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Christmas in London: A Novel
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.
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.
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2017
About the author
Anita Hughes
23 books985 followersAnita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia. She attended UC Berkeley's Masters in Creative Writing program. She is the author of MONARCH BEACH, MARKET STREET, LAKE COMO, FRENCH COAST, ROME IN LOVE, ISLAND IN THE SEA, SANTORINI SUNSETS, CHRISTMAS IN PARIS, WHITE SAND, BLUE SEA, EMERALD COAST, CHRISTMAS IN LONDON and CALIFORNIA SUMMER, and CHRISTMAS IN VERMONT published by St. Martin's Press. ROME IN LOVE is coming to the HALLMARK channel in July, 2019!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 539 reviews
September 8, 2017
The descriptions of London and St. Andrew's are the only reason this book is getting three stars. Hughes has clearly done her research, and brings both cities to life. Her descriptions are magical.
But.
The women in this book are hopeless for their age, and the men in this book are complete wankers. Noah and Trevor both have emotional problems, and what is construed as romantic behavior on their parts, is actually creepy as hell.
E.g. Noah kisses Louisa on the cheek the first time he meets her, and then they start a practice of just...kissing each other on the cheek? (IDK?) He's also weirdly jealous, and accuses her of sleeping with a random colleague.
Trevor makes it clear he's been pining for Kate for TEN YEARS. Kate also dated some guy at St. Andrew's, who talked incessantly about how attractive her legs were.
ALL the men behave in a way that should actually result in restraining orders. It's not romantic; the men in this book are an example of why women overlook danger signs for unhealthy relationshps.
I'm halfway done, and I really hope the book ends with both women choosing themselves, over hopelessly creepy men.
ETA: Never mind. Kicking it down to two stars, for this line: "Ten years is a long time to wait. What if you don't meet the right guy? Your biological clock will stop ticking, and you'll never have a family."
Noah says this to Louisa, despite having known her for less than a week. I now want to punch him.
But.
The women in this book are hopeless for their age, and the men in this book are complete wankers. Noah and Trevor both have emotional problems, and what is construed as romantic behavior on their parts, is actually creepy as hell.
E.g. Noah kisses Louisa on the cheek the first time he meets her, and then they start a practice of just...kissing each other on the cheek? (IDK?) He's also weirdly jealous, and accuses her of sleeping with a random colleague.
Trevor makes it clear he's been pining for Kate for TEN YEARS. Kate also dated some guy at St. Andrew's, who talked incessantly about how attractive her legs were.
ALL the men behave in a way that should actually result in restraining orders. It's not romantic; the men in this book are an example of why women overlook danger signs for unhealthy relationshps.
I'm halfway done, and I really hope the book ends with both women choosing themselves, over hopelessly creepy men.
ETA: Never mind. Kicking it down to two stars, for this line: "Ten years is a long time to wait. What if you don't meet the right guy? Your biological clock will stop ticking, and you'll never have a family."
Noah says this to Louisa, despite having known her for less than a week. I now want to punch him.
December 28, 2019
Gorgeous Christmas-dessert and visiting-London stuff mixed with rather unappetizing romance plots.
The book had a promising start, but let me down eventually.
It had everything on the menu that I found enticing, and the serving was sumptuous, but as I dived in, there came the off-tasting bits and while I wanted to ignore them, I could not do it entirely.
We are offered London & gourmet desserts for the setting and it cannot get more christmassy than that, surely. The cakes described by the author just leap off the page and make this particular reader
drool all over her kindle.
And the wonderful shops, sights and places of London: Claridges, Harrod's, Oxford street, Fortnum & Mason, the Parks, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace - it's all magical and you can't help, but wish to be there... and then there come the romances .... and the enchantment just disappears. *SIGH*
It is pretty obvious from the cover blurb that it is a Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball make-believe tale, which I wouldn't have minded at all -all is fair in love and Christmas books, after all- but the love stories were unfortunately bland & unconvincing. The female characters were quite nice actually, but their love interests were MEH: small-minded, childishly petulant & distrustful. I would not wish them on any women. So yeah, that is where the christmas cake just turned sour.
I am really sorry for it.
Netgalley Arc received by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The book had a promising start, but let me down eventually.
It had everything on the menu that I found enticing, and the serving was sumptuous, but as I dived in, there came the off-tasting bits and while I wanted to ignore them, I could not do it entirely.
We are offered London & gourmet desserts for the setting and it cannot get more christmassy than that, surely. The cakes described by the author just leap off the page and make this particular reader
drool all over her kindle.
And the wonderful shops, sights and places of London: Claridges, Harrod's, Oxford street, Fortnum & Mason, the Parks, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace - it's all magical and you can't help, but wish to be there... and then there come the romances .... and the enchantment just disappears. *SIGH*
It is pretty obvious from the cover blurb that it is a Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball make-believe tale, which I wouldn't have minded at all -all is fair in love and Christmas books, after all- but the love stories were unfortunately bland & unconvincing. The female characters were quite nice actually, but their love interests were MEH: small-minded, childishly petulant & distrustful. I would not wish them on any women. So yeah, that is where the christmas cake just turned sour.
I am really sorry for it.
Netgalley Arc received by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 7, 2017
Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery in Manhattan the week before Christmas when the assistant for a cooking show barges in after closing and insists he needs to buy the freshly baked rolls that Louisa had just finished to sale the next morning. Since she is just the baker Louisa insists he go elsewhere but when offered free publicity for the bakery on a popular cooking show she relents and sells the rolls. The next day the assistant returns claiming the rolls were a hit but the star of the show was allergic and now he wants Louisa to replace her on the already scheduled trip to London to film a Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's.
Once in London Louisa finds herself getting closer and closer to the show's assistant that got her involved in the life of a television star but she also has the chance to work with her cooking idol Digby Bunting. Meanwhile, the show's producer, Kate, has run into the man she left behind after she left St. Andrew's in Scotland ten years ago and finds that now he's a successful mathematician and newly divorced and the spark is definitely still there between the two even after all this time has passed.
Christmas in London is the third book I've read by Anita Hughes and my first thought when picking up her books is always being so impressed with how well she does with her settings in her books. As a reader that loves to travel but certainly doesn't get the chance to do that anywhere near what I wish that I could it's always such a thrill when reading when I feel like I could climb right into the book and step out in the area the story is set in. This time along with the setting being wonderful and feeling as if I was sightseeing London along with the character Anita has also made this one that the foodies will certainly enjoy bringing flavor to the pages with all the cooking talk in the book.
