Another Christmas novel I read in January: Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh #Ireland #Christmas #Romance

Yesterday I talked about a wonderful book called Snowed In, and today I decided to tell you about it’s prequel. As I happened to read this first installment in the series after it’s sequel, and my review reflects on that, I decided it would be the best to post my reviews in that order as well.
So here it is…

Holiday Romance is the first book in the Fitzpatrick Christmas series and it was published on September 29th 2022. The book was published by Bookouture and it has 354 pages.

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FROM GOODREADS /

She’s meant to be catching flights, not catching feelings…

Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for the holidays, when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight.

Nothing romantic has ever happened between them: they’re friends and that’s all. But once a year, for the last ten years, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, drinking terrible airplane wine and catching up on each other’s lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it’s the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.

Molly isn’t that bothered by Christmas, but—in yet another way they’re total opposites—Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the festive season and she knows how much getting back to Ireland means to him. So, instead of doing the sane thing and just celebrating the holidays together in America, she does the stupid thing. The irrational thing. She vows to get him home. And in time for his mam’s famous Christmas dinner.

The clock is ticking. But Molly always has a plan. And—as long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong.

What she doesn’t know is that, as the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own…

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I recently read Snowed In, which is the sequel to this novel that I haven’t read prior, and right after I finished it, I knew I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters I happen’ to like so much. Snowed In was my “book to close the season with”, but it felt like torture waiting until November to read Holiday Romance, so season was longer than planned, because Holiday Romance had to be read ASAP.

The writing style was amazing. Fun and pure escapism in a tiny little book. It’s not a remedy, but I would call it a cure for bad days.
I mean, if you had a bad day, I am sure this book would make it a little better.

What is different with this book when I compare it to Snowed In, this one was written only following one POV, Molly’s, and it was written in first person (my personal preference).

We follow Molly and Andrew, their story being told in two different time frames, one following present and the other following a decade of Molly and Andrew’s travelling to Ireland for Christmases.

It was such a good experience to witness how these two people that knew each other developed their relationship into friendship, and than into romance.

The only thing I had hard time to understand was how Molly, even though she traveled all the way to Ireland to her family, had no problem to ditch them to be with Andrew. Like, wasn’t she out of her mind to be with them??
But than again, when it comes to true love, I guess the need to be with your guy is even bigger than to see your mum or sister who you didn’t see for sooooooo long.

I also want to mention that my favorite person in this book was Andrew’s causin who’s name I already forgot, but his personality will stay with me for (I hope) long.
Chapters with him were the funniest.

In the end, I want to say that Holiday Romance was the perfect book to ’tis the season with, and is example how a good holiday romance should be written.

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In January I read this Christmas novel: Snowed In by Catherine Walsh #Christmas #Ireland #romance

My book review for a holiday romance Snowed In by Catherine Walsh.

After the longest pause from blogging, with new year I decided to apply new rules on my little corner of the internet, so I am posting reviews of books I read one moth after I finished the.
In other words, books I read in January will be live in Fabruary. Also, posts will be scheduled for days that are part of the weekend. That way, I won’t stress myself and now when I finally found the way to love the reading the way I did before I started reviewing books, I think I found the way to bring you my reviews in a way that won’t put the pressure on me.
Also, I decided to read only book I want to read in a moment (in other words, I don’t receive review copies anymore).

It is my pleasure to open the season with a book I loved the most this festive season (I didn’t have much luck or will this year when it comes to holidays…

Snowed In was published on November 1st 2023 and it has 384 pages.
It is the second book in the series called Fitzpatrick Christmas.

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FROM GOODREADS /

Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. She’s the village pariah, the she-devil who left local golden boy Isaac at the altar four years ago and ran away to the big city. She could really do without the drama. Particularly as he’s engaged again, and she’s just been dumped for the fourth time this year.

Christian’s fed up of being on his own every Christmas. He doesn’t mind being alone , but he hates his family’s sad eyes and soft tones as they sit around coupled up. Because he’s actually, totally, fine.

So when Megan literally bumps into Christian in a Dublin pub, they come up with a pact to see them through the holiday season. They’re going to be the very best fake dates for each other, ever .

Rules are drawn up, a contract is signed on a wine-stained napkin. They will sit through each other’s family gatherings and be outrageously in love until freed from their annual obligations. After all, it’s only for a few weeks.

