Amanda Radley has a long, long list of well written novels in her repertoire and I was expecting the same to be true for Humbug. I was surprised to find that the first half of the book was not able to grab and hold my attention.

The story is interesting with Ellie being yanked by the company’s owner, Rosalind, from her cushy, non hectic job to being Rosalind’s new PA and Christmas party rescuer.

For a romance, there was just not enough interaction between Ellie and Rosalind to convince me that they were going to end up together. Frankly I was giving Will my side eye thinking he was going to be the romantic partner of Ellie.

By the last half of the book Radley seemed to hit her stride and the writing quality slid up a healthy notch. More things were happening in the story and Ellie and Rosalind were spending time together. The dialogue between them is humorous especially when they are flirting. By this point I wanted to see what happened to the main characters.

I am rating this with 3⭐️because of the unique premise and the improvement in the last half of the story.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and Bold Stroke Books and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Humbug is both an opposites attract and an age gap romance, and I use the term "romance" loosely Ellie Pearce, statistician extraordinaire toiling away as a drone writing reports that have nothing to do with her degree at a very large, eponymous recruiting firm cofounded and run by Rosalind Caldwell, who is seen as an ice queen and who is somewhat feared by the employees who work for her. Rosalind knows Ellie only by her nickname "Christmas Girl", so dubbed because Ellie is one of those people who keeps christmas year round, her desk a riot of decorations and her music that of the season. But just so we know it isn't tacky, we're told Ellie listens to choral music and that she is involved in a christmas chorus each year.

One day, Rosalind comes marching down to the second floor to tell Ellie to pack up her stuff and haul herself up to one of the higher floors. This terrifies Ellie, as she's deathly afraid of heights. But Ellie does as she's told, and her new job is to be Rosalind's assistant and take over the planning for the company christmas party, a Very Big Deal each year. Ellie digs in, only to find the previous assistant has sabotaged everything: canceling all vendors, caterers, and the space they had reserved.

Those looking for instalove will be disappointed. Those looking for some kind of meaningful romance to develop through the book will likewise be disappointed. If it weren't for Rosalind's 12-year old daughter, the two of them would rarely speak, and only about business - and mainly about the christmas party. It's only in the last third of the book that anything really crops up, and as with a couple of Radley's books I've read, the ending feels a littler artificial and a lot rushed. As with those books, I'd have been willing to read a longer book with those threads teased out a little.

I'll give the book points for no instacure for Ellie's fear of heights, and points for Rosalind and Ellie's bestie to give her the experience of the party on the roof without actually taking her to the roof.

Three out of five stars.

Publication date: December 14, 2021

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the reading copy.

While I love Christmas, I am not usually inclined towards holiday themed reads but this was one I enjoyed. As with Amanda Radley’s books, bedroom scenes could be left to the reader’s own imagination but her characterisations have mostly made up for them. In Humbug, we have the pairing of Ellie Pearce, an employee who has managed to stay invisible and kept her job (even when she is redundant to the company) and her CEO, the demanding and older Rosalind Caldwell.

Ellie has stayed within her comfort zone in her job for the past 3 years even though she is clearly overqualified. When Rosalind dropped a bomb on Ellie to step in immediately as her PA, the latter has to decide if it’s fight or flight. In order to keep her job, Ellie has to plan The Christmas party and convince Rosalind that she is more than able to plan the celebration that is clearly running out of time. An impossible task even if she is known as the Christmas Girl.

I like Ellie, starting off as an extra just getting by in her company, she rose to the challenge by bucking up, showing her grit, shone beyond expectations and won the lady. As for Rosalind, i got a kick out of seeing the Ice Queen melting for her unassuming and ordinary PA. This is a cute book for a Christmas read. It be would an even better read if more deeper one on one interactions were added.

I just reviewed Humbug by Amanda Radley. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

Ellie is perfectly happy with her underskilled, underpaid job. That is until the CEO Rosalind needs a new assistant and has Ellie pulled up to her floor to fill it. Ellie, aka Christmas Girl, is the perfect person to plan the companies annual Christmas shindig but at what cost?

This is a cute LGBTQIA+ romance story that hooked me in. It was the perfect book to read before the holidays. I loved the characters, especially Will, Ellie’s best friend.

