December is always such a busy month in our house. Between nativity plays, carol concerts, wrapping presents and prepping for Christmas, all my free time soon disappears! I therefore found myself reading a lot less and so only managed four books this month. However, four is better than none! I was introduced to authors I’d never read before, as well as reading the latest offering from an author I like.
Here are the books I read in December 2021:
Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo
Victoria Scott is an aspiring clothes designer who spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea, and her evening designing clothes and running fashion classes for disadvantaged kids. Meanwhile, Oliver Russell is finding the festive season stressful. Not only is his family’s new department store in danger of not opening on time, but he also has his interfering mother to deal with. She won’t let up about him finding a nice girl to settle down with. He needs a diversion to keep his mother happy so he can focus on the business.
After Oliver meets Victoria, he offers her a proposition. If she pretends to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store, he will allow her to showcase her designs, and those of her students, on opening night. As ridiculous as she finds the idea, Victoria finds she can’t turn down the opportunity.
However, what starts a business arrangement soon becomes something more as the fake relationship starts to feel very real.
I actually really enjoyed this book. I knew it was published by Mills and Boon so I knew what to expect – cheesy, unapologetically romantic, feel-good fiction. However, I did feel it was so much more than just a fluffy romance. This is also a book about strong women and the power of female friendship.
Click here to read my full review of Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo.
The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan
In an isolated retreat, miles away from anyone else, three women arrive for the perfect weekend getaway. Their husbands are supposed to be joining them the following morning but when they arrive at Dark Fell Barn, they find a note waiting for them:
By the time you read this, I’ll have killed one of your husbands.
Their phones are out of range and there’s no internet. They can’t contact their husbands and, with a storm coming in, they also can’t escape. Their friendships are tested to breaking point as each wife tries to find out what’s going on, who is responsible and which husband has been targeted.
There were parts of the story I really enjoyed. The tension was palpable and I could feel the panic and that claustrophobic feeling of being stuck somewhere without an escape. The descriptions of the location were really vivid and really added to the atmosphere. However, I feel like I liked the idea behind the book more than the actual execution of it. It just missed the mark for me and didn’t live up to expectations.
Click here to read my full review of The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan.
What Might Have Been by Holly Miller
After walking out on an unrewarding job, Lucy is unsure what to do next. That night she meets Caleb, a stranger in a bar and they have an instant connection. That night also sees her running into Max, the man she always considered the love of her life. Lucy has two options. Should she stay in her hometown and pursue her dream of becoming a writer while getting to know Caleb? Or should she go to London, reconnect with Max and try to revive her career?
Just one decision could have a huge impact on her life. As the story unfolds, we read what would have happened based on each decision.
Holly Miller has a real talent for creating likeable characters, with flaws and depth. I also find the concept of fate fascinating, and the discussion around how we can control our own destiny with cleverly done. I liked how some incidents occurred in both narratives and how despite Lucy’s choices, some things were always meant to be. It’s another novel by Holly Miller that really packs an emotional punch and I honestly really enjoyed it.
Click here to read my full review of What Might Have Been by Holly Miller.
The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart
During the Second World War, Will, a young, naive wireless engineer, meets Elsa, a Jewish refugee fleeing her Austrian homeland. Elsa is sophisticated, witty and worldly and unlikely anyone Will had previously met in his home city of Bath. The unlikely couple fall in love and despite the war unfolding around them, they are happy to be together.
However after their home is bombed, Will awakes from the wreckage to find himself alone. He frantically searches for his beloved Elsa, only to find that no one has heard of her. They tell Will he was never married.
Seventy years on, in the present day, Laura is struggling with anxiety and depression. She decides to stop taking her medication and is offered a job working in social services. She is introduced to an old man whose house hasn’t changed since the war, who insists his wife vanished decades ago. Does this old man suffer from dementia? Or is something more unusual happening? It is up to Laura to find out the truth.
I loved the start of this book and particularly loved Elsa and Will’s love story. Will was such an endearing character and I loved how he blossomed with Elsa by his side. I love a grand sweeping romance and I’m a massive fan of WW2 fiction so this should have been an ideal read for me. It’s hard to say any more without including spoilers but after a very promising start, the book left me feeling a little disappointed. I was invested in Will and Elsa’s romance though and that kept me reading until the end.
Click here to read my full review of The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart.
Some of these books were sent from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
You may also be interested in reading the books I read in November 2021 and my other previous monthly reads.