Member Reviews
If you’re looking for a perfect Christmas pick-me-up, this book is for you. It’s chock full of romantic proposals, fanciful weddings, family and community gatherings, British wit, and love, so much love!
Eve, who embodies kindness and caring, is shocked to walk in on her boyfriend of three years being serviced by a co-worker in their apartment. In a rage, Eve begins throwing things out the window - Christmas gifts for his family she purchased and wrapped, his cellphone, and a cheap engagement ring she finds under the tree. Then she runs to the jewelry store where she works part time to be comforted by the elderly owners who treat their employees like family. In the meantime, her colleague Joe is working a raucous hen party in a risqué elf costume when he gets a call from Mrs. Casper asking him to come comfort Eve. Given that he’s crushed on her for almost two years, he doesn’t hesitate.
In a fortuitous series of events, it turns out they gave a courier five gold rings by accident and the Caspers task Eve and Joe with retrieving them and delivering them to the correct customers by Christmas. Deliveries that should take no more than a few hours stretch into two days as the two get roped into attending weddings, taking a river cruise, witnessing a flash mob proposal, and playing Joseph in a nativity play, all while observing examples of true, enduring love and commitment. Along the way, people ask if or assume they are a couple, and as the clock winds down on Christmas and Eve gets satisfying closure with her cheating ex, she begins to wonder if all these people are seeing something that has been right in front of her all along.
Joe is the absolutely perfect book boyfriend. Not only is he handsome and protective in a non-alpha way, but he also listens, puts Eve’s needs and happiness first, shows empathy, has ovaries exploding as he cradles a baby, and puts his medical school training on hold to take care of his ailing father. When he looks at Eve, he sees a heartbroken woman who still champions love and, because of the goodness in both of them, they are able to be their authentic selves (including seasickness, snoring, and snotty tears) without fear of rejection. This London-based story is a sweet, clean holiday romance that tackles some heavy subjects without becoming maudlin, and Bailey does a wonderful job of bringing both main and secondary characters to life and painting vivid backdrops of all the places they visit along their journey. Highly recommended.
"It's a festive warmth you feel in your chest. Because this joy, this is a huge colourful shiny version of what love looks like. This is what Christmas should look like. It should look like that. It shouldn't look like a blonde woman on her knees noshing off your boyfriend."
Kristen Bailey is back and she has given us an utterly fabulous Christmas present. Five Gold Rings is as ridiculous as a sitcom, sweet as a romance and funny as a comedy with that trademark Bailey flare and wit that makes everything that little bit extra.
Get ready for some festive fun as our leading duo find themselves in absurd situations and getting into all kinds trouble from gatecrashing to impromptu performances, wedding fist fights and matching pjs - our wonderful narrator Eve has such a friendly, conversational tone with such a delightfully casual voice full of witty asides and little tangents that makes getting into her head and following the story so easy. And as we hear from Joe, he has such an earnest and sweet way of storytelling that made me instantly fall for him and his shy, quiet charm (and his calves, of course, Kristen never skimps on the book candy!)
A wonderfully wintery romance packed full of adorable romance, festive sparkle and of course, a generous helping of utter chaos.
I have a confession to make. I am right in this swing of Halloween books and I wasn't in the mood to read a Christmas book. But from the first line of this fabulous romantic comedy I was hooked.
And I don't use the word 'comedy' lightly. So many times I read the words 'laugh out loud romance' and wonder what people are talking about. At most I can squeeze out a smile in most cases. But while reading this book I guffawed. It's been a long time since I have read fiction and guffawed, let me tell you.
And these two characters, Eve and Joe, are delightful right down to their jingle bells. I mean - if I met these people in real life I would never stop hugging them.
All the Christmas feels in this book and I am officially a Kristen Bailey fan.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was exactly what I needed. It was a fun, romantic Christmas story, with two characters that you can't help but love. It was a bit soon for Eve to have such strong feelings for someone else, but the author handles this well, as Joe is not your 'average Joe.' You can't blame her ;)
The plot, and the delivering of the rings, showed some pretty important examples of love, and those instances were quite heartfelt.
