With Love from London by Sarah Jio

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A librarian inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother, leading her halfway across the world on a journey of self-discovery that transcends time and honors the unbreakable bonds of love and family.

When librarian Valentina Baker was a teenager, her mother, Eloise, unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on their own. Now in her thirties and fresh out of a failed marriage, Val feels a nagging disenchantment with her life--and knows she is still heartbroken over her mother's abandonment.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, Val receives word that Eloise has passed away, leaving Val her Primrose Hill apartment and the deed to a bookshop Val never knew she'd owned. Though the news is devastating, Val finds herself more determined than ever to discover who her mother truly was. She jets across the Atlantic, departing Seattle for a new life in charming London.

Slowly but surely, Val begins to piece together Eloise's life in the UK, falling in love with her pastel-colored flat, cozy neighborhood, and tucked-away storefront. But when she discovers that The Book Garden is in danger of going under, Val must work with its eccentric staff to get it in working order. In the process, she learns more about Eloise than she ever thought possible. And as Val races to save the shop, Eloise's own story unfolds, leading both mother and daughter to unearth revelatory truths.

Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

The main draw of With Love from London for me, and I suspect loads of other readers, is that it's a story about the love of books. How they transport you, how they comfort you and how magical they can be. As a librarian, Valentina knows all about this, having a love for books she inherited from her mother at a young age. Even after her mother disappeared from her life, Val continued to find solace in books, both old and new discoveries. Soon after her divorce, she receives word that her mother has passed away and that she is the beneficiary of her mother's treasured bookshop and flat. It fills Val with conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she's still traumatized by her mother walking out on her. On the other, she's curious to learn what drew her mother back to her homeland and kept her there. And since she's divorced and has nothing at the moment to tie her down, she could use the the change of scenery.

With Love from London is charming from the get go. I could easily understand Val's apprehension about what lies ahead, just as easily as I could sense the wounded child within. She's looking for answers and doesn't realize how much she wants to understand her mother's motives until she arrives in London. I appreciated that the story was told in two POVs - Eloise's and Val's first person voice. In a way, both storylines are tragic. Both women in different ways experience perfect timing and bad timing, the paths taken and not taken, new opportunities that are born out of disappointments. It's also a joy to see how similar they are like when they have the same visceral reaction to the same book but decades apart. Val's journey to discover her mother's story is laid out through several riddles Eloise had set out for her before she passed. 

I did cry a little at the end. I couldn't help it, it was just so darn sweet and poignant. Even with some predictable elements I thought the the story was engaging and lovely. I looked forward to it every time I picked it up because I knew that after the heartbreaks and grieving would come second chances. If anything, With Love from London is an ode to any passionate booklover out there of any age or genre, who appreciates how a good book is good for the soul!

~ Bel

Content warning: 

- divorce, illness (Eloise - ovarian cancer; brief mention of the diagnosis but no graphic details)

Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

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The first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show falls for their clumsy competitor in this delicious romantic comedy debut “that is both fantastically fun and crack your heart wide open vulnerable.” (Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate)

Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on the popular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is falling flat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she's focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.

After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.

As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.

Source: NetGalley; advance audio copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

I'll describe Love & Other Disasters in one word: PRECIOUS. It's a memorable experience when a book starts off so well and carries that momentum through to the end. I was wowed from the get go and couldn't help but smile every time I listened to it.

Dahlia and London meet on their first day of taping the cooking show, Chef's Special. They're both wracked by nerves that come from being on live tv, the jitters from competition and also all the personal stuff that lingers in the back of their minds. Each has come to the cooking show with a clear agenda - win the competition and show the naysayers that they can make a success of themselves. Dahlia has the kind of personality that easily makes friends. Everyone is instantly at ease with her. She's one of my favorite characters because she's forthright and speaks with absolute sincerity which I find to be an admirable trait. London is equally straightforward and has learned over the years that they don't want to deal with bull. Coming on to Chef's Special took guts because they're announcing to the world that they're nonbinary while back at home, their father has yet to accept them. Dahlia somehow endears herself to London and the instant connection and acceptance surprises them.

Listening to London's journey educated me about how one can question their sexuality and struggle to find a space that accommodates their sense of self. That London was able to do that and have so much support behind them was heartwarming. That it isn't always sunshine, roses and acceptance, as demonstrated by her strained relationship with her father, is heartbreaking. Dahlia's journey has also taken her in a different direction. Married at a young age, happy until she realized that she no longer wanted the same things as her husband, she made the bold move to divorce and then to pick up the pieces and remake her life. Both of them have much to prove to themselves and anyone else who has ever doubted them.

