Series Name: Travelling Shops, #3
“I probably sound unhinged, but what if we all lived as though our life were a Hallmark movie? What if we took chances, and said what we thought, and believed that true love would find a way, no matter what? What if we were honest about our feelings, knowing that it would all work out in the end? Then the world would be a better place!”
‘Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, and magic under the mistletoe…
Flora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she’s gutted when her Scrooge-alike boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams – and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?
Before she can say ‘sleigh bells’, Flora’s on her way to Lapland in a campervan-cum-Christmas-shop. She can’t wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn’t expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There’s just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.
Can Flora convince Connor of the joys of Christmas – and will she find a festive romance along the way?
Christmas has come early for me this year! I was super pumped when I got the email saying I was granted access to the digital ARC of Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop. I’m sure if you have read any of my past reviews on Rebecca’s novels, you can tell that I am a fan of her books. But I have to say that the Travelling Shops series is by far my favourite series that she has written. I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I started reading this book.
Flora loves all things Christmas and loves spreading Christmas cheer no matter what time of the year it is. Flora will often speak before she thinks, which tends to cause a bit of chaos in her life. At the beginning of the book Flora, is experiencing a string of bad luck, the guy she was seeing tells her she is a bit much, she gets fired from her job by her grumpy boss, and her best friend and roommate is moving to LA, which means she needs to find a new flat to live in. After many cups of eggnog and some festive treats, Flora decides it’s time for a change and decides to buy a big van and make her way to Lapland to sell Christmas goodies at their big Christmas market. Flora’s journey into the van lifer world doesn’t go as smoothly as she would like. There are many misadventures, misunderstandings, and one very annoying Nordic god-like man who drives her crazy. Life is always interesting when Flora is around. I just adore Flora, she is just so much fun, and she had me laughing throughout this entire book. She does have this larger-than-life personality, and her love for the Christmas season is infectious. There is just something to love about a character who has a heart of gold and who stands out in a crowd (usually because she is wearing a Christmas onesie). I couldn’t help but cheer for her as she tried to change her life and learn where she belongs in this big crazy world.
I just love the relationship between Flora and Connor (the annoying Nordic god-like man). Their relationship is an opposite attract trope, and they are just utterly adorable. I loved, loved, loved the scene when they first met. I knew right from that moment that there were going to be lots of funny, heart-fluttering, and swoony-worthy moments between these two. Connor doesn’t believe in Christmas. He thinks it’s all about consumerism, greed and it creates too much pollution. Flora believes it’s a tragedy that Connor doesn’t believe in Christmas and has made it her personal mission to show Connor the magic of the Christmas season. Because at its core, Christmas is about spending time with those you love and spreading goodwill to those around you.
On a side note, I now want to go to Lapland and soak up the Christmas festivities, see the northern lights, and just relax in a sauna (though not in one where you have to be naked. LOL).
Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop will fill your heart with Christmas cheer. This book has so much heart and laughter, and you will wish it would never end.
Now excuse me while I bust out my ugly Christmas sweaters and blast some Christmas music!
Thank you, HQ, part of HarperCollins UK, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
