4☆ A Warm Cosy Christmas Read

​NO ONE CANCELS CHRISTMAS is a light hearted read, about re igniting a lil Christmas Spirit, finding oneself, a good sprinkle of Romance, plenty of Drama and a fair amount of sass and humour.

Sarah helps her Aunt Lynn run her travel agents. But things are not looking quiet so rosy when customers start to leave bad feedback on their favourite best seller Christmas retreat..... The Shooting Star Mountain Resort.
It goes to say things have gotten so bad, one customer is threatening to sue them.

Sarah is devastated.... The Shooting Star Mountain Resort holds very personal memories for her.
The new owner Will and his brother Ed are running the Resort into the ground.
There is no longer any Christmas Magic, it's lack lustre ambience is leaving clients cold.

So Sarah decides to jump on a plane and find out just why her favourite resort is getting such bad feedback.
Sarah, has tried reasoning with Owner Will but he is obnoxious and rude. So he leave her no choice but to investigate.

But what Sarah doesn't bargain for.... is how handsome Will is.
There is a strong sexual chemistry between them, but can Sarah convince Will to make Christmas and The Shooting Star Mountain Resort magical again?

I can't say too much more about the plot for fear of giving too much away.
As there is lots going on.

Sarah is a deeply flawed Character. She is very insecure, but once you discover her story it makes sense. For her visiting The Shooting Star Mountain Resort, it's a huge achievement. She's not the easiest character to relate too but if you suffer from anxiety and fears which I do, I found I understood her.

No One Cancels Christmas is an Enchanting, warm, feel good read about finding oneself, moving on, facing the past, trying to recapture the magic of Christmas, making friends, learning to open up, family, drama and romance.
The characters are all fairly flawed, but intriguing and likeable.
I enjoyed the grinch bah humbug feel and then having Sarah trying to make Christmas special again it left me feeling warm inside.

Overall this is a wonderful Christmas read, that warmed my heart.
Oh and did I mention the husky dogs 😍🐶 any book with fur babies is a winner!
So grab a hot chocolate and a cosy blanket and snuggle up As Zara transports you to The Shooting Star Mountain Resort, where anything can happen!!

Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A warm sweet Christmas read. Well written and interesting plot really enjoyed this. The characters are very human with all their faults and good points.

This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last!!!

No One Cancels Christmas...

A holiday she’ll remember forever…

It’s the most magical time of the year, and for travel agent Sarah it’s also the busiest! But this year one man threatens to ruin Christmas for Sarah’s customers – Mr Grinch, Will Armstrong.

The Shooting Star Mountain resort is a magical place, and Sarah has fond memories of Christmas here as a little girl – visits to Father Christmas, husky rides in the snow and hot chocolate by a roaring fire. But as the resorts new owner, Will refuses to play snowball or to deck the halls with anything remotely resembling tinsel!

With customers complaining their Christmas is ruined, Sarah decides it’s up to her to convince Scroogey Will just how magical Christmas can be….

But getting Will into the Christmas spirit is hopeless – he is Bah Humbug personified! But as Sarah gets to know him better, she realises that underneath all the gloom is a man struggling with a pain of his own.

With the big day approaching, Sarah realises that the magic and sparkle can wait. This year, she’s going to spend Christmas day with someone special her very own Mr Scrooge…

It is a lovely festive light fun read, with great characters, a very adorable dog called Rosie, a fab setting and location of Canada with lots of snow and lots of Christmas festive things going on, oh and plenty of drama from certain characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story... a great festive read with a few twists and giggles along the way!
It will definitely get you in the mood for the upcoming festive season.

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

The thing about Zara Stoneley isn’t that she can dream up wonderful plots (we know she can). It isn’t even that her characters pop off the page like fire crackers. Stoneley can write, Boy, I’ll just bet her shopping list is magic and as for her note to the milkman... I love the old style flavour to her writing. Modernists bug me. There’s too many F that and S that but it’s not just the use of expletives. Word wrangling is one of the hardest things and something that Stoneley delivers with effortless ease. Within a blink I was in Canada with Sarah and Will Armstrong, living their dream. A great big ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have given this 4 stars!


