I simply adored this book. It’s warm, cosy, enveloping and packed full of beautiful romance. There’s a million reasons to read it this festive season.

Well this wasn’t the schmalz I thought it would be. It was a refreshing bleak, sad, dark look at a family in the grips of illness, addiction, neglect and more. It was a fast read and enjoyable and I was cheering Eve and her family on as they became the bedrock of stability. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

An exceptional feel-good read by Kate Forster. A compelling story-line, and realistic characters with a christmassy setting.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s fun and cozy and full of Christmas cheer. But don’t be fooled. It’s not just the typical light, frothy romance. Serious issues are dealt with as well. It’s a bit of a hard road to the HEA!
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria booms for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The hold it had over me took me by surprise, being both humorous and nearly moving me to tears at one point. Eve is such a strong, admirable young woman, making a great role model as well as an excellent heroine. The supporting characters are equally likeable and realistically portrayed. The beautiful rural setting and big house add to the book’s appeal. I also learned a lot about the publishing world, which was genuinely interesting. All in all, a fantastic read.

New author to me. Not quite what I was expecting from the cover but enjoyed it nonetheless! Will definitely read Kate Forster again.
Thanks Netgalley 👍

There's something about a Christmas romance that always gets to me. It is one of my favorite things. This book ticked the boxes and gave a little more than I expected.

Eve works in publishing with a terrible boss, who is requiring Eve spend Christmas editing a book at an author's house. The book is not done, but is due soon, so Eve must make on the fly editing. Eve will lose her job if she doesn't comply.

Edward has writer's block and is trying to raise his daughter alone after his wife left a year ago. He is surly and dismissive as a defense mechanism.

As Edward gets to know Eve and see how she brings light into his life, he realizes he would like to continue their relationship after his book is finished. Can he convince her to stay?

There are a few surprises in the book that I will leave unmentioned. This is a good story and I do recommend it!

This is a delightful story, that I had to keep telling myself it is fiction, not real life, since some of the things are a bit too bizarre to want to think would be occurring in real life. That is okay with me. It has a bit of a Sound of Music theme going on. A magical person comes into the life of a dysfunctional family and helps them all connect. I actually love that type of plot.

The author was very successful in grabbing my attention at the beginning of the story and I was hooked for the entire book. Each character is unique and wonderfully developed. The story flowed easily and I was hoping that there would be a happy ending for them (it is a romance, so I knew it would end happy!).

This is the first book I have read by Kate Forster and I definitely will be reading her other books. I totally enjoyed this one! Also, I want to mention that I adore the book cover. Beautiful job!
I want to thank Aria & Aries and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

I received this book via NetGalley and give it my honest opinion

I habe never read a book by Kate Forster before however, I definitely would in the future!
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, it isn't your usual Christmas romance it is so much more. Full of snowy scences, a broken family and finally love, The perfect book to start off your Christmas reads.

This is the 1st. time I have read this author and I really enjoyed this story . It was so full of Christmas the way that Evie helped The author and his family while doing her job editing; A Very good read.

Unfortunately, I didn't think this was a cosy romance. The characters grow on you throughout the book as you follow two children, an ex-wife, and a housekeeper. This struck me as charming, as you can see the events unfolding between Edward and Eve. I felt that because Edward was egotistical and made his children feel unwanted, the characters didn't fit for me. They could, however, be for someone else who enjoys dysfunctional reading.

Wow! This book totally surprised me and blew me away. I became so enthralled I couldn’t stop reading, Myles and Flora really captured my heart and just had to know how Edward and Eve were going to get them through everything. Eves heart was amazing and I really enjoyed her energy and positive outlook, her family were great too, her mum was so open, loving and supportive.
The twists and turns in this book really hooked me and the story slowly unfolding and shaping was lovely to read.

I loved this cover, I was very drawn to it.
A feel good Christmas book that I really enjoyed. I always enjoy this author's books and this one was no different. The setting is marvelous and it has a festive plot. I'll be reading more by this author.

