Martha Waters Follow

While this is all about a woman who hates Christmas, the romance is no bah-humbug. I absolutely adored Graham and Charlotte’s story. This was nothing as I expected yet everything that I love. I have become a huge fan of Ms. Waters and this book, like her previous works, is fresh and original. The storyline kept me engaged and I could not turn the pages fast enough. Everything about this pulled me in. There is just something about the way this author writes that I find highly addictive and Christmas is All Around is another example of the magic she wields.

I loved this book! It was so much fun to read. I loved all the characters, especially since many are old friends from the previous books. But I absolutely adored West and Sophie.

Sophie was easy to connect with and her attempt to make sure her sister was moving forward in life endeared her to me. West’s story line often had me welling up with emotion. He had been through more than any one person should ever have to endure and I longed for him to find his perfect “happily ever after”.

This is a second chance romance with flashbacks to the beginning of things and then following through the years afterwards. They were clearly marked and I found them to be the perfect tool to connect me with the struggle and angst that each character had suffered. Along with those moments of deep emotion, this is filled with the perfect amount of humor and plenty of steam making this a well rounded read and deeply satisfying.

This can be read as a stand alone but would be better understood with the series.

I’ve really enjoyed every book in this series, but there is no denying that this one is my favorite. I was smiling and laughing through it all. The chemistry between Julian and Emily was pure magic. They just flowed together seamlessly. I loved their banter and even their arguments kept me clinging to every word.

While this doesn’t have a lot of steam, there is no doubt that this couple are hot for each other. I’m used to books that have a heavier hand when it comes to smexy times, but this was written in such a way that I never missed the intense steam I’m accustomed to. To clarify, this is steamy, just not explicit.

Both Julian and Emily have things from their past that prompt their current actions and reactions. Watching these characters grow to the point that their eyes were finally opened and they were able to consciously make changes was part of the joy I received from this story.

This has a great pace to it, never lagging or repeating itself. The characters and their circumstances were believable as were the secondary characters that were just as entertaining as the hero and heroine. There isn’t a lot of drama here, this is more about character development and family ties, or lack thereof.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book with my whole heart. Definitely one I could find myself rereading in the future and one that I happily recommend to those who enjoy a lighthearted historical romance .

Oh my gosh! This book, with all it’s originality in a genre that can be repetitive at times, was absolutely wonderful!

I adore a friends-to-lovers trope so I was instantly interested in this one after reading the blurb. There is no way I could have known how unique this story was going to be. With a hero and heroine that didn’t hesitate to say what was on their minds to each other. I was gobbling up the banter between them as fast as I could.

Once Diana had been married and soon widowed, she really came into herself. She embraced the freedom her place in society gave her and along with it came the opportunity to accept a scandalous proposition. Gah! I love scandalous propositions! And I loved Diana. She was bold and feisty, never hesitating to speak her opinion. She was exactly what Jeremy needed.

I struggled just a tad with Jeremy’s reason for the proposition. Afterall, here’s a man who has been horn-dogging around for years and the premise didn’t feel authentic for either him or Diana. However, I’m a lenient reader and I pushed that aside and had no trouble at all embracing everything else about these characters and the plot.

With secondary characters that I became just as invested in as Jeremy and Diana, I was pulled completely into the story. The laugh out loud moments were frequent, the chemistry believable and absolutely sizzled when this hero and heroine were alone together, and the ending absolutely perfect.

This is my second book by this author and I’m finding her writing to be fresh and original. These are not your typical historical romances. With characters that feel very modern in their behavior and beliefs, they, nonetheless, still fit very well in the historical setting where they’ve been created giving this a new, edgy feel. I love it!