Unfortunately I found several of the plot points to be too rushed, particularly the romance. There was very little build up to the attraction that takes place. And once it happens, without spoilers, a kissing scene turns into plans to move in together instantly.

Despite this, I still really enjoyed the story. I think the cover is so pretty and tied in well with the story. I’d love to read more with these characters.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in
exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I love workplace and age gap romances and I liked the two characters and the banter between them but this book didn’t really work for me. Ellie’s extreme fear of heights and how she managed to organise a rooftop party around that was interesting, as a Londoner I loved the London setting, and the two characters were really sweet with one another once they got to know one another a bit. However, the book lacked chemistry and romance - a very chaste kiss at the end wasn’t really enough to make me buy into the happily ever after, especially because the lead characters hardly spent any time together out of the office (spoiler: also, immediately discussing a relationship after the first kiss just seemed odd). I felt like the book ended right in the middle of the story. A sense of intimacy and chemistry can be created without sex but in this instance I just didn’t feel it.

This book had me hooked from page one and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. The premise was certainly something new and the writing just flows so easily. I loved both Ellie and Rosalind (although it took me a little longer to like Rosalind). It was nice that Ellie wasn't cured of her fear of heights because it kept the story more believable. Her roommates were good for some comic relief and I absolutely loved the scene where Rosalind confronts them about the way they were treating Ellie. I thought for sure there was going to be a chapter that took place at the carol concert and was a little bummed that there wasn't. But I'll forgive that since the part where Rosalind finds out about what Ellie has been keeping from her didn't play out as a huge blow up/break-up fight between the two of them. Instead they handle it like adults and actually talk about what was going on. So refreshing in a romance story. On top of all of that it's a great holiday/Christmas story - cute without being too cheesy. I could easily see this as a holiday movie (even though we all know the book will end up being better). Two big thumbs up!

My six-year-old nephew once gave me ‘Grinch’ slippers for Christmas. I also live near a town that calls itself “Christmas Town, U.S.A.” The town puts lights on every bush, tree, or pole and people tour the town beginning December 1st and I am over it by December 3rd. So, my Humbug credentials are solid. One thing that I love is all the wonderful books that are published for the holidays. “Humbug” by Amanda Radley fits into that category.

Ellie Pearce loves Christmas so much that she is referred to as ‘Christmas Girl’ because she keeps decorations and figurines on her desk year-round. That desk is safely in the marketing department on the second floor of a London skyscraper. Her job is less than fulfilling and not in her chosen field, but she needs the job. She keeps her head down and does what she is told. When the boss marches to her desk and tells her to box her things and more upstairs, she doesn’t have a choice but to do so. Besides, the boss is kind of hot.

Rosalind Caldwell has built the company from scratch and is the founder and CEO of the top recruitment firm in London. She enjoys her twenty-second story office and has earned her reputation as a no-nonsense businesswoman. When her PA quits during the run-up to the most important event of the year. she is desperate for someone to plan the Christmas party. Who better than ‘Christmas Girl’ to take it on? Besides, she doesn’t have any other option and ‘Christmas Girl’ is pretty cute when she blushes.

As the two women work together, they form a friendship that includes Rosalind’s daughter, Ava. Secrets are shared and some are closely guarded. As they grow to trust each other they each start to develop romantic feelings for the other. They each know that nothing could ever happen between them. They have issues that they need to address and doubt themselves at times, but when push-comes-to-shove, they have each other’s back.

“Humbug” is a funny, enjoyable holiday read. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, so I was happy there was an epilogue. And since it’s a holiday book a HEA is assured.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


I love this author what I like about this author is she knows who her characters is and I like she does aged gap with her characters. With that being said I wish author focus more on the romance I don’t care about having love scenes but it could’ve been more intimate.

Ellie is known for loving Christmas so when she gets recommended for position to help plan a Christmas party she basically gets blackmail into doing despite having fears of heights. Rosalind the CEO doesn’t realize how afraid of heights Ellie is but she can’t deal with that because she already made some mistakes and needs this party to go without a hitch.

The characters are great I like the daughter for kid to be twelve she sure didn’t sound like it. Rosalind is painted as a ice queen but she doesn’t seem like one maybe because how she is with her daughter Ava. Ellie is great and like how she was overcoming her fear of heights. The only thing about this story is I would have like to see the feelings that Ellie and Rosalind have come to share more because in my opinion they barely interact especially planning this party because I’m like when did it happen.

