I'll Be Home for Christmas by Karen Clarke

Blurb

Nina Bailey loves Christmas. Except this year she doesn’t. Because it turns out that her husband-to-be has been cheating on her – and her beautiful wedding ceremony in the snow is cancelled.

She’s not really in the mood to be jolly, sing carols, or go anywhere near gingerbread men – in fact, what Nina wants is to avoid the whole thing. So she’s come to stay at her Aunt Dolly’s cosy café to nurse her broken heart.

Nina is determined to get through Christmas with no tinsel, no fuss – and definitely no flirting. So when she arrives and meets infuriatingly handsome Ryan Sadler, with his gorgeous forest-green eyes, she is not best pleased. And when Nina overhears him making fun of her, she is furious. (There might have been an incident with a koala onesie and a spilled bottle of milk, but that really wasn’t her fault!) So despite the spark between them, and the fact that he can whip up a fabulous dinner faster than she can say Michelin star, romance and Christmas are off the menu this year.

Unfortunately, Aunt Dolly hasn’t quite got the message, going to great lengths to provide a proper British Christmas for her beloved niece: a true home away from home. With sparkling lights adorning every wall and a tree to equal the Rockefeller Center’s and, yes, mistletoe above every doorway, can Nina resist the magic of Christmas – and stick to her no-romance rule?

Review

A nice, gentle festive read with a heroin who had yet to find her way in the world and a hero who has writers block. Lots of misdirection and misunderstandings lead to the start of a stuttering, will-they-won't-they romance, which ends on a lovely ahhh note, as Nina rediscovers the joy of Christmas and realises the true meaning of home.

About the Author

Karen is the author of the popular BEACHSIDE, SEASHELL COVE and LITTLE FRENCH CAFE series of romantic comedies, published by Bookouture. She's also written three romcoms with a paranormal twist, all available to download. In January 2020, HQDigital/HarperCollins will publish THE SECRET SISTER, a psychological thriller written with fellow author Amanda Brittany, and Karen is currently working on a standalone thriller. She'll come back to romantic comedy when she needs a break from 'the dark side'! Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children, and when she's not writing loves reading, walking, baking and eating cake.