I liked this story a lot. The plot has several storylines wowen together that gives a very interesting tapestry of a story. The characters are mostly very loveable - apart from the couple who are going to have their wedding at Firholme. The two main characters are both badly hurt by former relationships.They are attracted to each other from the very start - but are they ready to trust again and give themselves a second chance to happiness? The supporting cast has remarkable characters too, with children and a dog included. The setting sounds beautiful. You would like to pay a visit there.
I do recommend this novel to everyone who loves a gentle Christmas romance written very well by a really talented author. It is sure to put you in the festive mood.

A completely gripping & beautiful story which literally transported me to the lodge and made me feel christmasy in October. Loved this one!

Wow loved it all great plot fab storys I was hooked form the first day great fun characters I love them they become my friends a fun Christmas read u should all get

I can’t say how perfect this book is right now, it’s the ideal antidote to the world and everything else. A Christmas book set in the stunning Lake District. Could the setting be more gorgeous?

A Surprise Christmas Wedding starts with Lottie who is on holiday with her then boyfriend Connor in Cornwall. Things don’t work out as she hopes and so she decides a new job is needed and lands a position as the events planner at the newly refurbished beautiful Firholme House. The job comes complete with a small cosy cottage to live in, with the next door bothy occupied by the handsome groundskeeper Jay.

However, things take a surprising turn when she has a last minute December wedding to plan and discovers the groom to be is Connor. With Christmas just around the corner, can Lottie handle her emotions to make sure the winter wedding goes smoothly and will she find any joy under the mistletoe this year.

This book is pure escapism from weird reality. It feels like a warm hug or snuggling under a soft blanket while drinking a creamy hot chocolate. It would make a fab Christmas present for someone, or just as a gift for yourself.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this beautiful christmas tale by Phillipa Ashley .Full of love and heartache and just right for the festive season ,curl up by the fire and enjoy .

A lovely sparkling warming Christmas story. Sat reading with a hot chocolate in my pjs. Lots of quirky characters loveable too. A lovely Christmas story loved it.

A Surprise Christmas Wedding and a wonderful pre Christmas read . Romance, family, heartache, and second chances. Who could ask for more this book had them all in spades lovely read especially coming up to Christmas 2020

An okay Christmas read that's lukewarm in regards to the main characters, so you may find yourself interest in side characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Surprise Christmas wedding was an OK read. It was cute where it needed to be but some of the things that happened went a bit too far. Lottie was a likeable character and I liked the mysteriousness of Jay. However, I think my favourite characters were Keegan and Steph with her twins. I wish we dove more into Steph's story. There was true heartbreak there- facing the unfathomable as a single mom with girls. I didn't really feel bad for Lottie's heartbreak moment as she didn't seem like she was very into marrying Connor to begin with. Connor was a total A*****e! Anyways, It was definitely a fast read however it just didn't quite "do it" for me.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Christmas book, and this one is a very easy read that flows from page to page. And is there anytime that more perfect than Christmas for a wedding.

Lottie has had a tough year, things have changed and she’s just getting life back on track and then boom. Her ex appears with a new fiancé on his arm. He asks Lottie to plan his wedding but will she and how will she cope emotionally.

It’s a lovely festive read. And recommended to get you in the festive mood.

I absolutely loved this book. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read it.
It’s been a year since Lottie’s fiancé walked out, leaving her heartbroken. But things start to look up when she lands her dream job at a beautiful Lake District estate, with a handsome groundskeeper for a neighbour.
So when Lottie is asked to organise a last minute Christmas wedding at Firholme, she can’t wait to get started. Until she meets the couple, and discovers that Connor, the man who broke her heart, is the groom-to-be.
As snow falls on the hills, can Lottie put aside her past to organise the perfect winter wedding? And will there be any festive magic left to bring Lottie the perfect Christmas she deserves?
This book made me laugh cry and the characters frustrated me massively (only because of their lack of communication!) If you plan to read this book take the phone off the hook, lock the door and block out the outside world because once you start reading it will be very hard to put down. Philipa Ashley always writes well balanced and well thought out characters and thankfully this book is no different. In fact I would go so far as to say this is quite possibly one of her best! Loved it

Well, it's probably an unpopular opinion but I didn't really enjoy reading this book. I didn't find the characters n their connection very interesting. I thought the emotional development in their relationship was missing. The prologue was totally unnecessary and the reason/explanation of breaking up an engagement didn't make sense (to me) and seemed unconvincing.

Plus, I felt there was too much telling. Not a fan of this kind of storytelling.

