This story is set in Norway and filled with the rich tapestry of local culture and traditions. The warmth of the Island people was almost palpable and the relationship between all of the characters was well worked and believable. The ending seemed a bit abrupt but maybe that was because I was so absorbed in the story that I didn't want it to end. Different to the usual "chick lit" Christmas stories I read and I'd like to read more by this author.

Thank you to One More Chapter for inviting me to read the book. I didn’t realise until I started the book, that this follows on from Summer Island, but the main characters are new and I was able to read this without having read Summer Island.

Holly has escaped London and travelled to Norway to rest and reflect on what happened at work. Tor has escaped Oslo and is enjoying the solitude, until he saves a weary Holly, with assistance from a cute cat. Can Holly help Tor escape his self imposed exile and can Tor help Holly learn about Norwegian food and customs?

The story is set over the Christmas period, as Holly looks forward to spending Christmas with her older brother Jack, the main character in Summer Island and features food, friendship, romance and furry four legged friends.

I enjoyed my virtual visit to Norway and must admit that I’m now tempted to visit Norway once the global pandemic is over, to try all the fabulous sweet treats. Thanks to Natalie Normann for a festive treat of a story.

This was a great bit of Christmas escapism. Enjoyable story, lovely characters and a happy ending, what more could I want?!

This one was hard for me. I feel like there was so much promise but it just didn’t come through fully. The main characters had like zero connection and it just seemed so childish when it came to talking about sex or anything even somewhat adult.. Could have been put together better for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title before its publication date.

This was my first read by Natalie Normann and the cover and premise definitely pulled me in. This follows Holly, a Londoner who takes to the small Norwegian island where her brother lives for the holidays after an embarrassing and possible career-ending scene at her position at a hospital. Naturally, she meets a grumpy man who comes to the island to escape his former relationship in Oslo and the two strike up a friendship and more.

I thought this was cute and enjoyable. I preferred the first half to the second as I feel like it went on a little long and once the two leads "got together" I felt like they lost all chemistry. But it was still lovely to read and had LOTS of talk and descriptions of Norwegian holiday food .If you like a contemporary romance centered around food, I would definitely check this one out!

The perfect cosy festive read. I adored this story especially the setting. A young doctor escapes to Norway to house sit for her brother. Whilst there she comes across a “Norwegian Hermit” who is nursing a broken heart. The chemistry between the two MC’s is undeniable. The island community sounds so unique but finding out about Norwegian traditions and their food was insightful. I Would definitely recommend this for a festive read.

This book was really hard to get into and the main characters didn't seem like their chemistry was real.

Holly is escaping professional embarrassment by spending Christmas with her brother on a remote island. Not sure Holly understands what that means when she actually arrives there and thinks nothing of setting off on foot in the dark and the cold. What could possibly go wrong?

Holly and Tor, and the beast called Froy aren't really what you would expect in a Christmas story, but then they come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and shades. I say shades because it isn't exactly a light jovial jingle bell story, but it does have its funny moments even if it takes place in an area that is quite cold and dark.

I liked the way Normann plotted the story. It gives the romantics what they want, but holds off on the magical elf dust. It becomes more of a two people meeting under peculiar circumstances and fighting a mutual attraction. There are dangerous cliffs in the dark and predatory cats that follow ladies who sing in the dark, which is the comedy that balances the more argumentative and somber moments.

It's a story with a strong Nordic vibe with beautiful descriptive passages on the surroundings, and yet it has all the ingredients of a romantic Xmas read set in any other setting, which makes it a bit of something for everyone read - oh and those with a hankering for Viking like hermits who are guarded by large cats.

Oh, and Froy needs his own book. Just saying

This was really sweet. Very PG, no steam, just sweet Christmassy love, set in a lovely, chilly island off the coast of Norway. This isn't a romance that will get your heart racing, but in between a slow burning falling into love story you'll learn so much about Norwegian Christmas traditions. I lived in Germany for a few years and I loved recognising Nordic versions of some of the traditions I experienced in Germany. Food, food, food and lots of laughter and friends and family.

I wasn't keen on Holly when we first met her at the beginning; she seemed unnecessarily judgy and harsh, but Tor softened her right up. I love how gently they fall in love rather than slamming into it like a light switch.

This is an absolutely delightful Christmas read that leaves you feeling perfectly cozy and conent.

What a cosy and sweet novel! As sweet as all those baked goods they eat for Christmas.

In this story we meet Holly, Jack's sister (he's one of the main characters from Summer Island). She needs a change of air, because of something that happened at work. This isn't revealed until 70% of the book, so we have to wonder what might have happened for a long time. Holly is a doctor and she's been working in London. After "the incident", the hospital has suspended her until they decide what to do with her. Her father thought it was better for her to visit Jack's family at the island, that it would do her good.

