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A review by thebritishbibliophile
The 14 Days of Christmas by Louise Bay
5.0
'Christmas came early, and I lived for every moment in this truly one-of-a-kind novel that gave both The Holiday AND White Christmas feels. Thank you Louise Bay!' -TheBritishBibliophile
Thank you to Wildfire Marketing Solutions for sending me an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review.
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When I saw this read a year or so ago, I knew I simply must read it. Unfortunately for reasons I cannot remember (damn you, brain fog), I didn't get the chance to read it. So when I spotted it in the current ARC sign-ups in an email from Wildfire Marketing Solutions, I just knew this time round that it was meant to be!
Not to mention this time around for the re-release, we have a brand new cover and what a cover it is! The first one was pretty in its own right, but I am SO in love with this new one. It fits the beauty of the novel's story within perfectly.
I'm a sucker for a Christmas novel. It doesn't matter if its January, July, October or any month in-between, if it's got that Christmas charm that just appeals to me, I'm going to read it. The 14 Days of Christmas had that very charm that very much appealed to me, and I happily dove in knowing that by the end of the story I will not only have happily devoured another Louise Bay book, I will have also fed my Christmas romance novel appetite from an author who delivers nothing but the good stuff.
To those who read this story last year, you'll be familiar with the story I've just read. Louise describes it as a cross between 'Bridget Jones' Diary and The Holiday, but as someone who has never seen the former (yes, we exist!), the next Christmas film that came to mind while and after reading this book, was White Christmas. Where people aren't exactly bursting into song and dance at regular intervals, there is that likeness of people coming together, working together, and spending the holiday under one roof as a family. As for The Holiday? Well you'll see for yourselves when you read the book, its not hard to miss the subtle and quaint nods to the holiday classic, and the mere description of the setting in this book just SCREAMS this film. For me, these two films compliment and describe this book perfectly.
What else is perfect, I hear you ask? I'm glad you did! Because it's our leading man and a grump-to-sunshine I grew to love almost immediately, Sebastian Fox. He's the exact opposite to Celia's cheery, 'holly jolly Christmas' attitude, and just about detests everything she enjoys about Christmas and the holiday season. Not quite a grinch--as even the Grinch wouldn't do anything he REALLY wouldn't want to--, Sebastian's frosty exterior is slowly warn away by Celia and the Snowsly residents in their efforts to make merry and bring the festive cheer they do each time this year. Even the frostiest of characters have a melting point, and Celia knew just where to find Sebastian's!
It's been a year since a Christmas romance novel has personally impressed me this much, and I'm over-the-moon happy that this was the one to put merriment back into my life. I felt as if I was living the story alongside the characters, rather than just reading about them. I was rooting for the Snowsly residents in their darkest hours and when nothing more than a miracle would save the day. Inching closer to the 'big day' itself, I didn't want it to come, in a way, because it meant I was closer to saying goodbye to this charming story and to their latest Christmas.
Thankfully, this is not our last visit to Snowsly. Next up? Griffin and Lemon.
Thank you to Louise for creating a truly one-of-a-kind-special novel which for me, will be truly unforgettable for a very long time. I will certainly be picking up this read again when the holiday season itself hits!
Five stars.
Thank you to Wildfire Marketing Solutions for sending me an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review.
-------------------------
When I saw this read a year or so ago, I knew I simply must read it. Unfortunately for reasons I cannot remember (damn you, brain fog), I didn't get the chance to read it. So when I spotted it in the current ARC sign-ups in an email from Wildfire Marketing Solutions, I just knew this time round that it was meant to be!
Not to mention this time around for the re-release, we have a brand new cover and what a cover it is! The first one was pretty in its own right, but I am SO in love with this new one. It fits the beauty of the novel's story within perfectly.
I'm a sucker for a Christmas novel. It doesn't matter if its January, July, October or any month in-between, if it's got that Christmas charm that just appeals to me, I'm going to read it. The 14 Days of Christmas had that very charm that very much appealed to me, and I happily dove in knowing that by the end of the story I will not only have happily devoured another Louise Bay book, I will have also fed my Christmas romance novel appetite from an author who delivers nothing but the good stuff.
To those who read this story last year, you'll be familiar with the story I've just read. Louise describes it as a cross between 'Bridget Jones' Diary and The Holiday, but as someone who has never seen the former (yes, we exist!), the next Christmas film that came to mind while and after reading this book, was White Christmas. Where people aren't exactly bursting into song and dance at regular intervals, there is that likeness of people coming together, working together, and spending the holiday under one roof as a family. As for The Holiday? Well you'll see for yourselves when you read the book, its not hard to miss the subtle and quaint nods to the holiday classic, and the mere description of the setting in this book just SCREAMS this film. For me, these two films compliment and describe this book perfectly.
What else is perfect, I hear you ask? I'm glad you did! Because it's our leading man and a grump-to-sunshine I grew to love almost immediately, Sebastian Fox. He's the exact opposite to Celia's cheery, 'holly jolly Christmas' attitude, and just about detests everything she enjoys about Christmas and the holiday season. Not quite a grinch--as even the Grinch wouldn't do anything he REALLY wouldn't want to--, Sebastian's frosty exterior is slowly warn away by Celia and the Snowsly residents in their efforts to make merry and bring the festive cheer they do each time this year. Even the frostiest of characters have a melting point, and Celia knew just where to find Sebastian's!
It's been a year since a Christmas romance novel has personally impressed me this much, and I'm over-the-moon happy that this was the one to put merriment back into my life. I felt as if I was living the story alongside the characters, rather than just reading about them. I was rooting for the Snowsly residents in their darkest hours and when nothing more than a miracle would save the day. Inching closer to the 'big day' itself, I didn't want it to come, in a way, because it meant I was closer to saying goodbye to this charming story and to their latest Christmas.
Thankfully, this is not our last visit to Snowsly. Next up? Griffin and Lemon.
Thank you to Louise for creating a truly one-of-a-kind-special novel which for me, will be truly unforgettable for a very long time. I will certainly be picking up this read again when the holiday season itself hits!
Five stars.