I loved this book! Holly is told to take a month off from her hospital duties after she got in a big argument over care for a patient. She leaves London for a small island in Norway where her brother Jack lives. Tor wants to get away from his life in Oslo, so he rents a house on the same island and is known as the hermit since he insists on keeping to himself. All that changes when he finds Holly out in the dark and saves her from walking off a cliff. I felt like I was living in the cold and dark of the island and enjoyed the friendly, vibrant community. The Christmas traditions, activities, and food taught me a lot about Norway and added to the delight of the book. The special relationships between Holly and her brother and his family, Tor and Holly, and Jack’s neighbors contributed to a great book.

Holly is hoping to start her new job, being a doctor is something she has worked so hard for so long for. Something has happened that is keeping her from starting and has to wait to find out whether she is able to continue in her career.

Whilst she is waiting her brother Jack has invited her to his home off the coast of Norway for a bit of time to herself. He is away in Spain visiting his in laws.

When she lands she is rescued by the island hermit Tor and his cat Froy, after she nearly falls off a cliff. Whilst everyone thinks Tor is a bit strange, he and Holly strike up a beautiful friendship with a few unexpected feelings added in for good measure. Neither want these extra feelings arising, having both been burned in the past.

Holly gets involved in the island life and settles into a routine. She helps out with Jack's stall at the Christmas market and becomes part of the island family.

This story is filled with love, friendship, families and lots of food. It made me hungry. I was kept wanting to know more and kept turning pages to find out if the romance blossomed (I wont tell you cos that will just be mean) but it is a beautiful read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sometimes we forget what it means loving someone; it’s not only saying the word everyday but being there when needed, believe in the others dreams and never disrespect our partner.
This is a romance book, not with a high passion in it but with tenderness and friendship; Holly and Tor have never met before but their connection will change their lives forever. I have to say I really enjoyed this book; it was sweet, full of cosy moments and with some really delicious food!
The story felt real and beautiful, two people that the world had let down will heal each other with the help of a big cat and beautiful landscapes; what more can we ask? I liked how all the village accepted Holly, even if they haven’t met her before, knowing her brother is enough to trust her and welcome her; it’s not something that we see often, but I think we all should learn from it.
I’ll admit that the ending was a little bit rushed, maybe we will see more of these characters and we’ll know how they continue their lives? How the summer affects the life of all the villagers and the food in that season!
I have a complaint, there were no recipes in all the book, but there’s so much food detailed in the story that I need to know where I can find the recipes (or buy them). I finished this story famished, eager for sweet cakes and hot chocolate!
This is a great book to read on a cold day, in your favorite spot and with a warm drink in your hands, you’ll not want to leave Christmas Island, ever!
Ready?

An enjoyable story st on a remote Norwegian island. I loved the descriptions of all the Norwegian cakes. It was let down by a rather weak main character - she seemed rather dizzy for a supposedly high flying doctor! Otherwise an easy read.

This was a fun quick read, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were strong and the plot was interesting. I really liked the descriptions of all of the Norwegian food and Christmas traditions.
4 stars.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute book. It was a quick read and had the feel of a Hallmark movie. You know how it’s going to end, but you enjoy the ride nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
Well this is a Christmas romance that stands out as something a little bit different from the usual. It’s set in Norway for a start, and it’s written by someone who lives there as well, so I think we can trust the references as authentic. I certainly wouldn’t know any different. I have enjoyed learning Norwegian Christmas traditions and all the different foods- I think this is a good book for all the foodies out there as there’s plenty of descriptions and recipes at the end.
I found the romance quiet and calm, and not too dramatic. I know some people want more passion and drama, but for me, I quite appreciate a bit of calm in amongst all the usual Christmas craziness. And like I say, I really liked the Norwegian setting for this quiet stillness.
There’s quite a bit of emotional back story for both of our romantic leads so there’s plenty to invest and connect with. I found that the writing flowed really easily as well. Overall I really enjoyed this sweet romance and would be interested in reading more from this author.

