One Winter’s Night - Kiley Dunbar

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Hera Books and Netgalley.

I haven’t read One Summer’s Night which is the prequel to this book, but Kiley has given the reader enough details to ensure that One Winter’s Night can be read as a standalone book.

Kelsey is trying to establish her photography village in Stratford, whilst also trying to maintain her long distance relationship with Jonathon. Her best friend Mirren moves down from Scotland to stay with Kelsey as she begins to put her life back together.

With last minute drama, Dunbar keeps the reader interested right up until the end of the book. Dunbar has also done a good job of leaving the book open to a sequel whilst leaving it with the option to be a standalone book.

I would recommend this as a feel good book to get you through the winter months

Rating: 4/5
This is the first book I have read by Kiley and I will be looking out for future books that she publishes.

Release Date - 16th September 2020

An easy to read, light, romantic Christmas story. The descriptions of Stratford upon Avon and the characters on the previous Shakespeare tours are great. I especially liked the character of Blythe, and felt she added a spark to the story.

WHAT A JOY!

I loved seeing Kelsey in the gorgeous Stratford upon Avon! This book is perfect cosy winter read! Also I loved the battle of career vs friends and whether love will come for Christmas! A fantastic, festive read!

I liked the cozy winter feel . I liked Kelsey and Jonathan. I liked the tone and pacing. The dialogue was okay. Cute book

"One Winter's Night" by Kiley Dunbar is a book that is a little hard to get through. I enjoyed some of the aspects, with Kelsey becoming closer to her neighbor after photographing her, and Mirren and her's relationship. But it was a little hard to get behind the characters, which might be because I hadn't read the previous novel. They provided a synopsis at the beginning of the book, but it was still a little jarring just jumping into the middle of the story as you do, with descriptions of why she loved her boyfriend so much instead of watching the relationship grow.

It is also hard to like Mirren as you find she cheated on her boyfriend more than once and has been seeking solace with dating apps. I understand trying to find yourself, but they seem to be on the older side of their 20s and while people nowadays are gaining more perspective on their life later, this seemed a little hard to get behind

The descriptions were nice, and I liked the quotes from Shakespeare peppered through out. I genuinely think I might have enjoyed this more if I had read the previous book, so check out "One Summer's Night" and then give this a look. I will definitely be checking it out myself.

**Thank you NetGalley and Hera books for the opportunity to receive this ARC for an honest review.**

Unfortunately gave up with this one. I read quatre of it. I found it was quite slow. Just didnt keep my interest. Personal preference though, don't be put off by what I think.

This is was a great book. Perfect for the summer or winter months (although I recommend the winter months as that is when it is set). Lovely and light hearted. Although I didn’t feel any connection to the characters. Whether this was because each chapter changed perspective or whether it was the fact that you started to know them 20 years into their life. You got to see their background but a lot of times it was covered over and the only focus was on the present. However, this book was fast and easy to get through. I enjoyed it and I want to see more from this set of characters. Overall, I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars as I felt the change of POV was good but I felt as though we could have spent more time on each character. It was very focused on their lives in Stratford and not so much on their lives in Scotland so it felt as though you were joining into “the conversation” half way through.

Autumn has arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Kelsey Anderson is snuggling into the warmth of her new life in Shakespeare’s birthplace. Her lifelong best friend Mirren has just arrived from Scotland, and they are eager to begin new adventures in their cozy new village. Scandal, mystery and romance unfold as autumn turns to winter.

An easy and light read, “One Winter’s Night” is a heartwarming and feel good romance.

This novel is second in a series and follows “One Summer’s Night” but can also be enjoyed as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for a complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the continuation of Kelsey’s story in Stratford Upon Avon. Her story with Jonathan continue with them having a long distance relationship. The focus of the story center around Kelsey’s new friend and the mystery surrounding her: Blythe. And together with Mirren, Kelsey’s best friend, they attempted to solve the mystery and along the way they discover that they unearthed things that involved Jonathan and family.

The story begin slowly and it seems to dragged on but it get better at the mid story. Overall it is a happy read for me.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54825319

Before even reading the first official sentence in Chapter One, I was fond of the author's use of Shakespeare quotes at the top of the page. I love how the author used quotes that not only reminisced about the excellent works of the playwright and fitting with the location of the novel, but it also correlated to each piece of the story.

As a side-note, you do not need to read One Summer's Night (#1) in the series in order to understand the events in this novel. The author inserts tidbits into her story to catch the reader up, which helps those of us who haven't read the first one (Unfortunately, I am one of them, but will soon remedy that). Another positive point is that it doesn't go too much into detail for the recaps which is beneficial to those that did read the first novel. However, when they discuss events from the first novel such as Kelsey and Jonathan's love story, you feel like you're missing out.

This novel makes me want to pack my bags and move straight to Stratford-upon-Avon. Kelsey and her new love Jonathan must navigate long distance as he is off acting overseas. Her best friend Mirren has sworn off of men and has come to stay with Kelsey. The magic of winter provides the backdrop to this double feature Hallmark movie where we get to simultaneously observe the obstacles Kelsey and Mirren each face.

Despite the title of One Winter's Night, the story takes place after the last novel left off so we move through the fall, winter, and some of the spring/summer season. Kelsey is trying to set up her photography business, have her long distance relationship, and be there for her friends. Mirren is trying to put her life back together while also trying to establish herself as a more serious journalist. Jonathan is acting and teaching overseas while counting the days to see Kelsey again. Adrian is a journalist who befriends Mirren and, like her, has sworn off dating for his own reasons. As we navigate between the foursome, we get a well-rounded story that wraps up everything nicely in the end while leaving it just open enough for another sequel.

One smaller issue I had sometimes while reading were the phrasings Jonathan uses as they weren't American sayings/word choices (no state/place I have ever been to has been that way, but I did hear them a lot around the UK and Ireland). It wasn't a huge issue though, it was just something I would notice while reading. If you read this novel for what it is, then it is the perfect feel-good book. However, if you go into it expecting more, then you might come away disappointed. I'll reiterate that the novel is similar to a holiday Hallmark movie where coincidences happen that don't seem as probable and there will be conflicts that might be wrapped up differently than you, as a reader prefer. This is what I loved about this book though as I read it for what it was and left with that warm and fuzzy feeling. I shall definitely be reading more from this author!

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Having enjoyed One Summer’s Night and it being the reason Kiley Dunbar became an auto read for me, when I discovered she was writing a follow-up featuring the same characters, I was cockahoop.

“Everyone gets a second chance at Christmas.”

Spanning several months, Christmas plays its part, but so does Halloween and Valentine’s Day so I wouldn’t label this a festive read as such. And picking up pretty much where we left off, Kelsey’s dreams have come true with her counting the days until Jonathan returns to Stratford for good, and with distance comes loneliness but when her BFF, Mirren turns up, life becomes a little easier and more interesting.

“You can shove your boys’ club up your tweedy, hypocritical arses. Put a kilt on that...”

I liked Mirren before but she really comes into her own this time around as she lands on the doorstep of the one person who loves her for who she is. She’s complex and wonderful but despite all her front she’s hurting and her experiences, particularly having experienced an element of it myself fairly recently, sock a punch but the way it’s handled does nothing short of offer validation.

“They realise what matters in life – love and company and happiness – and they give in to it. They let themselves be happy and they never regret it.”

With familiar, beloved characters as well as new ones introduced, One Winter’s Night brings a little bit of everything from romance and drama to lovely locations in both England and Scotland. All in all a lovely conclusion to these ladies’ stories and whilst it can be read as a stand-alone, I have to recommend reading both.

This is set in two beautiful areas of the UK and couldn't be more different. Lovely plot and leaves you wanting more. I haven't read the first book but I intend to and I also hope that there may be more to come. Very well described and you can just picture every detail of this novel. 5 stars are well earned.

A lovely heart warming read.
A tale of family and friends, relationships and losses, people coming together while being pulled apart.
This story will pull you in, you will become entwined in the lives of Kelsey and Mirren. Things start off a little slowly but as the story develops you fall in love with the characters and want them to succeed in everything they do.
There are lots of levels to this story, dealing with very different family dynamics and problems that each family faces.
I loved the feeling of being in this story, in a sense that the author describes the town and everything in it so well. You can visualise the streets, the riverside, the shops and theatres. I love how you get a feel of living in a place such as Stratford with all its history.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves a romantic, light hearted read, one to just get yourself lost in for a little while.


Thank you to Netgallery, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

One Winter's Night by Kiley Dunbar
Publisher: Hera Books
Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
Release Date: September 16, 2020
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This is a stand-alone novel that follows "One Summer's Night" by Kiley Dunbar about Kelsey Anderson and her best friend Mirren. It can easily be read without reading "One Summer's Night".

The book moved a little slow for my taste. I enjoyed reading about the two main characters, but had trouble getting invested in the story.

It was an uplifting and happy read. I also enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere and the Shakespeare theme.

I'm so grateful for NetGalley and Hera Books who provided me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really enjoyable read! I haven't read the first book, but I think Dunbar provides enough introduction to the characters and stories that it can be a standalone. I thought that Stratford-Upon-Avon was a wonderful choice for a setting, and it is a great backdrop for some fascinating characters.

I loved this first book and I loved this one as well. Kelsey is a very likable character and I love following her story. I love all things Christmas and this book was a big LOVE for me.

I enjoyed this book, but having not read the previous book, I felt that whilst the story was a stand-alone that I still missed out on the developed relationship of Kelsey and Johnathan from the previous book. The first half of the book I thought was a bit slow - maybe due to my previous reason - but the underlying messages in this book were strong and heartfelt. Mirren dealing with her own self confidence and self worth, realising that other people’s opinions of her aren’t always true and accurate and she needs to believe in herself more.
Blythe was a wonderful character and I loved her heart and how she came more alive as the story progressed. Some great plot twists with Adrian who I enjoyed reading about.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
I am glad that I ordered the prequel to this to read first as it gave the back story to Kelsey's relationship with Jonathan and also with her father and I would recommend reading them in order.
I enjoyed the characters and getting to know Mirren more in this book and enjoyed the settings and the Shakespeare tales within.
A well written, heart warming romance.

Thank you for letting me read, the advanced copy of Winter's Night by Kiley Dunbar. I read the previous book about Kelsey, One Summers Night, and loved that book too. I love winter and Christmas stories, this book was so good. Kelsey's best friend Mirren comes to stay in Scotland, and joins the dating scene, especially one suitor in particular.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!