Wow!
This is exactly what I needed with Christmas seemingly so far away, I absolutely loved every single word!!

No One Cancels Christmas is jam packed with all the things that make it the perfect festive story, even if it is only October. It features a very snowy location and it was full of festive fun and mischief, with lots of funny moments that had me laughing out loud in more than one place.
There was also plenty of sizzling moments where chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts hot but Zara Stonely kept us on the edge of our seats with anticipation, would they or wouldn't they?

This is an absolutely perfect Christmas read, I dare anyone to read it and not be in a festive mood by the end.

I'm a huge fan of Zara's books, have read them all, so naturally I was super excited to drive into her newest release No One Cancels Christmas.

Well it was a lovely festive light fun read, with great characters, a very adorable dog called Rosie, a fab setting/location of Canada with lots of Snow and lots of Christmas/festivities things going on, oh and plenty of drama from certain characters.

I have to be honest and say that this hasn't been my favourite read by this author, just felt like the story was missing something and as much as I loved the storyline, it all felt a bit rushed in places, think it would have benefited more by being a full length book like most of her previous books.

Despite that it was still an enjoyable read, and there were a couple of moments that had me in giggles and little Poppy, one of the guests was a lively entertaining one for sure.

I absolutely loved the ending to this book, as something happened that I wasn't expecting at all, so nicely surprised there and it was also a little emotional near the very end. As for the ultimate end of the book, well I thought that was very sweet and my heart did a little happy dance.

I'm a complete sucker for a Christmas rom-com, so I simply couldn't let this one pass me by...

Sarah works in a travel agency, of which her Aunt Lynne set up so she could share with others all the wonderful places she'd visited over the years, and deserved some recognition. Sarah knows how special holidays are to families, so matching the right people with the right holiday is something she's very passionate about. But when she starts to receive a high volume of complaints about the lack of Christmas cheer at the Shooting Star Mountain Resort in Canada, she decides she needs to do something about it.

The Shooting Star Mountain Resort is somewhere Sarah spent Christmas as a child and somewhere that holds extremely personal and special memories. She is absolutely determined to make the place as special as it once was...

For me, the real magic charm of this novel was the wonderfully snowy Canadian wilderness; huskies, log fires, cosy cabins, snowy landscapes, as someone who has always dreamt of going away towards Christmas time to somewhere I'm surrounded by lots of snow, whilst bunkering down in a charming little, lit up lodge, with books and hot chocolate - it was the perfect setting.

I really enjoyed the relationship journey of Sarah and Will. From their very first (and funny) email exchanges, to Sarah's shock at meeting Will in person, to the more heart-felt moments when opening up to one another. Hidden secrets have brought both these characters to the place where they are now, and maybe together they can rediscover their love of Christmas and have their own sprinkle of Christmas magic along the way.

No One Cancels Christmas is a snow filled, wintry tale about love, family, friendship and moving on.

They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but one look at this little lovely and It’s a given that it is coming home with me to my Christmas ‘shelfie’ collection. It oozes the spirit of Christmas right from the start, the red and white stripes of the candy cane looping their way around my heart. As I settled in with this book I was not disappointed. I could immediately imagine laying down in the snow with our sanguine yet sassy heroine Sarah, making the odd snow angel or two. I couldn’t help but wistfully wish upon that fabled second star to the right on her behalf, and if I could, I would have sprinkled her with enough magic to carry her ‘straight on until morning’ just as the saying goes.
Sarah is a dynamo, (truly she wouldn’t have been out of place with Donna, Rosie and and Tanya up on that Mamma Mia stage). She is someone who you just feel will add enough turbo boost to any dynamic duo that she becomes part of, be that with her wonderful guardian angel aunt Lynn, sharing the sisterhood with her best friend Sam, or sorting out the enigmatic Will Anderson. Some books are for life and not just for Christmas, and this wonder written by Zara Stoneley is one of them. I loved Sarah and I wanted to be her fairy godmother and help her right from the off. The pages turn magically before your very eyes and before you know it you too want to whack on a pair of ski boots and head out into the winter wonderland in search of your very own Canadian Mounty.
Sarah had me hooting with laughter – hands up who else can relate to raising a dreaded Poinsettia- I kill plants with ease and one year I looked one of those red-leaved beauties in the eye and said quite bluntly ‘live or die – its going to be up to you in this house.’ The rosy rotter lived for 2 ½ years until I couldn’t face another Christmas with it and promptly potted it in the compost. Sarah’s honesty is refreshing, double meanings slip out of her mouth before she even knows what is coming and her train of consciousness is hilarious.
Just like the best type of friend, Sarah makes us laugh in one moment and moves us in the next. As she says ‘we can’t expect a stranger to preserve our memories for us’ and we watch on as she bravely faces her fears and dampens her doubts, often with tears and always with a touching serving of self-awareness and growing self-compassion. She reminds us all of the true magic of Christmas that festive feeling of warmth and welcome. This book serves it up in heaps and touches the part other seasonal reads just can’t reach. Luckily, we can fit more than one ‘book’ into our world – but if you only have time to squeeze in one this Christmas then this is the perfect unexpected surprise gift to yourself that you didn’t know you needed. A moment in time to savour and enjoy.