🌌 Hoping for more romance

3.5-4🌟 stars
This story held the promise of a good romantic plot but it got overwhelmed by the seemingly inexhaustible mountains of Norwegian Christmas treats.

I really wanted more of loner Tor and his feline sidekick. There's obviously a reason the fellow hides himself away but once his reason was finally revealed it was quickly back to the Christmas festivities. Holly's secret reason for abandoning London for a holiday on the island was also briefly explained well into the story and quickly passed over. Their slow build romance just had a lot of distractions and not much depth or focus on their developing relationship for me.

The author has provided a pretty detailed picture of Norwegian culinary traditions during the bleak, dark and cold lead up to Christmas. Educational, but it gave me a food hangover and a sugar rush just reading about the endless parade of pastries!

The loveliest parts of the book involved adorable toddler Rosie and the island kids; Tor revealing his feelings and thoughts; and the bittersweet end to their holiday with its aftermath. I would have enjoyed the book more with larger helpings of these and less food talk. I preferred Summer Island, the author's romance about Holly's brother Jack and Ninni although this finale did pack some good emotional content.

Thanks to publishers Harper Collins/One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

There was no real drama driving the story forward so it felt flat the whole way through. Also, Holly’s picky eating really got annoying after a while and it was hard to believe that someone was that picky. I mean to find think something could be weird with porridge or waffles? Yeah, I wasn’t buying that. DNF because I got bored and skimmed ahead to the end.

This was exactly what I needed leading up into the Christmas season! It had the perfect amount of Christmas cheer/ambience without being completely over the top. I enjoyed learning about another culture's Christmastime traditions, foods and celebrations. I enjoyed that our hero and heroine built up their friendship/relationship naturally, I enjoyed their banter and how they seemed to genuinely want to get to know one another. I also appreciated the supporting cast of characters - including the animals! The romance is clean, and very sweet and I really enjoyed it.

Just finished reading CHRISTMAS ISLAND by Natalie Norman.

If you are looking for a cozy holiday romance on a remote island, with a side of deliciously described desserts, then this one is for you.

Holly is on her way to visit her brother in Norway for the holidays and to escape her busy London lifestyle. She's also there for a distraction, to get her mind off some important news she's awaiting about her job.

But her vacation doesn't exactly go as planned when she arrives and her brother isn't there to greet her, she nearly stumbles off the edge of a cliff in the dark. Holly is saved by Frøy, a huge fluffy lion like cat and and his grumpy owner, Tor. Tor is also known around town as the island hermit, there to escape his own woes. But when his cat saves Holly he can't seem to get her off his mind. These two eventually become each other’s escape from reality, and it's pretty cute.

A cute Christmas read! I kinda just wanted a bit more detail in the romance scenes 😋, and a bit more character development.
(⭐⭐⭐💫/5)

2.5* I hate giving low ratings for books, but I have to do it this time. Christmas Island is a story with a fantastic concept but poor execution unfortunately.

Escaping from work drama back in London, Holly decides to spend the Christmas holiday on a small island in Norway where her brother lives. Upon arriving on the island, Holly gets lost in the dark and ice slush and almost falls off a cliff before being saved by Frøy, a Norwegian forest cat and the best character in the book, and Tor, his human and resident hermit. Over the next couple of weeks, Holly starts to draw Tor back into the village life as she explores the island and makes friends with the locals.

I really, really wanted this book to be good- I mean it has giant cats, a holiday in Norway, and a bearded recluse for a love interest, so I should have loved it, but I could never get into the story or believe Tor and Holly's romance. I enjoyed some of the characters, but I honestly felt like I was wandering around with blinders on for the whole story because of the limited descriptions for the scenery and the characters' actions. There is one point where I re-read a passage literally 4 times to see what I missed because Holly talks about a near kiss that honestly wasn't even sort of hinted at in the scene.

The food was the one part that was described really well, and I liked that recipes were included at the end for those that were intrigued by the food in the story.

I know I'm in the minority with my review, but I wouldn't recommend this book except to die-hard holiday romance fans.