Another positive with this story was the fact that the reader got the bonus of two developing relationship at the same time. The point of view switched back and forth to establish both relationship and was rather easy to follow along. Having not one but two relationships forming at Christmastime made for quite the lovely read although personally I might have preferred a bit less controversy and drama within both but for some reason that seems to be the norm for romance stories, a bit of angst before the happily ever after. But regardless this was a nice story with a great setting as usual in an Anita Hughes book and I'll be looking forward to picking up more of her stories in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Once in London Louisa finds herself getting closer and closer to the show's assistant that got her involved in the life of a television star but she also has the chance to work with her cooking idol Digby Bunting. Meanwhile, the show's producer, Kate, has run into the man she left behind after she left St. Andrew's in Scotland ten years ago and finds that now he's a successful mathematician and newly divorced and the spark is definitely still there between the two even after all this time has passed.
Christmas in London is the third book I've read by Anita Hughes and my first thought when picking up her books is always being so impressed with how well she does with her settings in her books. As a reader that loves to travel but certainly doesn't get the chance to do that anywhere near what I wish that I could it's always such a thrill when reading when I feel like I could climb right into the book and step out in the area the story is set in. This time along with the setting being wonderful and feeling as if I was sightseeing London along with the character Anita has also made this one that the foodies will certainly enjoy bringing flavor to the pages with all the cooking talk in the book.
Another positive with this story was the fact that the reader got the bonus of two developing relationship at the same time. The point of view switched back and forth to establish both relationship and was rather easy to follow along. Having not one but two relationships forming at Christmastime made for quite the lovely read although personally I might have preferred a bit less controversy and drama within both but for some reason that seems to be the norm for romance stories, a bit of angst before the happily ever after. But regardless this was a nice story with a great setting as usual in an Anita Hughes book and I'll be looking forward to picking up more of her stories in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
December 3, 2023
I couldn't finish this one for a few different reasons:
1) Variability to the sentence structure was non-existent. All the sentences were subject-verb-subject-verb-subject-verb. All passive voice. Where was the editor on this?
2) The dialogue was so hard to read. Picture an elementary school play where the little kids are loudly reading their info-dumping dialogue. "As you know..." "Well, I would never..." "I'm an excellent baker that has lived in New York for seven years. I plan to open my own bakery next year. How dare you try that cinnamon roll without asking."
3) The metaphors...I can't even justify how an editor let the metaphors slide.
"I was about to drink coffee that is so stiff you could put it behind a frame and hang it on the wall."
"It will be be my head rolling around the network floor like a cabbage at Trader Joe's.
4) The chick is completely ditzy and the guy on scene (so far) is pretty clueless too. Opening scene, he comes into the shop, she tells him to leave because they're actually closed, and she keeps forgetting to turn off the "OPEN" sign (silly her). He ignores her, takes a cinnamon roll off her tray, and proceeds to eat it without paying (pretty sure that's theft). She gets angry until he compliments her baking as delicious ("Oh! You really think so!?"). He proceeds to buy the rest of them off her, and then kisses her cheek in thanks before leaving. The HECK did I just read.
Can't do it. Nope. Moving on.
What I read would be rated a G.
Originally posted 12/21/19.
1) Variability to the sentence structure was non-existent. All the sentences were subject-verb-subject-verb-subject-verb. All passive voice. Where was the editor on this?
2) The dialogue was so hard to read. Picture an elementary school play where the little kids are loudly reading their info-dumping dialogue. "As you know..." "Well, I would never..." "I'm an excellent baker that has lived in New York for seven years. I plan to open my own bakery next year. How dare you try that cinnamon roll without asking."
3) The metaphors...I can't even justify how an editor let the metaphors slide.
"I was about to drink coffee that is so stiff you could put it behind a frame and hang it on the wall."
"It will be be my head rolling around the network floor like a cabbage at Trader Joe's.
4) The chick is completely ditzy and the guy on scene (so far) is pretty clueless too. Opening scene, he comes into the shop, she tells him to leave because they're actually closed, and she keeps forgetting to turn off the "OPEN" sign (silly her). He ignores her, takes a cinnamon roll off her tray, and proceeds to eat it without paying (pretty sure that's theft). She gets angry until he compliments her baking as delicious ("Oh! You really think so!?"). He proceeds to buy the rest of them off her, and then kisses her cheek in thanks before leaving. The HECK did I just read.
Can't do it. Nope. Moving on.
What I read would be rated a G.
Originally posted 12/21/19.
December 16, 2017
Christmas in London by Anita Hughes. ©2017. St. Martin’s Griffin. This is a fast, easy read— a nice winter romance at Christmas in London where the city is magically transformed by decorations and snow. Can a woman be too busy for love—or a man too heartbroken to reconcile with the only woman he has ever loved? This is their last chance for happy endings.
March 29, 2020
Cozy, holiday reads are excellent - cozy, romantic, holiday reads are even better!
Anita Hughes has crafted a lovely, heart warming story about two women finding their loves during Christmastime.
Louisa works in a bakery, when suddenly Noah shows up needing Christmas desserts for a reality television show he is working on. When those desserts make the lead dangerously ill, Louisa is hired to take her place!! Meanwhile, the assistant Kate finds love again with a man from her past... Oh, and Noah and Louisa get along quite well.
I found this book to be very sweet. It's your typical holiday romance with a bit more description than romance. The beautiful displays at expensive stores take the forefront with Anita painting beautiful pictures in my head of these designer stores. I wish there would have been more fluffy romance throughout the pages, but this book was more contemporary fiction with a hint of romance than full on holiday romance.
The romance itself is quite bland at the beginning. Lots of cheek kisses to establish the leads might like each other. Also throwbacks to the relationship failures, instead of the current love that should be occurring on the page. Again, this book is more contemporary than romance. The men are also... weird. They aren't normal men (or even romance novel men), they all act very strange and have very aggressive or manipulative behaviour. It was still an okay read if you get over the fact that they are kinda weird.
If anything, I found this book to be the perfect feel good book. While I was reading it, I just wanted something to escape and feel nice and fluffy. This book fit the bill. It doesn't need to be the romance book I hoped it to be, it was perfectly nice to escape from the insanity of the real world. Thank you Anita Hughes for giving me an escape. If you're looking for descriptions of Christmas displays and beautiful Christmas desserts, this book is perfect!