While Dahlia and London's relationship takes off with the cooking show as a backdrop, what happens away from the show is equally interesting. I lived for the little details they'd pick up about each other, the inevitable closeness that brought them together as friends and then even more. I loved some of the high jinx they'd get into like when they crashed a wedding, and I was floored by their raw, vulnerable moments like when Dahlia admitted her insecurities aloud after getting drunk at said wedding. That moment seriously got me in the gut and also broke my heart. I felt the weight of that and it's so incredible to come across a writer's words that so uniquely and perfectly captures what feels like a universal sentiment. 

I was pleased to see the nonbinary, queer and trans rep, and I was glad to read a story that wrote from those perspectives. London does have to deal with a fellow contestant's hostility towards their presence, but they don't give that person much energy, and Kelly doesn't make that a central issue in the story, either. Instead she devotes time to London's relationship with their father. London gives energy to the relationships that matter, but will set boundaries and is prepared to walk away from a toxic situation if it risks their well-being. 

I don't know how else to express what a gem Love & Other Disasters is. It took me a long while to even write this review because I didn't feel I could effectively say how much I liked this book. I strongly recommend listening to the audiobook, if you can. The narrator, Lindsey Dorcus, made Dahlia and London's personalities come to life so vividly. It's a wonderful thing to feel a book has enriched and expanded your perspective of life and I can say that Love & Other Disasters has definitely done that for me!

~ Bel

Southern Bombshell (North Carolina Highlands #5) by Jessica Peterson

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The Wedding Planner’s Rulebook:
Keep the bride happy.
Keep the wedding party out of trouble.
Never let anyone know you’ve been in love with the groom for years.

I lived by these rules. Until Nate Kingsley.

The Capulets and Montagues have nothing on the Beauregards and Kingsleys. Our families have feuded for centuries, and Nate was always forbidden—which made fooling around with him that much more delicious. But then I fell for him, and he fell off the face of the earth, ghosting me without so much as a goodbye.

Fast-forward two years: as an expert in romance, I’m a wedding planner to the rich and famous. I never expected Nate to show up at my office, least of all with a shiny new fiancée on his arm. She’s got money to burn, and she wants me to plan the most extravagant wedding of my career.

It’s a make-or-break moment for my business. I convince myself I can do Nate’s wedding and keep my feelings for him in check, even if he does look good.

Really, really good.

But when the secrets we buried years ago come to light, what kept us apart suddenly binds us together. Even if my heart belongs to Nate, and his belongs to me, he belongs to someone else. And that’s a rule we absolutely cannot break.

Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Now that all those pesky older brothers are out of the way, it's Milly's time to shine! She's always just been kind of on the periphery, quietly doing her own thing while her brothers have been getting all the attention. So no one would know that Milly was quietly in love with Nate Kingsley, quietly had a steamy fling with him, and then quietly got her heart broken into a million pieces when Nate broke up with her. Milly quietly nursed her broken heart and threw herself into her work as a wedding planner, putting Nate firmly in the rear view mirror. That is until he walks into her office with his fiancée, ready to hire her as their wedding planner. Awkward doesn't even cut it. Milly, who's meticulously cultivated a poised, organized professional persona over the years is slightly thrown off her game. However, she'll set aside her personal feelings and do the job.

Nate still feels bad about walking out on Milly two years ago. Worse because he never revealed the reason why. He'll always regret how he did it but not why he did it. But they've since moved on and by all accounts, they both seem happy. Sure, having her plan his wedding to Reece will be weird as all get out but they can both be adults about this. 

It's apparent that though Reece and Nate love each other, they're missing the sizzling chemistry that Nate and Milly had. And as I worried about the potential of the story moving towards a cheating storyline, Nate and Reece simply drift apart leaving Milly and Nate to pick up from where they left off, like none of the preceding two years ever happened. They still need to address the circumstances of their breakup but they can put that off while they ... reconnect.