This was such a lovely cozy winter read! I was immediately drawn in by the cover - yes, I am someone who does judge the book by the cover, at least at first. Then when I read the blurb, I knew this was one I had to snatch up. For those of you who are reading this from the US and are hesitant if the reading will be heavy with British English lingo, it's actually not at all. It's very easy to read, I didn't have to look up anything, which I normally have to do some of when reading UK romance books. When I learned this was only the second book written in English by this author, I was eager to see what story she would bring, and I absolutely loved it. It's very rare that I read any books set in Norway. In fact, I think this may be the first! I always enjoy learning something new when reading romance, and this book was full of really interesting facts about Norwegian history and folklore. It is a closed-door romance, with all the sexy times happening "off screen," so to speak. Whether that's your thing or not, I still suggest you give it a try. It was a read perfect for this time of year and a great comfy book for when you're feeling down.

All Holly Greene needs is some peace and relaxation, after an incident at work causes her to worry for her future as a doctor. Invited to her brother's home on an island in Norway, she hopes the distraction of the holidays and her new niece will prove the balm she needs. When she arrives, however, her brother isn't home, and she is forced to try to find his home based on directions he provided her. In the pitch black of the night, she takes a wrong turn and is saved from a drop off a cliff by a crazy looking cat and his gruff owner. Tor Ruude rented the cottage on the island as a way to escape his problems on the mainland, and he wants nothing to do with people, particularly not a woman. However, as he continues to run into her, he becomes intrigued against his will. Soon they are spending more time together, and the interested blossoms into something more. However, neither live on the island and so both must eventually leave. Will this be a romance for a season or will their love surpass all odds? It's Christmas, after all, and anything can happen.

Holly and Tor were absolutely lovely. I loved reading about each of them, and I found that both characters were well developed with great backstories that gave them color and mutual understanding. Holly was a sweetheart, clearly wanting to help others and be a doctor in London, and it was so sad to read about what happened to make her doubt her future. Tor was heart-hurt as well, from a previous relationship that left him mourning what could have been, and yet he still took care of a cat that drove him crazy and took time to make a young woman who felt out of sorts feel comfortable. His mannerisms were very blunt, which was a great contrast to Holly's softer way of communicating, but together they made a well-suited pair. I loved the folklore written into the story as well, such as the Norwegian version of the English brownie (not the food but the mischief-making creature that lives in your home). I also thought it was interesting how the author explained the Norwegian people of old lived, along with a theory of why the Vikings traveled away so much. I never knew how isolated people could be there, and it was eye-opening.

Now I really want to visit Norway, and in a pandemic, I guess now I have all the to plan my trip. I will definitely be reading this author's first English book, and I look forward to the next!

I read Summer Island by Natalie Normann shortly before it came out earlier this year, and immediately fell in love with the tiny Norwegian island with its beautiful landscape, adorable dog, and cast of characters I couldn’t help but root for. I was thrilled when I heard Normann was coming out with a book in time for the holidays, and even more so when I realized I would get to revisit that island and all the characters I had come to know and love in the first book!

Christmas Island follows the sister of Jack, the MC of Summer Island, who is running away from her life (with the added benefit of visiting her brother for the holidays) and finds herself crossing paths with the town hermit - much to their mutual delight. This book is a charming closed door romance with coziness, a cat who is a character in his own right, and so many delightful descriptions of Norwegian holiday food and traditions! As always Normann left me wishing I could hop on a plane and visit Norway immediately - I’m hoping we’ll soon be getting another island romance (about a certain schoolteacher, perhaps?)

I was looking for a cozy, light Christmas book...basically a Hallmark movie between the covers, and found it in Christmas Island.
Holly travels to a remote island off the coast of Norway to her brother's home for the holidays, meets a mysterious grumpy hermit, makes some local friends, eats interesting Norwegian food, and befriends a huge cat. It's all very predictable, but perfectly suited for your light holiday reading list.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Holly, after the years of hard work it took her to become a doctor,, only now, it looks like it could be taken away, through her own fault.

So, retreating she goes to her brother’s a rustic home, one that’s on an island off the coast of Norway. .