Three out of five stars.
Anita Hughes has crafted a lovely, heart warming story about two women finding their loves during Christmastime.
Louisa works in a bakery, when suddenly Noah shows up needing Christmas desserts for a reality television show he is working on. When those desserts make the lead dangerously ill, Louisa is hired to take her place!! Meanwhile, the assistant Kate finds love again with a man from her past... Oh, and Noah and Louisa get along quite well.
I found this book to be very sweet. It's your typical holiday romance with a bit more description than romance. The beautiful displays at expensive stores take the forefront with Anita painting beautiful pictures in my head of these designer stores. I wish there would have been more fluffy romance throughout the pages, but this book was more contemporary fiction with a hint of romance than full on holiday romance.
The romance itself is quite bland at the beginning. Lots of cheek kisses to establish the leads might like each other. Also throwbacks to the relationship failures, instead of the current love that should be occurring on the page. Again, this book is more contemporary than romance. The men are also... weird. They aren't normal men (or even romance novel men), they all act very strange and have very aggressive or manipulative behaviour. It was still an okay read if you get over the fact that they are kinda weird.
If anything, I found this book to be the perfect feel good book. While I was reading it, I just wanted something to escape and feel nice and fluffy. This book fit the bill. It doesn't need to be the romance book I hoped it to be, it was perfectly nice to escape from the insanity of the real world. Thank you Anita Hughes for giving me an escape. If you're looking for descriptions of Christmas displays and beautiful Christmas desserts, this book is perfect!
Three out of five stars.
November 13, 2017
This was a great holiday romance! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season. The whole book makes you “feel good”.
December 18, 2017
London and food descriptions: 4 stars
Dialogue: 1 star
I can unequivocally say this is one of the worst written books I've read in a really long time.
Such potential! But from the first page, I knew this was going to be a dreadful. I bought it solely on the title and the pretty cover. (Mistake #1). Within the first ten pages, the main character is already whisked off to London. Yes, the first ten pages! Everything was rushed, no character or story development at all.
I'll admit, I spent most of Saturday morning reading this book because I was curious how it was going to end. I'm a half-glass kind of gal, I always hope and wish things will get better. But alas, it did not. And SPOILER ALERT! Everyone falls in love in a record seven days and it ends with a lovely Christmas luncheon. Did you think otherwise? ;-)
Save yourself the reading time and money and watch a Hallmark movie this time of year. It will be much more enjoyable!
Dialogue: 1 star
I can unequivocally say this is one of the worst written books I've read in a really long time.
Such potential! But from the first page, I knew this was going to be a dreadful. I bought it solely on the title and the pretty cover. (Mistake #1). Within the first ten pages, the main character is already whisked off to London. Yes, the first ten pages! Everything was rushed, no character or story development at all.
I'll admit, I spent most of Saturday morning reading this book because I was curious how it was going to end. I'm a half-glass kind of gal, I always hope and wish things will get better. But alas, it did not. And SPOILER ALERT! Everyone falls in love in a record seven days and it ends with a lovely Christmas luncheon. Did you think otherwise? ;-)
Save yourself the reading time and money and watch a Hallmark movie this time of year. It will be much more enjoyable!
December 21, 2019
This is a sweetly told tale that gives a fun glimpse into the Christmas season in London. The character development is somewhat lacking, which keeps the story on the surface without much depth. The male characters overreact in nearly every situation: storming away, calling things quits, doubting the female characters' abilities to make decisions for themselves and basically acting like children. Yet the women come back to them time and again, forgiving the "misunderstandings." Both love stories could have been much better with more light-hearted humor and less drama, as the beautifully described London scenery and fabulously detailed food scenes made for a lovely, unrealized holiday tale.
Louisa Graham is a baker in New York City with aspirations to open her own bakery someday. As she's packing things in for the night, a harried young man named Noah comes in and pays top dollar for every last cinnamon roll she has just taken out of the oven. The next day, Noah returns. The rolls were for a famous baking television show and while they were delicious, the star was allergic to one of the ingredients and now they are in a jam. They want Louisa to step in for a cooking segment in London. The show's producer Kate runs into her old college flame when they land in London. As the two begin to spend time together, they try to figure out whether there's still something there for them to start over.
Louisa Graham is a baker in New York City with aspirations to open her own bakery someday. As she's packing things in for the night, a harried young man named Noah comes in and pays top dollar for every last cinnamon roll she has just taken out of the oven. The next day, Noah returns. The rolls were for a famous baking television show and while they were delicious, the star was allergic to one of the ingredients and now they are in a jam. They want Louisa to step in for a cooking segment in London. The show's producer Kate runs into her old college flame when they land in London. As the two begin to spend time together, they try to figure out whether there's still something there for them to start over.
October 21, 2018
Do not read this book unless you want 70+ pages of annoying people whining non stop about idiotic problems. These include, but are not limited to: a customer wanting to pay $200 for cinnamon roles that are worth way less, jet lag, a professional shopper taking you on an all-expense paid makeover trip for a TV show that you magically fell into that will practically guarantee you international success. I quit after 70 pages. I’m all for mindless reading but I lost brain cells and not in a good way.
September 17, 2017
I won an ARC of this book from Goodreads. Thank you Goodreads and St. Martin's Press!
This book is a story of love and friendship. It is a cute foodie book. The food descriptions in this book are amazing and make you hungry.
This book is a story of love and friendship. It is a cute foodie book. The food descriptions in this book are amazing and make you hungry.
September 3, 2017
Christmas in London is just what you want from a holiday romance. It is truly a magical guilty pleasure that will put you in the spirit of the season and leave you craving delicious sweets! Perfect for lovers of romance, holiday magic, and foodies.
Louisa Graham is a talented and dedicated pastry chef in NYC working at her friend's bakery, with a dream of opening her own restaurant. A week before Christmas a frazzled cooking show producer buys two dozen of her cinnamon rolls to cover an 'on set mishap'. Before she can say no she is on her way to London to film a Christmas cooking show with some of the top chefs in the business. Like Cinderella at the ball, Louisa's fresh approach, charm, and ultimately her talent are what draw people in. However, will Louisa find a space in her dream for romance?
Anita Hughes does a lovely job incorporating the unique location of London into the story, historical, countryside, commercial, all in relation to character and season, to really enhance the experience. I really enjoyed this aspect!
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.
