“There are no buts. You can control a lot of things, Brit, but you can’t control your heart.” Her voice broke. “You can’t control that. And my heart belongs to him even though he doesn’t want it. It may have been a short relationship, but it was the most honest, true, real relationship I’ve ever had. With him, I never felt like I should try harder to be something different.”

ARC received from: Netgalley
Rating: 5*

Cover: Yay
Trope: A festive delight
Chemistry: Off the charts Scorchio
Review: Oh wow, this was the perfect festive read set in both my hometown and my fantasy hometown.

I loved everything about it from start to finish but I especially loved the chapters with Alec's family and when they were convinced that Alec/Skylar were a couple.

'His grandmother turned to his mother with a puzzled look. “What did he say?”
Suzanne Hunter raised her voice and spoke clearly. “He said he doesn’t want a woman.”
“That’s what I thought he said, but it doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t he want a woman? Is he saying he’s gay? Has he come out?”
“He’s not gay, Mum.”
“Are you sure? Because Skylar is a beautiful girl. The only reason a healthy, vigorous, single man wouldn’t be interested in her would be if he were gay. And that would be fine. I want him to know we’ll love him whoever he is.”
Alec clenched his jaw. “I am not gay.” He was aware of Skylar, sitting across from him. Her head was bent over Nelson so he couldn’t see her expression but he was fairly sure she was laughing.'

I mean you know it's the perfect book when the only criticism you can make is that I am sure that Alec's family wouldn't be calling Father Christmas "Santa", and that I thought that jumping to a proposal when Skylar had only just come out of a longterm relationship and they had only been together a few weeks was a bit too much.

This book was literally everything I ever wanted in a contemporary romance, complete with snow, dogs, and Christmas. Highly recommended.

Originally posted @ Love's A State Of Mind

Skylar dreams of spending Christmas with her friends on Puffin Island. The third in a series this is a cosy feel good read with lovable and well defined characters. This is a romance with the emphasis on being yourself and being accepted for who you are in a relationship.

I really enjoyed this book but almost tossed it in irritation aside whilst reading the first chapter which set the scene for the plot. Warm, talented and beautiful Skylar is in a relationship with selfish, manipulative Richard and making excuses for his behaviour. Despite her success as an artist she is a failure in the eyes of her family who don't respect her choices and want to see her married off. Alec does his best to keep Skylar (who reminds him of his ex-wife) at a distance but an accident pushes her into his arms.

This book was very amusing. The characters got themselves into some lovely entertaining scrapes and misunderstandings. The book was a bit mushy in places but had a good plot with well defined characters. I enjoyed the way the author use of strong contrasts. How she offset Alec against Richard, Skylar against Alec's ex-wife and Alec's family against Skylar's.

Friendship features heavily in this title and Puffin Island despite the cold in the winter comes across as somewhere I would love to live or visit. The story stands up well on its own, but in hindsight I wish I'd read the previous two titles first, having enjoyed this one so much.

Recommended.