Only, it’s not as she expected, it’s middle of winter and icy slush plus endless darkness isn’t exactly the type of festive getaway she had thought she’d find.

After, almost stumbling off the edge of a cliff in pitch dark, Holly is saved by Frøy, who is a yellow-eyed cat of fearsome, but in fluffy proportions, but she sees, that his owner – whose grouchy, looks like a bearded recluse by the name of Tor.

Tor, it seems has his own problems to face, Holly appears to be getting him out of being the recluse, and he finds himself with wanting to leave freshly baked gingerbread men on her doorstep.

So, it looks like Holly’s visit to the island is making the winter they are having anything but bleak.

An enjoyable read.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: November 30, 2020

While this is a wonderfully cozy holiday book filled with delicious Christmas treats and plentiful holiday cheer and traditions, it misses the mark for me.

We start with an intriguing introduction but then the novel moves at a snails pace until halfway through. Five stars for the setting. Wonderfully developed and explained in detail, I often felt like I could be there. Four stars foe the townspeople. How joyous they all seem! Three stars for our breakout star, the cat!

Two stars for our main character Tor. What’s not to love about a handsome Viking at Christmas?! It was the confusion for me. His inner monologue spends so much time dwelling on how much he wants to avoid human contact, legitimately frets over her hugging him, and then with no build up at all he’s suddenly grabbing her hand and dragging her around the holiday market. Also, he makes the first move? What changed? It’s not explained in the book and was just completely unbelievable.

One lonely star for our main character Holly. First of all, she laughs all the time. This may seem like a strange comment but when I say all the time, I mean all the time. I’m as perplexed as Tor is about it. I legitimately have no clue what she thinks is funny.

She also seems a bit naive, closed minded, and unworldly. For someone who is a doctor in London, I would think she would be a bit more refined and be more open minded. Her pickiness with food is a bit childish. She also constantly comments on how strange Tor is but...he just isn’t that strange so it makes me think she’s the strange one.

Finally, the “big reveal” as to why Tor and Holly were both on the island was dangled so much in the first half of the book with no solid hints, that I could have cared less when we found out. It was too late to tell me at that point, it honestly didn’t matter for the story, and it wasn’t as bad as it seemed it should be.

In the end? If you want an easy, holiday read filled with Norwegian Christmas cheer, this could be for you. The romance is rated safe for children (their kisses come across about as cold as the weather in Norway) but there are some bonus recipes at the end!

Holly Jumps on a ferry’s headed for an island off the coast of Norway to visit her brother and his family. Her life has revolved around her study to become a doctor and she has only met her niece once. So after being forced to take leave this is the perfect escape from reality.

Her arrivals wasn’t glamorous, she drops her phone in the snow and it gets water damaged and dies and she very quickly realised she lost on a island with not street lights. When she’s about to give up and cat named Frøy arrives and consequently saves her from falling off a cliff. His owner not far behind. Tor (the hermit) doesn’t socialise on the island he is there for some much needed alone time.

The two play a game of cat and mouse and begin spending time together whilst holy waits for her brother and his family to arrive home from visiting her brothers wife’s mother. The two explore the island and venture out together and Holly begins to see why her brother left London for this beautifully cold place.

Knowing their time must come to an end they make the most of it. Both helping each other in ways they don’t even realise. Is she willing to leave everything she’s worked for to be with him and had he spend enough time alone to realise she’s worth showing up for?

This was such a fun, cozy read!! Some of the writing felt a little stilted, especially when talking about their past, and I thought the ending was awkward, but that still didn't distract me from the fact that this book was absolutely precious. I loved the setting, I loved the side characters, and most importantly, I loved the cat!! This was an excellent read to get me in the holiday spirit.

The characters are so cozy....flawed and in need of a second chance, which they find in each other. What I loved even more than the characters, however, was the setting. The author does a fantastic job of transporting you to Norway, with the scenic descriptions and cultural inclusions in the text, that it makes you feel like you've visited...and certainly want to go for real! I did not know until the end that this is part of a series (so definitely works well as a stand alone), and will want to go back now and see how it all began...