memories for Ed, with their friends as Christmas gets closer. Ed starts acting a little more suspiciously as it gets closer and disappears suddenly. Will they get the memorable Christmas Florrie was hoping for?


This is the 3rd book in the series. It’s fine as a standalone story, though it might be helpful if you’d like to learn more about the other characters in the story. I haven’t read the others, but I plan on reading the others in the series. I loved all of the characters in the stories, especially Florrie's friend group and her relationship with Ed. I thought it was a fun cozy, Christmassy story and I look forward to reading more from this author as well as the others in this series.


Thanks to @stormpublishing, @netgalley, @rachelsrandomresources and the author for this ARC

So wonderful to return to Micklewick Bay, this book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. So this is the story of Florrie and Ed and the Happy Hartes bookshop. A delightfully heartwarming, festive feeling book that's a definite recommendation from me.

This is a delightful book to read in the run up to Christmas and would also make a perfect festive gift.

It is the fourth in the Micklewick Bay series but works well as a stand alone novel.

Together with her partner Ed, Florrie runs the Happy Hartes Bookshop in the small seaside town of Micklewick Bay. When Florrie learns that Ed does not have many happy Christmas memories from his childhood, she launches the Happy Christmas Memory project. Enlisting the help of a few friends, she is determined to make this a memorable Christmas for Ed.

This book has all the elements that you would expect to find in a book of this genre. It is wonderfully heart-warming but has some jeopardy involved as there are some strange happenings occurring, and a suspicious character in the form of Dodgy Dick. It is a lovely cosy story with some mystery and romance thrown in. Also, I can never resist a book that has a dog involved either so this was a perfect read for me.

This is a special book that brings alive the magic of Christmas. It would be perfect to snuggle down with in the run up to the festivities, and I highly recommend doing so.

As I haven't read any books in this series, I appreciated the backstory available for the main protagonists, Flora and Ed and whenever anyone else in the community was introduced. It's a lovely festive tale that wonderfully evokes Christmas and the bookshop. While I enjoyed the story and got to know the characters, it is best to read the previous books in the series to assimilate the community ethos. I like the festive and bookshop activities, the community spirit and the emotions explored through its characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

If you are looking for a story to get you into the holiday spirit, Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea is it. it’s warm and tender and a wonderful addition to the Micklewick Bay Series.

The Happy Hartes Bookshop is flourishing in Florrie and Ed’s capable hands. Sure, they still have to watch their funds and be creative with their offerings, but between Florrie’s decorations and Ed’s window displays everyone in town loves the shop and they are drawing more and more tourists in. Most days it’s almost possible to forget the anger and resentment from Ed’s parents that his grandfather left the shop to Ed and Florrie and not to them. Ed and Florrie are in a romantic haze, looking forward to their future together, until an animated telephone discussion between Ed and his always angry father, and Ed’s subsequent behavior seemingly searching for something in the attic. Florrie doesn’t press, but whenever she tries to talk to Ed about it he quickly changes the subject.

What is he hiding? Is he going to leave again? He’s left once before, overwhelmed with the shop and his parents and life in general, but he soon returned and promised he would talk to her first if he ever felt like that again. Ed is so affectionate with Florrie, seems so sincere, so in love, but Florrie can’t help the worry; she doesn’t think her heart could take it if Ed wasn’t with her. But why won’t he talk to her? if there is some trouble with his father or the shop, why won’t he share it and let her help?

Micklewick Bay is a wonderful place, full of wonderful people – and a few that are not so wonderful. Florrie’s family is close and supportive, welcoming to Ed, happy about their relationship and future. Ed’s parents are demanding and selfish. When mysterious things happen and parts of the bookshop are damaged their friends and family – almost the entire town – pull together to help them. After Ed does finally share more about his childhood Florrie is determined to show him the best holiday ever and launches her Happy Christmas Memories Project with special activities and events to fill his heart with happy memories to take the place of the sad ones currently residing there.

The story contains a good mystery, a lot of love, good friends and special family, and a little lesson in how to trust. Thanks to Storm Publishing for providing an advance copy of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the wonderful characters of Micklewick Bay. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This is part of the Micklewick Bay series. I read the first book in this series previously, and I loved it, so I was excited about this. On my previous visit to this seaside town, I felt as though I made friends with Florrie and the other characters, so I was really pleased to be back in their company.

