Publication: 6th November 2025 – HarperCollins UK
Is a new beginning waiting for her this Christmas?
When Imogen leaves her fiancé at the altar and escapes to her grandmother’s cottage by the sea, the only thing she wants to do is disappear.
But in a village curious about their new arrival, Imogen finds hiding out harder than expected, especially with the charming local baker Dexter around to distract her.
As secrets unravel and the festive season draws near, Imogen wonders if she’s been running from the wrong things all along.
Will the runaway bride find her happy ever after under the mistletoe?
I do love a good Christmas romance and Cressida McLaughlin knows how to write a wonderful one (I am a huge fan!). The Secret Mistletoe Promise brings us back to Mistingham, the seaside village on the Norfolk coast where the author’s previous Christmas novel, The Secret Christmas Bookshop, was also set and I was delighted to see characters whose stories kept me already entertained and see what they were up to.
The Secret Mistletoe Promise features a runaway bride, a lovely and charming hero and his adorable daughter, a goat on the loose that keeps everyone on their toes, a Christmas show, new friends and strong community connections, new beginnings and promises made under the mistletoe. The runaway bride is Imogen who, after realising that she can’t go ahead with her wedding ceremony right when she is about to walk down the aisle, she leaves everything and everyone behind and boards a train to the only person who never judged or tried to change her: her grandmother Birdie. Arriving in the beautiful Mistingham wearing a wedding dress and with a suitcase full of clothes suitable for a honeymoon in Mauritius, the first person she meets is 10-year-old Lucy and her dog, Artichoke, quickly followed by Lucy’s handsome father, Dexter, the local baker. As Imogen tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life, whether to return to her unhappy life in London or start to finally put herself first, she will also have to face her growing feelings not only for Dexter, but also for the community who has welcomed her in the village.
The Secret Mistletoe Promise is a fantastic heartwarming, festive, and romantic Christmas read. I love Cressida McLaughlin’s writing style and she always creates likable and engaging characters and beautiful stories that keep me immersed from start to finish.
A huge thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of this novel.
Cressida McLaughlin is a bestselling author of contemporary romance who has sold over a million copies of her books. Her feel-good, escapist fiction, featuring unforgettable characters who find their happy place, has established her as a firm favourite among readers and fellow authors alike.
Cressida lives in Norwich with her husband David and when not writing her bestsellers, spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.
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