Louisa Graham is a talented and dedicated pastry chef in NYC working at her friend's bakery, with a dream of opening her own restaurant. A week before Christmas a frazzled cooking show producer buys two dozen of her cinnamon rolls to cover an 'on set mishap'. Before she can say no she is on her way to London to film a Christmas cooking show with some of the top chefs in the business. Like Cinderella at the ball, Louisa's fresh approach, charm, and ultimately her talent are what draw people in. However, will Louisa find a space in her dream for romance?
Anita Hughes does a lovely job incorporating the unique location of London into the story, historical, countryside, commercial, all in relation to character and season, to really enhance the experience. I really enjoyed this aspect!
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.
October 6, 2017
Louisa works at a bakery in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Her dream is to one day open a restaurant, but in the mean time she puts her heart and soul into all the pastries and baked goods that she can... to the detriment of her social life and appearance. A week before Christmas, Noah arrives desperate to buy all the cinnamon rolls she just pulled out of the oven for a cooking show. Turns out the nutmeg in the rolls caused the star of the show to have an allergic reaction. Enter Louisa's new found opportunity to travel to London and take her place. Kate, the show's producer, went to school in London and finds herself running into past loves while abroad. Memories flood in while she tries to juggle her new social life and the production of the show.
I'll admit that romance novels aren't my usual go to genre. I do love to dip in every once in a while to enjoy that easy read of a rom-com. Give me one that includes NYC, London AND baked goods - well, how could I say no? Unfortunately, I struggled a bit with this read. The concept is super cute. Who wouldn't want to be swept away overseas to be the star of a show that will help catapult the bakery's sales and customer base? A once in a lifetime opportunity is the fun part of most romantic books I read. This book though, struggled in execution. We get involved in two love triangles. Kate is dealing with two past loves that come to haunt her and she needs to decide if it's worth it. Louisa has to figure out why she feel the way for one guy who clearly doesn't trust her with another guy who she just doesn't see hitting on her.....
And so the issues with the characters begin. The women are insipid, theatrical and annoying. Every time Kate says no, the man says yes and she goes ok.... WHAT? Louisa practically does the same but makes decisions that leave you scratching your head. The man are worse - none of the men have much character - they're either full of themselves and womanizers or completely lacking in any kind of trust.. with insinuations that these women don't have much time left.
I also struggled a bit with the writing style. Each women overshares every time she opens her mouth. There was so much information that came out of details of every thing she was doing or was going to do. Or information about the specific ingredients to every baked good would come out in every day conversation. It just became too much.
At the end of the day, we all knew where this book was heading. And despite all of the above, because it's a romance novel, we get the happy endings. I just didn't care by the time we got there. Clearly this is a book/reader mismatch. As stated before, the concept is super cute - it just wasn't for me.
Big thank you to GetRedPR and St. Martin's Griffin for this copy in return for my honest opinion.
I'll admit that romance novels aren't my usual go to genre. I do love to dip in every once in a while to enjoy that easy read of a rom-com. Give me one that includes NYC, London AND baked goods - well, how could I say no? Unfortunately, I struggled a bit with this read. The concept is super cute. Who wouldn't want to be swept away overseas to be the star of a show that will help catapult the bakery's sales and customer base? A once in a lifetime opportunity is the fun part of most romantic books I read. This book though, struggled in execution. We get involved in two love triangles. Kate is dealing with two past loves that come to haunt her and she needs to decide if it's worth it. Louisa has to figure out why she feel the way for one guy who clearly doesn't trust her with another guy who she just doesn't see hitting on her.....
And so the issues with the characters begin. The women are insipid, theatrical and annoying. Every time Kate says no, the man says yes and she goes ok.... WHAT? Louisa practically does the same but makes decisions that leave you scratching your head. The man are worse - none of the men have much character - they're either full of themselves and womanizers or completely lacking in any kind of trust.. with insinuations that these women don't have much time left.
I also struggled a bit with the writing style. Each women overshares every time she opens her mouth. There was so much information that came out of details of every thing she was doing or was going to do. Or information about the specific ingredients to every baked good would come out in every day conversation. It just became too much.
At the end of the day, we all knew where this book was heading. And despite all of the above, because it's a romance novel, we get the happy endings. I just didn't care by the time we got there. Clearly this is a book/reader mismatch. As stated before, the concept is super cute - it just wasn't for me.
Big thank you to GetRedPR and St. Martin's Griffin for this copy in return for my honest opinion.
November 16, 2017
I feel like I gained 10 pounds just reading this novel. This is a great foodie lover novel if you are into that sort of thing.
Foodie lit is a new phenomenon for me but one that my tastebuds love and my waistline doesn’t. I love how charming novels like this are and I am surprised how much I loved the food element….needless to say, I devoured a roll of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls while reading this book….#sorrynotsorry.
This is my second Anita Hughes novel and I have to say, she is growing on me as a writer. Last year I read Christmas in Paris and enjoyed it but for some reason I liked this one better. I have never read any of her other books that aren’t Christmas in nature, but after reading this one, I am interested in the others as well.
There is something about London that just screams CHRISTMAS. Maybe because it’s the home of A Christmas Carol….maybe it’s the Christmas goose, who knows but to me, London is home to Christmas. This book captured the cozy feel of Christmas in London and added to it with the delicious food and charming romance.
This book got me into the holiday spirit. I wanted every single cake that the author described. I often sat there reading with my mind screaming ‘GIVE ME ALL THE FOODS!’. I loved how descriptive her writing was and how it made me feel like I was right there with the characters. Hughes doesn’t just highlight the food, but the city and charm radiate off every page.
I want to be there. Like now. All holiday season.
Hughes captures the feel of Christmas in London and everything about this book made me long to be there too.
Other reviewers weren’t as convinced with the romance as in her other books, but I would have to differ from their opinions. I actually found the romances perfectly fine. A little bland maybe and cliche but for the most part I didn’t feel like they were unconvincing. I mean, aren’t so many holiday romances a little cliche? Why knock this one for being similar in nature? I personally felt like there was a lot to enjoy in this holiday read……a satisfying and charming romance, splendid location, and food to die for!
If you are looking for a holiday read to help get your geared up for the holiday season, don’t miss out on this one!
See my full review here
Foodie lit is a new phenomenon for me but one that my tastebuds love and my waistline doesn’t. I love how charming novels like this are and I am surprised how much I loved the food element….needless to say, I devoured a roll of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls while reading this book….#sorrynotsorry.