Favorite Quotes:

I try and blow the crumbs out of the keyboard. The letter ‘T’ is already a bit dodgy; if this ruins W and A I’ll have lost one of my favourite words.

She had Dad on his bike, towing her through the park on her skies every night. It was so embarrassing. Then at the fete, she cannoned out of control into the cake and homemade jam stall and ended up looking like a murder victim.

She is about two feet taller than me, and she has boobs. At a guess, they’re surgically enhanced, because I am absolutely positive that gravity would have a firm handle on anything that big. If it can cope with an apple, these wouldn’t stand a chance.

My Review:

Sharing several of the same characters and following in timeline to Wedding Date, this tale also showcases Ms. Stoneley’s clever wit and penchant for observant and insightful storytelling. The storylines were entertaining, thoughtfully written, and well-balanced between heart-squeezing family drama and angst, and smirk-inducing levity. My favorite character among the cast continues to be the colorful and confident Ruth, although Aunt Lynn has also earned my utmost respect for her enviable cougar style and skills. I am eager to see what Ms. Stoneley comes up with next.

Its a little odd to read a Christmas book right before Halloween, but this book was so charming, it was so worth it! Though the story is a relatively familiar one, I feel that the holidays can't have too many warm feelings like the ones Sarah and Will bring out.

Sarah is our main character who works at her aunt's travel agency, sending clients to the perfect white Christmas destination. But then begins receiving complaints from her customers and flies up to the site where she meets "The Grinch," aka Will, the grumpy ranch owner with pain in his past. The two clash and the story is a mish-mash of the hate to love trope (my personal favorite).

I really enjoyed the character growth in this book. It was well done because there was a good mix of humor and holiday cheer. The setting was fun and also the sense of kinship and family made this a perfect holiday read.

Romcom queen Zara Stoneley is back with a fabulous new novel guaranteed to melt the heart of even the most Scoorgiest of Scrooges: No One Cancels Christmas. A gorgeous Christmassy read that will have you singing Jingle Bells before Halloween, No One Cancels Christmas is a fun, romantic and hilarious read from one of the best writers in the business.

Sarah Hall has always adored her Aunt Lynn. Having taken her in after her parents had pretty much abandoned her, Sarah worships the ground her auntie walks on and there is nothing she wouldn’t do for her. When Lynn had asked her to take over the running of her boutique travel agency, Sarah had been really touched and she had vowed to make her aunt proud and not to let her down. Having worked hard to ensure that the agency’s credentials remain top notch, Sarah cannot help but be dismayed when she starts hearing from long-standing clients that she is ruining their Christmas after – on her recommendation – they sign up to spend the festivities in Canada at The Shooting Star Mountain Resort. When the initial complaints had started coming in, Sarah had initially brushed it all off as bad luck, but when the complaints started to increase, long-standing customers began to take their business elsewhere and the threat of legal action from irate customers loomed, Sarah realises that the time has come for her to look deeper into this matter. But, when attempts to come to some understanding or arrangement with the owner of The Shooting Star Mountain Resort, Will Armstrong, fail to come to fruition, Sarah finds herself with no other choice but to go to Canada herself and get to the truth!

Long before Will Armstrong had come onto the scene and wrecked everything, The Shooting Star Mountain Resort had been a place full of wonderful memories and Christmas cheer for Sarah and her aunt. Her first proper holiday abroad, The Shooting Star Mountain Resort had enchanted Sarah when she had visited all those years ago, however, the reality today is much different as she discovers when she arrives in Canada and realises that she is going to need a Christmas miracle to turn things around at the resort! To make matters a thousand times worse, Will happens to be the most infuriating and aggravating man she has come across – even though he is the most gorgeous guy she has ever clapped eyes on!

As Sarah rolls up her sleeves and begins to turn things around for The Shooting Star Mountain Resort, will she end up saving Christmas and finding the love of a lifetime in the most unlikely of places?

When you are reading a book and laughing out loud before you’ve even finished reading the first page, you know that you are reading the very best the romantic comedy genre has to offer and No Once Cancels Christmas is certainly no exception. Zara Stoneley is on top form with her latest novel and not only are there plenty of laughs, laughter and hilarious moments that will have you racing through this book, but an excellent cast of characters you will take to your heart from the get-go.

Hugely enjoyable, wonderfully festive and an absolute joy to read, No Once Cancels Christmas is an outstanding festive romance from superstar author Zara Stoneley.

If you are looking for a snow-filled Winter tale of love and friendship, then look no further than NO ONE CANCELS CHRISTMAS by Zara Stoneley.

Sarah loves working at her Aunt's travel agency matching the right people with the right holiday for them. But when she starts to receive numerous complaints about one of their most popular resorts, The Shooting Star Mountain Resort in Canada, Sarah is determined to fix it and gets the next flight out. However, she hadn't expected to meet resistance in the form of new owner, Will Armstrong, who appears to be putting the Grinch to shame. But looks can often be deceiving and as Sarah spends more time with Will she begins to learn about the kind of man he is beneath his gruff exterior. As they both try to deal with their own baggage from the past, will a little holiday magic make all the difference?

Fun, festive, and wonderfully captivating, NO ONE CANCELS CHRISTMAS by Zara Stoneley is everything you want in a good romance and more - did I mention that there are sled dogs too!! The characters are warm and really make you feel like you know them and the setting is the perfect place for winter and Christmas cheer. I started this book with the plans of reading a few chapters but found myself sitting up through the night so that I could find out how it all would end, and it was well worth it!! A magical story from an excellent author and I highly recommend it to everyone.

I’m new to Zara Stoneley’s books but this one will not be the last one! The author manages to write a story that has something for everyone! This is a really heartfelt romantic comedy, that definitely sets the mood for the holidays!!

I both laughed and cry while reading the book, often at the same time. The book is romantic and full of the Christmas magic, that everyone have been feeling since we were kids! Except from the Christmas spirit, we get to see the importance of family bonds and how learning the truth can be freeing!

Sarah goes to the resort in order to find out why her customers leave bad reviews regarding their holidays. There she finds a really grumpy Will, who’s not at all feel the Christmas spirit and wants everyone to feel miserable as well! It was really fun to see this two interacting. The book is the perfect read for the holidays and it want disappoint you!!

Oh I do love a Zara Stoneley novel!! I love how I can always count on this author to transport me into a storyline which not only makes me unattractively snort at high decibels, but also makes me look at things in a complete different (let's not forget 'logical') manner.

I have noticed that the last couple of Zara Stoneley's novels have had more of a relaxed feel to them, and I just love how that has made the author bring her trademark humour to the surface in a way which would make readers go; 'omg she didn't just say that', in regards to her characters. Take a look at Sarah in 'No One Cancels Christmas' and her award winning customer service for example - that character highlights what you shouldn't really call someone you have never met before, in the most realistic way ever. Seriously. How many of us have sat at our desks or stood behind counters and have been faced with a customer or client who raises our blood pressure? And how many of us have thought one thing but said the other due to the fact they had had a utility bill through the mail, or the kid had just purchased something on the iPad because £250 was a bargain, all because we couldn't lose our jobs? Yeah, well, Sarah says those things you shouldn't really say, and she owns it like the colourful peacock she is!

Given the underlying nature of the book in terms of Sarah's family history as well as her new friend's situation, there were times where I thought that the humour wasn't taking those situations seriously. However, humour is how Sarah deals with her emotions and once I realised that, the entire storyline took on a whole new meaning. I guess you could say that I was finding it all a bit emotional...

Wait. Understatement of the century. Sigh, okay I cried, and no I am not ashamed. I found that watching Sarah's barriers come down, was such an emotionally rewarding experience as I got to see a side of her I had never seen before.

There is a lot more to 'No One Cancels Christmas' than Sarah's pitiful picnic skills, but trust me when I say that this storyline is like a treasure trove. A never ending one at that. Honestly, every time I turned the page I felt as though I was being given a gift! It certainly takes a special kind of author who is able to pull that off and Zara Stoneley did with ease and grace.

Once again Zara Stoneley has shown me that there is more to people that meets the eyes, and finding out how someone ticks is all part of the journey, regardless of how long it takes.

'No One Cancels Christmas' is one of the best festive reads I have read so far this year (I've read a few!), with its Christmas spirit, family rifts and enough food to warrant putting Slimming World on speed dial. A beautiful, laugh out loud novel which ticked every single box of candy canes and more - I absolutely loved it. A fantastic, festive treat that is guaranteed to keep your fairy lights on this Christmas

I first discovered Zara Stoneley’s novels back in May when I read her hilarious and entertaining novel The Wedding Date. Since then, I have been waiting for her new novel so I’d like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for Zara Stoneley’s new Christmas book.

The protagonist of the novel is Sarah, which we met briefly in The Wedding Date. Sarah works in her aunt’s travelling agency and she does her best to please all their clients, especially because she doesn’t want to let down her aunt, the woman who raised her. However, Will Armstrong doesn’t make things easy for her. He is the owner of The Shooting Star Mountain Resort, a beautiful and charming hotel in Canada of which Sarah has both good and bad memories. Sarah loves to recommend The Shooting Star Mountain Resort to her clients but they all come back from it full of complaints. So Sarah decides to spend this Christmas in Canada and find out why Will Armstrong is trying to destroy a place so dear to her.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is such a festive romantic comedy. The setting is atmospheric and evocative with snow, dog sleighs, Christmas trees and decorations. I loved the characters. Sarah is a fun, engaging, and likable protagonist and I enjoyed her chemistry with Will. I was happy to meet again the characters from The Wedding Date: Sam and her crazy family make a few appearances that create hilarious situations that, once again, made me laugh out loud (especially when Sam’s mother was on the scene). NO ONE CANCELS CHRISTMAS is a novel about family, friendship, and love and it is entertaining, refreshing, well-written and immersive and, even in October, it really gets you into the Christmas spirit.

What a wonderful story this is! A perfect book to get you in the Christmas spirit or just all warm and cosy for the winter ahead. I smiled and I laughed, this book was so much fun but with real emotion woven through that produced some beautiful and heartwarming moments.

I loved all the characters and thought that each and everyone of them brought something to the story. We follow Sarah on her mission to sort out The Shooting Star Mountain Resort where she is determined to make Christmas there special again. I loved Sarah and Will's first meeting well in person anyway although the emails were pretty funny too! Sparks were definitely flying! A special mention has to go to Poppy though, she was brilliant. This book has love, family, romance and a gorgeous setting all packaged up in a wonderfully festive story. The pacing of the plot is really good and I loved getting to know Sarah and wondering if she would get a happy ever after.

Engaging characters and a big dose of warmth made No One Cancels Christmas extra special and I loved every festive moment!


With thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources and the author for my copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for holiday because I'm a Christmas but. The magic of the season makes everything a bit more special. I just loved Sarah. She's so adorably quirky. Christmas is a tough time, but this year it's going to be a whole lot different. Will and Sarah were just great together, well maybe not a first. This book is definitely one that will make you laugh, but also one that hits you right in the heart. It's a beautiful book and the ending truly beautiful. It's definitely back must read this holiday season.

