A fun and engaging read from Mandy Baggott. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a winter love story set abroad

Brilliant winter romance with equal measures of comedy and heartfelt moments.

Orla is sent to middle of the French mountains on an assignment from work but is forced to take her sixteen year old sister with her. She meets the reclusive Jacques and is forced to work with him to complete her article.

Absolutely loved this story enjoyed with wine and snacks.

Orla is in France to write an article but when she gets there all is not what she expected, but then she meets Jacques. Do they have a future together? Some fab side characters!

I had to sadly dnf this book at 38% I just couldn’t read any more. It was lack luster and character depth.

Orla Bradbee is a travel writer who with very little notice is sent to the French Alpine village of Saint - Chambery to try and interview a man who does not speak ! She takes along her teenage sister Erin in an effort to take Erin's mind off of the online 'romance' she is pursuing. This trip sees Orla and her sister growing bond as they work together to try and get beneath the icy exterior of the initially grumpy brooding Jacques Barber.
As is usual with Mandy's stories the settings seem to become additional characters in the tale as her descriptions of the settings are so evocative and include much about the tight knit community of Saint - Chambery and their quirky Christmas customs.
The central love story is a classic 'opposites attract' and (as I have found with many of Mandy's stories) it is not all fluffy and cute and deals with some serious issues along with a heart warming snowy winter tale.
A fabulous festive read.

Orla Bradbee, journalist on a trajectory towards writing for Time Magazine, is given a last-minute assignment to a remote French village to interview a mute man and cover the birth of a reindeer at Christmas time. In an attempt to maintain family harmony, she brings her much younger sister, Erin, for supervision, while their parents sort out their differences.

But when Orla gets to the tiny village of Saint-Chambéry, there is no reindeer, the so-called mute man is reclusive Jacques Barbier who most definitely CAN speak, and her sister phone is blowing up with messages from a guy with whom Erin is in an online situationship.

Things are messy.

But in a delightful holiday-romance way, things really aren't. There are miscommunications, hidden agendas, meddling neighbours, dark secrets, and Christmas miracles.

There were some serious topics addressed (PTSD, mental health challenges, mental health challengs due to menopause, alcoholism, cancer, online relationships, etc) which gave the book depth. Overall, this was a fun, quick, seasonal read, full of heart.

For the romance readers, there is zero spice - this is a 100% closed door book.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of thuis book in exchange for an honest review~

In this funny and charming winter romance novel, readers join travel writer Orla Bradbee on a last-minute assignment to a rural French village just before Christmas because a man who does not talk lives in the village of Saint-Chambery. Upon her arrival, Jacques Barbier clearly tells Orla she -- and her article -- are not welcome in Saint-Chambery, but Orla, never one to back down, tries to discover Jacques’ secrets while protecting her heart this holiday season. With a host of classic tropes embedded in this wintery French romance, readers will get their fill of charming locations, likeable characters, and fun wintery shenanigans in Mandy Baggot’s latest release. Orla is a clever, competent protagonist whose strength of will is inspiring, and the relationships she develops throughout the novel -- particularly with Jacques -- are entertaining and well-written. Perfect for readers who love character-centric novels and fun winter-themed tropes, this new title is a fun escapist winter holiday novel that fans of the genre will love. With its brilliant characters and their realistic relationships with each other, the beautiful wintery rural French village of Saint-Chambery, and the immersive and engaging storyline, romance readers and fans of Mandy Baggot’s other books will love this winter romance this holiday season.

A lovely festive read and the description of the beautiful French village is class. It transports you right there!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for a fair and full review.

This was such a great read. It had everything to make it a magical scene. Was so romantic

This was such a delightful and wonderful winter read. I adored the setting and really enjoyed getting to know the characters.

This story tells of Orla and jacques who meet in a snowy village in France and they don’t get off to a good start but with the help of the villagers and Erin and Tommy and a reindeer their story and dark secrets unfold to give a happy ending to finish

A cozy festive read. I loved the characters, and the setting. What's more romantic than France? The story itself was a bit slow at times, but overall a cute, holiday book.

There was a lot I liked about this book, but I feel it could have used a bit more editing. It started to drag towards the end. Overall though it was a cute holiday read. The romance was nice, and the siblings were fun secondary characters.

