Thank you to NetGalley, Aria Books and Lucy Coleman for the ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

My rating is actually 4.5 stars, but since there aren't half stars I always round up.

Please transport me to Holly Cove right now! The beauty and unpredictability of the ocean, the picturesque views, kind people, and relaxing atmosphere is amazing. It sounds like the perfect place for me.

Tia is sent to Holly Cove by her boss months before the holiday season. She works at a magazine that’s planning to feature couples in love in a series of articles around the holiday season. Tia’s also had a rough time in her personal life and even had to take time off of work. She’s given six weeks to relax, recharge and also interview the couples/create all of the magazine content. It’s a sweet gesture by her boss, but is it only that?

I loved the people in Holly Cove. They’re nice, introverted, private and a little awkward but mean well. All in all, they’re my kind of people. The setting is gorgeous beyond gorgeous. Seriously, take me there! The relationships are slowly revealed over time, unravelling the nuances and hurt from many years.

The book is so lovely. However, if I’m being nit picky, Tia’s relationship with Nic was not surprising, but the readers needed more hints as to what she was thinking. It seemed to happen quickly, even though it didn’t.

All in all, Snowflakes Over Holly Cove is a wonderful book to read anytime of year. The holiday season will make it extra special. I definitely recommend this cozy relaxing read.

The Blurb :
As the snowflakes start to fall, Holly Cove welcomes a new tenant to the beautiful old cottage on the beach...
For lifestyle magazine journalist Tia Armstrong, relationships, as well as Christmas, have lost all their magic. Yet Tia is up against a Christmas deadline for her latest article 'Love is, actually, all around...'
So, Tia heads to Holly Cove where the restorative sea air and rugged stranger, Nic, slowly but surely start mending her broken heart.
Tia didn't expect a white Christmas, and she certainly never dared dream that all her Christmas wishes might just come true...

My Thoughts :
I have to say that this has such a beautiful cover, with a snow capped tree and a cottage in the background this will have anyone reaching for it on a cold winters evening.
Although starting off this is set in the spring time it soon changes as we read on.
We meet Journalist Tia Armstrong, Tia’s mum has recently passed away and although she is back at work she is far from ready. Tia is sent to Beach View Cottage in Holly Cove, Wales for 6 weeks by her boss to rest and take some time out. She has an article to write about love and relationships and is on a deadline. As Tia settles into life and writing her article, she makes friends with the locals including Olwen, Nic and Max. With Tia get her happy ever after or is this trip all about work and no play.
We are in for a few surprises long the way as well as flashbacks to previous christmas’s.
I am a huge fan of Linn Halton/Lucy Coleman, so this didnt surprise me to be another beautiful book. She has a way of captivating the reader right into the moment and making us feel part of the story and that the charactors are friends.
This is not just a story of romance but a story of coping with grief, emotions, second chances and new beginnings. Hope we get to see more fantastic writing in the furture.

The story is told in a beautiful seaside setting, and for that I usually think of New England and not outside London but it is depicted beautifully. The story of Tia, grieving her mother and trying to start over is one that I can relate to. You also have Nic who is also a little lost, and trying to rebuild.

Where this story falls a little short is the depth, and it's cadence. A lot of the history of each character is discussed but never in a way that I feel like they are truly dealing with their feelings or emotions, or learning more about them. You also have the characters of Tia's journalistic piece where they tell their love story but not to any great depth. Even Tia herself is left with questions, to which she makes her own assumptions.

There is some excitement and drama towards the end, and finally it's Christmas time. The way the family comes together at the end is heartfelt.

I had no idea, until I read ‘Snowflakes Over Holly Cove’, that a mere ONE word could be the culprit of my eyes casually leaking. I know….it’s funny how much emotion the word ‘eggnog’ has, isn’t it? Yes, I am being serious. The word ‘eggnog’ made me burst into tears. I’m still not too sure whether my tears were because the word reminded me of what it actually tastes like, even though I have never had eggnog pass my lips, or whether it was because…..oh, heck. I can’t tell you can I? Many of you may associate eggnog with Christmas, so the fact that it is in a Christmas book may not come as a surprise to some. However, if you’re a soppy date like me, ‘eggnog’ may not be just for Christmas. You’ll see what I mean when you read the book….I hope.

