Series Name: Meet Me In, #1
“Instinctively, he smiled. She gave him the faintest of smiles back and didn’t look away immediately. A look of surprise flickered behind her eyes. Even from here he could see the flush of her cheeks as their gazes met and, as if someone had flicked a switch, a rush of heat hit him too. Interest. The flicker of awareness. Brief. So brief he checked himself; maybe he’s imagined it?”
Victoria Scott works at a wine bar but dreams of opening up her own clothing boutique in her Chelsea neighbourhood filled with clothes she designed. Her dream is threatened when a new department store is set to open on her street. Victoria is going to need a Christmas miracle if her dreams are ever going to come true.
Oliver Russell is not in the Christmas mood. The new department store his family is opening is behind schedule, and his parents are pressuring him to settle down and get married. Desperate to get his parents off his back, Oliver says he’ll introduce them to his fiancé at the store opening. There’s only one problem; he doesn’t have a fiancé.
When Oliver meets Victoria, he knows that she would be the perfect woman to be his pretend fiancé. So, he offers her a deal: be his fake fiancé until the store opening, and he will give her the opportunity to showcase her clothing designs in the store. Victoria knows that this is an opportunity she can’t turn down, even though she doesn’t feel comfortable with lying to his parents. This fake relationship becomes more complicated when both Victoria and Oliver realize they are falling in love with each other. These two will have to decide if what they are feeling for each other is real or fake.
Meet Me in London is the first book in the Meet Me In series by Georgia Toffolo. This fabulous book is a holiday rom-com and is a delightful, light, charming read. I just couldn’t put it down. This book follows the story of Victoria, who loves vintage inspired clothes, and she teaches underprivileged girls how to design and create their own clothes. Victoria’s character comes to life when she talks about fabrics and her designs. As a reader, I found Victoria’s excitement just leaped from the pages, and I couldn’t help being as excited about fabric and clothes as she was. Victoria is also such a wonderfully kind person, and you can’t help but root for her as she works towards making her dreams come true. Oliver is a fabulous male lead; I wasn’t too sure if I was going to like him, he comes off a bit cold and standoffish in the first chapter, but as the story progresses, I fell in love with this man. The way Oliver treats Victoria melts my heart. He respected her boundaries and was a big cheerleader when it came to Victoria pursuing her clothing business. He gave her that confidence boost she needed.
The romance in this holiday book is sweet with a dash of naughty. If you are a fan of a slow-burn, and the opposites attract trope; then you will love this book. Georgia does a really good job at making readers’ hearts flutter when these two are together. I just wanted more and more Victoria and Oliver banter and scenes. They really help each other make those big (and scary) life decisions.
Friendship also plays a big part in this book, and Victoria and her friends are excellent. They are such a fun, diverse group of women, and they support each other through thick and thin. It was a little obvious that Georgia was laying the groundwork for future books in these series. Not that I am complaining, because I would love to know more about Victoria’s friends. They have such fabulous and exciting lives. I can’t wait to read about them.
I am excited to read the second book in the series Meet Me in Hawaii!
If you are looking for a holiday romance that will sweep you off your feet, you should read Meet Me in London.
Thank you, HarperCollins Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.