This book was full of feel-good festive charm, and I finished it in a couple of hours. The residents of Micklewick Bay seem like such a loving community, and once again, I loved how they all seemed to look out for each other, which is arguably even more important during the festive period. This is the ideal type of book to warm your heart on a chilly winter evening.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this.

A whimsical little bookstore by the sea in a Victorian town on the North Yorkshire Coast called Micklewick Bay. We visit this wonderful town at Christmas time and how these two people make it so joyful not only for each other but for their friends along with the visitors and town folk alike.

Go ahead and enter in to The Happy Hartes Bookshop! There you will find Florrie Appleton and her boyfriend Ed Harte. They are the owners of the bookshop. Ed's grandparents owned it before they passed away leaving it to Ed's parent's with the instructions that Florrie and Ed would manage and run it together. Ed's parent's wanted nothing to do with it so Ed and Florrie took over everything, and happily.

During Christmas time each shop decorated their windows for passersby and for competition of course. Ed was busy decorating the windows and Florrie was decorating the shop. She was so excited to see what Ed had done with the windows she was beside herself. Not to mention how much she loved him.

As the Christmas season went on and grew closer she had decided to do something special so she decided to implement The Happy Christmas Memory Project. Each project that she tried to plan was for her and Ed to share together and then her friends as well. It was an exciting time in all of their lives.

This is a very warm sweet Christmas book that I will highly recommend to all of my friends and family. It is so sweet and filled me with the charm and warmth like I was sitting by a warm fire watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.
I loved it thank you for the beautiful book Eliza Scott

This is a cute Christmas read that focuses on a couple who own a bookshop and love making special Christmas memories for the town with elaborate decorations, but when Florrie learns that Ed’s parents never really tried to make Christmas special for him as a kid, she decides to embark on the Happy Christmas Memory Project to try to make some happy Christmas memories for him. While she’s busy trying to set up adventures, Ed is seemingly up to something and Florrie just can’t seem to figure out what he’s hiding. When he suddenly disappears she can only think the worst, but everything ends up working out in the end. This was so cute and perfect Christmas time vibes!

This is my first read in this series, but I can vividly picture what I read. The small-town sounds so charming, Micklewick Bay. The shops so festively decorated I could just picture them with their Christmas trees, wreath and magical fairy lights.
It was so exciting to read about Florrie and Ed's romance and the magical moments. The fun winter activities, I could just picture the snowman making and sledging.
A little drama thrown in, a little bit of a mystery and whole lot of fun romance. The bookshop by the sea is a marvelous idea and I loved the exciting addition they have planned for it.
The whole town comes together in this festively fun Christmas romance by the sea. Loved seeing the closeness of family and friends.
Now I need to go back and read the other books in the series and see how Florrie and Ed met.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This book certainly put me in the Christmas spirit. It was so cozy & cute. Such a great palate cleanser from my “typical” reads! The story sucked me right into the that little bookshop! I never wanted to leave

Firstly, I want to thank @elizajscott @stormbooks_co and @netgalley for approving me to receive an arc of this eBook.

This is my first book by Eliza but it certainly won't be the last. The other 3 books in this series are already added to my amazon wishlist. So, being a new author I didn't know what to expect, but going on the title there was a very good chance I would enjoy it.

So, we start off with the 'Happy Hartes Bookshop,' what a cute name. If this was the name of a real bookshop it would definitely attract my attention and draw me inside. We then have the main characters Florrie, Ed and their doggo Gerty the black labrador and this is all in the first chapter!

I find it's always hard to write a book review without giving too much away, so I always just try to give snippets of my favourite parts.

So, we already have Gerty the black lab but we also have another lab called Daphne, i'm loving these names. We have the relationship between Florrie and Ed which is beautiful, if not difficult at times. There are beautiful friendships, tumultuous family relationships and a blossoming love affair. If this wasn't enough to make a great story we also have 'Dodgy Dick, a sledging labrador and 'The Happy Christmas Memories Project'. I mean, wow, just wow! Finally, this book is set in Yorkshire and I really enjoyed the use of the slang phrases used by the characters, especially the use of 'mint'. I had an ex from Doncaster that used it all the time.

If you enjoy holiday themed romances you are sure to enjoy this.

Happy Pub day!!this was such a cute story. Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love bookstores and put them together and I’m all in. This will be a great holiday read to add some Christmas spirit and cozy vibes to your reading list. Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc.