Anyway, eggnog aside, ‘Snowflakes Over Holly Cove’ is such a stunning read, so much so that I felt so bereft when the book came to an end. I wasn’t emotionally read to leave Tia and co behind at all. I would really love for Tia or Olweyn, or even Max, to come back again in another story as their personalities and life stories are so giving, I would love to be in their company once again. Plus, I’m very nosy and I don’t think these characters have let all of their skeletons out of the closets yet.

Tia hasn’t exactly had a calm few months and, when she returns to work, she can’t help but feel bewildered by the job her boss has sent her on. Did her boss even pay attention to what has happened in Tia’s life recently? Does she even care?

Despite her reservations, Tia begins the job with an open mind and ends up getting more than she bargained for. Maybe her boss did good after all?

‘Snowflakes Over Holly Cove’ is a book which just kept on giving. Every time I turned the page I was surrounded by yet another laugh out loud event, or a situation which made me stop to gather my thoughts – reading this book was like waking up on Christmas morning to see if Santa had been. The excitement of what lay beneath each page rivalling the excitement of what lay underneath the Christmas wrapping paper left by Santa. Feeling loved by fictional characters just like being loved by good ol’ Saint Nic. The excitement of not knowing what was a round the corner, just like the excitement when reaching for every new present. Everything about this book was just…..perfection, without a doubt.

Lucy Coleman’s story telling where ‘Snowflakes Over Holly Cove’ is concerned, has raised the bar extremely high for future novels. This author doesn’t just write words and expect her readers to imagine the Christmas magic or the deep rooted emotion, instead she writes the emotion from her own heart as though she has endured similar. Story telling of this calibre cannot be taught, you either have it or you don’t, and it is pretty clear that Lucy Coleman has that beautiful magic flowing from her mind through to her fingertips.

As I said above, a certain word made me burst into tears and whilst I can sit back and giggle about it now, my heart broke at the time because I had become incredibly invested in Tia and her life, I felt my own sense of loss for that character.

If only the feelings of love, serenity and goodwill could be bottle, I would be one extremely happy lady. I couldn’t have wished for a better book to read when my own life is crashing down on me, and I felt the love from the characters seep into my mind like the first coffee of the morning. In my eyes, this is exactly why I love reading, because of books like this.

A humbling, emotional, poignant, touching novel which wrapped my heart in a cosy rug whilst also making me cry because of the eggnog – what more could a girl want?

Tia needs to find her feet again after the death of her mom. Going to the small town of Holly Cove is, she knows, only a temporary respite from all the pressures on her, both real and imagined. What she finds, however, is that this is one of the best things she could have done for herself. Yes she meets Nic (the swoony love interest) but what I liked most about this was how she heals herself. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'll admit to being a sucker for books set in Wales so I was prepared to enjoy this but the pleasures slowly revealed themselves as it's a bit more thoughtful that others in this not-really-chick-lit genre.

This is a first for me by this author.

I was drawn to the book by the cover... it just looks so Christmassy, but for a while I did question that it was a Christmas story as it was Spring until around 40% of the way through... then it changed.

Tia is a journalist whose mother recently died and even though she's back at work... she is definitely not ready for it!!
Her boss sends her to Holly Cove to rest, recuperate and write... she's to write an article about love and relationships but with Christmas approaching she's on the deadline to get it done.

Who knew that love may just knock on her door?
A beautiful story with some deep and meaningful storylines in the background which really pull at your heartstrings.
I loved the memory flashbacks of past Christmases... they had me in tears.

A deceptively easy style of writing that deals with very serious issues, death, loss of job, a break up and how we deal with it all.

A real heart-warmer!!!