Nate and Milly create a lot of heat and intensity which is great when you're expecting that kind of drama in a romance. I liked that they're both a few years older, also wiser as they've had time to grow up. While Milly's been thriving at work with her borthers at the family's resort, Nate's been doing the same albeit without the supportive atmosphere that Milly's privileged to have. Nate's dad is a gambler and a walking nightmare. Everything he touches turns to trash and Nate does what he can to keep him away from the business aspect of their whiskey distillery. He also gets protective of Milly, not wanting her to be in the cross hairs of his ongoing fight with his father. Milly has enough to deal with what with her brothers' overprotectiveness and her own troubles with finding joy in her work again - something we all experience at some point or other - and it takes rekindling things with Nate again and honest conversations with him to reconsider what brings her joy. I liked this second chance love story. It's obvious these two were made for each other and I loved their moments together. Nate's pretty much the whole package and Milly is pretty terrific herself. 

I do have to address a couple of details. One of them is during Nate's point of view when he's recalling his family dynamics and he mentions that his mother passed away, and in parentheses it's mentioned from what disease she died of. Honestly, it was jarring and caught me off guard and was incredibly triggering. It took me out of the moment and I was upset to come across it, even more so when that specific detail ended up not having any bearing on the rest of the story. If it had nothing to do with the plotline as a whole then I don't understand why it had to be included. Then this "feud" between the Beauregards and the Kingsleys. The blurb compares it to Romeo and Juliet levels of rivalry but there wasn't enough in there to give said feud any weight or presence in the story. All I could get was Nate's dad's jealousy of the Beauregards' success, and that the feud started decades back, and I wish there'd been something more tangible and recent perhaps to make the feud seem insurmountable, therefore making Nate and Milly's reunion scandalous. 

I liked Southern Bombshell even if those couple of details bothered me. There's a lovely epilogue at the end from another family member we haven't heard from before and it's actually a fitting end to the series on the Beauregards, filled with all the happily ever afters for everyone in this big, loud, protective, unconditional loving family.

~ Bel

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Edit 1/27/21  -- CW for mention of brain cancer (Nate's mom); also mention of CTE (Beauregards' dad who was a NFL player; Beau has also been diagnosed with it and this was first mentioned in Southern Southern Seducer book 1 of the series); gambling problems (Nate's dad, and Nate's brother but his brother has recovered)

Her Big City Neighbor (Cider House Sisters #1) by Jackie Lau

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When small-town engineer Amy Sharpe inherits a house in Toronto, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to start over and go back to school. Away from the family that takes her for granted, away from the ex who expected so much and gave little in return.

The new Amy enjoys wandering around the city and frequenting bubble tea shops, German beer halls, dim sum restaurants, and coffee bars serving Japanese pastries. She has a roommate with the same name as her favorite fictional character, and a group of friends who meet at a cider bar every couple of weeks.

The new Amy is also in lust with her brooding, tattooed next-door neighbor, Victor Choi, who is far from friendly but looks really hot cutting the grass without a shirt. Too bad the grass doesn’t grow faster.

As she starts telling him about her daily adventures—and as a little kissing in the garden becomes a regular activity—Amy begins to feel more than lust. But she fears she’s falling into her old patterns in relationships and refuses to let herself be underappreciated again.

Is Victor really more than a hot fling? And what’s he hiding behind that grumpy exterior?

Source: borrowed; audiobook from Hoopla

It's been one of my goals to get to a Jackie Lau book and let's just say that I now understand why she posts so much about food!

I picked Her Big City Neighbor because I wanted something light-ish and also adventure-ish, and its blurb fit into what I was looking for. I loved Amy's wide-eyed, open to all possibilities attitude and I found it uplifting, something else I realized I needed as I listened along. Moving from a small town to having her own place in the big city is a bit of a culture shock in some ways but her excitement at exploring her new neighborhood and trying new things just made me smile constantly. Having a hot neighbor who's not bad to look at while he's out mowing the lawn is a definite bonus. I was amused by Amy's attempt to befriend Victor who only ever responded to her non-stop cheery commentary with grunts and monosyllables. Her good nature eventually wears him down and before you know it he's sharing beer with her in the backyard. Chatting turns into kissing which turns into ....

So here's what I most loved about the story - Amy's liberation. While she lived at home she was the reliable daughter and aunt who never said 'no' and did everything for everyone. No one in her family could understand or support her decision to move away and go back to school. She was so taken for granted and it was frankly annoying. Living on Toronto and having these new experiences showed her what she had been missing and more importantly, what she had every right to do. She also left behind a an ex boyfriend who didn't bring much to their relationship. In fully enjoying her single life and making new friends, she garnered the strength to set aside any lingering guilt to declare out loud exactly what she wanted and deserved whether it was family or a burgeoning relationship with Victor. For his part, Victor was learning to come out of his self-imposed bubble after suffering a loss that hit him hard. Numbness was his cure to life carrying on. Amy's enthusiasm and energy simply renewed his interest in things around him and gave him the courage to feel again.