This is my second Anita Hughes novel and I have to say, she is growing on me as a writer. Last year I read Christmas in Paris and enjoyed it but for some reason I liked this one better. I have never read any of her other books that aren’t Christmas in nature, but after reading this one, I am interested in the others as well.
There is something about London that just screams CHRISTMAS. Maybe because it’s the home of A Christmas Carol….maybe it’s the Christmas goose, who knows but to me, London is home to Christmas. This book captured the cozy feel of Christmas in London and added to it with the delicious food and charming romance.
This book got me into the holiday spirit. I wanted every single cake that the author described. I often sat there reading with my mind screaming ‘GIVE ME ALL THE FOODS!’. I loved how descriptive her writing was and how it made me feel like I was right there with the characters. Hughes doesn’t just highlight the food, but the city and charm radiate off every page.
I want to be there. Like now. All holiday season.
Hughes captures the feel of Christmas in London and everything about this book made me long to be there too.
Other reviewers weren’t as convinced with the romance as in her other books, but I would have to differ from their opinions. I actually found the romances perfectly fine. A little bland maybe and cliche but for the most part I didn’t feel like they were unconvincing. I mean, aren’t so many holiday romances a little cliche? Why knock this one for being similar in nature? I personally felt like there was a lot to enjoy in this holiday read……a satisfying and charming romance, splendid location, and food to die for!
If you are looking for a holiday read to help get your geared up for the holiday season, don’t miss out on this one!
See my full review here
June 6, 2017
While I normally adore this type of book with all of its details about baking, this one fell supremely flat for me in various ways.
Firstly, the misogyny was too much for me. The two main characters are both female but seem to have absolutely no idea of their worth. Male characters fight over one with no ever visible connections and another suggests that a famous chef is only interested in the other for her looks, and not her talents. Regardless of ultimate results, it was really frustrating to see the girls rarely standing up for themselves and instead letting the guys drag them in every which direction.
The speech in this book was the other killer for me. Barely any of the dialogue written was lines that people would actually say. All of the speech was incredibly stilted, with characters speaking for a good paragraph or two before allowing someone else a turn. They gave far more details than would ever be interesting and relevant, and blurted out stuff that people just wouldn't say naturally. With every set of quotation marks, I found myself pulled completely out of the story.
There were two plots going on in this book, and quite honestly, we could lose Kate's entire story. It reads as a subplot--it's not until chapter four that we read from her perspective or learn anything about her--and doesn't contribute anything to the other side of the book. I also wish that there had been more offered in the beginning; Louisa is picked to be in a cooking show because the other girl had an allergic reaction and her lips were swollen up… I don't buy it. Get some allergy medication. It works wonders.
I did, however, enjoy all of the details about pastries, though I wish that there had been more variety and that we'd seen Louisa learning more new recipes. One strong scene was when she got distracted from her agenda by buying ingredients and that was probably one of the only real scenes in the novel.
This book just wasn't a success for me, and I'll be reading other novels this Christmas.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, the misogyny was too much for me. The two main characters are both female but seem to have absolutely no idea of their worth. Male characters fight over one with no ever visible connections and another suggests that a famous chef is only interested in the other for her looks, and not her talents. Regardless of ultimate results, it was really frustrating to see the girls rarely standing up for themselves and instead letting the guys drag them in every which direction.
The speech in this book was the other killer for me. Barely any of the dialogue written was lines that people would actually say. All of the speech was incredibly stilted, with characters speaking for a good paragraph or two before allowing someone else a turn. They gave far more details than would ever be interesting and relevant, and blurted out stuff that people just wouldn't say naturally. With every set of quotation marks, I found myself pulled completely out of the story.
There were two plots going on in this book, and quite honestly, we could lose Kate's entire story. It reads as a subplot--it's not until chapter four that we read from her perspective or learn anything about her--and doesn't contribute anything to the other side of the book. I also wish that there had been more offered in the beginning; Louisa is picked to be in a cooking show because the other girl had an allergic reaction and her lips were swollen up… I don't buy it. Get some allergy medication. It works wonders.
I did, however, enjoy all of the details about pastries, though I wish that there had been more variety and that we'd seen Louisa learning more new recipes. One strong scene was when she got distracted from her agenda by buying ingredients and that was probably one of the only real scenes in the novel.
This book just wasn't a success for me, and I'll be reading other novels this Christmas.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 2, 2017
I received this book for an honest review from Goodreads.com.
I started reading CHRISTMAS IN LONDON and realized this is not a mans book. It is a girly or girl or a woman's book. Wasn't sure which one to choose from. lol
So, I asked my wife to read it. She did and wasn't overly impressed but sorta generally liked it. Whatever that means.
Apparently, the story lacked ----- a good story. It was weak and needed better characters that could have made a difference. Get the picture?? It was close but no cigar. Whoops, that's a man's remark.
I started reading CHRISTMAS IN LONDON and realized this is not a mans book. It is a girly or girl or a woman's book. Wasn't sure which one to choose from. lol
So, I asked my wife to read it. She did and wasn't overly impressed but sorta generally liked it. Whatever that means.
Apparently, the story lacked ----- a good story. It was weak and needed better characters that could have made a difference. Get the picture?? It was close but no cigar. Whoops, that's a man's remark.
Read
December 24, 2023Pushed myself to the halfway point , and jumped ship. The descriptions of places in London at Christmastime were great, but the story just wasn’t going anywhere.
December 2, 2017
For all of my reviews you can click here-> http://lattesandpaperbacks.com
Louisa Graham is a hardworking New Yorker who works at a bakery on the Lower East Side and loves everything about baking. So much so that she is working 12 hour shifts in order to save up to open her own restaurant by next Christmas. Louisa puts her heart and soul into these pastries and dessert so much her appearance and social life are a bit lacking, but Louisa is willing to sacrifice her want for a pet, and other frivolous things in order to get her restaurant. What Louisa wasn't expecting was a handsome man to walk in at the last minute and beg her for the cinnamon rolls she just baked for tomorrow. People wait in line for over 30 minutes for her cinnamon rolls why would she give them to this guy?
Noah comes rushing into a bakery on the Lower East Side at the last minute hoping to procure some kind of dessert for Bianca to have on set her nationally syndicated show. Luckily, this is the last bakery that is open, and he sees some killer cinnamon rolls. Noah convinces Louisa to give him the cinnamon rolls as long as he pays for them and they are mentioned on the show, so that their bakery can get some advertisement. Louisa's cinnamon rolls were a huge hit with everyone, except Bianca. It turns out that Bianca is allergic to nutmeg and her lips swell up really large. Noah is freaking out because they are supposed to leave for London tomorrow for a huge show being produced by his Boss Kate. So now he has to find a replacement for Bianca in a short amount of time. SO who else is there to ask other than the one woman who made such an amazing batch of cinnamon rolls that everyone loved?