I loved the cover!

3.5 stars

I am a sucker for Christmas books. I don't watch any holiday movies but I cannot pass up a good Christmas book - especially if it's in the UK.

A year has passed since Lottie lived one of the worst days of her life. Life is getting better and back to a new normal she enjoys until her ex-fiancee and his new bride-to-be show up and want her to plan their wedding in just a few weeks. Will she pull it off?

The story is easy and flows pretty quickly by yet seemed to drag a bit at the end.

Overall it was a solid read and a sweet way to kick off the holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A cute Christmas novel set in the Lake District focusing on Lottie and Jay and the separate difficult years they have both had.
I don’t feel I made such a connection with this book as I have with the authors previous books and I’m not entirely sure why. Lottie seemed to have no flaws and her men had plenty put together. Despite not feeling it, it was a very pleasant, extremely Christmassy read

I love Philippa Ashley books and have read many of her books. This one was a bit disappointing. While I loved that Lottie was an event planner on an old estate, there was too much time spent on Lottie's former relationship with Connor and not enough focus on Lottie's relationship with the man next door. It was like her former relationship was more important than the relationship she was forming with Jay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Phillipa Ashley for the advanced review copy of A Surprise Christmas Wedding. Lottie is a events planner for a big estate when the last person she would want to organise a wedding for turns up asking her to do just that. This book was ok, it took me a lot longer to read than usual as I wasn’t a fan of the authors style of writing. It had all the components for a great Christmas read but it fell a little flat for me and was predictable.

A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley is the sweet story of Lottie after her fiancé walks out on her.  She has gotten her life back together, and works at a beautiful manor house that is just opening back up for weddings and other events.  It's a crucial time, and what would really help is a Christmas wedding!

Which makes it such luck that a couple turns up wanting to have their Christmas wedding there.  Lottie knows before meeting the couple that she'll do whatever she needs to in order to make this wedding happen.  Then her former fiancé turns out to be the groom.

 A Surprise Christmas Wedding  by Phillipa Ashley was published on 19th October 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and your  local independent bookshop .

I have previously read  A Perfect Cornish Christmas , which is also by Phillipa Ashley.

You can follow Phillipa Ashley on  Facebook ,  Twitter ,  Instagram , or through her  website .

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to   Avon Books  for this book.

A really pleasant Christmas story, that had plenty people hiding secrets from others (or downright lying), a wedding that Lottie really shouldn't be in charge of organising and Jay.

Jay is one of the high points of this book to me, well that and his dog Trevor, his rugged good looks, his love of nature, He isn't the biggest fan of Christmas anymore but thanks to his interactions with Lottie he starts to mellow.

I also loved Lottie's twin nieces who are adorable, and so excited for everything to do with Christmas. And they are even almost mini match makers too. There are some incredibly cute scenes featuring reindeer that were really lovely to see.

However the main plot was at times confusing as to who knew what, and I just didn't seem to fully connect with the book the way I wanted. I think in part even though there were only a couple of very small things, like a mention in passing of Zoom, that took me out of the story and had me constantly on edge for anything else that would remind me of the real world and the mess that is 2020. Which I think means I just didn't relax into the story like I should, which is a shame as I do normally love this author.

It was a perfectly enjoyable story, but just didn't quite hit the mark for me this time around. Although I'm sure if my concentration levels were higher and could have sat and read more at a time, I would have probably enjoyed it more. Fairly sure it really was me and not the book.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

A lovely cosy Christmas read set in a community and with a great Lake District setting. You can rely on Phillipa Ashley for a good read and here's another one, highly recommended to curl up with at Christmas and a nice reminder of all those seasonal rituals we might not get this year.

My review on my blog

https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2020/10/31/book-review-phillipa-ashley-a-surprise-christmas-wedding/

Lottie is an events planner and she recently moved to Firhomme
She had moved to start a new chapter after her very short engagement to Connor ended when he returned from a business trip and said he did not want to get married. The proposal was beautiful but as I read, I could just feel Lottie was uncertain of her answer being yes, but she accepted anyway.
At Firhomme she meets Jay, and they work so well together. You want them to be happy but there is just too much in their lives going on that it distracted me from the romance I wanted to see in the story.
Throw in the wedding Lottie is helping plan that is her ex Connor and he does not want his fiancé to know about Lottie and Connor.
I want love, happiness, family, friends and joy in a Christmas wedding story and this book just did not do it for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Phillipa Ashley and Avon Books Uk for A Surprise Christmas Wedding. This is my personal review.