The second thing I loved about the story - the food! Oh.My.God. I learned a hard lesson in the first chapter and that I should never read or listen to a Jackie Lau book on an empty stomach. The story is filled with serious food porn which made me ravenous half the time! There is serious joy in someone excitedly trying new things and gaining such pleasure from those experiences. I kind of wished that I was the one trying some of these new foods for the first time again. From pastries to bubble tea to dim sum ... it was all so delicious and I pretty much lived vicariously through Amy. 

I thought the audiobook narration by Emily Woo Zeller was well done. She was animated and captured all of the characters nicely. I especially liked how she captured Victor's mom. It was perfect and so very familiar to me. Her Big City Neighbor was a fun escape for me and I know for the next time I listen to a Jackie Lau book to make sure I have some delicious snacks on hand.

~ Bel

Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg

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A woman’s heart proves as infinite as the night sky in a breathtaking fantasy by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

When a star dies, a new one must be born.

The Sun God chooses the village of Endwever to provide a mortal womb. The birthing of a star is always fatal for the mother, and Ceris Wenden, who considers herself an outsider, sacrifices herself to secure her family’s honor and take control of her legacy. But after her star child is born, Ceris does what no other star mother has: she survives. When Ceris returns to Endwever, however, it’s not nine months later—it’s seven hundred years later. Inexplicably displaced in time, Ceris is determined to seek out her descendants.

Being a woman traveling alone brings its own challenges, until Ceris encounters a mysterious—and desperate—godling. Ristriel is incorporeal, a fugitive, a trickster, and the only being who can guide Ceris safely to her destination. Now, as Ceris traverses realms both mortal and beyond, her journey truly begins.

Together, pursued across the Earth and trespassing the heavens, Ceris and Ristriel are on a path to illuminate the mysteries that bind them and discover the secrets of the celestial world. 

Source: gifted paperback

I've had the pleasure of reading my first 5-star novel of 2022. I hadn't heard of Star Mother until I saw my good friend's brief review of it on Goodreads which immediately caught my interest.  She loved it so much that she gifted me a copy and what I discovered was an exceptional story unlike anything I've read recently. 

Ceris is a young woman on the cusp of leaving home to be wed when the Sun God sends a signal to her village that he is looking for a new young woman to birth a star.  Two young women are up for the honor but it's Ceris who volunteers.  Realizing her betrothed is in love with one of the possible contenders for, and wanting to secure a legacy for her family that would make them proud, she gives up her mortal life.  She defies all expectations when she survives the birth of her star and  gets the Sun God to agree to let her return home.  Only it's 700 years later and Ceris fis now alone in a world that has moved on from her.  She resolves to find her descendants so she can make a home amongst them and on her journey encounters the godling, Ristriel.  Ristriel is running away from something and is cagey about himself. They make a pact to protect each other until they reach their destinations.

Star Mother is a truly unique experience in that as a reader, I had to leave my preconceptions at the door and allow the story to flow.  A majority of it feels abstract, like the idea of the Sun God needing a mate to birth a star, and then wrapping my head around the concept of how that unfolds.  Then there's a big section where Ceris is finding her way to another city and she befriends Ristriel.  Talk about abstract! Not only is he ethereal, there's also so much about him that's mysterious and jolting.  He carries a sadness within him that's so tangible, and even had one of the most heartbreaking lines in the novel.  In a way, parts of this story were challenging for me.  While the world-building is impressive it's also describing the obscure.  Midway through something just clicked for me and I couldn't set it down.  A lot of that had to do with Ceris who's a formidable personality.  She's astute, circumspect, and loyal.  Definitely not someone to be underestimated as evidenced when she questions the Sun God and the gods' laws.  The romance that eventually grows between her and Ristriel is one borne out of a shared understanding of their immeasurable losses.  Finally they are honestly loved for themselves. I was so entranced and moved by them.

When I finished Star Mother I was left with a deeply contented feeling. I couldn't believe how much I ended up loving it.  It challenged my own senses at first before I happily surrendered to the story.  I see that a sequel will be coming out in March, this time about the Sun God and I know I'll be getting my hands on that real fast. In the meantime,  for a quietly satisfying and mystical read, that feels like the creation of a new mythology, I wholeheartedly recommend reading Star Mother.