Louisa is taken aback when Noah asks her to come to London for the week before Christmas, but how can she say yes when the week before Christmas is the busiest for the bakery?? Louisa finds a way to make it work with a friend and heads off to London for the week! Then ensues the beautiful scenery, dilemmas, and love that cant seem to leave everyone alone.
Louisa is such a loveable character that no doubt has a few flaws, but who doesn't. I appreciate that Anita made each characters with flaws of their own. Even if they didn't always compliment the situation they were put in.
I loved how Anita always made sure to world build so much in this book! It really set the scene and made it that much better for the ambience of everything happening. I absolutely loved how well the scenery was described, because those of us who haven't been to London rely on pictures and descriptions to be able to see what the characters are seeing. Another thing I really liked about this book was the dual perspective from each woman. It gave a great setting to each side of the track. Although I wish there would have been a male perspective in the mix, but that would have warranted a longer book. BUT it still gave great background to the characters past for Kate and Trevor, but there wasn't much of a back story for Louisa and Noah, which I wish there would have been because I think she could have explained a few things away for both characters.
The only issue I had was with how the characters reacted to a situation, instead of them really having an argument most things were very passive and were just walked away from until maybe they come back to the issue at a later time. Most people don't always approach issues like this, there is a huge argument, blow up, something more than what there was for these characters. And I wanted to see more passion from these characters in regards to their dilemmas, and why they wanted things to be different.
I also wish that there would have been a better scene with Louisa and Digby towards the end. There could have been so much more dialogue and happenings between the two in order to really shake the scene up instead of it just being she says this and he does this. There was not much to the scene and it was lacking in a huge way. If that scene could have been redeemed there would have been a much better way to show that there was more substance to the book.
Even with the few grievances that I have voiced, this book was lovely, and I couldn't have picked a better book that to start December with! I hope that you will give this book a chance and see what great areas of the book and story that there are incorporated. And you may need a snack and a drink with this one and all the food discussed!
Thank you so much to Get Red PR, St. Martin's Griffins, and Lori for sending this beautiful book to me for an honest review! All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by the exchange!
Louisa Graham is a hardworking New Yorker who works at a bakery on the Lower East Side and loves everything about baking. So much so that she is working 12 hour shifts in order to save up to open her own restaurant by next Christmas. Louisa puts her heart and soul into these pastries and dessert so much her appearance and social life are a bit lacking, but Louisa is willing to sacrifice her want for a pet, and other frivolous things in order to get her restaurant. What Louisa wasn't expecting was a handsome man to walk in at the last minute and beg her for the cinnamon rolls she just baked for tomorrow. People wait in line for over 30 minutes for her cinnamon rolls why would she give them to this guy?
Noah comes rushing into a bakery on the Lower East Side at the last minute hoping to procure some kind of dessert for Bianca to have on set her nationally syndicated show. Luckily, this is the last bakery that is open, and he sees some killer cinnamon rolls. Noah convinces Louisa to give him the cinnamon rolls as long as he pays for them and they are mentioned on the show, so that their bakery can get some advertisement. Louisa's cinnamon rolls were a huge hit with everyone, except Bianca. It turns out that Bianca is allergic to nutmeg and her lips swell up really large. Noah is freaking out because they are supposed to leave for London tomorrow for a huge show being produced by his Boss Kate. So now he has to find a replacement for Bianca in a short amount of time. SO who else is there to ask other than the one woman who made such an amazing batch of cinnamon rolls that everyone loved?
Louisa is taken aback when Noah asks her to come to London for the week before Christmas, but how can she say yes when the week before Christmas is the busiest for the bakery?? Louisa finds a way to make it work with a friend and heads off to London for the week! Then ensues the beautiful scenery, dilemmas, and love that cant seem to leave everyone alone.
Louisa is such a loveable character that no doubt has a few flaws, but who doesn't. I appreciate that Anita made each characters with flaws of their own. Even if they didn't always compliment the situation they were put in.
I loved how Anita always made sure to world build so much in this book! It really set the scene and made it that much better for the ambience of everything happening. I absolutely loved how well the scenery was described, because those of us who haven't been to London rely on pictures and descriptions to be able to see what the characters are seeing. Another thing I really liked about this book was the dual perspective from each woman. It gave a great setting to each side of the track. Although I wish there would have been a male perspective in the mix, but that would have warranted a longer book. BUT it still gave great background to the characters past for Kate and Trevor, but there wasn't much of a back story for Louisa and Noah, which I wish there would have been because I think she could have explained a few things away for both characters.
The only issue I had was with how the characters reacted to a situation, instead of them really having an argument most things were very passive and were just walked away from until maybe they come back to the issue at a later time. Most people don't always approach issues like this, there is a huge argument, blow up, something more than what there was for these characters. And I wanted to see more passion from these characters in regards to their dilemmas, and why they wanted things to be different.
I also wish that there would have been a better scene with Louisa and Digby towards the end. There could have been so much more dialogue and happenings between the two in order to really shake the scene up instead of it just being she says this and he does this. There was not much to the scene and it was lacking in a huge way. If that scene could have been redeemed there would have been a much better way to show that there was more substance to the book.
Even with the few grievances that I have voiced, this book was lovely, and I couldn't have picked a better book that to start December with! I hope that you will give this book a chance and see what great areas of the book and story that there are incorporated. And you may need a snack and a drink with this one and all the food discussed!
Thank you so much to Get Red PR, St. Martin's Griffins, and Lori for sending this beautiful book to me for an honest review! All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by the exchange!
December 21, 2017
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.
Read the rest of my review here: http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my review here: http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
December 18, 2019
If it weren’t for book club, I never would’ve finished this book. I can’t say I wouldn’t have picked it up, but after about page 8, it would’ve been dropped.
I loved how the book started with descriptions on how baking is like traveling the world, but holy crap are the characters awful.
The women, despite the fact that we’re TOLD they’re totally professional and very good at what they do, are complete morons. At one point, lady #1 (who reads the exact same as lady #2, so why even bother with names. Honestly, I struggled to tell them apart) even mopes about how she doesn’t have Noah to tell her what to do. How will she be a success?!? She needs him to boss her around!
