The author employed an interesting (at least to me) storytelling technique in this story. There are basically 3 characters "lives" being told throughout this book. There is Felicity (the true main character); wedding dress designer, Nell, Felicity's top model for her designs; and Nell's parents, Patty and Todd. The current story setting is St Moritz during the week between Christmas and the New Year. Raj, Felicity's business partner, decided to have the fashion show in St Moritz on New Year's Eve, instead of N.Y.; and created hype around the upcoming event.

There is a lot of dialogue in the story. I felt that the characters were likable and believable; for the most part. It was an enjoyable story. Christmas wasn't really a character in this story; it's sort of a back-drop along with the skiing. All-in-all it's a cute, quick read and we get to see St Moritz thru the author's eyes in the week after Christmas.

After being disappointed her fiancé, Adam, a sports career manager, did not propose as a Christmas present, Felicity Grant jets off to a gorgeous Swiss chalet in St. Moritz, where there will be the biggest fashion show she has ever attended, showcasing her own personal bridal designs. Felicity is happy to go, but a bit upset at her long-term boyfriend for not proposing. In addition to her erstwhile partner, Raj, who has been instrumental in orchestrating this fashion show in St. Moritz, Felicity is also accompanied by her good friend and well-known model Nell, who has something of her own going on. Nell wants her divorced parents to both be at her up-coming wedding, but they each refuse to even be in the same room together at the same time, so Nell has invited them both to St. Moritz, unbeknownst to each other, to figure out how to make them both come to her wedding. Shortly after her arrival, Felicity stumbles and falls, and is immediately taken care of by a handsome local doctor, Dr. Gabriel Innes. For some strange reason, Felicity feels a strong kinship or bond with the doctor and begins discussing her boyfriend and other personal problems with him at length. The discussions continue, and soon social media sites are abuzz with the tales and pictures of Felicity and this unknown Swiss doctor caught on camera all around St. Moritz, almost every day—making Adam wonder just what is going on. The week before the fashion show is hectic and busy, but all the players manage to survive and even enjoy things in the famous Swill ski resort town, as they go about enjoying St, Moritz and all it has to offer, while being very involved in show preparation.

How to begin this review. First of all, I found the book interesting and fairly well written. I did find it difficult to understand how anyone could, like Felicity, confide intimate thoughts and ideas, so regularly with a stranger like Dr. Gabriel Innes. The doctor was a great guy, but, come on, he is a total stranger, and one does not usually confide such personal stuff to a stranger. Then, Felicity does it again and again. I began to wonder just what sort of person she was and to imagine how Adam felt when he kept reading about his girlfriend and the strange doctor in awkward meetings on social media. Again, what sort of person constantly confides her personal thoughts and actions/reactions to someone she has just met? Then there was Nell. Her parents were acting like a couple of immature kids, refusing to even be in the same room with each other. To complicate matters, Nell really had no good plan when she invited the both to St. Moritz, without each knowing the other was coming. Both Felicity and Nell came across as immature whiners, who kept finding things go wrong but could not begin to maturely figure out what to do about them. Sometimes, it seemed like the only sane, mature guy holding it all together was Felicity’s partner Raj who also appeared to be the brains behind most things. I also thought Felicity’s boyfriend Adam was a bit immature and could not understand how or why anyone would stay with such a commitment freak. Dr. Gabriel Innes was likewise a fairly strong and good person, who, it looked like, got himself caught up in something he never really figured would happen at the start. The book presents a good picture of life at this famous resort, with lots of descriptions and discussion of the skiing and the surrounding mountains. One other thing I wondered about was how, after falling and hurting her ankle, Felicity could almost immediately be up and about, as if nothing had happened, even skiing some of the harder slopes in the area. Either she hurt her ankle and needed to stay off of it, or she did not, and she was, almost the next day, up and about as if nothing had ever happened. The book is set in the Christmas time frame, but there is not much about the holiday in it, except for the time frame and a few mentions here and there, so do not expect a Christmassy story. If you enjoy good romances and quirky takes on them, this is a good book for you. The ending was obvious to me almost from the start, but that did not diminish the reading, as I kept with it to see if things would turn out like I imagined or differently. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

A really sweet story about the beauty of Christmas miracles. Set in the gorgeous St. Moritz, this book has loveable characters and really takes on a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie vibe. It definitely put me in the mood for snow and twinkling lights. Christmas at the Chalet also has a strong theme of standing up for our beliefs when it comes to love, new love and old love.