Humbug is a Christmas wlw novel. It is a sweet romance in which one of the main characters - the CEO - is painted as an ice queen but we could not really see her acting as such. There is also an age gap between Ros and Ellie - known as Christimas Girl, and although I understand the author's option, I did not really like the no intimacy scene. Also, it ends abruptly and the epilogue takes place 6 years after... I don't know, it is not a bad book, book it is just average.

While I love a good queer holiday romcom, I thought that this book felt flat and could perhaps do with several more copy editing stages. I didn't feel any romantic connection between the two romantic leads and felt that Ava pushed much of the plot along. I also felt that the conflict of the story, someone being scared of heights, did not warrant such extreme reactions, and then the entire conflict resolved instantly.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Awww, this was cute. A perfect quick, feel good Christmas book. Time just flew by while reading it. I think I read it in three hours.
In typical Radley fashion its not a deep romantic book, in fact there's barely any kissing in it. But it still very enjoyable and made me wish a little for Christmas already. It was a sweet read

Humbug by Amanda Radley isn't a bad read, it just feels incomplete. Ellie Pearce loves Christmas so much her desk is decorated year round at Caldwell & Atkinson, where she works as a marketing analyst. CEO Rosalind Caldwell is in need of a PA, after hers quits abruptly. With the Christmas party looming Ellie is recommended for the position. Little does Rosalind know that Ellie has a terrible fear of heights and the thought of working on the top floor causes her tremendous anxiety. Ellie manages to work a few Christmas miracles and get the party back on track. Somewhere along the way, the two develop feelings for each other. But Rosalind can't be that person who starts something up with her PA, can she?
While I liked both of the main characters, they didn't really spend a lot of time together, so the feelings seemed rushed. I suppose Ellie seeing Rosalind as more than just the CEO when she interacts with her 12 year old daughter, Ava, could cause feelings to creep up. And Rosalind definitely could have fallen for Ellie's sunshine and sweetness. But it didn't feel like they had enough time for those feelings to develop.
It was still a cute Christmas story, just not the best offering from Amanda Radley.

ARC received from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for an honest review

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆.

Humbug is a Christmas workplace novel. Rosalind is a CEO, forced to pick someone in the company to replace her PA after the PA quit, putting the company's annual Christmas party in jeopardy. She chooses Ellie from the marketing department and blackmails her into delivering an impossible task.

I think Radley has good ideas for storylines but sometimes I'm not a fan of how she executes them. I understand if an author chooses not to write descriptive sex scenes because isn't everybody's cup of tea. But to not write intimacy at all makes me wonder. The characters start out by having misconceptions about one another and soon discover positive qualities as they learn more about each other. But a lot of the story revolves around planning the impossible party, which Rosalind is not a part of (the planning). I buy that the characters have a mild affection for each other by the end of it but that's about it. They are not intimate and I don't think they have enough personal interaction to develop their chemistry beyond that.

The characters are a little exaggerated too. Ellie, for example, is known to be Christmas Girl, because she celebrates Christmas all year round. Rosalind is quite the opposite, less enthusiastic about it and is called a humbug by Ellie. And then we have Rosalind's daughter, Ava, who speaks and acts like a 30 year old instead of a 12 year old.

To be fair, this book isn't boring. In fact, I think the whole premise is fun and it's like a cheesy rom com. But I think people who are looking out for a good strong romance, wouldn't find it here.

Humbug is terrific! What a joyful book to read! Rosalind is the CEO and is very precise and timely. Ellie is an employee who found her less than ideal job years about, but stayed because of a comfortable rut. Ellie and Rosalind interactions start off brisk, but as time moves on Ellie work ethic help Rosalind to see Ellie in a new light. Ellie beings to notice how Rosalind takes care of her business with more grace and insight to keep the company at the top to help the employees feel secure and have extra benefits that aren't offered at many other companies.

The two begin to develop a rapport and mutual respect as the sexual tension builds.

The chemistry between Ellie and Rosalind is strong, however the book does not reveal a sex scene, so if you are looking for a book where it shows the intimate part of the relationship this book isn't for you. However, this book is sooooo good that you will feel the chemistry between the two characters and the dialogue, story, and interactions are just amazing. I loved Humbug! I would love a sequel!!!