~ Bel

Christmas in Rose Bend by Naima Simone

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The holidays have never been her thing. But Christmas in Rose Bend has more than one surprise in store…

Grieving ER nurse Nessa Hunt is on a road trip with her sullen teen half sister, Ivy, and still reeling from her mother’s deathbed confession: Nessa’s dad wasn’t really her dad. Seeking answers, they arrive in Rose Bend to find a small town teeming with the kind of Christmas cheer Nessa usually avoids. But then she meets the innkeeper’s ruggedly sexy son, Wolfgang Dennison.

Wolf’s big, boisterous family is like a picture-perfect holiday card. Nessa has too much weighing on her to feel like she fits—even though the heat between her and Wolf is undeniable. And the merriment bringing an overdue smile to Ivy’s face is almost enough to make Nessa believe in the Christmas spirit. But with all her parental baggage, including lingering questions about her birth father, is there room in Nessa’s life for happy holidays and happily-ever-after? 

Source: NetGalley; ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Christmas is that magical time of the year when second chances make themselves known, opportunities pop in to view, new beginnings spring up, or the best trope of all -- the hardened heart softens and a broken heart is mended. 

In Christmas in Rose Bend, Nessa finds herself in her personal hell, a town that lives and breathes Christmas. She's there with her sister Ivy, a sibling she barely knows. Nessa's family's complicated history has made this one of the hardest Christmases she's had to face yet. Her mother passed away months ago, her father who had left her and her mother years before, passed away recently leaving her to care for Ivy. Nessa isn't ready for this. There's so much unresolved pain and anger from being abandoned by her father, then there's the massive secret bomb that her mother dropped on her before her death that's only compounded her feeling of abandonment and not fitting in. But spending the Christmas season in Rose Bend with Ivy was her late father's wish, and as much as it pains Nessa, she will step up and try to be a big sister to Ivy and not have her feel that she's been abandoned too.  When she literally runs into Wolf, she and Ivy become fully embraced in his big family's generosity. His family runs the B&B Nessa and Ivy are staying at so there's no avoiding the family, and in particular Wolf who makes her feel things. Same goes for Wolf who feels an instant like to Nessa but also senses her apprehension. Not that he should get involved with anyone, much less a guest, anyway. His survivor's guilt from coming back from war has made him feel especially vulnerable, broken and feeling unworthy of anyone's love and forgiveness.

The overall story is beautiful. Three people pushing out of their own darkness to discover love, learn to trust and redefine family. And during Christmas when the festive mood facilitates those things. However, there's a lot to wade through to get to the happy ending. Christmas in Rose Bend is extremely heavy on grief, so it's not light or joyous holiday reading if that's what you're going for. Both of Nessa's parents passed away from cancer. Ivy's mom died when she was young. Wolf lost his best friend while they were serving, and his siblings have also experienced tragic loss which was at the center of the first book in this series. The blurb eludes to some sadness, but I wasn't prepared for what felt was an onslaught. 

I made my way through it, though. The story does pick up. With backstories in order, and Nessa and Ivy settling in, I started to enjoy the story better. Nessa sand Wolf have incredible chemistry. I particularly liked Wolf's character because he's a modern day hero with some pretty outstanding qualities - attentive, conscientious about how he makes a woman feel with his presence. He's basically a dreamboat in a man bun. I also liked how Nessa was written as a bit prickly and not touchy feely. Her metamorphosis into someone who is willing to trust again and put herself out there is slow-going but she eventually gets there. And Wolf respects her boundaries. Where the story is weighed down by tragedy, it makes up for it with these particular details that modern romance fans appreciate.  

It's my first time reading Naima Simone. While I liked Christmas in Rose Bend, it took me a bit to get past all the emotional turmoil and tragedies.  Simone is a descriptive writer who's packed in some serious punches yet has somehow made this story palatable despite all the sorrow.  As I said previously, this isn't lighthearted fare, but it's perfect if you want a story about redemption and forgiveness that eventually lead to the happily ever after.

~ Bel

Meet Me in London Blog Tour

Book Summary: 

 

What do you do when your fake engagement starts to feel too real? 

 

Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea and her  

evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming. 

Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well-meaning, mother is pressing him to bring his girlfriend home for a visit. A girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion. Something to keep his mother from interfering while he focuses on the business. 

When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting, as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed, will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for? 