Pub Date 29 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I so enjoyed my first Christmas book of this year, others will take a lot to beat this one.
Eve Pilkins is an assistant to Serena Whitelaw at Henshaw & Carlson a publishing house. She gets sent to an author's home over Christmas to edit his new book. Eve's birthday is Christmas Eve & she wants to be with her family for this time.
Edward Priest is a well known author who is struggling with writing his new book. With so many family problems as well as trying to write is causing so many problems. Can Eve help him?
Such a great read. The book flowed so well & the characters are all so likeable. It was also good to read a book with a 'proper' ending. Such a great feel good story & perfect for a Christmas read.

The title and cover make this look like a trite Christmas story but there are definitely some deeper themes at work in this story. Eve is working for a Miranda Priestly style boss at a publishing company. She gets assigned to push along a famous author during the Christmas holiday. Eve goes to live with Edward Priest and his family and gets pulled into all of their family drama. There's a slow burn romance and some interesting publishing backstory to this Christmas tale.
Eve's family is lovely. Edward's family needs help. There are some references to Jane Eyre that I enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review..

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first book by Kate Forster and I am obsessed with this book. I absolutely love it and cannot recommend iit enough. It's a sunshine-grumpy trope and I absolutely am now a fan. This book follows a reclusive author with two children , a disturbed ex wife and a housekeeper that grows on you and the sunny always happy editor sent to help him finish the book. I enjoyed the setting, the book references and the secondary characters. It's a perfect book to get you into the Christmas Spirit.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an advanced readers copy of Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross.

With just a glance at the cover, I was eager for a warm and cheerful Christmas novel. I was expecting a lighthearted Christmas-themed book, but the story was a little more somber. This book follows a few characters whose characters had been developed well. We have Eve, who is an editorial assistant who is trying to achieve her dreams of becoming an editor herself, and Edward, an author who seems to be a bit of a prick with writers block. Edward also had two children who had been neglected for a decent amount of this book. As the book progressed, I was glad to see the difference in each character’s attitude and felt it was written very well. Eve was a light that lead Edward and his children out of the darkness. Eve’s mom taught her well.

Overall I enjoyed this book, it was my first read by Kate Forster and I am excited to dig into some of her other titles.

What a mess! Eve was supposed to help Edward Priest with the second draft of his novel but he hasn't even started it. And now his family- Myles, Flora, and ex wife Amber- are part of the mix. So dysfunctional and yet so believable. She's stuck with them for the holiday and she's determined not only to get the manuscript moving but also to make the best of it. And it turns out. she's good for everyone. This is a nice read with some sly literary references and good characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes for a very good novel..

I love reading Christmas novels in the run up to the holiday season, and I’m torn on how to review this book. I almost feel like it was two books smashed together - a silly, Christmas-slipper filled happy romance, and a very depressing, dramatic…thriller? I loved the Christmas elements, they were festive and fun. Evie’s family is fun and happy and welcoming. Evie is likeable, strong, opinionated and capable. Ed is smart and struggling, especially as a father. Honestly he isn’t particularly likeable and he has little redeeming qualities. Flora steals the show, as does Myles - the kids really make this book. Although their circumstances are really awful. I could have done without the dramatic half of the book - I think there was plenty for Evie and Ed to work through without it and the book would have been more cohesive. Ed could have done more growth or basically anything to make him likable. Without spoiling too much, there should be trigger warnings for child abandonment/abuse, loss of a parent. I think if you like some heavy topics mixed in with your Christmas romance, maybe this book would be for you. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to give my honest review.

Eve is an editor's assistant, working for Serena, an egotistical, cruel boss. Sent to stay at Cranberry Cross over Christmas, Eve is tasked with ensuring successful writer Edward Priest completes his latest book.
This is a sweet story, escapism and romance at the core. It's not all marshmallow sweetness though. There are some tough issues included, such as the affects of addiction on a family.
I enjoyed the book and it stood out as a little different from most of the Christmassy books currently being released.