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of Christmas At The Little Bookshop By The Sea.

Florrie and Ed are a happy couple who love running Ed’s grandparents bookshop. They have made many changes and improvements to make it more up to date and successful. But Ed’s father was never happy that they were running the bookshop. Then things start getting destroyed and ruined at the bookshop and they decide to do whatever it takes to keep the bookshop and fulfill Ed’s grandparents dream.

This book was okay, it seemed to drag on a little. The storyline was not that exciting so it was hard to get into the book.

In this story, the charming English town of Micklewick Bay becomes the setting for a heartwarming holiday tale, blending the magic of Christmas with the timeless values of friendship, love, and perseverance. Ed and Florrie, a lovable couple, inherit a quaint bookshop from Ed’s grandparents, tucked away in the heart of the town. But instead of living out their quiet dream, they face challenges from Ed’s family and a scheming local villain.

Ed’s parents see the bookshop as a financial burden and urge him to sell it to Dodgy Dick, a shady character with a less-than-wholesome reputation in the community. Dodgy Dick, eager to get his hands on the property, goes to great lengths, using every trick in the book to try and force Ed and Florrie out. From petty sabotage to manipulative schemes, he becomes a true adversary. However, the strength of Ed and Florrie’s relationship is tested in the process. Florrie begins to doubt Ed, especially as he starts acting secretive and strange, raising concerns about his motives.

Yet, as the holiday season unfolds, the magic of Christmas takes hold. Through these trials, Ed and Florrie find themselves growing closer, not only to each other but also to the close-knit community that rallies around them. Florrie is determined to give Ed the Christmas memories he doesn’t have with her „Happy Christmas Memory Project“. With the help of loyal friends, they resist Dodgy Dick’s increasingly desperate attempts to claim the shop. Themes of resilience, the power of community, and the enduring spirit of Christmas shine throughout the narrative, making this book a cozy holiday read.

The story is rich with festive details, from snowy streets to warm gatherings by the fire, creating a nostalgic holiday atmosphere. The contrast between Dodgy Dick’s underhanded tactics and the genuine kindness of the town’s people adds a layer of humor and warmth to the plot.

In the end, Christmas at the little bookshop by the sea is a feel-good story about the importance of standing up for what you love, trusting those close to you, and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. It’s a perfect choice for those who enjoy uplifting Christmas tales with a dash of small-town charm and a battle between good and dodgy.

This is the fourth book in this series, but can be read just fine as a standalone if you did not read the rest of the books in the series, just a little bit of backstory for the characters will be missing. Overall, it was a very cozy story that is perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, but don't expect a super exciting story filled with a lot going on. I loved the sweetness of the town and it's inhabitants, and all of their friendships were so lovely.

Thank you to Eliza J. Scott, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

There is something endearing about reading about a couple already formed, it's like peaking into the happily ever after that we all know is not always sparkles and roses.
Christmas is coming and as a small town bookshop owners, Florrie and Ed are preparing accordingly. Ed did not have magic moments full of love during the holidays growing up, his parents being distant and selfish. Florrie is determined to light up the Christmas joy in his heart and make it special. Her partner doesn't make it easy, having moments that convince her he is hiding something from her. Would it be a wonderful surprise or another heartbreak?
I loved the holiday spirit and the small-town charm. Reading about bookshops and books makes me happy. Florrie and Ed's dedication to their cozy little shop shines throughout the story, and it's easy to become invested in their journey.

A sweet, cozy read that is too slow paced for my liking. But if you are looking for a warm Christmas story with a strong basis in friendships with a bit of mystery and romance, this is for you. The author did a great job with her descriptions of the awful couple who were the villains in the story. I truly hated them! Thanks to #NetGalley and #ChristmasAtTheLittleBookshopByTheSea for advanced digital copy.

Now….this is a very warm, cozy read which was what I needed. The only issue is that I found out too late that this was book 4 of the Micklewick Bay series. I missed the backstory of the characters and definitely would have read the first books before reading this one. That said, I liked the writing style of the author and the story made me smile, so I will read the other books. Sure…there were some repetitive uses of certain words and sentences, but I think you should read it as a cozy read and don't expect this to be a literary wonder. It was a pretty slow burn which I personally don't mind.
If you just want to relax and like a cozy book, this would be a good one, although I recommend reading the earlier books first.