Thursday, December 21, 2017

Book Review: Christmas in London by Anita Hughes

Pages: 288
Genre: Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin's
Source: Publisher for review
Other Books By Author:  Emerald Coast
French Coast, and White Sand, Blue Sea
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "A charming, glamourous love story set at Claridge's in London during the magical week before Christmas starring a sweet NYC baker and the Cooking Channel Producer who could change her life.  It’s a week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn’t know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren't hers to sell. But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day, so she agrees. The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's. It’s a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa’s famous baking idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than her food. And then there’s Kate, the show's beautiful producer. On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at St. Andrew's in Scotland ten years ago. Now he’s a handsome, brilliant mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there, but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their work. Set during London's most festive time of year and filled with delicious food, Christmas in London is about love and friendship, and the season's most important lesson: learning how to ask for and give forgiveness."

Louisa works at a Manhattan bakery with, like most chefs, hopes to open her own restaurant one day. At the last minute, a TV show buys up all of her cinnamon rolls, because their rolls burned, and while they are a hit, they actually cause the TV show host to have an allergic reaction.  Drama ensues as the whole crew was to leave for London that day to film a special Christmas show at Claridge's.  The producers wants Louisa to go instead; this would obviously be a once in a lifetime opportunity for her and a chance to work with the famous chef Digby Bunting.  Louisa takes a chance and goes to London and it's pretty much a dream come true for her.  Then there's the show's producer, Kate. While in London, Kate runs into her college boyfriend, Trevor, and sparks ignite. He isn't the nerdy math geek he was in college though. He's successful, handsome, brilliant, and a divorcee.  Could they actually be together? Will both Louisa and Kate have a Christmas to remember in beautiful London? Christmas in London by Anita Hughes is a heartwarming Christmas tale that is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie all set with the beautiful backdrop of London at Christmastime.

While both Louisa and Kate get to narrate their story in Christmas in London, I found myself gravitating towards Kate's story the most. I loved the whole idea of randomly meeting up with a college ex during the holidays in London. I liked the flashbacks to their relationship at St. Andrew's and learning more about their past.  Then there was Louisa and her story of finding her place and taking a risk to be on the cooking show. It's a whole new world for her and I loved exploring London at Christmastime along side of her.  She, too, has a possible Christmas romance and it's a cute one as well.

I loved Hughes's descriptions of London. You could really tell that she is familiar with all the city has to offer. The food, the holiday decorations, the restaurants, the landmarks -- all very well done. It had me wanting to pack my bags to visit London and see what the city has to offer during the holiday season.

Some parts of Christmas in London were a bit overly saccharine for my taste and some of the dialogue didn't seem realistic at all, but I didn't let that bother me too much. It was similar to a Hallmark movie, which was exactly what I was in the mood for.

So, if you, too, are in the mood for a holiday read that will put a smile on your face all while having you dream of London, definitely give Christmas in London a try this holiday season. 


4 comments:

  1. This definitely sounds like a good one for the holidays! I've been finding that sappiness and unrealistic situations don't bother me as much in holiday books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! I sort of let it go when it comes to holiday reads. Thanks for visiting, Angela!

      Delete
  2. It really does sound like a fantastic holiday read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really was fun and the setting was to-die-for. Thanks for visiting, Jenea.

      Delete

I really appreciate your comments. Thank you!

 
Design by: Designer Blogs