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and Aria in exchange for an honest review. The book really picked up at the end but the first half was very slow for me. It also isn’t very Christmasy until the end. Not my favorite, but not a bad book. I just wish it had not drug so much at the beginning

Delighted to have an Arc from netgalley in return for an honest review
This really is an outstanding book 5*+
Lucy's characters just jump of the page at you as there people we know in life.
Holly cove for Christmas has such a ring to it we all want to be there with family and friends are what Christmases are really all about and this book does just that there's much laughter and tears throughout this outstanding book can't praise it high enough

Snowflakes Over Holly Cove by Lucy Coleman is a delightful seasonal read.

Christmas for Tia Armstrong has no magic or appeal any more. Her mother just died and even though she is back to work she is definitely not ready for it.
As Christmas approaches being journalist she is on the deadline to write an article about love and relationships.
So she goes to Holly Cove never expecting or dreaming that love might knock on her door.
Beautiful setting, written during that special and magical time of the year this is a perfect read for long winter nights.
Deceptively easy style of writing deals with very serious issues, death, loss of job and break up and how we deal with it all.
But despite all this it is not depressing nor corny and it will definitely give you hope and put a smile on your face.
And once again show us that miracles do happen, even when we don't believe in them.

Tia is staying in a cottage on the Welsh coast, easing back in to her work as a journalist after the death of her mother.

As she starts interviewing people for her next set of articles, it gives you plenty to think about.

She meets some great chracters along the way, including Nic, Max and Olwen. But things aren't as they seem.

A gentle paced read - the title implies it is a Christmas book, and while Tia is interviewing people about their Christmas traditions, I would not say it was an overly festive book, so a good read at any time of the year.

Throughly enjoyed this book. Great setting and characters. Very warm and cosy. Although it’s not set in winter from the off will be a great one to read this winter

Enjoyed this new book by Lucy Coleman. The setting was fantastic as I love that part of Wales and the story was interesting. Bit of an emotional read but a good read.

This cover completely drew me in. I adore the thick snow cascading down the whole of the cover, the snow covered trees, and the cute cottage on the left hand side. It makes for such a beautiful, Christmassy looking novel and I just think it's stunning! I've read Lucy Coleman's The French Adventure, and it was really enjoyable so I knew that this one was going to be just as good. I have to say, that I actually thought this novel was much better than the first one I'd read by this author. It felt more thought-out, well put together and overall just a more interesting and engaging read.

However, one thing I will say is that when I first started reading this novel, I wasn't sure how Christmas came into it at all. I was reading other members reviews on Netgalley and they were all saying how cosy and festive it was and I actually wondered whether I was reading a different book. The one I was reading was set in Spring, and as I was nearly 40% of the way through, I didn't see how that was going to change so quickly. However, this soon changed and I was beginning to see what everyone else was reviewing about!

With regards to the characters, I wasn't a huge fan of Nic to start off with, he seemed to keep blowing hot and cold and I wondered how Nic's relationship with Tia was going to go. I really loved cleaner Olswen (really unsure whether I spelt that right of not - whoops!) and another character which I really warmed to was Max - he seemed so lovely and quite lonely and my heart ached for him on more than one occasion. It was clear that he had a few secrets and as I was reading, I thought I knew one of them but my suspicions weren't confirmed until nearly the end of the book.

As for main character Tia, I really really felt for her. Even though this is a heartwarming and lovely festive novel, there are some deep and meaningful storylines in the background which really pull at your heartstrings. I felt particularly emotional after I read the first part where Tia and her mum was in New York, then the following part where Tia admits that she lost her mum really broke me! It was clear to see that she was struggling with this loss (as would anyone) and another thing which really caused me to become an emotional mess was the memory flashbacks of past Christmases. It was equally heartbreaking as it was heartwarming.

Overall, an enjoyable but emotional novel by Lucy Coleman. One that I urge you to read. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

Tia is struggling with grief after the loss of her mum so her boss sends her to Holly ?Cove on the Gower Peninsula to rest, recuperate and write. And tia discovers that Christmas has not lost its magic after all
Warming, cosy and as welcome as a log fire on a snowy day, this book wraps you up and hugs you

My review has been posted to my blog & Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)