The continuation of One Summer's Night, this follows Kelsey as she embarks on her new venture and also more in-depth time spent with Mirren, her best friend.
The was a nice wintery read, I enjoyed spending more time with Kelsey, but it was really Mirrens story that led in this one. The book delves into self loathing, alcoholism and sexual harassment in the work place and at times it was tough to read.
I'm definitely glad I read the first book in this duology first, so would recommend that others do the same.

Thanks netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for a review
This is a fun story about friends who live in Scotland and their romantic up and downs. It is the story of an up-and-coming photographer, her friend in the newspaper game. It is the story of men in power jobs who scorn these women, their quest to overcome their scorn and try and suss out the secrets.

One winter’s night by Kiley Dunbar

This appears to be the second book in the series though it can be read as a standalone but reading as a series may have helped some people get to grips with the book.


This other’s authors books do tend to be really slow going at the start if you have not got the patience to stick with it an alternative may be preferred.
I felt the beginning of the book was very drawn out and caused more confusion when recapping about what had gone before. It possibly takes about half the book before you get the just of the story. The best part was the last quarter where the story really gets going and then I felt all was a bit rushed - some of the fluff at the start wasn’t that necessary as stated previously it tended to cause more confusion. I don’t really think was worth the effort in the end but do give it a go. It might just be the book for you . 2.5/5

Good to meet up with Kelsey again - much loved heroine of One Summer's Night. She's happy in her new career, and thoroughly in love. Everything is wonderful. Until...
No spoilers, but you can guess that in Shakespeare country the path of true love never doth run smooth.
Another enjoyable story from Kiley Dunbar.

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book lovely location. Perfect seasonal book to get you in the mood for the festive season. Highly recommend this book

This is the second book in a series, but can be completely read as a stand a lone book, though be ready you will probably want to go back to read it like I do.

This book starts off slow but the dual POV is always a selling point for me. I feel in love with so many of the characters in the town of Statford-Upon-Avon, and that is way I need to go back to read the first one. This is a wonderful cozy HEA read with new beginning and second chances.

One Winter's Night has the distinguished honor of being my first DNF of 2022. This story just dragged...so much lead up and never any momentum in the story. Eventually I realized I didn't really care about either mc, so I wasn't motivated to still slog through the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

As you read this book, you will get lost in this wonderful, quirky riverside setting and completely enveloped in the characters’ lives, each of which quite cleverly have a role to play in the unfolding of this story.

I love the wonderful main characters and the way that through the majority of the story they uphold the Christmas spirit of romance, community and giving, but there are of course bumps in the roads. These bumps were far bigger and far bumpier than I was expecting, but it made for a dramatic and addictive read!

Kiley once again explores important themes related to identity, family, community, trust and confidence, which all ensure that the characters become well-developed and their stories adequately complex and gripping. I literally couldn’t choose a favourite: Kelsey and Jonathan are a wonderful couple that will restore your faith in love and humanity, but I also loved following the development of Adrian and Mirren’s situation.

There is drama and intrigue from beginning to end, and I really wasn’t sure how this one was going to play out, but of course this is Kiley Dunbar, so the ending left me completely warm and satisfied.

An uplifting, gorgeous Christmas read that has far more depth and drama than a traditional Christmas romance, I have absolutely adored this book. I would recommend it to fans of Heidi Swain, Milly Johnson and Cathy Lake.

This book felt like it should have been a novella, but filler was added to make it longer. We don’t get to the main storyline until about halfway through the book. The first half is background story on our two main female characters, but hardly any of that is necessary to the overall story of the book. It ended up making the book confusing at times. While I did like the main storyline ok, by the time we actually got to it I wasn’t that invested.

A feel-good, uplifting story! There's romance, strong friendship, mystery, and new beginnings - the perfect mix.

This was a nice and cute story. Not romance as the blurb led me to believe, but it's a very day-to-day chick-lit type of story that gets a tad slow at times, but if you know it for being slice of life chick-lit, then the pace will be okay and you'll settle back for the ride

I hadn't read the previous book, where one of the couples in this book gets together, but it was not a hindrance. I loved the setting of touristy but still quirky Stratford on Avon, and all the Shakespeare quotations as epigraphs. Also, every woman who's ever been pushed out of a job, paid way less for the same work, slutshamed, or treated like damaged goods will be able to relate to the character of Mirren. I was so rooting for her. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I tried to get into this book about 20 different times. That is not hyperbole. I just had no idea what this book was even doing at the beginning. It was vague, elusive, and confusing. All of those aspects made it very hard to grasp the concept of the book or get into the story. I was not a fan of this book.

This is a cozy holiday read, but I found it a bit difficult to get into. It’s a slow start, but still a nice enough read. The highlights are the fun quirks about Shakespeare and the town etc. I didn’t know this was a sequel and I might have been more invested had I read that first (although not strictly necessary). All in all a good quick read!

DNF 29%
Really not invested in the story nor was i interested in the two main character. I just felt that the story was boring. Sadly.

Perfect sweet fireside read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I’d read the prequel - I didn’t realise it followed on from an earlier story. Mirren’s story redeemed it though because I think that’s less of a central theme in the first book. Good story, but recommend reading the first one first.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A sweet winter romance, perfect for curling up to read and for fans of William Shakespeare. I liked the quotes starting each chapter, the writing was good with clear knowledge of Stratford upon Avon and Great love of it too. The ccharacters are interesting and quirky, very relatable.
A good read.

My thoughts



Narrative and Plot


One Winter's Night by Kiley Dunbar is a sequel to One Summer's Night. Now, I haven't read the first book but the author assures that this book os a standalone in itself. On that note, I decided to go on reading the second without reading the first. The book starts slow and remains so for a while. However, towards the end it picks up pace and things move faster. It could have been a bit more evenly paced as a lot of the important stuff felt like they were covered hastily.


However, the story remained consistent keeping its focus on Kelsey and Mirren even though it was easy to get distracted. The plot was more about their personal growth than this being a Christmas read.






Characters and Conflicts




Kelsey and Mirren both had a coming of age arc in the book which I enjoyed. But it takes a lot of patience to get there. It was fine that the characters blamed themselves for most of the things gone wrong in their lives, but it never bodes well when they continue to do so towards three forth of the story.


Especially, when one of your main character is slut shaming herself repeatedly, it became it a bit tiresome to get through. I realise that people often wallow with things that are not their fault. But all that loathing and blaming would not stop, if someone mansplained it to you. That's where I took issue with it.


The romance was very Shakespearean in its longing and pining. I enjoyed the quotes at the start of each chapter. However, the long distance relationship between Kelsey and Jonathan was a bit hard to ship for, with me having no backstory about their relationship without reading the first book.


The ensemble cast however,looks colorful and brings life to the story, Blythe in particular. Perhaps, she was my favourite character of the book.


Conclusion


Overall, it was a one time read for me. I enjoyed the Shakespearean vibe throughout the writing and the Stratford charm. There wasn't a lot of focus on Christmas but it sure makes up for a cozy winter read.