Buy Links:

BookShop.org I Harlequin I Barnes & Noble I Amazon I Books-A-Million I Powell's

Excerpt:

OLIVER RUSSELL COULD wrangle a wayward balance sheet back into the black, take failing stores apart and breathe new life into them, make difficult calls on staffing and personnel issues, make his shareholders happy and very, very rich. But he had never managed to curb his mother’s meddling in his private life. 

Some things were just impossible. 

Earth to Oliver. This is your mother asking about your Christmas Day plans. Will I need to set an extra place at the dinner table? Hint, hint. Your mother xx 

Sitting on a stool at the bar in the upmarket wine bar The Landing, Oliver groaned as he interpreted the “hint” as yet another badly veiled attempt to discover his relationship status. Great one, Mum. Way to put pressure on a guy. 

Could this week get any worse? He threw his mobile phone onto the sticky, beer-stained counter, gripped the tumbler in front of him and took a sip of a much needed fifteen-year-old Scotch. As the honey-colored syrup oozed down his throat and hit his stomach with a warming buzz he silently counted all the ways things had gone wrong in such a short space of time. 

First mistake: allowing his mother to believe he was finally settling down when in reality his love life could only be described as...nonexistent. And now having to think up all the ways he could appease his parents over the holidays without going quietly insane. 

Whereas other families had jolly traditions of games and church on Christmas Day, his parents’ idea of fun was to corner him in the living room, pin him down with laser stares and interrogate him for signs of commitment, a potential wife and progeny. A grandchild, or preferably many grandchildren, to spoil and give meaning to their later years, someone to carry on the family name and also an heir to entrust the business to. As an only child Oliver was expected to do so, as his father had done before him. 

Trouble was, after his last romantic failure, settling down was not on Oliver’s bucket list. At least, not for a very long time. 

Second mistake: in the spirit of keeping the family business afloat he’d agreed to clean up the mess his cousin was making of the new build. Ollie should have let him fall on his sword, but that would have meant his parents suffering too and there was no way he was going to allow that. So, here he was in a rowdy bar in Chelsea at ridiculous o’clock at night—or was it early morning?—having only just finished work, with the prospect of another seventeen-hour day tomorrow and the next day, and the next... 

He took another sip of whiskey but almost choked as someone bumped into his hip, jolted his arm and sloshed the Scotch, rich but burning, down his throat. 

“Hey, gorgeous.” A woman old enough to be his mother—and even though deep down he loved his mum, Lord knew he didn’t need two of them—appeared at his shoulder and beamed at him. Her eyes were wine-glazed and the lipstick smudged over her mouth almost up to her nostrils made her look like a startled fish. “I’ve got mistletoe, you know what that means, right?” 

“That it’s time I left?” Scraping his stool back he stood, steadying the woman as she swayed, and then handed her into the waiting arms of her friends who were all dressed as...well, he wasn’t entirely sure, but there were glitter wings and feathery haloes involved, so he imagined they were supposed to be Christmas angels. In November? 

As if knowing all about his work stress and family dilemmas even the music in the bar seemed to mock him. Too loud and too cheery and all about being home and in love at Christmas. He shuddered. No thanks. 

Which brought him to his third mistake: choosing the bar from hell to drown his sorrows in. It wasn’t even December and yet here they all were screeching Christmas carols at the top of their tone-deaf voices. Christmas was everywhere. In the glittery tinsel that hung in loopy garlands across the ceiling and the fake tree in the corner. The soundtrack to the evening. The clothes people were wearing. Christmas was hurtling fast towards him and he was running out of time. He had so much to do to fix his first mistake before the doors of the new Russell & Co. department store opened, way behind schedule, but in time for the busiest, and therefore most lucrative time of the year. 

He just needed some kind of miracle to make it happen. 

On the counter his phone vibrated. He picked up and grimaced at another text, knowing what was bound to be coming but also knowing if he ignored her it would only get worse: Oliver? It’s a simple question. Blink once for yes. Twice for no. Are we finally going to meet your new girlfriend? Your mother xx. 

Uh-oh. She was dropping the veiled interest and taking a more direct approach. This was serious. 

He flicked a text back: 

When your message flashes onto my screen it identifies you as my mother. There is also a little photo of you smiling at me at the top of your texts. You don’t need to tell me who you are. 

He added two kisses, because, well, she was his mother: Ollie xx. 

