3.5 stories

This was a cute story about a little town on Wishington Bay, which seems to be a place that heals people when they are at a point in their life when they just need a break or a change.

Sophia has been in Wishington Bay for 18 months working as a waitress and a part-time maid. The entire town adores her - she is friendly, helpful, hard working and just a nice person. Everyone that is except a fellow bimbo waitress named Corinne - who really just appears to be jealous.

Nate has come to Wishington Bay at the request of his brother, pediatrician Gabe. Nate is going through a bad divorce where his wife has cheated on him with her tennis coach. She eventually left him to live with the coach. Poor Nate never saw it coming as he is a serious workaholic. His wife is beautiful and Nate is still heartbroken over their breakup. Gabe is out of the country so Nate stays in Gabe's place when he first arrives. Little does he know, Gabe has asked Sophia to "check in" on Nate - to bring him home cooked meals and clean the place once per week.

The first time they meet is hilarious. Nate is prickly and Sophia really gives him a verbal lashing. But their interactions start to pull Nate out of his funk and back into the real world. But both of them are harboring secrets - can they find happiness together even though they both say they don't want to enter another relationship? What will Corinne do to release her frustrations against Sophia? What special visitors will Sophia receive that has the entire town in an uproar? You'll need to read the book to learn the answers to these questions.

This book can easily be read in a day. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

Absolutely perfect and heartwarming read which I have been completely unable to put down.
I adore this author and this might be my new favourite book.

This is my first time to read a book by Maxine Morrey and unfortunately I will not be seeking out any more of them. Winter at Wishington Bay had a charming little town setting and a couple of the characters were good but I felt like the book just plodded along and I had to force myself to keep reading to the end since I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Disappointing.

I always enjoy Maxine’s books. Just my kind of writing and romance. This is another great one. A gorgeous wintery tale. Looking forward to more by this author!

Winter at Wishington Bay is a delightful romance and a perfect holiday season read. I enjoyed it from page 1 to the end. Sophia is a great main character and someone I found it easy to root for. Her and Nate's relationship is written perfectly - they don't get together too soon or too late. They also just fit so well together, I love them as a couple. Some of their conversations are a little repetitive, especially when it comes to Sophia having to boost Nate's self-esteem, but I still enjoyed all of the scenes with the two of them.. I wished the information on Sophia's past had been revealed a little sooner because the little hints/teases about what made her run away to Wishington Bay got old pretty quick. In addition, it wasn't difficult to figure out that she was someone famous so it just felt like the big reveal was being dragged out. I also wish we could have gotten a few chapters from Nate's point of view, especially towards the end of the story (mostly because I really would have liked to know what went on between him and Serena when she came to town). Corrine is a good villain for the story - awful enough to give you someone to dislike, but not so awful as to not be believable. I also really liked the scene between Sophia and her mother because it didn't end with them magically reconciling and it gave Sophia the chance to express her hurt without being made to feel guilty for feeling that way. I feel this book does a good job of filling you in on Holly and Gabe's story without retelling the entire thing (which is good because I really want to go back and read their book).

When Gabe's older brother comes to stay in Washington Bay following the break-up of his marriage, he is not interested in anything. Can Sophia and Bryan the sausage dog change things for him and will Sophia's secret return to haunt her?
Lovely little christmas romance. Characters are likeable (except the vicious Corinne) and the setting gorgeous. It doesn't matter if you've read the previous Washington Bay book as you'll still follow the story.
Loved the trip to fetch the christmas tree as it made me laugh.
Lovely gentle festive romance.

Another delightful story from Maxine!! I love her stories and feel like I'm transported "across the pond" to a quaint little village that I want to visit. Her stories are so witty yet real and believable. I loved that Nate was the insecure one and needed some encouragement. It's important to know that men can be damaged in a bad marriage just as much as women can be. There isn't anything I did not like about this book. Characters that make you want to know them and be friends with them, a setting that has me wanting to jump on a plane and and an ending that will make you smile. Well done!!!

How lovely it has been to return to Wishington Bay.

It is such a stunning location for a book, and I can't help but want to live their myself, Sophia has forged out a really lovely, low key life, in her 18 months in the bay, she's working as a waitress and a cleaner, neither of which she had a clue about from her previous life.

It is obvious the whole time that Sophia is hiding something from her old life, but the specifics aren't revealed until quite close to the finale, and I wasn't quite expecting the way it would all pan out!

Meanwhile their is Nate, who just wants to hide himself away to write his book, and ignore life, and the initial conversations between Nate and Sophia are really amusing.

