A mega fashion show, a bridal designer and the Swiss Alps at Christmas are the things that make this story a hard to put down book . Reading about the designs and fabrics Felicity uses to create her bridal wear with a backdrop of the Swiss Alps is a fairy tale setting that you can see in your mind's eye. There are two men in Felicity's life along with her best friend, Nell, who is a model in the fashion show and Felicity's business partner who can make just about anything happen on a moments notice are all part of this story. There are three stories unfolding: The success of the fashion show, Nell's wish for her parents to be at her upcoming wedding and Felicity's decision on which of the two men should be in her life forever. They weave together easily and it is not hard to keep the stories straight.

Romance in a gorgeous setting with incredible food and sensory details. Sweet, charming story with sweet, charming characters.

This was an okay book, but nothing super memorable. I did like it better than the author's previous Christmas tale that I read (Christmas in London) because this one at least had characters acting in a normal way instead of getting all upset at the drop of a hat. That said, I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but I didn't hate them either. It just fell a bit flat. Overall though, it's a sweet read.

A wonderful read with charming characters and an engaging plot!! I look forward to reading more by this author.

CHRISTMAS AT THE CHALET - Anita Hughes

A LITTLE SILLY - 3 stars

Plot - 3.5 stars - This is basically two separate romances. First, Felicity is a wedding dress designer, and she has come to St. Moritz, Switzerland, to host a show of her latest designs. But while she's there, she starts to doubt her relationship with her long-time boyfriend Adam, all while trying to get ready for her show and create some original designs for a new opportunity. Secondly, Nell is one of Felicity's models who is in St. Moritz for the presentation, and she is trying to convince her divorced parents to both come to her upcoming wedding. Each time she meets up with one of her parents, she learns a little more about how their romance began.

Writing - 3 stars - The basic idea is fine, and the writing is comfortable, easy reading. But the plot is pretty convoluted and seemed engineered to create problems that could eventually be resolved into a happy ending. It felt like a first-novel, not fully developed.

Characters - 2 stars - This is where the story faltered even more for me. Felicity is just plain silly. She is supposedly a professional--a strong and creative designer. And her love life seems solid from the outside. But apparently she's been so absorbed in her business that she hasn't noticed that she and her long-time boyfriend have been drifting apart. Every time she thinks about it, she mentions that he's always supporting her dream, her crazy schedule. It felt like a very one-sided relationship to me. And then for her to drop everything and keep seeking out Gabriel to "discuss her relationship with Adam"--dumb. Adam came to St. Moritz to see her, for Pete's sake, and she needs to get Gabriel's advice so she "doesn't make a mistake." So she leaves Adam immediately, then sees Gabriel, right after she promised Raj that she wouldn't see him again. It just all seemed so improbable. And her insistence that Gabriel "tell her a story" was also dumb. OK, I get that the stories had to do with what was happening in her life, but she would ask for a story in the most inappropriate place and at totally inappropriate times. Gabriel is OK, but we don't really get to know him. He is described quite well and a history is built, but he still seemed fairly nebulous throughout and never really solidified as the romantic lead. As far as Nell's story goes, it's quite entertaining that she's fluttering around trying to keep her parents apart, but this plot line also came across as unbelievable and unrealistic. Nell is apparently a well-respected model with a good career, but she is dealing with her parents in a childish way. And it was also pretty unbelievable that her parents both refused to attend her wedding. Their animosity didn't seem all that huge, and to have it cause them both to miss their only daughter's wedding was unbelievable.

Title - 3 stars - The title is OK, although it's not really set in a chalet but in a hotel in a ski town in Switzerland. So it sets the tone, but it's not really accurate.

Cover - 4 stars - The cover is lovely and makes up for some of the other shortcomings in the book.

Overall - 3 stars - I didn't actively dislike it, but I found the whole thing rather silly and very put-downable. I couldn't particularly relate to any of the characters. Although they were pleasant enough, and there wasn't any negative drama, the whole story just didn't gel for me and felt contrived. Not sure if this is a first attempt for Hughes, but I may look for more from her to see if she develops a more solid writing style.

A nice easy read with a couple of intertwined stories. Happy endings and nice settings that made me want to visit!

