Oh, how I love a good Christmas romance! When Megan meets Xander, she finds him rude and obnoxious. But when he turns out to be the author who is launching his new book at her bookstore, she gets to know the man behind the façade. Their friendship blooms over shared experiences and they bond over romance novel tropes, which Xander seems to dislike with a passion.

With a little push from her friends Missy and Bella, Megan takes a step forward into moving on after the loss of her husband. Opening herself up to a man and a future, she is beginning to see more clearly when she and her parents are having to make a very difficult and sad decision.

I enjoyed the antics of the Die-Hard Romantics Book Club and their preparations for a Regency Christmas party, learning card games and the quadrille. It was fab to read Ben and Ellie, from ‘The Tea Room on the Bay’, making special appearances. And don’t we all want a Gus!

I loved Rachel Burton’s lists at the end of the book: I listened to Megan and Xander’s Playlist- loved ‘Ghosts’ by Laura Marling and put ‘Maybe This Christmas’ by Jennifer Snow on my want-to-read-list.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful, heart-warming Christmas romance!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for my eARC in return for an honest review.

With thanks to NetGalley and Aria for an early copy in return for an honest review.

A fun and cozy Christmas read. The combination of a book about books + Christmas time + set in England, made it an enjoyable read.

THIS WAS CUTEEEE. I loved that we were breaking the third/fourth wall and also loveddd the idea of the book club. It reminded me a bit of the Jane Austen book club movie which is fantastic. I love that everyone in the book club was in varying stages of their relationship. I wish there was more diversity in race, ethnicity and sexuality though. it was very pale and stale. Aside from that, all the tropes in the book were perfect and I adore that they were laughing at the tropes too.

I love Rachel Burton and I love A Bookshop Christmas.

This story takes you on a journey with the MCs as they process and work through their grief and trauma. It feels real, raw, and it hit my emotions deep. The setting is cozy and warm. The romance is a fades-to-black situation but you still feel all of the main character's anticipation and emotion.

It would be a perfect holiday romance for members of the Die-Hard Romantics Book Club.

Really lovely Christmassy read! combines three of my greatest loves; books, Christmas and rescue dogs!
This story is set in a book shop at Christmas, Megan meets an author, Xander, when her store gets a launch for his book.
It is magical and snowy, it has romance abound and yes a little predictable but it is warm, sweet and well written, the characters are likeable and original, I liked how they tied everyone and everything up beautifully, (Spoiler follows) although I felt a little sad about the shop.
A really cosy Christmas read.

Megan Taylor hadn't planned to leave her career in publishing in London and move back in to the flat above the family bookshop in York with her mother, but that's exactly what has happened after Megan lost her husband Joe three years ago.

When a famous author, Xander Stone, launches his new book at Taylors, there's an instant spark between he and Megan - but is she ready to move on and find love again?

This is so warm and so lovely. The addition of the book club was a great touch, I liked how characters from several different generations were able to have fun and friendship through having a common interest. The Regency stuff wasn't my cup of tea, but it didn't spoil the book for me. I could imagine this as a Christmas movie, and would absolutely read it again during the Winter. It's very sweet, with both Megan and Xander being very realistic characters with a ton of personality.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Megan is running her family’s struggling bookshop when famous author Xander agrees to launch his new book there. They both have complicated pasts and neither has really moved beyond them. There is a spark between them and if they want to explore a future together, they will both have to move on.

I was drawn into Megan’s story from the very beginning. As Xander was introduced, I was not a fan but I guess you could say he grew on me. Both of them are complicated characters that are very well written. The story is told from Megan’s point of view so I felt as though I understood her more than Xander. This book has a lot of characters in it but I found it easy to keep track of them and their stories along with the main plot. It is a love story with an HEA so you know the ending going in but the journey has some twists and turns that we’re not expected. I loved the author’s descriptions of the scenery. Having never been to York, I still have a good idea of what it would be like to visit.

I love the quirky ladies of the book club! How do I join?

Overall, this is a very well written book and if you like your romances to have some substance to them, this is a great option for your next read.

A Bookshop Christmas a pure Christmas magic! I loved this book so much! Megan loses her husband and in her grief goes to work at her family's bookshop. This was not the fresh start she was looking for and found herself wallowing in her grief. One day she meets handsome but arrogant author Xander Stone. These to get off to a rocky start but soon start to fall in love but falling in love comes with complications. This story is filled with charming characters and Christmas magic. I fell in love with it from the first few pages.

Aw this book is absolutely beautiful and gave me all the feels!!! I love Christmas books and this one absolutely nailed it

A beautiful clean read all about finding your way in life. It was so refreshing to read about a hero and heroine with real problems that aren't fixable, but rather something they have to cope with, and on top of that, dealing with other hurdles that come their way. It is a romance novel, but is very realistic without being based on tropes, and is something people of all ages/backgrounds could enjoy as an easily relaxing read. I appreciated the authors writing style, and will be looking out for more by her

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! Megan's story was emotional, but not so heavy as to ruin the light heartedness that I appreciate about a romantic comedy like this. The setting was perfect, in a quaint bookshop in York, and the characters are fun and relatable. Megan and Xander's relationship was perfectly complicated and I was entertained by how their relationship developed. I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it for anyone wanting a bit of coziness and warmth in their life.

Content warning: cancer, widow

Burton has a clear winner here with the moody, broody author Xander Stone who stumbles on Megan, a widow with a failing bookshop whose tender heart may just be ready to love again. We follow this dynamic duo through the minefield of dating again after the death of a partner as they reenact some of romances favorite tropes--the single bed, the family and friends cheering from the sidelines, the terrible, horrible, no good misunderstanding, and finally, the gleeful payoff of our happily ever after. #swoon

Some readers may be off put by the dismantling of the fourth wall and indeed, discussion of romance as a genre with a romance novel itself pulls your mind out of the fantasy and shoves it into a more academic space of literary analysis. There were a few portions of the book that might have benefited from more generous editing--do we really need to hear Megan's friends *and* her family tell her the same thing about why she should take Xander back? Probably not.

