"This could be a disaster."
"As my therapist would say, it's a moment in time."

Genre:  contemporary romance
Tropes: second chance romance, high-school sweetheart, friends to lovers to strangers to lovers, holiday romance, forced proximity, small town Christmas spirit
Cliffhanger: No
Series:  Swans Cove series #1 (stand-alone books)
Spice:  2/5 🌶


I received an ARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and left voluntarily. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

I loved it. I was actually looking for a romcom, but this Christmassy contemporary romance was perfect. It was sweet and sprinkled with funny scenes, romantic angst and steamy moments, but it also had a unique way of seeming real and relatable.

》》<u>The Plot </u>《《

One year after she was left at the altar, Sorcha is decided to put her life back on track and recover from her loses, because being a wedding dress designer who trended as the #LeftoverBride is not only painful and humiliating, but also bad for business. And when Nathan, the runaway groom, becomes the Most Coveted Bachelor in America, all eyes are again on her. But what does this has to do with Ryan Sawyer, famous hockey player (also known as Hockey Hottie) being back in town after 10 years? Well, according to Sorcha, this entire business is just a bad remake of The Boyfriends of Christmas Past, because even her feelings seem to betray her. Especially when she ends up needing Ryan... only to discover that he needs her just as badly. In more ways than one.

The story is shared between Sorcha and Ryan and, while this dual point of view has definitely diminished the mystery, it also increased the angst for their romance. Knowing what was going on inside both of their heads did wonders for my view of how much miscommunication there is in today's romance. Even more, it definitely helped me connect with both of them, making it hard to take sides but generally making me want to scream "idiots, just kiss already".

》》Characters and Relationships《《

👩🏻‍🦰 Sorcha O'Connor - #TheLeftoverBride

"Neona - my grandma from my Dad's side - would tell me " Sorcha. Sarcasm is dripping from your tone. This is so unbecoming." And then she'd wink at me because she's the Queen of Sarcasm."

I loved her. She was a great female MC and I just felt for her and everything she went through. Dealing with OCD, being left at the altar, losing her business and forgetting how to fight for her dream but never truly giving up on it, on love, on those around her... she had a lot going on. But I could feel the character development, the wish to put all the puzzle pieces back together and the kindness and determination with which she set to accomplish it all.

🧑🏻 Ryan Sawyer - Hockey Hottie

"Everywhere he goes, Ryan Sawyer always looks like he owns the place.
Like he owns a piece of my heart.
And goddamn him, he does."

Well, Sorcha, if it makes you feel any better, now he owns a piece of my heart too.

He's not easy to label. You can't put him in the high-school sweetheart category because he also has a hint of a bad boy in him, but he's not exactly a bad boy either(despite his grumpy grunting and temper) because he ends up being too sweet. Final conclusion? He needs an entire category just for himself. How should I label someone hot and sort of famous, whit a huge heart that rivals in size only with his ego and his stubbornness (and well ... maybe some other things 🤔... )?
In any case, wherever you may box him, I definitely need one in my life. He may not be easy to love, he's still making amends and learning how to handle some relationships, but he had an emotional journey that was really nice to follow.

👩🏻‍🦰🧑🏻 Sorcha and Ryan

"It's my turn to give myself an internal pep talk: one afternoon.  We can spend an afternoon together without ripping each other’s clothes or ripping each other’s throats. "

Their relationship was a roller-coaster. Angst, tension, laughter and fights, all bottled in sweetness and wrapped up with a bow of snarkiness and "that's what she said" jokes. They have a past which both helps and complicates their actual relationship and it's frustrating in the most delicious way to watch them pining after each other.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 The side characters are also cool, starting with Nathan and Sorcha's sisters and ending with Tiramisu the Cat and Fluffy Napoleon. I wanted to hate Nathan for leaving Sorcha at the altar, but let's just say there's more than what meets the eye here and I can't wait for his story (#3 in the series, coming in 2023 !!!). While not giving us a lot about her two sisters and brother, I'm also really looking forward for their stories too, especially after the "Easter egg" from the Epilog, which sort of introduces us to Aisling's story (#2 in the series, coming in 2022).

》》Conclusion《《

I definitely think this is worth a try. It's a nice contemporary romance with enough funny scenes to almost view if as a romcom, and it has a bit of everything: sweet moments, plenty of angst, gift unwrapping going wrong, adorable pets and some smut after all that thick tension. Not to mention: Christmas. It's the perfect read for this time, since the winter holidays season is near. So grab a hot cocoa or an eggnog, a fluffy blanket and this book and enjoy the festive vibe.