Felicity Grant is a wedding dress designer debuting her new collection in St. Mortiz on New Year's Eve. Before she left New York she got into a huge fight with her boyfriend because she thought that he was going to finally propose.

This was exactly what you expect it to be and I enjoyed that. There was also a second romantic subplot that really worked for me too.

At times the pacing was a little slow, but that could of just been due to me anticipating what the next plot point was going to do.

Overall, I do recommend this as a fast, cute holiday romance.

I find that I am really enjoying Anita Hughes’s books. Christmas At The Chalet is the third book I’ve read by Hughes. While it won’t make my top favorite books of all time list or top favorite books about Christmas list, it did scratch a small itch for me. It is quite a glamourous sort of read about wealthy people and quite the escapist romp.

Christmas At The Chalet is set in St. Moritz, Switzerland which is basically in the Alps. It’s essentially a winter playground for the wealthy. Felicity Grant is a bridal designer from New York City and she’s about to debut her upcoming collection at her own fashion show in St. Moritz. Meanwhile, one of her models, Nell, is having a terrible time getting her divorced parents to both attend her wedding – they refuse to be in the same room together. Both of her parents happen to be in St. Moritz vacationing. Back to Felicity, she’s angry because her boyfriend of six years, Adam just won’t commit and ask her to marry him. She experiences an injury and just so happens to meet a doctor named Gabriel who is handsome and has excellent listening skills.

Overall, Christmas At The Chalet is a very quick read about rich people problems. Normally, that is not exactly my jam. However, the way Hughes describes the food and the setting was just so sumptuous that I ignored my typical disdain and got into this book. I did like how hard working Felicity was and how she struggled to follow her heart and to not just stay settled because she’s been in a relationship for a long time.

ON A SCALE OF ONE TO BUDDY THE ELF, HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DOES THIS BOOK HAVE?
Well, this book is called Christmas At The Chalet but it actually takes place the week after Christmas. So, it’s not like we have tree decorating or the lead up to the holidays or Santa. So, that was a bit of a let down. However, there’s toboggan rides and delicious food and shopping and skiing. There’s also folktales a plenty. I think that this has some good post holiday spirit and is maybe a book you want to pick up in the week from Christmas to New Years where you still have that holiday glow but also are thinking about taking down the tree and getting back to real life.

I loooove a good Christmas book so I was really looking forward to this one. I think it had really great potential, but the dialogue between the characters was so stiff and was not natural at all so it made the novel feel extremely cheesy. I think the setting and storyline were beautiful but the characters' conversations really ruined the novel for me. Thank you to netgalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I don't think I would recommend this novel.

Felicity Grant is launching her new line of wedding gowns in the beautiful Christmas setting in St Moritz. Her designing career has taken off and she should be on top of the world. However, she is coming to realize that her boyfriend of six years has no plans to take the step of marriage. She keeps running into a local physician who is more than willing to give her relationship advice.

Nell is a successful fashion model who is planning her dream wedding. However, she can't seem to get her divorced parents to agree to be in the same room. Can she figure out where her parents' marriage went wrong in time for her big day?

So this is a typical Anita Hughes. I read her books because I want the quick, easy, feel-good read. Character development isn't what I'm going for here. Felicity seemed like a immature young adult rather than a mature woman with her own fashion business. I found the whole idea of quitting one long-term relationship just to jump seriously into a new one unbelievable. However... this is exactly why I pick these books up! I wanted the Christmassy, happy ending book. This wasn't the best Hughes book I have ever read, but it was still enjoyable. I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 (round up to 4).

Thanks to St Martin's and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely festive feel good read. Enjoyed it very much. This is one to curl up in front of the fire with in the winter. Flowed well. Was easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable

A perfectly sweet and cotton-candy-like holiday story. Enjoyable and decadent, the setting was amazing!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆
I really like the idea behind this book, and if I were to tell someone the storylines, I think they would agree. It certainly does a great job of explaining what St Moritz is like and the style of food, the shops, the visitors, and of course, the skiing. But I found that the devices used to tell the story were a bit clunky, and it lacked the seamlessness that makes such time shifting effective.

