Publication: 22nd October 2024 – Headline Eternal
A former child star learns that holiday magic can come from a change in perspective in this charming and hilarious holiday rom-com, perfect for fans of Love, Actually and The Holiday.
A little holiday magic can change everything . . .
Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a Christmas movie, whose fans won’t let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the festive season with her sister.
But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her when she visits Eden Priory, one of the filming locations. When she’s accidentally left behind, she’s forced to accept a ride back to London from Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business – and the funds to keep their historic house running – relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows seasons greetings from a certain star would bring in more visitors.
Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs for Eden Priory, with Graham offering to escort her. But as Charlotte’s chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time with Graham. Charlotte may not love a Christmas romance . . . but what if she has one of her own?
I am a huge fan of Martha Waters. I have read and adored all her books in the Regency Vows series, so I was thrilled when not only she announced a contemporary romantic comedy, but also a Christmas novel. Unlike Charlotte Lane, the protagonist of the novel, I love the Christmas season: the lights, the Christmas trees, the songs, the presents, the food. Although, I was a bit shocked by all the Christmas activities Charlotte’s family took part in just six weeks. However, like Charlotte, I don’t like Christmas movies. Not the classic Christmas movies, like Love, Actually, Home Alone, or The Grinch, but the romantic comedies that start, develop, and end all in the same identical way.
Part of the reason Charlotte hates Christmas is that, when she was nine years old, she was one of the protagonists of a successful Christmas movie, but, unlike the rest of her family, she never had any intention of pursuing an acting career. Now she is a successful illustrator and she is also the reason the sequel of the movie is not happening, as she refuse to take part in it, antagonising quite a large of number of fans, so she flies to London to spend the holiday season with her sister and her family where she is forced to take part in the numerous Christmas activities and events they have organized, one of which takes her right into the house where part of her movie was shot.
Needing an excuse to avoid her family’s Christmas obsession, Charlotte accepts a commission from Graham, the handsome owner of house, to illustrate scenes from famous Christmas movies and she starts spending more and more time with him, risking to find herself in a real life Christmas movie.
I had so much fun reading Christmas Is All Around. The story is beautifully-written, entertaining, and immersive and the setting is very atmospheric (I adore London during the Christmas season!).
Charlotte and Graham are adorable together. I enjoyed their banter, the slow-burn romance, and the way both their characters develop. Martha Waters is one of my auto-buy authors and as long as she keeps writing, I will keep reading her novels. And whether you like Christmas or not, you will enjoy Christmas Is All Around!
A huge thank you to Headline Eternal and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this fantastic novel in exchange of an honest review.
Martha Waters was born and raised in sunny South Florida, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She works as a children’s librarian in North Carolina, and spends much of her free time traveling. To Have and To Hoax is her first novel. To discover more find her online at: www.marthawaters.com Twitter and Instagram @marthabwaters
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