Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea, the 4th book in Eliza J. Scott's Micklewick Bay series, is a sweet and warm holiday read. Florrie's plan to create lovely Christmas memories to make up for all the good holidays that Ed has missed up to this year is tempered by harassment from an old nemesis who is trying to push the couple into selling their bookshop just as they are showing enough success to look towards a dream expansion. The couple is at an almost perfect point in their relationship when Florrie's trust is challenged, and Ed's communication skills revert to bad family habits that are hard to outgrow. As in real life, the good and the bad travel side by side until one side triumphs, at least for the moment. The couple and their friends are easy to root for, and the villain is easy to boo. In spite of the concerns the tale was fun and filled with holiday cheer.
My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read and review this British holiday delight. I have not read the other books in the series, but I will be checking them out soon.
#NetGalley #StormPublishing #ElizaJScott #MicklewickBay #ChristmasattheLittleBooshipbytheSea

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish this book even though I was really excited to start it.
I had to DNF at 45%, as the pacing and character development didn’t resonate with me as much as I had hoped.
That said, I plan to give it another try during the holiday season, and I hope I will be able to connect with the story more deeply then.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

4.5 ⭐️. So this is a cozy romance which is a genre
I'm not used to reading but I really liked this couple, their love story, their friends and family, and reading about Christmas time in this picturesque town. I also enjoyed the setting of the bookshop and all its goings on.

This Christmas themed ARC hit my NetGalley a few days ago, and talk about perfect timing.
There was a chill in air, I needed a blanket to read outside, so I made myself a pot of tea and wrapped up with this quaint, heartwarming tale from Eliza J. Scott.
My first book by her, she has a great way of making me feel like I entered a Gilmore Girls episode, I almost could hear "la la la" in a few scenes.
Yes, this book is like a warm mug of hot chocolate.
Set in the seaside town of Micklewick Bay, Florrie Appleton and Ed Harte own the local bookstore "Happy Hartes Bookshop" (Eliza, how long did it take you come up with that play on words- you ARE MAGICAL!)
When a mysterious phone call comes and Ed starts acting odd, Florrie begins to worry about her relationship. To make matters worse, bookstore events start to go awry, and it seems too coincidental and begs the question: Is someone trying to sabotage Happy Hartes??
This has it all:
Mystery
Light Romance
Silly Antics
A Black Lab you can't help but love...

If like me, you always match your seasons with your TBR, this little nugget should be added. Scheduled for release on October 23rd, keep an eye out for it and get your hot chocolate ready.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and to the author for this read in return for my honest opinion.

A gorgeous,warm Christmas novel. Lots of Christmas delight and a gentle romance. The couple of twists made the story race along.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Loved this festive read. Loved catching up all the characters again. Such a sweet read. Hope a new series will start soon. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A lovely new installment around Florrie, Ed and the bookshop in Micklewick Bay. I enjoyed the Christmas based story where we catch up with the ladies of the bay and their partners and kids. Best in order for sure!

What a lovely read! The festive season, the topic of books, authors and reading events made this story sparkle— so there was plenty to keep my interest! Not to mention mystery and romance. Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea by Eliza J Scott is part of the Micklewick Bay series. Although I have not read the previous books, I was still able to enjoy the story as the author gives us a bit of background on some of the recurring characters and the community.

The two main leads Florrie and Ed inherited The Happy Hartes Bookshop (along with the gorgeous resident dog Gerty, a black Labrador!). This couple has worked hard at making the shop a success and currently are doing their best to dress up the place to create a festive Christmas atmosphere. But trouble lurks in the background with someone trying to force their hand at selling the shop. A few sabotage events occur that have them clambering to find the culprits, although they have someone in mind.

