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xxjenadanxx's review
4.0
Someone get Hallmark on the line because I need this to be made into a feel good Christmas movie IMMEDIATELY.
When Ruby, a modern day Mary Poppins, interviews for a nanny position in Notting Hill she is warned that the client, widower Mr. Rothchester, is notoriously difficult. Not one to back down from a challenge she accepts the job and immediately falls in love with her new charges, Jessica and Lottie. She gets a taste of Mr. Rothchester's wrath the very first day when she finds herself going head to head with him in an argument over a picnic. Over the next couple months the story unfolds with Ruby getting more and more entangled and protective over the girls and more and more attracted to their infuriating father. . . The author has written Barclay so well, you can't help but love him even as you want to shake him for being insane. He is a beautiful and broken man. Ruby is tenacious and larger than life, fiercely loyal and exactly the kind of person you would want to care for your kids.
The chemistry between Ruby and Barclay is very charged and electric and desperate. This is a story about loss and love and learning to live again, all wrapped up in the magic of Christmas.
Loved it.
When Ruby, a modern day Mary Poppins, interviews for a nanny position in Notting Hill she is warned that the client, widower Mr. Rothchester, is notoriously difficult. Not one to back down from a challenge she accepts the job and immediately falls in love with her new charges, Jessica and Lottie. She gets a taste of Mr. Rothchester's wrath the very first day when she finds herself going head to head with him in an argument over a picnic. Over the next couple months the story unfolds with Ruby getting more and more entangled and protective over the girls and more and more attracted to their infuriating father. . . The author has written Barclay so well, you can't help but love him even as you want to shake him for being insane. He is a beautiful and broken man. Ruby is tenacious and larger than life, fiercely loyal and exactly the kind of person you would want to care for your kids.
The chemistry between Ruby and Barclay is very charged and electric and desperate. This is a story about loss and love and learning to live again, all wrapped up in the magic of Christmas.
Loved it.
bibliojojo's review
5.0
This was a fun, laugh out loud Christmas romance!
Ruby is a strong MC who is easy to relate with. Her wit, amazing banter and angst with Barclay kept me fully engaged while her tender caring love for the girls gave me all the feels! Even the dynamic between Ruby and the secondary characters was well thought out and added to the overall enjoyment of the book for me. I felt like I was a member of the staff, or Ruby’s friend, rooting for her from day one!
The steamy enemy to lover troupe was the perfect tear jerking, swoony and heart warming relationship to start the Christmas season! I was definitely invested in the romance so I loved that Laura gives us not only a wonderful ending but a follow-up as well. If you love Christmas books and Hallmark Christmas movies (this should definitely be one!) then this is a must read for you!
I received an arc from the author Laura Barnard in exchange for an honest review.
Ruby is a strong MC who is easy to relate with. Her wit, amazing banter and angst with Barclay kept me fully engaged while her tender caring love for the girls gave me all the feels! Even the dynamic between Ruby and the secondary characters was well thought out and added to the overall enjoyment of the book for me. I felt like I was a member of the staff, or Ruby’s friend, rooting for her from day one!
The steamy enemy to lover troupe was the perfect tear jerking, swoony and heart warming relationship to start the Christmas season! I was definitely invested in the romance so I loved that Laura gives us not only a wonderful ending but a follow-up as well. If you love Christmas books and Hallmark Christmas movies (this should definitely be one!) then this is a must read for you!
I received an arc from the author Laura Barnard in exchange for an honest review.
shobeteener's review
4.0
Ruby Campbell is hired to be a nanny to Barclay Rothchester's two little girls. My heart went out to those poor little girls. There has been has been many been quite a turn over of nanny's threw their lives because of how over bearing and unrealistic their father is prior to Ruby. Ruby becomes their little Champion. Those girls and their happiness become her #1 priority even if that means clashing with their father and bucking his strict schedule.
At first I wasn't a very big fan of Barclay's but then the more I read along I realized this poor man if doing the absolute best he can after having the devastating loss of his wife.
Through his banter with Ruby life starts to flow back through Barclay and this little family starts to heal and move forward again.
This is a heart warming Christmas read.
At first I wasn't a very big fan of Barclay's but then the more I read along I realized this poor man if doing the absolute best he can after having the devastating loss of his wife.
Through his banter with Ruby life starts to flow back through Barclay and this little family starts to heal and move forward again.
This is a heart warming Christmas read.
bookmadjo's review
5.0
Oh my word! What can I say about this book? I have loved Laura Barnard’s books since she first asked me to read and review one of her books very early in my Bookstagram days (pre-blog). Laura’s books are the perfect balance of romance, sex, and humour and I have loved them all.
HOWEVER…I have to say I think this is my favourite book by Laura by far, and is so perfectly Christmassy that I wanted to start celebrating Christmas there and then when I finished the book!
Ruby is such a wonderful character, a strong feisty nanny who puts the needs of her young charges first, even to the point of pushing her way into the PTA and putting up with the overly-competitive mummies, just to help one of the children. She was so adorable in the way she looked out for Barclay’s young daughters, that it was impossible not to root for her.