The characters in this were very believable and realistic and I loved disliking the horrible ones! Although this is a second book in Wishington Bay it can easily be read as a standalone, as the protaganists are different and the main focus is their story.

I loved the various secrets, and the way Sophia has transformed her life.

Set in the winter, I should say that this is not specifically a Christmas book, more a cold wintery one, with many amusing moments, Sophia appears to be rather accident prone - and the scene with the Christmas tree was hilarious - so yes Christmas features but it's not a focus and this is a book that could easily be read at any time of the year.

This is just an all around enjoyable book that I was really entertained by.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Nate is in Wishington Bay to visit, and have a break to finish writing his book and to come to terms with his divorce.

Sophia has lived there for a while, but is keeping secrets from her new friends. They won't stay secrets for long so what will happen then?

Great setting for the book - sounds like it would be a great place to visit!

Looking forward to more books in this series

Eighteen months ago Sophia escaped her old life and turned up in Wishington Bay. Where she has discovered a sense of independence and made some beautiful friends, both of which she hadn’t had before.

Nate is in Wishington Bay at the suggestion of his brother, after he needed a bolt hold to write a book and escape the drama of his impending divorce.

Can the magic of Christmas mend two broken hearts?

The only thing better that a Maxine Morrey novel, is one that is set at Christmas time. I loved every minute of reading this.

It's a second chance love story, set in a beautiful countryside. Sophia has moved to Washington Bay to start a new life, leaving some secrets behind that she doesn't want to share with anyone. Not yet. The good thing is, she's happy here.

Then comes Nate, a quiet and reserved (as mentioned in the beginning) writer. They meet. Sparks fly. And...You need to read to know more.

Well, I love reading second chance romances and I liked the blurb, the cover is lovely, the title is interesting and that's why I requested this book. I expected it to be a cozy, heartwarming read but it ended up being an average read. I'll tell you why.

The first thing: there are too many dialogues. I mean non stop, uninteresting dialogues.

Second: I didn't feel anything for the protagonists. I didn't feel any connection. They just talk and talk and talk (Nate doesn't seem like a quiet, reserved type) and then eat and eat. There's no character development, I didn't see any growth in the relationship.

Third: There's no conflict in the story. The story gets a little interesting in the second half but it's too late by then.

As I mentioned, everything has been told through the dialogues. No description that could create nice imagery or evoke emotions.

An okayish read. Disappointed.

Another fantastic book from Maxine. Love a good Christmas read even in August! Great characters a quick warm fuzzy read.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

When Sophia runs away from her life she doesn't expect to end up in Wishington Bay but the town ends up winding her up and she creates a new life while hiding her old one, until Nate shows up and flips her world upsidown.
Does everyone find out what this big secret could be?

Nate is a beautiful romantic hero you know the type strong, mysterious, and a little unsure of his self.

A great summer read although i did not read the first book i know i will be going back to read it now.
Great Job Maxine Morrey!

What a delightful read. I enjoyed watching the interaction of all the characters of Wishington Bay. Wouldn’t we all love to call that home? Ms. Morrey’s descriptions of Christmas were so clear, I could see myself sipping cocoa and enjoying it all. Even though I did not read the previous book, I was able to follow this and enjoy it.

What a brilliant love story. I loved it. Could not put it down. I would never guessed Sophie's secret. Amazing how a love story can make cleaning glamous and intresting,made me want to clean!!!! An excellent read

This was a cute book. Sophia walked away from her life and moved to Wishington Bay – She is not hiding but keeping her location quiet. Nate is worn out from life – a stressful job and terrible relationship.
I did not read the first book but that did not detract from this one. The relationship between the two develops slowly.
It was beautifully written and quite enjoyable. I recommend this book. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advance copy for an honest review. By the way I went and bought the first one- Coming Home to Wishington Bay

Winter at Washington Bay was a delightful read, perfect for when you need a feel-good romance. I had read a previous novel by Ms Morrey “Coming Home to Wishington Bay” so this book felt as if I were returning to a familiar setting full of warm, friendly people. There is the usual rom-com plot of two lost souls coming off bad breakups who fall in love while specially trying not to fall in love. But, it doesn’t seem contrived or implausible. Just sweet. Also, beautiful descriptions of a small coastal villiage that make you want to move there. I am already looking forward to, and hoping for, another book set in Wishington Bay.

Loved it! The setting of Wishington Bay was perfect, and I love the parts over the Christmas season. I thought the relationship between the main characters unfolded at a nice pace and kept you interested in what would come next. I would love to see a sequel!