Winter at Wishington Bay
My Rating: 4.0
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Holiday
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: November 3, 2020
Author: Maxine Morrey
Similar To
Winter at Wishington Bay Blurb
Eighteen months ago, Sophia Jones finally walked out on her unhappy life.
With a tricky divorce ongoing, money is tight and so when friends offer her a housekeeping job while they’re away travelling, she accepts.
Nate McKinley is hesitant when his brother, Gabe, offers him the use of their home in the picturesque village of Wishington Bay. But he has a book to a write and an imploded marriage to recover from, so maybe a change of scene is exactly what he needs.
As Wishington Bay works its magic, friendship blossoms between Sophia and Nate. For Nate, finally feeling able to be himself with someone who is honest and down to earth is a revelation.
But Sophia has a secret and a jealous colleague is determined to blow her cover. Can she really keep her old life in the past or is it destined to destroy this new, happy one too?
Take a trip back to Wishington Bay this winter and find out…
A deliciously heart-warming and romantic read, perfect for a cosy winter’s evening, from the author of the bestselling Winter’s Fairytale.
Winter at Wishington Bay Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
I may be a bit biased, but I was a big fan of Winter at Wishington Bay.
I love a good holiday romance. I record all of the Hallmarks movies and binge read Christmas books, so please take my review with a grain of salt, but I thought it was adorable.
I really liked Sophia Jones and I wanted her to find her HEA, however she managed to do that. She was really fighting for herself and her independence and that was just so admirable. Plus she was an instagram and dog lover, so I felt like we got each other ;).
The story in Winter at Wishington Bay isn’t ground breaking, but I don’t read holiday romance novels for the shocking plot twists. These books are feel good fun with a candy cane, not Anna Karenina. Which is why I love them.
The plot moves along at a brisk pace and there are even some great antagonists. The obstacles for our heroine are many but they are also mundane. She’s a normal girl from abnormal circumstances trying to make a life for herself for the first time
What didn’t work for me
I wasn’t a huge fan of our hero. He was fine, and I liked that they weren’t instantly in love with each other, but he seemed a little too cold for me. His demeanor is explained throughout the story, but it hindered my connection to him.
I also could have used a bit more meat to the middle of the story. The beginning and the end move along beautifully, but there is one storyline that causes conflict that didn’t feel genuine for me so everything slowed down just a bit during those parts.
Conclusion
Another perfectly adorable Christmas novel with lots of heart and a dash of holiday cheer.
~About the Author~
Maxine Morrey is a bestselling romantic comedy author with eight books to her name including Winter’s Fairytale and the top ten hit The Christmas Project. She lives in West Sussex. Her first novel for Boldwood, #No Filter, was published in November 2019.
*Special thanks to Maxine Morrey and Rachel’s Random Resources providing a copy of Winter at Wishington Bay in exchange for an honest review.
[…] ABL REVIEW […]