Looking forward to finding other books written by this author.
A fun holiday romcom for *after* spooky season, tying in the classic Christmas song. Over the span of a couple days leading up to Christmas, the story starts with (appropriately named) Eve catching her (also appropriately named) boyfriend Chris cheating, only to find he bought a ring to likely propose. This brings her back to the jewelers where she also works, and a new adventure with her colleague Joe: to find five misplaced rings and get them to their appropriate engagements and weddings in time.
This is a cute story heading to get into the spirit of the season with a few laugh out loud moments along the way. Thank you to Storm Publishing for the ARC. This comes out 10/30!
Oh Kristen, you’ve done it again! You have written another book that leaves me smiling so big that my cheeks hurt! This one starts off with a hot and steamy scene that made me wonder what I was getting into, but it was not an adult naughty book full of sex scenes that readers may feel uncomfortable about, just a few fun romps carefully placed throughout in just the right places and with just the right touch. In typical style for this author, the characters are fantastic and pull you in effortlessly and eagerly. I was thrown off (in a positive way) by the utterly romantic and heartwarming side story initiated by Mrs Caspar (that sly yet sweet woman that one is!). The slightly corny and unrealistic trysts that Eve and Joe engage in are fun and entertaining to say the least. I did love the inevitable growing romance and am impressed with how all of the elements fit just perfectly together with the perfect ending. Another delightful and fun read by Kristen Bailey!
My sincere thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley forgiving me the opportunity to read Five Gold Rings. I give my unbiased opinion in the following review.
It is just before Christmas and Eve catches her boyfriend of three years in the act of cheating on her in their apartment. She throws him and the engagement ring she finds wrapped under their tree out of the apartment. Obviously! She goes to one of her comfort places, the jewelry store she works at part time. The older couple who adore Eve set her on a task to deliver 5 engagement rings for them. They get her the help of her co-worker Joe who, unbeknownst to Eve, has had a serious crush on her for a while. He is clued in on what has happened with her and agrees to go on these deliveries to help her make it through Christmas and take her mind of the break-up. Every delivery is very different, and I couldn't help but smile and sometimes laugh at their adventures while rooting for their developing feelings. Along with the cute scenarios, there are also some truly sweet moments that I loved. Give this one a try. It has all the wonderful romantic things you want in a holiday romance.
A feel good festive book with laugh out loud funny moments. The perfect book if you are in the Ned to light escapism with a holiday setting.
🎄ᗷOOK ᖇEᐯIEᗯ 🎄
𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐁𝐲: 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎,𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 𝟓
A fun romance book that you don’t have to wait for the holidays to read! Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, but not for Eve. She returns home early from work to surprise her boyfriend to where she is the one surprised at what she discovers leading her to a broken heart. She doesn’t want to ruin her family’s Christmas so last minute she volunteers to deliver 5 last minute ring deliveries for her part time employers at the jewelry store. Eve is joined by her coworker Joe who has had a crush on her since they started working together. At every stop on their delivery route, a ridiculous scenario plays out where these two get thrown into the action and grow closer and closer. Bailey’s writing had me laughing out loud as well as having so many heartwarming and touching moments.
This book will get you into the holiday spirit and is simply the most enjoyable start to your holiday romance season ❤️
𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 @netgalley & @stormbooks_co 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.
A cute quick read - read a bit like a Hallmark Christmas movie (especially with how quick the romance moved) but enjoyable nonetheless.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a great book as my first arc and the perfect story to get in the holiday spirit. Five Gold Rings follows Eve and Joe over the the days leading up to Christmas. Eve has just caught her long time boyfriend with another woman and feels her ‘perfect life’ crashing down around her. Joe, her coworker, has been in love with her for two years.
Joe comes sweeping in to the rescue right as Eve needs him most. Together Eve and Joe are tasked with delivering five rings on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. While Eve copes with betrayal, she and Joe help five different couples express their love during the most magical time of the year.
This book had me giggling one second and crying the next. I definitely recommend it to anyone ready to get into the holiday spirit!