The multiple perspectives gave a nice pace to this book, and really added some elements of suspense in places. I liked the POV from Nell’s parents from 20+ years ago mixed in with Nell now.

Another winner from Anita Hughes!

I received an advance copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Two stories that intertwine.

We have Felicity, a bridal designer, who is in a great moment of her career, but considers her romantic life a failure when she even manages to make her boyfriend, Adam, propose to her (instead he gives her a spa day).

Then we have Nell, a model who is marrying soon but has one big problem: her parents. They are divorced and one does not want the presence of the other on their daughter's big day.

The reader just wants everything to work out for both.
3 stars

Christmas at the Chalet by Anita Hughes.
Felicity Grant has been in a relationship with Adam for about 6 years and was disappointed when he didn't propose. So Felicity leaves to go forward with working on her wedding dress designs. There she happens to meet a Dr who helps her when she falls. Pictures are taken of them along the way which Adam sees sparking his jealousy. Now choices are to be made for Felicity.
Enjoyed this Christmas Romance.

Christmas at the Chalet actually takes place the week between Christmas and New Years on location in St. Moritz, Switzerland for a fashion show that both Felicity and Nell are taking part in. Both ladies are not only dealing with the chaos of the fashion show, but their own personal troubles as well. Felicity was expecting far more from her boyfriend of six years than she got this Christmas and she’s rethinking their entire relationship. Nell should be on top of the world right now planning her wedding, yet her divorced, feuding parents are making what should be a happy occasion a pure nightmare with the fighting and threats of not showing up if the other is at Nell’s wedding. Loving parents indeed, putting their child before their pettiness… not really. Add in a few mishaps and romantic entanglements and you have a very hectic week for these ladies.

While I enjoyed Christmas at the Chalet for the most part, I did find it awfully crowded with characters and threads of different stories to keep track of along the way… and, for me, not always successfully. For me, personally, Nell’s parents were a constant distraction and annoyance. Two people who once were madly in love certainly cannot think beyond their own selfish needs to set aside their differences for their daughter, were not the supporting secondary characters that I enjoy very much. However, we’re given the characters so we deal with them.

It would be very easy to sit here at my desk and pick apart what I liked and didn’t like… and I’m not going to give in to that. I really think that Christmas at the Chalet is a story that everyone who reads it will view and experience differently. I’m going to step back and simply say that I enjoyed much of this story and suggest that each reader makes up their own mind on this one. I left this review to the very last minute while I let this story settle in my mind – and I’m still divided on it. So, it’s a good story, the descriptions of the location are beyond breathtaking and the characters are well defined…. even if I had trouble liking many of them. I will leave the rest up to your own opinion.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This book is 2 different stories running together (with a 3rd kinda thrown in there) all in one book. Felecity is a bridal designer who keeps wanting more with her boyfriend while thinking he may not be at the same point she is when she gets a spa day instead of a ring. And then you have Nell who is engaged and wanting the perfect dress for her wedding, along with both of her parents there and not arguing with each other. And they say that if the other parent is there, then they won't come. And with Felecity needing to create a special gown for a salon on a deadline during Christmas, they both need some sort of miracle to pull off what they dream of.

The writing in this was good. The way the location is described is great. But I had an extremely hard time getting into this book. I have tried to let it percolate in my head to see if I can pinpoint exactly why I didn't like it but I can't even really pinpoint an exact thing. The characters just didn't resonate with me on a whole. I felt like I was all over the place with it being basically 2 full stories and part of a 3rd one thrown in there. It felt almost too hectic to read, if that makes sense. I just didn't really like it. I'm sure it will probably hit with some people, unfortunately it just wasn't for me. But like I said, the writing itself was good. I just didn't like the book.

Out today!

The first thing that drew me to this book was that gorgeous cover! I mean, look at it. Who wouldn't want to be snuggled up in a little mountain chalet drinking hot chocolate in front of a warm fire while reading this book? Yes, please!

The second thing that drew me: Christmas! Yes, I know it's not even Halloween yet and I'm all about the spooky reads right now but I'm preparing myself for the holidays, okay?

Anita Hughes gives us three stories in one with this book. A charming wedding dress designer whose long-term relationship is crumbling, a up-and-coming fashion model trying to get her divorced parents to cooperate for the sake of her wedding, and a glimpse into the past at those parents and their journey from love to disaster.