A pause while he watched three gray dots dance on his screen and then: 

Not a single blink. How do I interpret that? We just want to see you happy. Your mother xxx 

By happy, she meant married. As if you couldn’t be otherwise. Although he knew just as many people who were married and miserable as married and happy. 

How was he even meant to send a blink by text anyway? He rolled his eyes instead. Nothing confirmed as yet. 

Before he could say “Bah Humbug” her reply flashed on his screen: 

When will you know? Your mother xx 

Oliver: I don’t know. 

If he told her the delightful Clarissa had moved on to a more malleable boyfriend his mum would be trying to arrange dates for him. 

As if on cue another text arrived: 

Is there something you’re not telling us? Is it over? So soon? Again? Oh, Oliver. 

He could feel the disappointment coming through the airwaves as her next text quickly followed: 

Perhaps I should invite the Henleys over on Christmas Day. I heard Arabella’s back from her Indian ashram trip and SINGLE. And stop rolling your eyes at me. Your mother xx 

He couldn’t help but laugh at that, despite his growing frustration. He tried to stay noncommittal. Apparently, according to his ex, noncommittal was a strength of his: 

Do NOT set any more dates up for me. Nothing’s confirmed re Xmas. I’ll let you know when I know. 

Mum: At the new store opening then? 

Just a matter of weeks away. She clearly wasn’t giving up. She never gave up. She wouldn’t give up until she was holding his first child. Or maybe his second—his second set of triplets. 

That was the problem; she wasn’t giving up. He just needed to appease her. Or ignore her. So, he chose the latter. 

Realizing he hadn’t finished his drink and grateful that the bar staff were now shuffling the off-tune singers outside, he sat back down and resumed his contemplation of the whiskey in front of him. At some point the staff would shuffle him out too, but for now he craved this brief peace and quiet, save for his mother’s infuriating but well-meaning texts and a muted conversation between the servers coming from a little room off to the side of the bar. 

He could hear Paul, the guy who’d served him earlier say, “Hey, Vicki, are you OK to close up tonight? I promised Amanda I’d get home early. It’s our anniversary.” 

“Of course.” A soft voice filtered through. “You helped me out by taking the early shift so I could teach my 

class, so I’m more than happy to hang around here for the stragglers. Sara said she’d stay on and help me clear up.” 

Stragglers? Was that what he was now? Ollie looked around the bar at the three other solo drinkers—all male, all staring hopelessly into glasses of alcohol. He laughed to himself. Yeah, damned right he fitted that description; moving slowly. He didn’t want to hurry because the sooner he went home, the sooner tomorrow would arrive bringing with it all his problems. 

“So how did class go today?” he heard Paul ask the owner of the soft voice. “Any more visits from the local cops?” 

Police? Interesting. Ollie leaned forward to hear the mystery woman’s answer. 

“Oh, that was all just a misunderstanding. Her brother gave her the iPad, Jasmine didn’t know it was stolen.” A pause. “Um. By her brother.” A rumble of soft laughter that sounded so free and bright had Ollie straining to see who the voice belonged to. It wasn’t the other woman who worked here because she was now collecting glasses from empty tables and her accent was Cockney through and through. This Vicki woman was from somewhere else. Southwest maybe, a tiny hint of something he recognized from holidays down in Cornwall. Laughter threaded through her intonation. “We sorted it out. The police dropped the charges against her.” 

“So, one of the kids you’re teaching is harboring stolen goods. Great. You really need to stay away from trouble like that, Vicki.” Paul came back into the bar and started to wipe down the counter with a dishcloth. 

The woman followed. “If I stayed away there’d be even more trouble for her, I’m sure. She’s so talented. You should see her designs, they’re stunning. Really fresh ideas. She could go a long way with the right guidance. I’m pulling out all the stops.” 

“You’re too good to those kids.” Paul frowned. “Instead of focusing on your own career you’re spending all your energy on a bunch of no-hope teenagers who probably have never even heard the word gratitude.” 

The Vicki woman turned and put her hands on her hips, giving Ollie full view of her face. Wow. 

She was wearing a dress that looked like it had come straight out of the nineteen fifties; all slash neck and cinched waist in a fabric of cream and scarlet flowers. Her glossy, dark hair was loosely tied into a ponytail that was pulled forward over one shoulder. She had bright red lipstick on full lips—not smudged in the slightest, and the most intense dark eyes he’d ever seen. 

In stark contrast her skin was pale; he wasn’t sure whether it was makeup or natural and he didn’t care. Oliver Russell had known a lot of beautiful women in his time, but she was next level. Quite simply, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. 