Oh how happy I was to get this ARC! After reading Sx Ed, I had no doubt Kristen will not let me down and give me another funny and emotional story to read and reread whenever I need a pick-me-up for my soul.
Five Gold Rings is a story that spans several days around Christmas in London. Eve finds herself betrayed and devastated right before Christmas, and her matchmaking employers send her and her coworker Joe on a quest to distract Eve from her sad thoughts, while they deliver five rings to their customers for Christmas proposals.
From there, all kinds of shenanigans ensue. Joe, who spent the whole time since he met Eve pining for her, desperately tries to fight his own feelings while taking care of Eve throughout their journey. And Eve desperately tries to forget her cheating ex and fill her soul with new, happy memories by bringing love to people during Christmas. Somewhere along the way, she starts seeing something more in her charming colleague -- a friend, a confidant, a crush maybe?
It's so rewarding to see Eve develop feelings for Joe, when his own are getting stronger and stronger. Their relationship is so pure and selfless -- your heart will melt for them! And it's steamy without actually being open-door. I did not miss the spice at all, and trust me, you won't either.
Towards the end of the story you may expect a lot of tears (unless you have no soul), but the epilogue will reward you by making you grin like an idiot, especially if you are a fan of Kristen's books like me!
After I'd already finished the ARC, I also got the ALC. Harrie Dobby's narration is flawless, as usual. This was my first official reread, and I am sure it won'r be the last. I hope it gets made into a movie so I can watch it as well as read it.
Kristen, we need more of your stories, please never stop writing!
I loved first book I read to by this author, Sex Ed, so when I saw she had a new Christmas coming up. I jumped at the chance to review it.
This is the perfect book for the run up to Christmas. Ignore the present wrapping and the turkey prep and meet Eve and Joe as they spend Christmas delivering five rings to their customers. You’ll chuckle and have your heart warmed as you join them for festive fun, romance, revenge and drunken adventures… all whilst forging a new future. I really enjoyed the surprise in the epilogue. Exactly what I wanted to read! I actually really hope that someone options this book. It would make an amazing film.
If festive reads, friends to lovers and books about mischief and road trips are your thing, congratulations, you have it all lined up for you in Five Gold Rings. Enjoy!
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley. Kristen Bailey and Storm Publishing for the ARC of Five Gold Rings. This is my personal review.
I read the line totally hilarious and unforgettable Christmas rom-com and I was hooked before even reading the first page.
Sadly, this one was not the book I thought I was going to get to read. It fell short of story line – chemistry – hilarious (not so much) unforgettable not for me. I finished reading and did not stop and ponder what I had read for too long after the last page. I wanted to feel a pop and sizzle at some point between Eve and Joe.
This will make an excellent Hallmark movie.
This is a great festive feel good read! Eve has just discovered her boyfriend has been cheating and needs some distraction. She embarks on a road trip with her work colleague to deliver 5 gold rings for the jewellers they work for. I loved the 2 main characters and felt this book was the most endearing of this author's books to date. There are still plenty of laughs in true Kristen Bailey style and this is my favourite to date.
This book was such a fun and festive holiday read. I find that many Christmas books are set around the holidays, but the storyline has nothing to do with them and it’s more of an afterthought. That is not the case with this book. In Five Gold Rings two coworkers at a jewelry store have to deliver 5 rings over Christmas. Eve has just discovered her boyfriend is cheating on her, and Joe has had a crush on Eve for years. Each ring delivery is a different setting and experience that the two main characters navigate together, and it’s so fun to journey along with them and see all the crazy shenanigans they get into along the way.
I adored how festive this book was. There were so many Christmas references and it drove the entire plot. I’m a little sad I had to read this in October rather than closer to Christmas. I also loved all the little details the author sprinkled in that were so nuanced you might miss them if you’re not paying attention. There were so many little references to things the couple had in common, like loving the same tv show or having the same taste in chocolates that only the reader got to know. It was so cute to see how well they worked together and got along, and I loved how much Joe cared for Eve and loved her from afar. I laughed so many times in this book with all the crazy side characters and hilarious situations they got into, and the final ring delivery had me tearing up. I kept thinking this book would make an amazing holiday rom com movie.