So... this book was essentially a Hallmark or made-for-Netflix holiday movie in book form. It was cute and enjoyable. It made me happy to read and I would totally love to curl up with it on a cold winter day. That being said, it was not the most well written and was kind of basic. Most of the character interactions were pretty cheesy and weren't really believable. I don't know if I can get on board with a character falling in love in a matter of days or with two divorced parents who hate each other magically reconciling overnight. Again, Hallmark. If you can see past all that though, it's a great "feel good" story and at 288 pages it's a breeze.

The other thing I was slightly disappointed in was the lack of Christmas spirit. While I totally got the Swiss Alp/ski lodge feel this book was going for, I didn't really feel like it screamed "Christmas." Yes, it took place over the Christmas holiday but otherwise was more of a "winter" read than a "Christmas" read.

All of that being said, if you're just looking for a light hearted, quick read for winter, this is your book.

-I was gifted an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Anita Hughes, and St. Martin's Press (faves!) for the opportunity to review.-

What a great Christmas story. What fun it would be to design wedding dresses for a living! This was an interesting cast of characters, who when weaved together made for a good story. I could picture myself in St. Moritz with them. Wish I knew how to ski the slopes. If I had a business, I would want a partner like Raj. He and Felicity definitely worked well together. It’s always good to have a best friend that you can work with and have each other’s backs. Wonder if any of you can relate to Val’s problem. This was my first Anita Hughes book, but it won’t be my last.
I received an ARC of this book, but my opinion is my own.

I really enjoyed this book! Who wouldn’t live a cute romance while traveling! I love that there were multiple storylines! I would recommend this book!

(3.5 rating) As always, Anita Hughes writes a story with such magnificent and vivid descriptions of the setting of the book, and in this one it is St. Moritz. There is much going on in this beautiful town in the Swiss Alps, a bridal fashion show (beautiful descriptions of the gowns), skiing, delicious food and, of course, romance. This is a charming story about love and forgiveness. There were some characters (Nell's divorced parents) that I found to be quite immature and selfish for not wanting to attend Nell's wedding if the other parent was to be present. We do get flashbacks of Nell's parents relationship, how they met and what ultimately led to their divorce, which was a sweet story, but I couldn't get over how they would do this to their daughter on her very important day. Overall, I found this to be a charming story and a very quick read. It is one to snuggle up with on a cold day with a hot chocolate and just dream about being in that gorgeous setting!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Take a trip to the stunning St. Mortiz for a fashion show of a lifetime with some incredible characters that will make you laugh and hope that they can push past the stress of the perfect day.

Felicity is a kind, loving woman who has grown her wedding gown business literally from scratch. She gives her heart and soul to her work, she wants nothing more than to create a beautiful dress that suits a bride. She has also been in a relationship with her boyfriend for several years and she is extremely disappointed when Christmas is around the corner and he fails to propose again. She questions whether he truly loves her or is just comfortable with her and if he puts his career before her, her feelings and their future together. All of this occurs just before she heads off to St. Mortiz for her huge fashion show and you have to give her a lot of credit for being able to push through the hurt and disappointment in order to not let down her friends and business partners.

One of her models, Nell, is another star in this novel. She is engaged and ready to start her life with the man she loves. The only problem? Her bitter, divorced parents who can’t seem to get over their own selfish needs to put their daughter first. They refuse to attend the wedding together, they constantly say inappropriate comments about the other parent to Nell thus placing her in a very awkward position. As the novel progresses, we are witness to her parent’s past to get a glimpse of how they could have grown so far apart and so full of hate.

I really enjoyed this sweet novel. It was full of hope and humour – you keep rooting that our characters can make it through and find the love they deserve.

Christmas At The Chalet is a lovely Christmas tale set in the icy beauty of St. Moritz. You'll be believing in the power of a Christmas mircle before your done.

Romance, gorgeous gowns, detailed descriptions, a glamorous setting, delicious food... so much goodness in this novel. A few love stories are woven within. The story takes place during the magical season of Christmas, actually the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I did read this during the summer, but it definitely will put you in the mood for the holiday season. The storytelling alternates between Felicity and Nell’s stories as well as flashbacks of Nell’s parent’s relationship. My first read by Anita Hughes and her descriptive writing blew me away. I felt right there in the ski resort, could picture it perfectly, and I’ve never been to a ski resort before. A lovely romance to escape to.

