What a beautiful Christmas read .Set in the lake district which is my favourite place in the world ,Lottie who has just been ditched by her fiance takes a job at a newly refurbished estate and has to organise a lavish wedding, but gets a shock when she finds out who's getting married. She has been supporting her sister whose had a health scare, and helping her with her twin daughters. A lovely warmhearted, and festive novel ,but can things get better for Lottie especially when she meets Jay who works on the estate, and can she eventually find the happiness she so much deserves

I've been a Phillipa Ashley fan for awhile now, but this is her best yet. She usually brings us down to the SW of England, down the Cornish shore, which is beautiful in it's own right, but this story takes us to the lakes region, which is refreshing, and a love story that will stick in your heart way pass the holiday season. Well done Ms. Ashley, your best, in my books, to date. I can't wait for your spring novel now...

My third read from Ashley and she continues to delight, this time with a Christmas offering that is not set by the Cornish coast, but up north in the Lake District. Although there were some more sombre elements to the storyline, I think Ashley handled these appropriately and delicately, so as not to offend nor detract from the Christmas theme.

I really appreciated having a story set up in the Lake District. Having taken numerous family holidays there as a child, the descriptions of the setting really brought back personal memories! In addition, of course this is a place that is used to big dumpings of snow during the winter – what more could you need for a Christmas book? This just added to the cosiness of the plot, especially as the Firholme estate is a little bit remote, just off the beaten track.

I could really picture Lottie, Jay and all the staff at Firholme. Ashley presents such a magical place, especially after the ground-staff have made it even more festive. When Keegan arrives with Connor in tow, demanding to hold her wedding here, I could completely agree with her. It felt like an amazing setting and truly romantic.

The plot develops in a methodical way. It is pretty clear from early on who will become Lottie’s Christmas love. However, as we all know, the path of true love never runs smooth. It was fascinating to see how Lottie would cope in organising her ex-fiance’s wedding, particularly as Connor is very keen to keep their past liaison a secret. Coupled with this, readers learn of the past that has scarred Jay, leaving him with serious trust issues and a particular dislike towards the festive season. It is a recipe for confusion and emotions, and this is what runs throughout the story.

I was really intrigued by the sub-plot of Lottie’s sister. Steph is in remission from cervical cancer and this is something that, naturally, haunts both of them. Connor’s re-appearance back in Lottie’s life also reminds her of Steph’s diagnosis. At the point that we are joining the story, Steph is leading up to her scans to see if the cancer has left. Having seen the devastation of this disease in a close friend, I felt awkward reading about it: dreading to see it glamorised or even glossed over. However, this part of the story does not dominate the narrative and I thought that Ashley’s treatment of it made the characters feel even more real and life-like. I did not feel uncomfortable reading about it, but actually gladdened that the writer had taken such a dismal topic and presented it with a hope that we do not traditionally associate it with.

The progression of this story should delight both fans of Ashley and Christmas! It is an easy, comforting read and I especially liked the family reunion at the end. Ending on hope and happiness, it helped spread a bit of the Christmas cheer that is just that little more tricky to find in 2020.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lottie gets dumped hard and tries to restart her life as the events manager at Firholme where she gets to live in a quaint cottage that comes with the job. Next door to her is another quaint cottage in which the new estates manager lives. His name is Jay and he's hunky and has his own issues which make him very wary of people. They seem to instantly connect but then all the exes and issues show up at Firholme to ruin the romance,

I loved the setting of Firholme and some of the descriptions of the Christmas events that were occurring at the estate and bringing Lottie and Jay together. I have enjoyed this author's work before but for me, this story fell flat. There wasn't much chemistry between Lottie and Jay. More time was spent on the sick sister and the jerk ex than was spent on having Lottie and Jay fall in love so it felt like the core of the story just wasn't there to hold it all together. I will always give this author a chance because I like her style but this was just an average story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in order to review this book. I truly appreciate it.

Get your PJ's on, make some hot chocolate (with marshmallows), sit in your most comfy chair and enjoy this extremely tender, warm love story, A Surprise Christmas Wedding!

As we meet Lottie who has just started a new job as an event planner in the Lake District, we only know she and her former fiancee broke up the year before leaving her heartbroken. At the same time, Lottie found out her sister, a single mother raising twins discovers she has cancer. As Lottie stepped in to help her ailing sister, she was never really able to process exactly what had gone wrong in her relationship. But now as she is beginning a new job in the village she grew up in, Lottie's excitement for her future grows.

As the Christmas season nears, her boss puts her in charge of planning a last minute Christmas Eve wedding. But when she is finally introduced to the happy couple, she discovers to her horror that the groom is none other than her ex-fiancee Connor. As they both realize this could be a horribly awkward situation, they choose to pretend they don't know each other. Which both angers Lottie and confuses her as to why he ended their relationship but seems eager to marry now.

From there, the story grows into lost love, perhaps new love, and of course everything that could go wrong, going wrong! As Lottie treads carefully with wedding plans for someone other than herself, she finds herself having feelings for her next door neighbor Jay, a man who himself has been hurt by love and is not willing to make another commitment. And with her sister's check-up approaching to see if she is cancer free, Lottie has a great deal on her plate.

As secrets begin to be exposed, and Connor perhaps still having feelings for Lottie and this Christmas Eve wedding occurring during an unexpected snow storm, how will it be possible to pull off the perfect Christmas wedding? Or perhaps the wedding was never meant to be.

If you are looking for a cheerful Christmas story perfect for this time of year, look no further! A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley will put you in the holiday spirit!

Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins #ASupriseChristmasWedding #PhillipaAshley for the advanced copy.

Lottie is still healing from the heartbreak of her fiancé walking out on her a year before, but is now enjoying her events-planning job at a wonderful Lake District estate. Lottie is eager to prove herself in her new job, but unfortunately the groom-to-be at a last-minute Christmas wedding on the estate is her ex-fiancé, Connor. Lottie must work through her old feelings for Connor as well as trying to understand her feelings for her handsome neighbour, Jay, as Christmas fast approaches.

This is a lovely festive read. The characters are interesting and relatable. I really liked the main characters, Lottie and Jay, and their growing feelings for each other. There’s a great cast of supporting characters, especially Lottie’s sister and young nieces. I loved the setting and really enjoyed the descriptions of Lottie’s little cottage and the estate building and grounds.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, festive reads, and compelling characters with great chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Perfect book for this time of year (in fact any time of year). Christmas, weddings, drama and Trevor. Fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyable and a proper chick lit rollercoaster.

Thank you Netgalley.

FTC disclosure: I would like to thank Avon Books UK for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

I love Phillipa Ashley’s stories and writing style. The plot, the twists were well thought out. I liked the feeling that something was lulling, something in the background, a secret still to be revealed, all while instant gratification reveals were woven throughout the plot.

I think anyone looking for Christmas story to read as the days lead up to the holiday will enjoy this book. Romance, tension, cutesy bits, family bond, fun, this book had it all. It followed a timeline like an advent calendar which I quite enjoyed. Built on relational aspects, it was an endearing look into love and loss, life tragedy with hope and cheer, a feel-good story that was not the typical predictable plot one would expect, and a real Christmas mood setter for me because the scene descriptions were so well-fitted to capturing Christmas spirit and described in a lovely way without being over-the-top..

Had all the elements I love in a book. A lovely Christmas setting, enthusiastic characters with life choices and places they wanted to go, descriptions that weren't over-embellished, and a deeper life roadblock that was realistic and heart-felt.

Though, toward the end, the characters annoyed me. Some disconnects for me, like the mother-in-law reaction of only hoping they were meant for each other. I admit I wasn’t really hopeful for the happy couple either, not the other couple either I suppose. I wanted to root for them at the beginning, but I just wasn't feeling it toward the end. The elements of the story were there but I guess there was more focus on the details of the event than working through the feelings that I wanted more of.

Some of the overall situations in the relationships were a bit weird to me. Like certain dilemmas made for detours I was less interested in. It was the feelings that were a bit displaced and lesser developed. I guess all-in-all it was hard for me to grasp the coming to terms of their feelings because a high emotion sequence needed a higher emotional response that I just didn’t see in the end. Time or pacing may have been a big factor, maybe from that aspect it could have lingered more in increased length of time to provide resolutions that would have been a bit more realistic. Started out strong though, but I wanted to see it carried out just as strong.

It was just their circumstances and being stuck inside each other’s feelings rather than finding their own. The characters, and I mean actually majority of the characters, didn't seem to understand how their hurt was being projected. They all reminded me of that Simpsons episode where the family zaps each other as a form of aversion therapy... unsuccessfully: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFCgz959ARY. Marge's response "Hey I thought we were making real progress..."

A bit patched up, a bit packaged up in a very presentable way; however, all while being a bit oblivious to their own being.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the Christmas magic and the way the cutesy parts were displayed, the dog, the pizza party, the gorgeously decorated venue, all for a very lovely time I spent reading and escaping the year's exhausting moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This summer I was supposed to be staying in a cottage in the Lake District to celebrate my 40th birthday. Instead I had a lockdown birthday in my back garden! So I’m greedily reading all the Lake District things I can find so I can kid myself into thinking I’ve actually been this year. It’s not completely working, but it is making some good reading,
So yes, the setting of this book has a big tick from me. The gorgeous Christmassy cover has a big tick as well. The inclusion of the very affectionate Labrador (I have one of those also) gets a big tick. And finally the loving and supportive family element gets a big tick also.
What I didn’t buy into so much was the relationship of our leading lady and her previous boyfriend Connor. I never felt that Lottie was actually fully committed to the idea of accepting his proposal- I’m paraphrasing but it said something like ‘if Connor was willing to make a lifetime commitment, she was ready to meet him’. It sounded more like a business decision rather than something she desired with her whole heart. So I never got on board with how heartbroken she was supposed to be when he broke it off (not a spoiler, this happens at the start of the book). I wonder if the author deliberately downplayed this relationship to show is the reader how those two characters were not really right for each other.
Putting that aside, I did enjoy this book and think it was jam packed with all the Christmassy feels. It’s a quick and easy comforting read that’s perfect for a cold and wintery afternoon.

#asurprisechristmaswedding by @phillipa.ashleyauthor was a Christmas read I was very excited to read and couldn't wait to download it from @netgalley however, I have also brought it in paperback, I mean how could I not look how pretty the cover is!

I adored the story starting off in beautiful Cornwall for a romantic proposal then moving up to the The Lake District where an interesting romance occurs. Lottie is quite literally stuck in the middle of an awkward situation, while trying to get over her ex and move on with her life she finds herself organising her ex's wedding!!

It's the perfect plot set in a breathtaking location which @phillipa.ashleyauthor describes perfectly. I could smell the pine trees, feel the fresh mountain air on my skin and picture the setting as I turned each page, devouring the story very quickly.

After reading #asurprisechristmaswedding I would love nothing better than to spend a snowy Christmas in a cosy cottage up in the lakes.

This is a perfect Christmas read for 2020! Out in paperback in all supermarkets and bookshops now.

#review #christmasbook #christmas #christmasreview #bookblogger #chellsandbooks #asurpriseweddingforchristmas #avonpublishing

Lottie has landed her dream job as an events planner at a beautiful and newly renovated Lake District estate. After a rough year, that included getting dumped by her fiancé Connor, things are finally starting to look up, not in the least because of the arrival of Lottie's new neighbour, the handsome groundskeeper Jay. But then Lottie has to plan a last-minute wedding, right in the middle of the busy Christmas season. Making a bad situation even worse: the people getting married are Connor and his new fiancée, the glamorous and demanding Keegan. Knowing she can't refuse the job because it will help put the estate back on the map, Lottie reluctantly goes along with Connor's plan not to tell anyone they used to be engaged. But with Christmas fast approaching, will Lottie be able to keep it together long enough to pull off the perfect wedding, save the estate and maybe find a little happiness of her own along the way?

The main goal of a Christmas romance is to bring you that unique Christmassy feeling, no matter what time of the year you're reading it. This novel excelled at that. I could almost smell the firs and pines, hear the faint sounds of a Christmas choir, taste the warming mulled wine. And while some characters' behaviour and certain story twists were so over the top they simply became unbelievable, I still really enjoyed this story. I liked Lottie's bond with her sister and nieces, and I loved how she and Jay healed and grew together, despite some miscommunication and people from the past popping up at inopportune moments.

This was definitely one of the better Christmas romances I've read, and I look forward to reading more from Phillipa Ashley soon.

Is there anything better than a Christmas wedding story? This was everything I was wanting for this time of year. Absolutely adored it!

Perfect to read as we approach Christmas, a tale of family, relationships, hope & forgiveness. Definitely gets you into the Christmas spirit & also, as we look back on the year that the whole world has had to deal with, the story reminds of what is important in your life

Really enjoyed this feel good Christmas book, great story, great characters, would definitely recommend.

I loved this book. It put me right in my Christmas spirit. A nice easy read at the end of a hectic day. Definitely recommend!

I was excited to read A Surprise Christmas Wedding to get me into the holiday spirit since this year has stunk so badly but I'm now 65% in and I kinda want to choke hold Lottie the MC. She is driving me batty with her wishy-washy ways. I'm sorry but I'm done, I just can't finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. All spelling and grammar errors are totally my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

I was absolutely hooked by this book right from the get go.
Lottie is getting over a break up from her ex fiancé, Connor(her fiancé for all of 5 minutes) when he turns up at Firholme with his new fiancée, and as the new wedding / events planner, she is expected to plan their wedding, which is taking place in less than a month. Connor wants them to keep their past relationship a secret.
Lottie, is trying to juggle planning the wedding, along with helping her sister, who is battling cancer, and trying to develop a relationship with her new neighbour, Jay. As things with Jay start to get a bit more serious, Connor tries to scare him off, and Connor fiancée threatens to call off the wedding when she finds out about Lottie and Connor's past.
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. There were lots of will they, won't they moments, that kept me hooked.

Amazing book which I think is perfect to enjoy all year round as it has a lovely love story at its heart and also a really positive message about moving forward and thinking about your future.

I loved the descriptions of the hotel and the setting, it is so beautiful.

The characters are brilliantly described - Lottie is calm, sensible but also very measured and stands up for herself. Connor is really irritating and that comes across brilliantly.

I enjoyed this very much.

This is my first Phillipa Ashley story! I really enjoyed her writing style and her characters. This was exactly what I look for in a holiday romance read. I loved the setting, it made me want to book a trip to the Lake District so badly! The story had plenty of twists to keep you reading! I highly recommend grabbing this story for Christmastime! I look forward to reading more Phillipa Ashley books!

You would be forgiven for thinking that I’ve read enough Christmas stories to last me a lifetime. Forgiven but totally wrong!
This book made my heart happy for a number of reasons, but the main one was that it started in Cornwall but the rest of the book was based in the Lake District. I love the Lakes and it always provides me with warm, fuzzy feelings. This was an amazing Christmas escape and is highly recommended.
Lottie’s heart has been broken and facing her ex-fiance is not what she had in mind when she took a new job on the Firholme estate. To add insult to injury, she’s expected to pretend that they were never together and plan his wedding.
Handsome groundskeeper Jay is also nursing a broken heart, Christmas is a non-event for him as he has no intention of celebrating. He will simply stay at home in his little cottage with faithful dog, Trevor.
As part of their jobs at Firholme, they each have a free cottage and live next door to one another. Can Lottie bring the Christmas spirit back to Jay’s sad life?
The gentle friendship between Jay and Lottie was, for me, the sweetest part of this book. Two damaged hearts hoping to repair each other and protect themselves at the same time.
Firholme is a beautiful setting for this romantic, Christmas story. Set on beautiful Derwent Water with neighbouring Keswick getting honourable mentions, Phillipa Ashley has written about my favourite place.
An extra layer was brought by Lottie’s lovely relationship with her sister and nieces. Having dealt with a devastating cancer diagnosis, the previous Christmas, Lottie is determined that this Christmas will be perfect for the young family.
I do hope that you enjoy this Cumbrian book escape, I think it’s a corker!