As for Florrie and Ed’s history: they have been together for eighteen months. Florrie has not really considered where their relationship might be heading but she knows she loves Ed and he makes her happy. Though she had one negative experience after they inherited the bookshop from Ed’s grandparents. But Ed obviously loves her and states she is the most amazing person he has ever met. She is thoughtful and caring of others. She has a big heart and does kind acts for her friends and family. This time she plans some fun activities for The Happy Christmas Memory Project. There are wonderful winter activities like making snowmen, taking a special horse sleigh ride, sledging (sledding), skating and, of course, tree trimming! These are well described, evoking memories of my own childhood when I was enthused by a black sky filling with the wonder of snowflakes. Those cold snowy nights always ushered in the spirit of Christmas as they do in this lovely novel.

As mentioned, there’s a little mystery connected to the bookshop and even Ed disappears for a short while. Plus there’s a dash of romance, too, author readings, a nasty villain, family and couple relationship issues and birth of a baby. These all add flavour to this colourful story that keeps rolling along at a steady pace. It was good to see family members and friends cheering each other on through their struggles. Plus, the joyful holiday activities mentioned make reading this story fun and uplifting.

By the close of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea, secrets are exposed, intentions are made clear and those behind sabotage events at the bookshop are revealed. Relationship challenges are worked out: one of which is between Ed and his father once communication lines are opened and useful knowledge is shared. Making the reason behind the contention understood and able to be rectified. And Florrie and Ed create some wonderful new memories with the promise of more ahead! This is a well written enjoyable Christmas story that is brimming with festive spirt. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for a review copy.

This was such a lovely happy story. It rounds up the series so well hopefully there will be more books in the series.
The happy memory Christmas project sounds so much fun and so many beautiful memories happened.
I love the scene with the children making snowmen and sledging down a big hill.

This was a cute book. It was a quick read that was well written. The setting of Micklewick Bay was great. It is such a charming and cozy town with a lot of character. I loved the characters as well. This is the perfect cozy Christmas read. I am a sucker for both books about Christmas and books about book shops so this was right up my alley. It was definitely enjoyable.

An easy read, with endearing characters, a good story and a happy ending, but a bit slow. I loved the setting and could spend a lot of time in a book shop like this. Add in proper snow and you have a good book to curl up with at any time, not just Christmas. 3 1/2⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved being back in Micklewick Bay. A real christmasy book. You can read alone but better not to . You follow the owners of the bookshop . Lots of Christmas cheer and snow. Perfect and a fabulous ending. The bookshop sounds amazing . Read it

This is such a beautiful story that will give you all the fuzzy feelings and a bit of the holiday spirit! If you've ever dreaming of owning a bookstore, definitely grab this one.

Florrie and Ed are back in the little bookshop. Ed is working on the most fantastic window displays while Florrie is putting decorations all around the shop.they have book readings coming up and want the shop looking it’s very festive best.
But the past wants to claim the future with Ed’s dad ringing constantly and an old adversary showing up Florrie feels Ed is keeping things from her. She still is determined to make Christmas special for Ed as he hasn’t had good times with his parents in the past. She hopes this Christmas will bring welcome change for them both.
Great to catch up and looking forward to more from this series.

Well, this is a really sweet story with [maybe] some predictability
but it’s exactly how a Christmas story ought to be.
This book will rattle your nerves, have you irritated at one
or, two people, and in perfect love with the others. I
fell hard for the lovely doggie for no reason other than
Gertie was just such a love and her people loved her.
This will be THE book to take along on Holiday travel.
My thanks to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for the
download copy of this book for review purposes.

Cheery, festive and fun! Such a lovely read that had me smiling from the first page to the last.

This was a great change of pace for me from my normal thrillers and I enjoyed it very much. I didn't realize this was part of a series, but it didn't matter, because it was so pleasant. A heartwarming story that I highly recommend!

Another great cozy mystery book. Characters are well written. These are people you want to be friends with Easy read

A beautiful, festive read! I enjoyed spending a lovely afternoon reading about this wonderful group of characters. A perfect read to get you into the Christmas spirit early!

Oh this book was SO incredibly wonderful!!! Such a sweet sweet story. I couldn’t put it down. The perfect read