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Christmas at the Chalet” by Anita Hughes St.Martins, October 16, 2018

Anita Hughes, author of “Christmas at the Chalet” has written an enjoyable, entertaining, heartwarming novel.The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Romance. Anita Hughes vividly describes the food and landscape in St. Moritz. I love the descriptions of the food in St. Moritz, (especially how the chocolate is used in several desserts), and how the snowy mountains, skiing, and small shops are described.

The author describes her colorful characters as complex and complicated. Some of the characters have their own problems to work out. Felicity Grant designs bridal gowns, and intricate fashions using unique fabrics and accessories. Felicity and her partner have worked hard to have this fashion show in St. Moritz. Unfortunately, Felicity is very disappointed that her boyfriend didn’t propose and give her an engagement ring. Nell, one of the models is engaged, and is upset that both of her divorced parents won’t attend her wedding together. Unfortunately, Nell finds that both her parents are in St. Moritz, and want to visit. Both parents are unaware that they are both there.

It does seem with the excitement and festivities that Felicity is just a little accident prone, and is lucky that a handsome doctor is on the scene to help her. Felicity wonders if there is such a thing as a Christmas miracle?

I would recommend this delightful, fun-loving, story to readers that enjoy a story that is heartwarming. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, St. Moritz

Felicity Grant of Felicity Grant Bridal, is preparing for her winter collection bridal show. She has chosen the venue of this hotel in St. Moritz and the week between Christmas and New Year’s for her show. Her business partner is Raj and he has encouraged her to do this show in St. Moritz instead of New York.

Felicity’s boyfriend is Adam and they have been together for six years. Hoping that he will finally propose, she was very hurt and disappointed when he did not give her a diamond ring for Christmas and he was quite frank about not being ready to get married. They had a fight about it just before she left for St. Moritz. Feeling bad about it, Felicity decides to venture out and buy him a nice gift and overnight it to him. Slipping on the ice, she sprains her ankle. Dr. Gabriel Innes helps her up and insists on buying her dinner while wrapping her ankle in ice to reduce the swelling. They run into one another here and there and enjoy sharing a meal. Unfortunately, Felicity is recognized and pictures of her are posted on Instagram. Adam sees the pictures is gets jealous.

Nell is one of the models whose parents are divorced. Nell is planning to get married soon and, of course, wants both of her parents to be at her wedding. But they despise one another and refuse to be in the same room together. They want her to have two weddings allowing each of the parents to attend one. Nell’s mother and father are both in St. Moritz to see the bridal show. Now, Nell has to find time to see both of them without the other one knowing.

The days count down to the show and everyone has their own problems to deal with. Will the show go off well with no set-backs?

Oh dear. The story is a good one, but Nell’s whining mother is a royal pain. Both parents needed to grow up. Felicity is a wimp when it comes to Adam. She should have kicked him to the curb years ago. I like Gabriel and the clever fairy tales he told Felicity. The saving grace for this book are the descriptions of the scenery, the dresses, and the food. I have read a number of this author’s books and enjoyed some very much. She tends to write in the style of Danielle Steel which isn’t bad, but it just some good editing.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

**RATING 3.5**

CHRISTMAS AT THE CHALET by Anita Hughes is a solid Christmas read with a setting that will take your breath away.

Felicity Grant and her bridal designs are beginning to hit the big time and a star-studded fashion show in stunning St. Moritz the day after Christmas will be the rocket that launches her into greatness. Everything she ever wanted is at her fingertips but when her long-term boyfriend suggests that they take a break because he is unsure if he wants to get married, it throws Felicity into a tailspin. Injuring herself, she finds herself spending a lot of time with the local doctor who is beginning to make her realise that maybe her relationship wasn't the fairy tale she thought it was. Add in models who want to have some fun, and another model whose parents are causing her nothing but headaches, and there seems to be a lot of drama in this beautiful place. Can Felicity make her dreams come true in all aspects of her life?

The setting in this story is my favourite part and the author has a wonderful way of drawing you into the magic of St. Moritz. I enjoyed the characters and have to say that Nell is my favourite. There is a lot going on and some parts of the book were a little bit slower than I would have liked, but overall, I enjoyed CHRISTMAS AT THE CHALET by Anita Hughes.