Although not a book I can recommend in my professional role, I will be recommending it in my personal life! Endearing characters, Christmas fun with family, and some serious slow burn romance all combine to make this a fun read!

This was a really adorable festive read 😍 loved the characters, the setting and the story. Highly recommend!

I wanted to like this book, I really did. The premise behind it had me immediately interested and thinking this was going to be my next favorite read, it wasn't. I didn't hate it or dislike it really, but I didn't love it. I feel the very middle ground when it comes to describing my feelings in this book. I was expecting a second chance romcom meets sports romance given the little blurb about Ryan being in the NHL, but it wasn't that.

What I did like about the book was that it didn't brush the past issues between the characters under the rug. I also liked how connected the characters felt, their past memories were woven through the story enough that you got how important they were in one another's lives up until we met them. The characters are stubborn and spend a lot of time recognizing the feeling that they still have while talking themselves out of it because the others couldn't possibly still have those feelings.

I also enjoyed how you saw Ryan and Sorcha previous attempts at it and why it didn't work because of unwillingness to compromise or miscommunication. I like that the author addressed the moment that made Sorcha go viral and didn't just make Ethan a villain, but instead also gave him depth and reason for doing what he did.

All and All it was a cute read, and one that I look forward to seeing how the world in which these two characters progress with the upcoming books in the series. It's light-hearted and a cute one for the holidays, I think I just went in expecting something other than what I got. I'd likely reread it and might like it more.

After going viral when she is jilted at the altar, Sorcha has a list to help her get out there again.

On a bad blind date, the last person she expects to see is Ryan Sawyer, her ex. Can he help her out moving on with her life?

A great read.

This was a great and entertaining second chance to happily ever after read. Loved the quirky diatribe between the characters.

I thought #theleftoverbride was very cute. I absolutely adore the cover too, it is just so fun in both black and white on my Kindle and in color here.

I loved Ryan and Sorcha though I do wish there was more romance. Things didn't start kicking off until about 60 percent or so which is good if you wanted a slow burn.

I still liked their connection and their friendship. The writing pacing was hard to get into at first but I was into it halfway through the book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy of this book even past publication date. This was a four star rating because this book was still really good.

I can't wait to see what is next for this series!

All thought and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. It was sexier then a hallmark movie. I found the characters relatable and not annoying or irritating. Which is a definitely a plus. Also made me laugh out loud.

3.5 stars

This book is a sweet second chance romance with slight spice. The relationship between Ryan and Sorcha is adorable. I’m a sucker for a childhood friends become lovers trope and this hit the nail on the head. Add in small town romance and it’s a great pallet cleanser book. I didn’t love all of the unbelievable aspects of the viral moment that occurs, but it’s not a deal breaker for whether it’s a good book or not.

This book was not exactly what I was expecting but was super cute. I feel like sometimes second chance romance books don’t actually deal with the original issues that broke up a couple and it really bothers me. This one didn’t just brush the conflict between the characters under the rug and I liked that.

If I were teaching a lesson about using details in your writing I would probably use an excerpt from this book. There were A LOT of details throughout. If this is something that you don’t like, you might find it distracting.

The author does a great job of showing just how connected the two main characters are by weaving in details from their memories throughout. You can really tell that they’ve been a huge part of each other’s lives and their history is deep-rooted.

The story, overall, is a good depiction of two people who have made a lot of mistakes and who have the chance to finally get it right.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked the history between the characters and their chemistry. Christmas stories that include families are always welcome.
I guess some of the story was a bit confusing at the start, with all the 'gone viral' and then, reality TV shows. It kind of took away from the underlying feelings that Sorcha and Ryan had for each other.
Detested Trevor, not sure if he can be redeemed.

Perfect book for the Holiday season! Would make a perfect Hallmark movie! Sorcha and Ryan are one steamy couple! I loved the small town story and how they both were "famous" in their own way. I would love to see where their story goes from here. A sequel perhaps?

3.5 ⭐s!
Fun, cozy, and quite spicy! Sorcha is bouncing back from being left at the altar -- while still working in the wedding field, no less -- when an old flame returns to town. Palpable tension ensues and the ending is so sweet! Love the deeper conversations about family as well. The couple is hot and cold during their publicity exercises and while I loved the narrative, I struggled at times with how quickly and easily they fell back together after so long apart. But when you know, you know! Happy that they got their happy ending (:

Many thanks to Elodie Nowodazkij, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for this ARC!