*I was given an ARC of The Christmas Cottage in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to HQ and Sarah Morgan for my copy of the book*

Synopsis:

Imogen is a busy professional, her job is everything to her, and her colleagues are in awe of her. But Imogen isn’t the person she pretends to be, and she’s hiding painful truths about her past. But as long as she can keep on top of her work, Imogen can put everything else to one side.

And then Imogen makes a catastrophic mistake at work, and she finally realises it’s time to reset. When her favourite client, Dorothy, invites her to come and spend Christmas with her and her family, in her cottage in the Cotswolds, it sounds like the perfect way for Imogen to take stock.

Imogen settles into idyllic cottage life very quickly, especially with the prospect of a new romance on the horizon . . . but when long-buried secrets and unwanted faces from the past resurface, Imogen’s new peace is threatened. Will Imogen end up alone this Christmas, or can she find it in her heart to forgive those who have hurt her?

Review:

It’s not Christmas without the latest Sarah Morgan festive release. I look forward to it every year and every year it’s one of my top festive reads.

Imogen was such an unexpectedly likeable character. The first few chapters made her seem like a stuffy, snobby workaholic. Dropping the bomb that she made up a dog so people would like her was almost the final straw, but she’s a very complex character. The more I learnt about her, the more I started to empathise with her situation – not that I know anything about what she went through. 

I don’t want to reveal what the big secret is but it was completely unexpected. The Christmas Cottage was a little sad for a while and I did wonder when the usual magic of Sarah Morgan’s Christmas novels would appear, but as usual, the familial dynamic was wonderfully written. There’s a lot of emotion throughout the entirety of The Christmas Cottage but the happy moments far outweigh the sad ones.

The romance that we did get was very sweet but it was a secondary thought. Which is fine by me, the relationship between the women was much more important. It felt like the romantic relationship progressed a little too fast but Imogen needed something good in her life so I’ll let it go. I’m also a sucker for a man who falls first and harder.

The Christmas vibes were off the charts and I especially enjoyed Christmas day and basically any of the festive activities that included Iris and Ava. They were adorable and hilarious. Often children aren’t written very well in these types of books but Sarah Morgan does a great job every time.

I wouldn’t say The Christmas Cottage has been my favourite read of Sarah Morgan’s so far, that title is currently sitting with last year’s The Christmas Book Club, but it was a wonderful read and much quicker than I thought it would be. The almost 400 pages felt a little intimidating before I started reading but I flew through it. I’d highly recommend you check out The Christmas Cottage.

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: The 12 Books of Christmas: Snowed In at the Cat Cafe by Rachel Rowlands