And am I really supposed to believe that lady number 2 is really that capable when she can’t be bothered to string together one sentence to explain what happened TEN YEARS AGO? And by the way, how can we possibly be expected to believe that man #2 (Trevor? Honestly, the characters are so forgettable) has gone from some nerd who doesn’t even eat unless lady #2 takes care of him to some hawtie who married a literal princess and has outings every night?
Best thing about this book was that it was quick, which is great for the holidays.
I loved how the book started with descriptions on how baking is like traveling the world, but holy crap are the characters awful.
The women, despite the fact that we’re TOLD they’re totally professional and very good at what they do, are complete morons. At one point, lady #1 (who reads the exact same as lady #2, so why even bother with names. Honestly, I struggled to tell them apart) even mopes about how she doesn’t have Noah to tell her what to do. How will she be a success?!? She needs him to boss her around!
And am I really supposed to believe that lady number 2 is really that capable when she can’t be bothered to string together one sentence to explain what happened TEN YEARS AGO? And by the way, how can we possibly be expected to believe that man #2 (Trevor? Honestly, the characters are so forgettable) has gone from some nerd who doesn’t even eat unless lady #2 takes care of him to some hawtie who married a literal princess and has outings every night?
Best thing about this book was that it was quick, which is great for the holidays.
November 2, 2017
A fun holiday romance! As light and airy as one of Louisa's desserts!
I was really jealous of Louisa. Christmas in London would be wonderful. (Especially with a handsome man and a large expense account.) The two couples were darling and the two competitors were scum. I really liked the backstory for Kate and Trevor.
I will definitely read more by this author.
I was really jealous of Louisa. Christmas in London would be wonderful. (Especially with a handsome man and a large expense account.) The two couples were darling and the two competitors were scum. I really liked the backstory for Kate and Trevor.
I will definitely read more by this author.
September 24, 2021
This was kind of fun. Set in my home town of London. You've got to love it just for the location.
But it also let me down. I was really routing for this book.
It's a nice christmas book and yes there is romance.
I've given the book 3 stars. Reason her description of London. The author obviously done her research and it was wonderful to read.
Hey, it also has desserts.
Enjoy!
But it also let me down. I was really routing for this book.
It's a nice christmas book and yes there is romance.
I've given the book 3 stars. Reason her description of London. The author obviously done her research and it was wonderful to read.
Hey, it also has desserts.
Enjoy!
December 23, 2018
This book has Louisa Graham being in the right place at the right time. She is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery in Manhattan the week before Christmas when the assistant for a cooking show barges in after closing and insists he needs to buy the freshly baked rolls that Louisa had just finished to sale the next morning. Initially turning him down, she relents when he offers free publicity for the bakery on the show. The problem is that the star of the show has an allergy to nutmeg, which is one of the ingredients. The next day the assistant returns claiming the rolls were a hit but the star of the show had a serious reaction and the producer now wants Louisa to replace her on the already scheduled trip to London to film a Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's. Of course, Louisa jumps at the opportunity. As the story progresses, Louisa meets a chef, Digby Bunting, an idol of hers, begins to develop feelings for the show's assistant and has the opportunity to do some sightseeing. Meanwhile, Kate, the show's producer, runs into an old flame from University and they rekindle their relationship as well.
Christmas in London, by Anita Hughes, is well written and the descriptions of the places made me feel like I was there. I also loved hearing about the various foods prepared and eaten, some that I have never had before. I enjoyed the way the author blended the two stories of romance with the television show and all the other commitments the characters had. The point of view switched back and forth to establish both relationship and was to follow along.There was also some remembering of events from the past in Kate and Trevor's relationship, but again, it was easy to follow. Of course, there was some angst and controversy in both of the relationship stories, but I was satisfied with the way Anita Hughes ended the story. I will definitely look for more stories from this author. I recommend this book to lovers of romance, armchair travellers and lovers of Christmas fiction.
Christmas in London, by Anita Hughes, is well written and the descriptions of the places made me feel like I was there. I also loved hearing about the various foods prepared and eaten, some that I have never had before. I enjoyed the way the author blended the two stories of romance with the television show and all the other commitments the characters had. The point of view switched back and forth to establish both relationship and was to follow along.There was also some remembering of events from the past in Kate and Trevor's relationship, but again, it was easy to follow. Of course, there was some angst and controversy in both of the relationship stories, but I was satisfied with the way Anita Hughes ended the story. I will definitely look for more stories from this author. I recommend this book to lovers of romance, armchair travellers and lovers of Christmas fiction.
September 25, 2017
2 Stars - 2.5 Flames
As many who follow me know, I'm not much of a "holiday" reader. Don't get me wrong. I've picked up a few here and there, but it's not often. But when my "review boss" asks me to check this out, I couldn't resist. Sigh...I wish I had.
To say that this author knows how to describe in detail would be an understatement. Although I enjoyed the details of London during the holidays, even the gourmet foods being created, it got to be...distracting after a while. Yes, London is breathtakingly beautiful, especially around the holidays. Yes, at times I wish I had "smell-a-vision" to taste some of the described foods (I'm a total food porn enthusiast). But when I have to read about the different clothes, jewelry, flowers, etc in order to get to the story and the "good stuff"...yep, distracting if not down right annoying doesn't cover it.
I found both female characters childish. There really isn't a better way to describe them considering they were pretty self centered and in desperate need of their fairy tale ending. The men were almost worse. For a holiday book, you'd think we'd be reading about all of the romantic things shared and cherished. Nah, not so much in this one. I mean, the sex scenes even lacked some "umph", if you know what I mean. Maybe that's the other reason I couldn't really get in to this. Did we get the little holiday flare and love in the end? Yeah, sure. And if you can make it to the end, you might enjoy it.
*I received this book from the Jeep Diva in exchange for my honest opinion.
As many who follow me know, I'm not much of a "holiday" reader. Don't get me wrong. I've picked up a few here and there, but it's not often. But when my "review boss" asks me to check this out, I couldn't resist. Sigh...I wish I had.
To say that this author knows how to describe in detail would be an understatement. Although I enjoyed the details of London during the holidays, even the gourmet foods being created, it got to be...distracting after a while. Yes, London is breathtakingly beautiful, especially around the holidays. Yes, at times I wish I had "smell-a-vision" to taste some of the described foods (I'm a total food porn enthusiast). But when I have to read about the different clothes, jewelry, flowers, etc in order to get to the story and the "good stuff"...yep, distracting if not down right annoying doesn't cover it.