This book has made me want to fly out to Canada and get my skis on! It made me miss not going out this ski season! Every breathtaking description of the snow, the sounds, beautiful views and the magical tranquillity is spot on and I’ve done many seasons, all in all you feel like you are there! It is the best feeling on a mountaintop, however, this is isn’t the story here!

I did love that Sam, from the Wedding Date (see my review here), was in this book and her mum Ruth who is a blast, any scene with her in just had me in stitches!! And Jake. It was nice they were in it but that didn’t take over, just like Sarah in the Wedding date.

This story focuses on Sarah, her past and the delectable and grumpy Will with all his secrets! So Zara, made me get something in my eye…again…and I read her book again in the car! So had to do a bit of furious blinking so no one saw me! I could relate to Sarah’s frustrations when dealing with the grumpy man Will, being married to a grumpy one it’s a daily frustration and her reactions….well they were the same as mine!

I loved that she went over to Canada, to the save Shooting Star mountain resort and to deal with her heartbreaking past. Trying to resolve her inner conflict and her dark past, when you find out what it was, well it was quite dark and I was quite surprised, but things aren’t quite what they seem and the resolution made me quite frankly cry. I didn’t see it coming and it shows there are two sides to every story.

So, Will and Sarah, they are just cute, they worked even if they both deny themselves. Of course, it wouldn’t be a romance novel if we didn’t have the perceived deceit and the miscommunication. For me, this was the perfect Christmas feel-good book! Maybe because it was set in a snowy country in a beautiful lodge on Christmas!! Sarah and Sam's dynamic was hilarious at the beginning as Sarah writes an email to Mr Grumpy pants and then sends it without meaning to, this starting off a catalyst of events. Sam, quiet and shy demeanour works so well with Sarah her loud and brash, disorganised demeanour. My friends would agree I am more like Sarah than I care to admit!!

My second book for Zara and I am so glad I have got to read this. She has won me over with her writing and storytelling so much so I am going to be keeping an eye out for her future endeavours and check out the back catalogue!

I love stories that have a happy ending and a feel-good factor all with beautiful scenery and this is what Zara accomplishes here. She leaves you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

Thank you to Rachel for letting me take part in this tour and to Harper Impulse for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I have read quite a few of Zara's books in the past and I love Christmas so I was excited to read this one.

This story follows Sarah as she returns to Shooting Star Mountain Resort. Sarah has many problems and she has been running from the for years and years. Her return to Shooting Star Mountain Resort is a real turning point for her though. Sarah is wild and crazy and impulsive. I really liked her free spirit.

Will runs the Shooting Star Mountain Resort. He is a real grump. He can't stand Christmas and the festive spirit has leaked out of the place. Will is a complicated character. He seems all gruff on the outside but deep down I think he is a real sweet heart who has been hurt in the past.

I loved the location for this book. There were cabins, log fires, hot chocolates and lots of snow. I would absolutely love to visit this place. It sounds so warm an cosy its the perfect Christmas vacation.

This story is fully of love, family and Christmas. It's perfect for the festive season, curled up under a blanket with a hot chocolate.

Considering the stir this author creates in the blogosphere whenever her books come out, I was eager to read this new festive installement. Since it is my first, there is no comparing to her other works. Some of the characters of her previous novel 'The Wedding Date' are also featured here but the book can very well be read as a standalone.
Let me start with the cover. It is cute and simple and embraces the Christmas spirit in an easy elegance. The season of happiness, love and forgiveness is just around the corner and here we meet travel agent Sarah trying to regain the magical nature of The Shooting Star Mountain Resort. Hunky Will Armstrong proves to be a major hurdle but the place contains her last memories with her parents and Sarah can't let it go under.
The instant chemistry between Sarah and Will can be easily perceived but one would have never guessed the secret Will harbours underneath that Mr. Grinch persona. The author's witty narrative style captures you from the first line and it is revealed to be quite a merry ride till the very end. If you need a short light romance for Christmas, this is just your pick.