Book Review – Christmas Island

Title: Christmas Island

Author: Natalie Norman

Genre: Christmas Romance/ Contemporary Fiction

Goodreads Rating: 3.81

My Rating:

Source: ARC

Synopsis:

Cosy up in front of a fire and discover Christmas the Norwegian way…full of romance, cosy traditions and hygge!

In the bleak midwinter…
A really frosty wind is making Holly’s life absolutely miserable

After all the years of hard work it took Londoner Holly Greene to become a doctor, now it could all be taken away and she only has herself to blame. She’s retreating to her brother’s rustic home on an island off the coast of Norway to lick her wounds. Only, it’s the middle of winter and icy slush plus endless darkness isn’t exactly the cheery, festive getaway she had imagined.

Nearly stumbling off the edge of a cliff in the dark, Holly is saved by Frøy, a yellow-eyed cat of fearsome but fluffy proportions, and his owner – grouchy, bearded recluse, Tor. Tor has his own problems to face but the inexplicable desire to leave a bag of freshly baked gingerbread men on Holly’s doorstep is seriously getting in the way of his hermit routine.

Call it kindness, call it Christmas, but Holly’s arrival means midwinter has never looked less bleak.

My Review:

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After hearing so many of my fellow bloggers rave about this book I decided it was time to step into the Christmas book world and enjoy the festivities. It’s been a while since I’ve read a Christmas themed book and this was perfect!

The cold weather and dark nights are certainly here and I’ve enjoyed snuggling up with this book and my blanket getting lost in Norway and all the Christmas traditions that it holds. I’d expect a book of this genre to warm my heart and fill me with hope but I had not expected it to warm my tummy! Seriously I want to go to Norway just so I can try all the amazing food described. If I wasn’t smiling at the sweet characters and their antics I was salivating at all the delicious grub! Thankfully Natalie Norman has been kind enough to include some of the recipes but something tells me nothing beats an authentic Norway cook?

The characters were adorable and whilst I knew exactly where I would end up I loved every minute of it. Froy was one of my favourite characters and his role in bringing Holly and Tor together was endearing. Throughout I felt that Holly and Tor had a way of communicating without actually speaking which made them the perfect couple. They complimented each other beautifully and their awkward moments often made me smile.

This was a beautiful, cosy and heart warming read that definitely put me in the mood for Christmas!