But with everyone home for the holidays, two big families to deal with alongside old friends, old flames and old feelings, things are bound to get messy. And when a snowed-in cabin and a little Christmas magic are added to the mix, anything could happen…

A swoonworthy and utterly gorgeous romantic comedy that will make you laugh out loud and fall completely in love. Fans of Emily Henry, Sophie Kinsella and Abby Jimenez won’t be able to put this down!

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This holiday season some kind of weird reading slump caught me and I only read 3 festive romances of whom I didn’t particularly like any. So basically, maybe the fact that the books I grabbed were more boring than romantic or funny, my mind decided to go for horrors and thrillers (and I have to stress out I read only a few of them too, as I was in some weird reading slump).

However, the last book I decided to read, the book I decided to close this weak festive season with made up for all those dull stories I read before, and I had a blast reading Megan and Christian’s story.

First of all, I immediately clicked with Catherine Walsh’s writing. It was simple, attention grabbing ,easy to fly through and what I appreciate the most, it was fun.

Reading Walsh’s words felt like having a coffee time with my friend, catching up with all the news in her life. It was a loooooong time since I enjoyed the book in such a comfortable way, so it is not a surprise that I finished the novel in only 2 days (in case you didn’t know, I am a slow reader and if I finish a book in 5 days I tap myself on the back congratulating for such a fast job done).

This is the second book in the series and while it can be read as standalone, it also is continuation on the first book, Holiday romance, as we do get updates on Molly and Andrew, who are main characters of that story. Because updates are not just tell and glimpse, but actual part of the plot, I suggest you all to read the books in Fitzpatrick Christmas in order. I didn’t do it, but I will definitely read Holiday Romance soon.

I got attached to these characters, so having another book with them in it makes me happy.

I enjoyed Snowed in, and loved, loved the characters, but the only thing that took me time to accept was how Megan was portrait as some kind of victim when in reality she was the one who ran away from her wedding, embarrassing her then fiance in front of everyone. With time I accepted her reasons, but still I wasn’t a fan how her ex was portrait as a bad guy.

There are some steamy scenes, but only few, which was just the right dose if anyone asks me.

Overall, this was the best holiday romance I read this year. It was like a hot chocolate on a snowy day and I will definitely read the other book in this series.

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Escepism to Ireland in a novel: A Cosy Cottage in Ireland by Julie Caplin (Book Review) #SummerRead #Books #Ireland

The Cosy Cottage in Ireland by Julie Caplin book cover

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about a book that was on my tbr ever since it came out, back in 2021. It takes place in a small town in Ireland and it is presented as a nice book to get away with. The cover is cute and the story inside is the to relax with.
The Cosy Cottage in Ireland was published on Semtember 21st and it has 373 pages.
I want to thank the publisher One More Chapter for providing me a copy for review.

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About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Talented lawyer Hannah Campbell is after a change in her workaholic Manchester life – so on an uncharacteristic whim she books herself a place at the world-renowned Killorgally Cookery School in County Kerry. But on her first night In Ireland, sampling the delights of Dublin, Hannah can’t resist falling for the charms of handsome stranger Conor. It’s only when Hannah arrives at her postcard-pretty home at Killorgally for the next twelve weeks that she discovers what happens in Dublin doesn’t quite stay in Dublin…

Nestled amongst rolling green hills and breath taking countryside, the cookery school throws Hannah and Conor together again–for better or worse.

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Review:

The Cosy Cottage in Ireland is the second book by the author that I have read, and it will probably be the last one.
I don’t think her books are particularly bad, I just don’t think they are for me.

This was a buddy read with Amanda. Last year (or maybe in 2020) we read Julie Caplin’s novel set in Croatia (my country) and although we didn’t really enjoy it, we knew we wanted to try her other work.

Just to give you an example how forgettable this story was, I will mention that while we were reading and discussing it, I surely favorited one before the other, and now I don’t even know which one I thought was better: the one set in Croatia or this one set in Ireland (but my bet is on this one).

The writing style was simple but still it wasn’t as easy to read as one would assume.
It felt like we were reading 500+ pages when the book has 373 pages (which is still too long in my opinion).

I didn’t like the guy who was the love interest (and whose name I have already forgot) nor his mother.
He was a sexist full of himself (ok, he had some sexist comments but I don’t think he was a man schwain or anything similar to that) and his mother was cold bitch who didn’t even realize it (and I am not sure the author did either).
If I was Hannah I would ask for money refund and run away.

As for the setting, it was good. Also, it was nice to read about the smaller town from that country.
Do I think I’ve learned something new about Ireland? Not really, but it was still a good escape and I appreciate it.

3 stars rating