I would give it 3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a really sweet and cosy festive read. I always love a trip to France, especially in the winter time so it was nice to come back and meet so many wonderful characters.

a cosy festive read, i love this author and she is my go to holiday read so it felt strange at first to be reading a festive book but it was easy to get lost her in her easy style of writing with a fun plot

I love books based on France, I spent many holidays at my mum and step dads house in my early to mid 20s and a book based in France that is written well, takes me back there every time.

I love a festive read any time of the year really but especially this time of year. I loved the characters in this book, sibling love, family love, love love, it's all in here and I am here for it.

I love romance but I love books that have a sense of reality in them too, like with Orla and Erin's parents going through a tricky spot in their life and Delphine not being 100%. It gives the story a more realistic feel which I love.

I love a good heartthrob and this book doesn't disappoint, I mean who doesn't love a French accent and a handsome man to go with it.

I really enjoy this authors books and this one was no exception.

Dnf after 35%.

I just couldn't get through this book... Very boring and slow. No unfortunately not for me.

This book is perfect for those who want to read something wintery without being bombarded with Christmas shenanigans. I really enjoyed this book, and I think it's because it took me on a journey I wasn't expecting. I was thinking this would be a light and fluffy small-town romance with a lot of Christmas magic sprinkled throughout it. While it is this to a certain extent, it also is a story that possesses a lot of depth and mystery and tackles some tougher issues. This story is about these relatable characters who are juggling a lot of real-life problems. Mandy was thoughtful in how she included topics such as mental health, dealing with a serious illness, strained family relationships, and living and healing from past traumas. Everything in this book really worked beautifully together.

I adored the setting. I am a sucker for a small-town romance, and one that is located in the rural mountainside of France really scratched an itch I didn't know I had. The little town of Saint-Chambéry was quirky, fun, and possessed so much charm. I loved all the townspeople, and Mandy did a great job at creating a community that felt like a cozy blanket was hugging you.
One of the things that made this book feel so real was the complicated family dynamics that existed in it. Both Orla and Jacque's family relationships aren't the greatest. Orla's parents are struggling with health problems and marriage problems. Orla's younger sister is talking to this mysterious stranger online, and Orla is afraid her sister will either be hurt or scammed by this mysterious person. Jacque has a strained relationship with both of his parents and has chosen to distance himself from his family, except his younger brother. Watching Orla and Jacque navigate these different solutions was heartbreaking and heartwarming. There aren't any clear answers or solutions to their problems; they are just trying to do their best.
I liked Orla and Jacque. They have this interesting chemistry going on between them. There is a lot of friction between these two, and they often go from hot to cold in the blink of an eye. Both of these characters deal with a lot of issues, both family and personal. Their emotional baggage often leads to misunderstandings, leading to fights. I enjoyed Orla and Jacque's story. They are both extremely likable characters, and it was utterly adorable to see how nervous they were about going on a date with one another. You will like this book if you like forced proximity, dislike lovers, small-town meddling, misunderstandings, and closed-door spice. Overall, the romance in this book was this fabulous mixture of charm, warmth, and a dash of lusty attraction.
One Winter at the French Chalet is a real and heartwarming romance.

Orla is sent to a tiny village in the French Alps at Christmas time to write an article about a mute man taking care of a pregnant reindeer - with only 24hrs notice. Before she leaves she sees her sister and her mum and as a result of what is going on in her family life at the moment, she ends up taking her sister, Erin, to France with her.

The description of the village sounds amazing and I would love to visit somewhere like that at Christmas time. The villagers are eccentric, particularly Delphine, who seems to run everything and everyone in the village.

The story is chaotic and it took a little while for some of the background stories and characters to tie into the main story line. For a long time it seemed unnecessary but eventually it was all explained when Orla starts to self-reflect on her life and what she wants out of it. She was also able to get Jacques to finally start opening up to someone about his previous life (or lives) which helped him realise that he also wanted something more in life and someone to spend it with.

Some of the story seems very far-fetched - particularly the bit where they actually found a pregnant reindeer randomly in the forest when reindeer typically give birth in late spring. It is mentioned continuously through the story and then when it actually happens, it's quickly forgotten about. I think it would have been better if it had just remained the ruse it initially was.

At the heart of it though, it is a sweet story about people finding themselves and opening yourself up to what could be, whether that is letting people who care about you help, falling in love or finding your purpose in life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

A thoroughly enjoyable read filled with delightful characters who are humorous, eccentric and memorable . A great plot with a little bit of mystery thrown in. A great read good setting with romance and very festive just curl up in front of a fire on a winter weekend and enjoyable!