This book is told in parts. Felicity Grant is a bridal gown designer having a show in St. Moritz. Nell Mason is one of her models and a friend. Both are looking for a Christmas miracle. Felicity was hoping to be engaged and Nell is trying to get her parents to be present at her wedding. Sometimes the Christmas miracle you are hoping for, is not the one get. Sometimes it is even better.

I don’t remember reading anything written by Anita Hughes before, so I was looking forward to Christmas at the Chalet. It begins right after Christmas through the rest of the holiday season. It is an ambitious work since it deals with not one couple over the course of the story but three.
Felicity Grant, a fashion designer is one of the main female characters along with Nell one of the models at the chalet. Both have troubles in the romance department, different problems but problems none the less. One of the biggest of those is Nell’s parents. They made up the last couple in the story.

The romance, drama, fashion and magic all happen in the most wonderful place imagined, a ski chalet in St. Moritz. If there could be another character in this story, it would be the place, such vivid images are brought to mind as the descriptions bring the chalet to life. Even when the characters’ lives and loves grow messy, the story is worth the sense of place given by the writer. I am almost jealous of the characters who get to be there.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think I mentioned this earlier this month when I reviewed another Christmasy novel…..I normally hold all of my holiday reading until after October.

October is all spooky, mystery novels for me and I normally don’t read or review any other holiday books until November. But there are a few authors who are known for Christmasy reads that I will gladly make an exception for and one of those is Anita Hughes.

I have read all of her Christmas novels and loved them! I know what I am getting whenever I review one of her Christmas novels—-a happily ever after set in one for the most romantic cities or places in the world. Sure she writes other contempo romances but for me I love her holiday books. Sometimes you just need a comforty, cozy read and her novels have that in spades.

It’s the day after Christmas, and Felicity Grant is at a gorgeous ski chalet in St. Moritz for the biggest fashion show of her career. Felicity is a rising star on the bridal design scene, and this is her best collection yet. But when her boyfriend gives her a spa day instead of a diamond ring for Christmas, she has to face the possibility that she may never walk down the aisle in one of her own stunning designs.

And then there’s Nell, the top model headlining Felicity’s show. Nell is planning her dream wedding to her wonderful fiance with one catch: her divorced parents can’t stand each other and threaten to no-show if the other is there.

Add to that Felicity’s race against the clock to create a special gown for a prestigious bridal salon, and what both girls need is a Christmas miracle. What better place to find one than in the Swiss Alps with its dark forests and sparkling vistas?

But for Felicity it’s hard to recognize a miracle even when it’s right in front of her, and for Nell one miracle might not be enough to fix the past. Can dreams really come true or is that the stuff of Swiss fairytales?

Anita Hughes’s Christmas at the Chalet is full of romance, gorgeous gowns, and the stunning scenery of the Swiss Alps. It’s about love and forgiveness, and creating one’s own miracles during the most festive time of year (summary from Goodreads).

Hughes is an accomplished writer and reading her books are generally enjoyable and fun. You kind of know what you are getting as I mentioned before…..a happily ever after—and in this case—at Christmas time. But I will say that I don’t know that I liked this one as much as Christmas in London. Christmas in Paris was ok but to me Christmas in London was better and while this one was good, I still didn’t think that Christmas at the Chalet beat out Christmas in London.

There was a lot going on in this story for me which I found a little distracting…..two love stories, flash backs, and just an overall sense that the various plots were fighting for the spotlight in this novel. I personally would have preferred one central plot that was strong rather than a bunch of things happening that are connected etc.

What saved this book for me was the setting. I haven’t heard of St Motitz so I was eagerly Googling it and shortly there after, mentally planning a vacation there. Her descriptions of St Motitz and the fashion industry were definitely along the lines of Life Styles of the Rich and Famous and that absolutely saved the novel for me. There is nothing like a glamorous life to distract from a problematic plot but I didn’t mind that, as it’s fun to day dream about the rich and famous.

Hughes is accomplished at writing Christmas romances and I am totally ok with that. Sometimes you just need a happily ever after and a feel good love story set at Christmas time. I don’t care if that makes me basic—-I love Christmas and Christmas romances.

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: Christmas at the Chalet by Anita Hughes

Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 288 pages
Expected publication: October 16th 2018 by St. Martin’s Griffin
ASIN B079DVMKBX
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own
Recommendation: 3 out of 5
Genre: romance, holiday romance, contempo romance
Memorable lines/quotes: