I really loved this book, it was warm, romantic and delightfully festive. it felt totally fresh, I haven't felt anything quite like it before. genuinely one of the most joyous and clever books i havbe read in such a long time .

This was an interesting concept and I did enjoy the way the story unfolded, it was confusing at the beginning as there were so many characters and names and they seemed to be introduced very quickly, I suspect there may be a second book as it did end very quickly.

This was so delightful and reminded me of Lucy Parker. Fun, Christmasy and Jane Austen, with great characters and fun setting. I loved it!

The second book in this series, Emma is organising the Christmas season, dating events with a Regency twist. Will helping others stand in the way of her own happiness though?

I wanted so badly to love this book, the cover and the premise of the book drew me in and I was really excited to dive in and get a doze of Christmas in the midst of summer. However, this ended up being a DNF at 20% for me which is super rare, it just didn't work for me. There were a lot of characters and I had a hard time keeping them straight. Personally I would have liked for the story to be a series and focus on less characters at a time and I think it would have been easier for me personally to connect with the book had it been written in first person.

This is such a fun story! If you are a fan of Jane Austen and Christmas you will adore this one! I can't wait until I have my christmas tree up and i can give this one a re read!

I loved this book and being about Christmastime made it all the better. I can think of several people who will be waking up on Christmas morning to find a copy of this book in their stocking. A real modern take on an old classic and I really recommend this. Well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Emma is no ordinary matchmaker. She inspires her work from Jane Austen's times more than from Tinder. The Season, the social gatherings, the courtships. And she's got her work cut out for her during this Christmas season.
This book follows A Season for Love, but can be read as a standalone. I thought this would be more romcom-y, but there are so many characters in this matchmaking universe that it was hard to keep any of them in focus. The concept was great, but I would've preferred this to be a series where we follow only one couple at a time, go more in depth, have more character and relationship development. This one was not for me, but the concept was fun and the read was quick.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This read put me in the Christmas mood! I devoured it so quickly! I really enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to recommend it as a Christmas read!

An engaging, enjoyable novel This is the second book from Ally Sinclair in the dating series. Emma runs a dating business with her step brother Josh. She is in a relationship with Tom. The dating business is a whole new move away from dating apps that just require the members to swipe right or left. Members sign up to a dating season, in the manner of a Jane Austen novel. A series of Christmas themed events are planned that allow people to get to know one another. The novel follows that progress of twins Grace and Connie, Hope and Theo. Grace shares a flat with the twins and Tom is her best friend. Hope didn't find match in the first book and Emma is determined that in this seasons events, she will finally meet her match. So she offers Hope four free tickets to the season, which she duly gives to the twins and Tom. Each of the characters has a back story which we see slowly revealed through the novel. This is an engaging novel and interesting characters, with enough of a good story line to keep the reader engaged throughout. The course of true love doesn't run smoothly and there are more than a few wrinkles to iron out before the end of the book. Ally has left enough of an ongoing story for a third novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, the views and opinions are entirely my own.

The Christmas Season by Ally Sinclair

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

You are cordially invited to your Happy Ever After... Emma Love is a matchmaker who believes in old fashioned courtship, over swiping left or right. She's inspired by Jane Austen, Bridgerton and a thousand and one perfect romance stories, where matches were made at elegant soirees and not by sliding into your intended's DMs. This year, Emma is inviting you to a very special social season, where a hopeful singleton might find their own Mr Darcy waiting under the mistletoe. At a series of glamorous, festive, and, most importantly, romantic events, Emma is making it her mission to find love for everyone this Christmas Season. How will she fare trying to find perfect matches for the Price twins, both too busy trying to outdo the other to ever look for love? Can she encourage the sexy Season rake, Theo, to change his ways? And what of Hope Lucas, who Emma has failed to match before, but who still has faith that Mr Right is out there? And with Emma so focused on finding everybody else’s happy ever after, is she at risk of letting her own perfect match slip away? Welcome to the Christmas Season.

My Opinion

This is short, fun, light-hearted read. Ally has written this using four different perspectives but it was easy enough to follow and worked quite well. This is a festive book, but it could be read at any time of the year.

Ally Sinclair was a new author for me - I haven't read the first book in the series, but I was able to keep up. I have already added the first book in the series to my want to read mountain. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that was easy to finish in a few hours. This would make a great festive book to read curled up under a blanket.

Rating: 4/5

My first Christmas read and review of 2023, and what a book to start with!

The Christmas Season is a gorgeous winter warmer, full of heart and romance with a difference...matchmaking!

Emma is on a mission to pair everyone with their perfect partner using old fashioned courtship and gets her inspo from reading way to many regency romance novels.

Throughout the story conjures up magical images and scenes reminiscent of a Victorian style Christmas. Multi-layered with a colourful cast of characters and their intertwining stories of relationships, family and friends,

The Christmas Season is an enjoyable, easy read experience to immerse yourself in for several hours and fill you with festive cheer.

I found this to be very enjoyable. The characters were a lot of fun. You have Emma Love, who is a matchmaker that inherited this gene from her mom. Her brother, Josh, met his now wife, Annie, at a matchmaking event. He works with Emma running the Season, which Emma designed to be like a Regency romance with mini events right before Christmas. Hope is the one that Emma didn't get a match for in her last event, so she gives her 4 free passes. She gives them to Theo, her best friend from college, and her twin cousins that she lives with, Grace & Connie, who are identical but total opposites. Needless to say, this leads to many fun, romantic, engaging storylines. Highly recommend this one.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Planning a Christmas season of matchmaking based around Regency-era events proves to be something of a challenge for Emma – the more familiar festive touches came from Victorian times, but with her customary inventiveness and attention to detail (some might call it obsessive…) her programme of events gets underway. As in the first wonderful book in this series – with you really don’t need to have read, but then why wouldn’t you? – the story focuses on the individuals looking for love. Hope was one of last season’s matchmaking failures, gifted a second attempt at finding love, with free tickets also provided for three of her single friends. Theo, a bit of a player, is her very best friend, always there when she needs him – and she shares a home with twins Grace and Connie, who both engage with differing degrees of enthusiasm and commitment. And this becomes Emma’s story too – while she has a rather special touch in finding matches for others, her own relationship is experiencing some challenges in being the “happy ever after” she’d hoped for.

Grace and Connie – the twins – are very different people. Connie is the unconventional, more anarchic of the pair – who resents Grace’s need to control, to achieve everything with such ease, and far too often apologise for her sister’s behaviour. But that confidence and control proves to be something of an illusion – and, after quite a journey, both sisters eventually gain a greater sense of worth and self-knowledge through their experiences as part of the season. Theo’s lack of commitment provides Emma with something of a challenge – but Hope really is looking for love, although perhaps in the wrong place.

The different events are just wonderful – the afternoon tea with its seating challenges, the Christmas-themed crafting session with all its many undercurrents, the ice-skating event with families and friends invited, the Christmas Eve ball to end it all in the most fitting way possible. And the characters are quite superbly drawn – some initially less than likeable, but becoming very close to your heart – and the threads of their individual storylines, which could so easily have become confusing, beautifully distinctive and perfectly controlled. The story-telling really is excellent, every relationship (and there are many, including the friendships and family complications) one I really believed in, the emotional content perfectly judged. And, just in case you get the wrong impression, this is very much a contemporary story – there’s plenty of humour, but also a few touches of darkness, and a number of more difficult and complex issues handled with particular sensitivity. All the main characters are on a challenging journey, with a few surprises and unexpected developments along the way – and I so enjoyed sharing it with them.

Too early for a Christmas read? Although this is a book with all the festive touches you might expect (or, in my case, really want to see…), this is a book you really could read at any time of year. I really loved it – and recommend it really highly.

I was kind of iffy about having four different points of view at first but I think it worked well. We got insight into not only the organizer of the season, Emma, and her life but also insight into some of the people attending, twins Grace and Connie and their cousin Hope, who was in the previous book.

I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I started it but I don’t think it’s necessary to read them in order. The plot still made sense and I was able to pick up on certain things along the way.

I liked the idea of having a regency “season” in modern times. It was something I hadn’t really read before. You could definitely tell the author was inspired by Jane Austen though, with all the names recycled for new characters. Emma, Jane, Charlotte, Lydia, Will (William), etc…

I really enjoyed the story and the writing! I might just go back and read the first book now.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley this arc!

I was drawn to this book purely because of the mention of christmas and the cover and i am happy to say that even though i didn't realise this was a sequel to a book upon starting it i was still able to enjoy this book, probably would've understood it a bit more had i have read the first one beforehand. I thoroughly enjoyed following the different characters around during the christmas matchmaking season and experiencing their first dates along the way.

With this being in 3rd person and focusing on the characters each chapter there were a few different storylines to follow along but it confusing at all. If you're looking for a lighthearted quick read focusing on families, friendships and relationships a dusting of Christmas I would definitely take a look at this book!

The Christmas Season by Ally Sinclair is an enchanting and heartwarming novel that follows the charming matchmaker, Emma Love, as she endeavors to find love for others during the magical Christmas Season. The book beautifully weaves together multiple storylines, delving into the complexities of relationships and self-discovery.

The characters, including Hope, Theo, Grace, and Connie, are relatable and endearing, each on their own journey to find love and personal growth. The festive backdrop adds to the charm of the book, and Sinclair's writing style creates an inviting and cozy atmosphere. With a perfect blend of romance, family dynamics, and self-exploration, The Christmas Season is a joyous and uplifting read that leaves readers with a warm heart and a smile on their face.

I liked it. I had a hard time keeping all of the characters straight. Grace, hope, Emma, Connie. All of them seemed to merge together in the beginning. Also, they discussed a lot of peoples spouses dying. More than I thought was necessary.

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

I loved this cosy book.

The story is about four characters, Emma, Hope, Connie and Grace. It was lovely reading about each one and see how their stories were revealed, I found all four relatable.

I highly recommend this book.

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my kindle, in return for my honest review.

The Christmas Season is a lovely, Christmassy, romantic, fun read and I found it such a cosy book too.

This book was not just a frothy, Christmassy romance, it had some depth to it too.

Emma, Hope, Connie and Grace are the four main characters that the story centres around. I loved getting to know them all and loved how their stories unfolded. All the characters were very relatable and down-to-earth and came across as ‘real’ people.

The author’s style of writing was wonderful and the story was heartwarming and cosy and left me with a big smile on my face…….