The background cast--Megan's parents and her friends--were a bit cardboard and would have benefitted from a little more characterization and description.

All in all, Burton's book has the potential to be great, but it's mired in the decently good category. I enjoyed reading it, but wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to someone else.

A wonderfully romantic and festive read, perfect for book lovers! I devoured this book in a day, swept along by Megan and Xander’s relationship - both damaged by grief - as they negotiate their feelings and try to find a way to move on with their lives. Beautiful, festive, sad and hopeful. Perfect Christmas romance. Highly recommended and I will certainly reading more of Rachel Burton’s books!

Megan is a young widow. Her husband’s death from leukemia knocked her life off its axis. She returned to the city of York and has moved in with her mother. They own a bookshop which has been in the family for generations. Megan has become an inspiration and has improved some important aspects of the shop. She has started a romance book group which has provided some close friendships for her.

One of the new things the shop is doing is having author signings. Xander is a very successful author who is introducing his most recent book at his signing. He has very specific criteria for his appearance. And his agent is a huge force of nature. Between the two of them, the shop becomes the site of an Event.

Xander is overpowering, grouchy, self- involved and generally not a very charming man. He is very handsome. Megan is immediately attracted to him. That was sort of hard for me to imagine at the time.

This is the fist book I have read by Ms Burton. She drew me into the story immediately.

The plot is pretty fast moving. There is humor, friendship and affection among the characters.

Megan is a complicated character who has closed herself off for 3 years and is finding it hard to move forward. Her friends and family have been very worried about her. She is smart, kind and the sort of woman who makes a wonderful friend. But, forgetting her late husband and their lives together seems to be simply too much for her.

Xander is also complicated. He lost his mother at the same time his wife divorced him and he has never been able to overcome those losses. He comes from a large affectionate family. His success has provided him with financial comfort. But, he still is not at ease with his life.

This is a fun book to read. The romance book club at the bookstore is filled with characters who are unforgettable. In fact, each character, whether major or minor add a great deal to the story.

The read is a good one. In fact, just learning about “potato pie” is worth the trip.

I received this book from the publisher in the hope that I would provide a fair and honest review. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

From the first paragraph I was captivated by this story which begins with the sad death of Megan's beloved husband. She retreats to her parents' failing bookshop in York and mostly closes herself off from everything outside of a very small group of friends.

While planning a Regency themed (they already have the dresses) Christmas party and an upcoming author book signing, Megan starts to heal and make decisions about what to do with the rest of her life. When sparks fly with the author, Alexander, her friends and mother try to push her out of her comfort zone.

I loved this book and these characters. Megan's circle of friends are funny and loving, and also dealing with life and love. Xander is dealing with his past and disappointments when their mutual friend, Dot, brings Xander to the bookshop for the reading and then pushes him into taking part in the Regency Christmas Eve party.

A great Christmas in July or get you in the holiday spirit December book club book.

#ABookshopChristmas #NetGalley #AriaFiction #AriesFictionBooks

A bookworms Christmas getaway all wrapped up in one cozy, hilarious, hear-warming novel.

Megan is a widow working a her families struggling bookshop. Xander is a delightfully handsome best-selling author, albeit a bit strange and grumpy. Their first meeting is less than ideal and when they meet again... Xander doesn't seem to have a high opinion of romance novels, so Megan invites him to their bookclub!

This is the perfect wintery book, complete with Hallmark feels, a one-bed troupe, witty banter, and characters you won't be able to stop thinking about.

One of the only things that didn't sit will with me was how the author sometimes switched between the MC speaking directly to another character or recalling earlier conversations. There was no breakup or change in font to let you know it was switching back and forth.

Than being said, this was a 4/5 star read and i would highly recommend it this winter.

Thank you, NetGalley and Aria & Aries, for my eARC. It was a delightful read!

TW: cancer death (on page, but brief).

Rachel Burton is a new author for me, but I couldn’t resist the Christmas and bookshop combination.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting, and a little different to what I normally read. The characters were well drawn, I felt like they all had their own stories, even if they weren’t gone into in any detail. I’d like to read stories based around some of the other characters too.

The setting was great, I loved the bookshop, and the wintery, Christmassy feeling comes across well. The book group sounded like a lot of fun.

The romance was very enjoyable, it seemed realistic for people who had been through the difficulties Megan and Xander had been. By the end of the book, I could believe that they would go on to be happy together, providing they keep communicating. There were a number of funny moments too. Humorous without being slapstick.

Overall, this was an enjoyable romance, in a lovely setting, with a good sprinkle of humour and friendship.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

A book about two of my favourite things bookshops & Christmas. I really enjoyed this. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I absolutely loved this book and will be looking to read more from this new-to-me author.

It is mostly a lighthearted Christmas romance but does deal with grief -- mostly to do with death but also from failed relationships.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Aria Fiction through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Aria Fiction!

A lovable story about moving on after heartbreak!
I really enjoyed the story of Xander and Megan, the fact that Megan ran an old bookstore in England was the cherry on the top! I loved getting to know the characters and learning where they were coming from and where they were headed. They seemed to meet at just the right time, when they needed to be pushed in order to move forward. It was whimsical and clean, they talk about the dirty books one of the authors right, but there are no graphic sex scenes here! I would read this author again, I really enjoyed her writing style.