Once she's at the island, she meets all the lovely people that made Jack feel at home. She learns about Norwegian customs, eats plenty of food, especially Christmas baked goods and meets a peculiar "viking" and his Norwegian Forest cat.

I warn you that you'll end up drooling after reading so much about Norwegian food, especially the Christmas sweets. The good thing is that the author has included some recipes at the end of the book. I'm defenitely making some. In fact, every time I read I couldn't help looking for the food on the internet.

A perfect book for this Christmas/Yule time. I totally recommend it.

Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Natalie Norman did such a wonderful job painting a beautiful picture of Norway (I've never read a book with this backdrop location before!) and I want to visit during Christmas (and make sure I have appropriate winter clothing!). This book follows Holly, a UK doctor who was put on leave (doesn't give specifics) and leaves to visit her brother in Norway. I enjoyed the relationship between Holly and Tor, and Norman did a great job of writing his character out that I needed to read more about Tor's past.

Absolutely wonderful Christmas fuzzy feel book. Thanks Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this book!

Christmas Island is a cosy story about Holly and Tor finding each other when it's the last thing they think they need.

Holly goes to the island to get away from a work situation and spend the holidays with her brother and his family. She meets Tor by accident and they gradually get to know each other and explore what's going on between them. Tor has come to the island to avoid people and wallow in isolation with his stud of a cat Frøy. I really liked Tor's character and found him to be endearing with some pretty hilarious one liners. His relationship with Frøy was fun to read.

This was an easy read, just a bit slow in places, but on the whole I found it quite entertaining.

Quite atmospheric, the descriptions of the people and the environment made me feel as if I was on a Norwegian island. The outcome was predictable but he journey there was less so. It was easy reading.

I really enjoyed this one, I love visiting different places in books, that's what reading is all about for me, escapism.
I like all of the characters very much and felt that they were very real, having been to Norway a couple of years ago.

The setting was perfect and well described and I liked learning about the different foods, and the recipes at the book were a really nice touch.

All in all a lovely cosy read.

Cute concept but very blah in the execution. Main character was the quintessential city person that can’t cope alone or in a new place - incredibly annoying. Tor seemed like an interesting character but once again failed to live up to expectation. Very blah, wouldn’t recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the free ebook.
Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The romance between Tor and Holly wasn’t believable and everything about the book felt one dimensional. I did like Froy the cat though.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advanced copy of this book.

Christmas Island was everything I needed to read as I headed to my parents for Christmas. It was a wonderful, festive escape, full of warmth and love, and I honestly couldn't put it down!

When I picked this book up I didn't realize that this was the second in a series, but that didn't stop me from buying the first one after I finished reading this delightful book. I loved escaping to the small Norwegian island with Holly and Tor.

What I loved about this book:

1. I love a small town setting so this particular aspect of the book absolutely kept my attention. Reading about the island and its community made yearn for small town living.

2. Holly and Tor had a spark from their very first meeting. Their connection felt genuine and real so it was so easy to swoon over their holiday romance. Did I mention Tor's adorable cat? Frøy gave this book a little extra personality and humor.

3. If this book is any indication, Norwegian Christmases are celebrated with a bunch of sweets. Seriously, where do I sign up because my sugar loving self was drooling my way through this book. If you have a sweet tooth like I do, make sure to have a treat or two close by.

This was a quick, but heartwarming read about healing from heartbreak and finding your people. You should definitely pick this one up if you like a holiday romance with a swoony viking and a great setting.

What an absolute delight. I reader Natalie Normann´s Summer Island in the height of COVID and could not have loved or recommended it more. I am not typically a big romance reader, but the settings and characters were absolutely delightful. This time we come back to the same island during wintertime, with Jack´s sister Holly as our main character. She is a successful doctor who might lose everything, so she heads to Norway over Christmas, there she meets a hairy recluse named Tor. This is such a heart warming romance, with a great location. I hope I will get to go back to the island in another book!

Christmas Island was a lovely cozy romance to sink into at the start of December. The story follows Holly as she retreats from London after a work disciplinary to spend Christmas on a remote Norwegian island with her brother and his family – and is rescued from an almost-winter accident by the island’s resident recluse, Tor.

Although I did enjoy Christmas Island (I love rom coms and Christmas, so it’s an easy sell for me!), I didn’t feel like I was truly lost in the story. I loved learning about Norway’s Christmas traditions, and actually enjoyed the family and community storylines more than the central love story. (Although I should point out that after I read Christmas Island, I found out it’s the second book in a series – which explains why I sometimes felt I was missing something!).