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turquoiseavenue's review
5.0
A wonderful holiday story!
Absolutely love this one! It was sweet, heartwarming, funny and had such incredible characters who completely won me over! The Cotswold setting was so quaint and charming, and I adored the pub and all its frequent guests. I found the main characters to be well-rounded and each experienced character growth that deepened the story and made the ending very satisfying. Also, I immensely enjoyed the romance and chemistry between the MCs. Very well written and I'll definitely be coming back to read more from this author!
Absolutely love this one! It was sweet, heartwarming, funny and had such incredible characters who completely won me over! The Cotswold setting was so quaint and charming, and I adored the pub and all its frequent guests. I found the main characters to be well-rounded and each experienced character growth that deepened the story and made the ending very satisfying. Also, I immensely enjoyed the romance and chemistry between the MCs. Very well written and I'll definitely be coming back to read more from this author!
lolovesbooks3's review
2.0
I didn’t get to know these characters.
My first issue was what a pushover Luna is. The whole Aubrey situation floored me! I’m all for forgiveness, but being a walking doormat isn’t a cute look. I wanted her to stand up for herself! Everyone in her life needed to STOP with the wedding nonsense. I could not believe how spineless this girl was. You can forgive while still removing yourself from toxic terrible people. And Jake’s phone call! Oh my gosh! I almost threw the book across the room!
Rhys and Luna had potential, but they didn’t spend enough time together. Their relationship got too serious, too quickly. They knew nothing about each other and didn’t trust each other. They didn’t know each other very long but the story really revolves mostly around other people in their lives so the time constraint was very obvious. They definitely could have used more time together… more actual conversations… and way less of their exes.
My first issue was what a pushover Luna is. The whole Aubrey situation floored me! I’m all for forgiveness, but being a walking doormat isn’t a cute look. I wanted her to stand up for herself! Everyone in her life needed to STOP with the wedding nonsense. I could not believe how spineless this girl was. You can forgive while still removing yourself from toxic terrible people. And Jake’s phone call! Oh my gosh! I almost threw the book across the room!
Rhys and Luna had potential, but they didn’t spend enough time together. Their relationship got too serious, too quickly. They knew nothing about each other and didn’t trust each other. They didn’t know each other very long but the story really revolves mostly around other people in their lives so the time constraint was very obvious. They definitely could have used more time together… more actual conversations… and way less of their exes.
sallyavena's review
4.0
Cute Hallmark-ish book that is like The Holiday and Leap Year combined. Great quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the season.
brittneyfike's review
4.0
What a cozy read and great way to finish this series. Another great holiday romance that checked all the boxes.
really_lauren's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
potaciousjamie's review
4.0
This whole series was so much fun that I think it's gonna have to become a tradition to reread them all each Christmas!
This book takes place in Englad just as Christmas Baggage did (the first book in the series by Deborah M. Hathaway). The cool thing was that they felt totally separate. Aside from the obvious difference of the authors, Cotswold Holiday took place in a small village in England for the majority of the story. It gave all the vibes of a small town romance with everyone knowing everyone and being in each other's business. It was so cute!
Rhys and Luna were adorable together. Their story was so cute; I fell for them immediately! I read the entire downhill section in one sitting (for context I'm a super slow reader so that doesn't happen as often for me) because I was feeling the feelings so much! I couldn't stand to let it sit so I could get some sleep and come back to it. Obviously, I knew everything would be fine because duh, romcom, but I was so deep in the feels that I just needed to see it through.
Also, I have to bring up our secondary characters. Specifically, Ruby and Hamish. I absolutely loved them! Their interactions with each other and with the main characters had me rooting for them just about as much as I was for Rhys and Luna!
This book takes place in Englad just as Christmas Baggage did (the first book in the series by Deborah M. Hathaway). The cool thing was that they felt totally separate. Aside from the obvious difference of the authors, Cotswold Holiday took place in a small village in England for the majority of the story. It gave all the vibes of a small town romance with everyone knowing everyone and being in each other's business. It was so cute!