That gorgeous red mouth curled into a smile, but a little frown appeared over her eyes. “Paul, honestly, they’re struggling in so many ways. They have so much hope and potential and no one else seems to care. If I don’t help them, then who will?” 

“I’m just saying, be careful, that’s all. Your heart’s too soft, Vicki, you’re going to get hurt.” 

“It’s a fashion design class for underprivileged kids, Paul. Not target practice in the ’hood. Trouble is, we’re fast running out of opportunities for them to showcase their work. All the design schools have organized shows already and we’re lagging behind. I’m going to have to be creative with my thinking.” 

Her eyes wandered over the bar and settled on Oliver, just for a moment. 

Instinctively, he smiled. She gave him the faintest of smiles back and didn’t look away immediately. A look of surprise flickered behind her eyes. Even from here he could see the flush of her cheeks as their gazes met and, as if someone had flicked a switch, a rush of heat hit him too. Interest. The flicker of awareness. Brief. So brief he checked himself; maybe he’d imagined it? 

 
 

Excerpted from Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo. Copyright © 2021 by Georgia Toffolo. First published in 2020 by Mills & Boon. This edition published in 2021 by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.  

Author Bio: 

Georgia Toffolo is a broadcaster and TV personality. She has been a firm favourite with the public right from the start of her TV debut, Made in Chelsea, all the way to winning over the hearts of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in 2018.

Georgia turned her eye to fashion and has curated two sell out collections with fashion retailer Shein. An ambassador for many British brands, both large and small, Georgia has also collaborated with Dyson, Baileys, Emma Bridgewater, Great British Racing, Foreo and Malibu amongst many more.

Most recently, Georgia has dived into the world of fiction by publishing her debut novel Meet Me in London with publishing house Mills and Boon. This is the first of an original series of four books following a group of lifelong friends and bringing personal anecdotes to life with humour and charm.

 Review:

Meet Me in London has the kind of vibe that I was going for – charming leading man with his family’s burdens on his shoulder meets creative independent woman with a big dream and an ever bigger heart. It’s love at first sight for Oliver but Victoria is used to random men declaring their love for her. She’s just not used to a man sticking around. Since Oliver needs a way to get his meddling but well-meaning mum off his back, he proposes an arrangement with Victoria: pretend to be his fiance until December, only so that he can provide some happiness to his mum and ailing father around the launch of the family’s new flagship store. And she gets … actually she doesn’t really get much in return from that itself. However, since he’s the man responsible for the new department store opening in their neighborhood, he offers to provide space for the local vendors, and provide Victoria’s fashion design students a chance to showcase their designs on the catwalk. 

Despite the reservations that keep eating at her, Victoria goes with the plan. She recognizes Oliver’s good heart and also learns how much it means to him to see his parents well. She also sees how much the responsibility of carrying on the family business and being the one to fix all his cousin’s mistakes take a toll on him. See Victoria’s perspective on life is rather simple – do what makes you happy. Ever since she and her friends survived a car accident, she’s all about being authentic, which is why the pretending to his parents does weigh on her. Oliver senses that Victoria’s been through a trauma and though she doesn’t reveal all to him, he builds trust with her. 

One of the things Meet Me in London does is address the idea of what constitutes a ‘happily ever after’. Oliver’s of the thinking that nothing can match what his parents have so he’s not even sure if marriage is for him. Victoria knows that to most, happily ever after means marriage then kids. However, that dream of having kids cannot be realized for her due to the accident and it’s something that’s so hard, and personal, and painful to face every day much less bring up to Oliver. I was sad for Victoria because that choice to have kids was taken from her, but I also admire her for finding her way to make peace with it. It has left her with scars – physical and emotional – especially since her ex dumped her because of the no kids thing. So one can’t blame her for being cautious about relationships or even being hesitant about when and how to reveal such a personal secret. 

While Meet Me in London had those heavy moments, it was overall a delight to read. I enjoyed getting to know Oliver and Victoria. Their chemistry was beautiful and intimate in the way that you could feel their bond deepening below all the pretense. I loved certain descriptions of their intimate moments like how he touched her throat slightly, or her lips before they kissed. Those little details got to me. I know Victoria’s personal situation might be upsetting to some readers, and I did think Toffolo wrote that with sensitivity. Keeping that in mind, it makes Meets Me in London all the more charming because Oliver and Victoria got to redefine their own "happily ever after'.