Three couples' stories are interwoven into the text, and whilst there were some comparisons to be made, there felt like a strong lack of love in one, one was post-divorce, and the last we mainly only hear about rather than see. So, there was a lack of romance and more a talking about what it was or wasn't. It is difficult to explain what was missing.

The build up to the fashion show, the outings to increase interest, and the shifting of the truth by the reporters (or was it?) was very interesting and gave the reader an idea of how a successful campaign may really work. It also gave an indication of how normal issues still affect beautiful people. The solution to Nell's dilemma was fun, and that reveal, even of just the idea, was done really well.

So, a sweet set of stories in a story that I enjoyed reading, but could have been really good after some judicious editing.

An enjoyable read, but a bit of a mess with three different story lines and a Christmas wish. The setting was beautifully described and my goodness I'd love to go to St. Moritz now! 

I would have love for there to be more romance and that the chemistry had been more palpable. 

I loved the fashion, the snowy settings and all the glitz and glamour, but I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks. 

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So to be honest I had a hard time getting into this book. I kept going on and off with it forgetting and starting over and just wasn't into it. Then today I was in the mood for it and pretty much devoured it. I loved getting to know the characters. I will admit though I had a hard time switching between characters, and going through the back flashes of Nells parents past relationship but once I got the hang of it, I was really able to appreciate the book all the more. Then while these two stories have a reason for being set together I think I would've liked to get Felicity's story seperate because it would've been more easier to follow. Now that I'm finished with the book I can say that I really did enjoy it.

Christmas at the chalet is a sweet, cozy story. Even when it actually starts after Christmas, I think it is a perfect read for the holidays. I had never read anything by Anita but I have to say I expected a little bit more.
Of course there things I loved, like the setting. The whole St. Moritz setting was done in a wonderful way. I also loved the detailed writing that makes the reading experience very rich and interesting.
However, I think that the story was not believable enough. At least for me, it was difficult to understand the actions and reactions of the characters, especially Felicity.
There are also too many stories. I enjoyed both Felicity’s and Nell’s, but I was not very fond of Patty’s and Tod’s (Nell’s parents).
There is also little romance. I thought it lacked romanticism and chemistry.
The book is interesting to keep you reading, you want to know what is going to happen (although is bit predictable) and it is easy to read and you can finish it in one sitting. I loved reading about fashion and wedding dresses and about the delicious food and scenery that is described. Nevertheless, there was something missing. I would love to read more books by Anita anyway.

This book has the most perfect setting for a Christmassy book- an adorable ski chalet. It also combines two of my favourite themes for a book- weddings and Christmas. A winning combination for me.

Felicity is an up and coming wedding designer who is hosting a show in such a pretty setting. She spends her life creating romantic visions- but would love her own happy ending. Nell is also dealing with the parents from hell in her own wedding. They are threatening to ruin her special day.

You can just imagine being curled up , looking out on the snow surrounding by visions of love and romance and just immersing yourself totally in the moment.

This is the first book of Anita's that I have read. I enjoyed feeling like I was in St Moritz and reading about the different restaurants and ski hills makes me want to visit! I loved learning more about fashion shows and the work that goes on behind the scenes. I enjoyed following Felicity's life and the mystery of Nell's parent's divorce.

I adored this story! In fact, I think I love Anita Hughes’ books more as I read each one! I love that she writes about dad off places, and writes about them in a way that I feel like I’m really there. I loved feeling like I was taking in the sights of St. Moritz, while just laying on my couch. The storyline was also very well written and developed. I loved how she intertwined the love story past of Nell’s parents. It was a sweet addition to the current day story of Felicity. I highly recommend this book!

Ever wanted to spend Christmas at a chalet? Here’s your chance. Anita Hughes transports you to the land of snow and apres-ski in the Swiss Alps. Wedding gown designer Felicity, her assistants, and her models spend a week among the jet set in St Moritz – and you’re along for the ride. This is a fun, superficial, exciting, bright read. I loved the snowy settings, the wedding gowns, and the glitz and glamour on the slopes. I didn’t love all the reminiscing and flashbacks, but I did like the side story of re-uniting a brides parents.
https://randombookmuses.com/2018/12/25/review-three-christmas-book-reviews-the-christmas-wish-christmas-at-the-chalet-cupcakes-for-christmas/
Honest review in exchange for a copy from NetGalley.