I like to read books by British authors and usually have no trouble with the different brands, phrases, or names of things, however I will say this was the most “British” book I’ve ever read and there were several times I had to look things up or reread a sentence to make sure I knew what they were talking about. It didn’t stop me from liking the book though! It was just a different style of writing than I’m used to reading.
This book is fun, hilarious, heartfelt, sweet, and all the different proposals and weddings gave it the perfect amount of romance that wasn’t only about the main characters. It will take you on an adventure and get you in the Christmas spirit.
Read if you love:
-Christmas/holiday romance
-Unrequited love
-Friends to lovers
-Main characters finding themselves in funny situations
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
A super cute, Hallmark-Christmas story. Eve is struggling through a terrible break up on Christmas and her coworker, Joe is there to save the day. Eve is so innocent and broken but it was such a joy to see Joe bring out her goofy side. Joe is hilarious and a lover of Christmas. They made such a cute couple, it was hard not to fall in love with them. The storyline of having to deliver wedding and engagement rings on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was different and adorable. Especially when Eve and Joe got mixed up in the festivities. I laughed almost the whole time so the comedy was on point.
One of my bookish pet peeves is long chapters and this one had just that. If anything, maybe the dual POV could have been done in chapters instead of having half the chapter in Eve’s POV and the next be in Joe’s. But if that’s my only criticism, I would say this was a good one!
Unfortunately for Eve, she's having just about the worst start to her Christmas holidays. Fortunately for us, what follows in this book is a story filled with humour, friendship, love and joy while also tinged with sadness and grief. I laughed out loud and cried while reading this book, a whole roller coaster of emotions.
The whole concept of the book following a few days delivering five gold rings for proposals and weddings is super cute! You get to see all kinds of love and celebrate it in different ways. Each brings Eve and Joe closer and helps Eve heal her damaged heart. Joe is the sweetest guy and is caring and supportive. He’s everything you want for Eve as she uncovers how much of an ass her ex really was. Joe has been quietly adoring her for awhile and while sometimes it felt a bit awkward for them to be falling so fast at such a hard time in Eve’s life, I decided to suspend disbelief and go with the flow and enjoy. Maybe, as the author points out through another character, we don’t get to choose when love finds us.
Some real highlights (hopefully without spoiling anything) are the flash mob, mistletoe kisses, Olaf and his stolen turkey, Burger King crowns, little old French ladies, and making the most of the time we have. That last one was a real gut punch but in the most beautiful ways.
Filled with humour and holiday spirit, this book is a perfect way to start off your holiday reading. I really hope to get to revisit Eve and Joe sometime as I really enjoyed this go round.
I received an advanced digital reader copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Eve comes home early from a conference the day before Christmas Eve to an unwelcome surprise accompanying her boyfriend in the shower. After a small fit of rage and inevitable break-up, she turns to mr & mrs Caspars at the jewelry shop. Where her unexpected tale distracts the couple, resulting into a yellow and blue bag being switched.
Luckily Joe; another part-time employee of the Caspars; arrives to help right this wrong. Together, Eve & Joe start their quest to hand-deliver 5 gold rings in central London for Christmas weddings or proposals in time to save Christmas Day.
I really enjoyed this Christmas rom-com which was packed full with adventure and laughs.
From the beginning it was crystal clear that Joe is head over heels for Eve. She seems to be the only one not aware of this or him. So it turns into a bit of a slow burn along the duo’s 3 day journey filled with fun banter, crazy circumstances and heartwarming moments.
The 5 rings each make for a different Christmas moment with various shows of love. Some of them felt quiet ridiculous scenarios that could easily fit a Holiday movie.
Kristen’s writing style felt natural to me and made this an easy & enjoyable read. Plus I had fun finding all the Christmas ‘easter eggs’ in the various character names :D
If you enjoy a dual POV romance with fun banter and cozy Christmas vibes, then this is the book for you these Christmas holidays.
Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book really had me rolling with laughter and was exactly what I needed. Adorable characters and a really cute, festive book which kept a smile on my face the whole way through. Everything I would expect from a chick lit.