Amanda Radley has a unique ability to allow her characters to fall in love organically, throughout the course of their relationship, be it professional or personal. That’s a gift to write like that. I never find myself rolling my eyes during her books because everything is natural from the dialogue to the people themselves. Humbug was adorable, I loved Elli’s relationship with Ava and watching Rosalind and Ellie grow closer. Typically, I’m not a fan of Christmas books but I really loved this one.

This book has excellent premises, Ellie is known as Christmas Girl in the office and her desk is decorated in tinsel all year long. Rosalind is the big bad CEO and in urgent need of a PA and Christmas party organiser. Perfect right? I loved Ellie’s story, is engaging and excellently written but the romance part is almost non existent. A good romance doesn’t need steamy scenes but we barely have any chemistry between Ellie and Rosalind and their story is rushed on the last few pages. A promising Christmas romance that unfortunately didn’t quite deliver on the romance part but it was a pleasant read to put me in the holiday mood.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Stroke Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie Pearce loves Christmas. She maintains her Christmas spirit year round with music and decorations but really ramps it up starting November with the first of two annual advent calendars as a result her colleagues have nicknamed her Christmas Girl. She is stunned when the CEO of her company appears at her desk telling her she’s been promoted to be her PA and is now in charge of the company Christmas party. The only problem is she is deathly afraid of heights and can’t imagine having to work from her new desk all the way up on the 22nd floor, never mind the terrifying elevator ride up. Rosalind Caldwell has just lost her PA and is worried that the notoriously popular company Christmas party will be in danger of being a dud. She recruits the best person for the job, there must be a reason everyone calls her Christmas Girl, right?
This was a cute, light read that I enjoyed. I liked Ellie but there wasn’t much interaction between the two MCs, they felt more like ships passing in the night and I just didn’t get a feel for their attraction to each other. Ava was cute but her age felt a bit unbelievable, her dialogue and the way she picks up on the feelings of the other characters make her seem more like an older teen. At one point she even helps an adult work through a severe panic attack and I just don’t see any 12 year old being able to do that, unless for someone they know already quite well. This was good but not my favorite Amanda Radley novel.

Amanda Radley has knitted a warm, snuggly Christmas sweater with her latest novel Humbug.
Just in time for Christmas comes this tale of the Christmas girl Ellie and her CEO Rosalind. Ellie is just excited for Christmas when she gets promoted demoted to PA to Rosalind. With just weeks to go can Ellie save the Christmas party?, and perhaps get love as well!
It’s a cute slow burn age gap romance with only a few kisses and a happy ending.
A easy sweet read, but not so sweet that it hurts your teeth, I enjoyed it and have started humming Christmas songs,

This is not my first Amanda Radley book, in fact I tend to love her works (almost always.)

As a queer gal living near ish London myself I really *really* wanted to love this book.

However for me it didn’t quite hold up (but perhaps that’s just because it didn’t click with me?)

If you like age gap stories and are looking for some fairly PG rated, cute and wholesome, warm Christmas reads then this is for you.

The romance lies between: Rosalind (the strict boss) who has a twelve year old daughter who she is protective of due to her health issues. And Ellie (the assistant) who is far younger and is working on the second floor before she gets promoted up to a higher floor, (an issue due to her fear of heights) and thrown into the hell of planning a party the last assistant sabotaged.

Their romance is sweet and a slow burn but definitely doesn’t amount to any heavy romance scenes, more a handful of kisses and an epilogue.

This lacked the kind of sexy or intriguing feel of Radley’s usual works. I felt the characters were slightly one dimensional with there being so much plot revolving around Ellie’s fear of heights that it became slightly overdramatised.

I also felt that whilst Ava was intellectual, some of her vocabulary was rather advanced or adult like for a twelve year old. I was told I spoke like a middle aged person as a child but Ava could be pushing sixty in some scenes.

However these were small things in a story that was overall and enjoyable read, the plot and characters just didn’t click with me. If you like age gap tales or warm sapphic romances with a single parent it is a sweet read for the holidays.

Thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for a review.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise of it is everything I have been hoping for in a book, set in London, Christmas queer. I even picked it up straight away! Unfortunately, I found myself skim reading. It is very amercianised, everything is over explained and I just didn't get the feels I was hoping for. So, Im still on the hunt for the perfect Queer christmas romance.