I loved Barclay from the start too, because although he was pretty obnoxious to Ruby, it was clear that he was a grieving man struggling to raise his daughters without his wife beside him.
I went through a whole gamut of emotions reading this, and it affected me so much that I had to read it in one sitting because I honestly could not put it down long enough to go to sleep! I finished it at 3:30am trying not to wake my husband while I blew my nose and wiped my eyes! There were so many moments that I laughed, I cried, I swooned a little. This really was an outstandingly Christmassy story and one I think I will definitely be reading a second time!
HOWEVER…I have to say I think this is my favourite book by Laura by far, and is so perfectly Christmassy that I wanted to start celebrating Christmas there and then when I finished the book!
Ruby is such a wonderful character, a strong feisty nanny who puts the needs of her young charges first, even to the point of pushing her way into the PTA and putting up with the overly-competitive mummies, just to help one of the children. She was so adorable in the way she looked out for Barclay’s young daughters, that it was impossible not to root for her.
I loved Barclay from the start too, because although he was pretty obnoxious to Ruby, it was clear that he was a grieving man struggling to raise his daughters without his wife beside him.
I went through a whole gamut of emotions reading this, and it affected me so much that I had to read it in one sitting because I honestly could not put it down long enough to go to sleep! I finished it at 3:30am trying not to wake my husband while I blew my nose and wiped my eyes! There were so many moments that I laughed, I cried, I swooned a little. This really was an outstandingly Christmassy story and one I think I will definitely be reading a second time!
ceriwelshmumof3reads's review
5.0
Laura has done it again! I loved this.
I always find myself laughing out loud to her books. I love that!
I loved the characters, how much emotion is put into the book. It was just a beautiful wholesome book to read in the run up to Christmas!
I always find myself laughing out loud to her books. I love that!
I loved the characters, how much emotion is put into the book. It was just a beautiful wholesome book to read in the run up to Christmas!
heavensbookstop's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, I thought it would be weird reading a Christmas book in September but it wasn't. I loved the characters and the emotion that came with this book. Laura your now becoming a fav author of mine
kimberlywoodward84's review
4.0
I truly adored this book! Thank you to Laura Barnard to gifting me with a copy of the Audiobook in exchange for an honest review. (See the end of the review for Audio specific review comments.)
It was a perfect and heartwarming enemies to lovers Christmas story! Ruby Campbell was the fiercest and sassiest Nanny and I loved every bit of her. She had such a big heart and oh, the mouth on her too! I imagine that Laura Barnard had so much fun writing her character. Her own backstory with her parents deaths was well written and weaved in to the story well, too. It made her so much more sincere with the girls. Barclay Rothchester is the grumpy widow that can't manage to keep a Nanny. What ensues is some amazing angsty banter, steamy tension and misunderstandings. Oh, and a smack down with a Busy Body PTA Mommy too, 'cause nobody is going to mess with one of those girls on Ruby's watch!
Seriously, this book was the full package with laughs, sexual tension, and warm hearted moments. If you are looking for Christmas themed books, you should definitely add this one to your list this holiday season!
The Audiobook was narrated by Charlie Emmeline Albers and she was fantastic! She added the perfect amount of sass and sincerity to Ruby's character. She also did a good job with swithing tone when she portrayed Barclay and other characters. I am an avid Audiobook listener, so I did speed it up, but the flow was good.
It was a perfect and heartwarming enemies to lovers Christmas story! Ruby Campbell was the fiercest and sassiest Nanny and I loved every bit of her. She had such a big heart and oh, the mouth on her too! I imagine that Laura Barnard had so much fun writing her character. Her own backstory with her parents deaths was well written and weaved in to the story well, too. It made her so much more sincere with the girls. Barclay Rothchester is the grumpy widow that can't manage to keep a Nanny. What ensues is some amazing angsty banter, steamy tension and misunderstandings. Oh, and a smack down with a Busy Body PTA Mommy too, 'cause nobody is going to mess with one of those girls on Ruby's watch!
Seriously, this book was the full package with laughs, sexual tension, and warm hearted moments. If you are looking for Christmas themed books, you should definitely add this one to your list this holiday season!
The Audiobook was narrated by Charlie Emmeline Albers and she was fantastic! She added the perfect amount of sass and sincerity to Ruby's character. She also did a good job with swithing tone when she portrayed Barclay and other characters. I am an avid Audiobook listener, so I did speed it up, but the flow was good.
bookellys's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Oh this book just gave me all the warm and fuzzies! Did I know how the story was going to end from the beginning, pretty much… did I care, not an once! I absolutely loved this light hearted little Christmas romance.
I really liked the writing style, it had an informal approach to it that made the dialog (both internal & spoken) seem so natural, like the type of things me & my friends would think and say!
It had me swooning over Barclay (in my head he’s Liam Hensworth-esk) but wanting me to shake him at the same time - I totally feel Ruby’s pain there! And even though there is not a maternal bone in my body, Lottie & Jess were just completely loveable girls!
I could totally see this as a Christmas movie!