I found both female characters childish. There really isn't a better way to describe them considering they were pretty self centered and in desperate need of their fairy tale ending. The men were almost worse. For a holiday book, you'd think we'd be reading about all of the romantic things shared and cherished. Nah, not so much in this one. I mean, the sex scenes even lacked some "umph", if you know what I mean. Maybe that's the other reason I couldn't really get in to this. Did we get the little holiday flare and love in the end? Yeah, sure. And if you can make it to the end, you might enjoy it.
*I received this book from the Jeep Diva in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 14, 2017
While I did enjoy this cute little love story between Louisa and Noah, I did find this book teetering between three stars and four stars. I wasn't sure if I was too busy and couldn't read or if I just wasn't captured by this book and was slumping to finish it. However, it did boost up my holiday spirit in a sense and made me long for London even more so. Nonetheless, it was a typical love story and I saw the end coming from a mile away but I did relish the break between my binge of thrillers to read this book. Christmas in London was an easy read and the first book I read by Anita Hughes but it seemed to be a typical cliche of what most love stories contain. However, I am glad that we also got to see Kate's past love life and we got to divulge in what happened in her life that makes it relative to where she is now in life. Other than appealing to the romantic in me and with moments of scenarios scattered throughout the story that would never actually happen to someone in real life, this book just made me want to go back to thrillers.
June 28, 2017
I was really looking forward to reading this book, but as my 2 star review shows I was very disappointed.
The Kate character had a nice storyline and her personality did come across occasionally. If the book had been solely about her I probably would have given it a higher rating. The problem for me though was the Louisa character. I found her to be a bit of a whiner and somewhat childish. The first couple of chapters with her had me wanting to give up on this book. As far as the writing goes I would have preferred more information about what them who they were, and less about how many London landmarks I could fit in one sentence.
I won an advanced copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.
The Kate character had a nice storyline and her personality did come across occasionally. If the book had been solely about her I probably would have given it a higher rating. The problem for me though was the Louisa character. I found her to be a bit of a whiner and somewhat childish. The first couple of chapters with her had me wanting to give up on this book. As far as the writing goes I would have preferred more information about what them who they were, and less about how many London landmarks I could fit in one sentence.
I won an advanced copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.
September 29, 2017
Review to follow.
December 10, 2017
3.5 Stars
August 27, 2017
MY REVIEW OF “CHRISTMAS IN LONDON” by Anita Hughes
Christmas in August? It is the end of August and I have just finished reading “Christmas in London” by Anita Hughes. Kudos to Anita Hughes for bringing the nostalgia and joyous feeling that accompanies Christmas. The author’s descriptions of the food, the Christmas trees, the presents, the partying, the snow gently falling down, creates the wonderful images of a Christmas season. Even better, the setting starts in New York and travels to the descriptive destination and sites of London. Anita Hughes takes us on a tour of the museums, stores, little shops, restaurants, cafes, and even Buckingham Palace. The genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Romance. What better place for a romantic background than London?
The author describes her characters as complicated, complex and confused. It was the week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working in a bakery in Manhattan. It is a very busy time of the year, and Louis, a trained chef, is working long hours with her goal to open her own restaurant that specializes in her fabulous desserts and baking. As she is closing the bakery for the night, a man comes running in and pays extra for her cinnamon rolls, that she has just pulled out of the oven. Noah is a Cooking Show Assistant and has been looking for a bakery that is open to buy a replacement for the rolls that burned on the show. The cinnamon rolls are a huge success on the show. The star of the show got an allergic reaction , and Noah offers Louisa the opportunity to take the star’s place for a week in London, where they will be filming the show. This is a great opportunity for Louisa to go to London and work with famous chefs.
The producer of the cooking show is beautiful and capable Kate, who arranges for Noah to transform Louisa into a “star” for the week. Kate’s goal is that the show must go on, and everything has to be perfect. Noah has a goal to be an attorney and works long hours as an assistant for the cooking show to be able to afford law school. Kate also works long hours and has very little time for a social life. As Kate is arranging details for the filming of the show, she runs into someone special from her past.
The author discusses the importance of working towards the right goals, friendship, forgiveness, trust, love and hope. This was a delightful and charming story and I would highly recommend this for readers of Women’s Fiction and Romance Genres. I received this Advanced Reading Copy from The Great Thoughts Ninja Review Team for my honest review.
December 11, 2017
"Christmas in London" is a warm story about food and romance in the coziest season of the year. A chance break lands fledgling baker Louisa on a huge cooking show in London. She is whisked away to London, a city that seems to be made for the holiday season. Louisa finds herself in the lap of luxury and with a potential love match in Noah, the man who discovers her baking talent and lands her the show. There is also Kate, the television producer who may rekindle an old flame in London.
This is a confection of a story; exactly the kind of story I'm looking for in the cozy season upon us now. I really liked both of the romances in the book. Louisa and Noah get off on the wrong foot and then the wrong foot again and then the wrong foot again as they try to figure out each other. Kate and Trevor are old flames with a bunch of misunderstandings between them themselves. I was a little more interested in the history between them a little more. There were some swoon-worthy moments!
The major draw for me to this book was the setting. London is one of my very favorite cities in the world and this book made me want to visit London during the Christmas season. The characters hit all of the major sites. Harrod's at Christmas sounds wonderful. Some of the characters get to go to a royal reception at Buckingham Palace - swoon!
The writing was okay. There were a few sticky parts where the narrative got hung up with saying too much and not showing enough. Overall, this was a sweet read.
This is a confection of a story; exactly the kind of story I'm looking for in the cozy season upon us now. I really liked both of the romances in the book. Louisa and Noah get off on the wrong foot and then the wrong foot again and then the wrong foot again as they try to figure out each other. Kate and Trevor are old flames with a bunch of misunderstandings between them themselves. I was a little more interested in the history between them a little more. There were some swoon-worthy moments!
The major draw for me to this book was the setting. London is one of my very favorite cities in the world and this book made me want to visit London during the Christmas season. The characters hit all of the major sites. Harrod's at Christmas sounds wonderful. Some of the characters get to go to a royal reception at Buckingham Palace - swoon!
The writing was okay. There were a few sticky parts where the narrative got hung up with saying too much and not showing enough. Overall, this was a sweet read.
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