Rhys and Luna were adorable together. Their story was so cute; I fell for them immediately! I read the entire downhill section in one sitting (for context I'm a super slow reader so that doesn't happen as often for me) because I was feeling the feelings so much! I couldn't stand to let it sit so I could get some sleep and come back to it. Obviously, I knew everything would be fine because duh, romcom, but I was so deep in the feels that I just needed to see it through.
Also, I have to bring up our secondary characters. Specifically, Ruby and Hamish. I absolutely loved them! Their interactions with each other and with the main characters had me rooting for them just about as much as I was for Rhys and Luna!
riellareads's review
4.0
When Luna receives a wedding invitation from her ex-boyfriend and the request from the bride to be in the wedding party, she sticks to her tried-and-tested response, disappearing. The perfect escape ends up being the cozy English village of Cotswold in the middle of December. But once she arrives, she discovers that snow is more slippery than she expected, her room vastly different from the listing and the pub owner/landlord is more like something from a lumberjack fantasy. As he finds a place in her heart, Luna has a problem.. She can’t fall for an Englishman who lives on the other side of the world, even if he seems perfect. It is harder to run and even though she knows it will have to end, will she be able to say goodbye?
I am so happy for the season of holiday books! While I have only read one of the other books in the series, I really have enjoyed them both! Luna is feeling at an impasse. She is still reeling from the loss of her boyfriend and her friend. She also is rethinking her life as she spends more time in Cotswold. I felt like Luna’s voice came out clearly in this story. I definitely empathized with her and her struggles. I will say even though I felt for her and enjoyed her story, I had trouble relating to her. I felt a bit disconnected at times. However, I really enjoyed seeing her growth. After getting some space, she was able to process her life. It was sweet to watch her develop relationships in Cotswold, with Ruby, Maggie and all the rest there. I also appreciated the good relationship she had with her family, it was really cute!
The romance was very cute! Luna and Rhys both had things to work through and Luna’s looming departure hanging over them. I liked how much they seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Rhys was very sweet to Luna. He was a bit more settled than she was and really helped her in her journey. It was fun to see the whole village interact. There was a fun small town vibe to it all, complete with small town drama. Overall, this was such a lovely holiday read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy clean contemporary romances.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
I am so happy for the season of holiday books! While I have only read one of the other books in the series, I really have enjoyed them both! Luna is feeling at an impasse. She is still reeling from the loss of her boyfriend and her friend. She also is rethinking her life as she spends more time in Cotswold. I felt like Luna’s voice came out clearly in this story. I definitely empathized with her and her struggles. I will say even though I felt for her and enjoyed her story, I had trouble relating to her. I felt a bit disconnected at times. However, I really enjoyed seeing her growth. After getting some space, she was able to process her life. It was sweet to watch her develop relationships in Cotswold, with Ruby, Maggie and all the rest there. I also appreciated the good relationship she had with her family, it was really cute!
The romance was very cute! Luna and Rhys both had things to work through and Luna’s looming departure hanging over them. I liked how much they seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Rhys was very sweet to Luna. He was a bit more settled than she was and really helped her in her journey. It was fun to see the whole village interact. There was a fun small town vibe to it all, complete with small town drama. Overall, this was such a lovely holiday read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy clean contemporary romances.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.
smalltownbookmom's review
3.0
Not my favorite in the Christmas escape indie kissing only holiday romance series if I'm completely honest. It did give me great The holiday vibes with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law but I struggled to really get into or stay interested in it even listening on audio (but maybe I just didn't gel with the narrator?). Either way not a standout for me but I was happy to see this 2022 release available as an audiobook in time for the 2023 holiday reading season.
mountainside_reading's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a cute book! It gave off The Holiday themes but was a bit deeper than that. I felt like the book was a tad slow throughout and almost dragged on at times, but I really loved the ending. The relationship between Luna and Rhys was adorable but I also really loved seeing Luna’s character and how she went about making decisions for herself and her business. I also loved how close she is to her family and how supportive they were.