A really lovely Christmas story. It was a heartwarming read with all its ups and downs. Beautifully written and I loved the description of the house Ellie was sent to to help the author Edward. She clearly was a brilliant Editor held back in her workplace by her Manager. Great characters and a wonderful read.

Thank you, NetGalley for a pre-release of this novel.

What a wonderful and endearing Christmas novel. In a way, it reminded me of the Christmas version of Beauty and the Beast. A grumpy overbearing man, a woman stuck in his castle, the possibility of true love? Go pick up a copy - you'll love it!

I loved this book that envelopes loss, struggle, grief, angst, friendship and romance. The Christmas setting only makes it more lovely. There's an overbearing unethical boss that sends this editor assistant to inspire an author to speed up his book writing which is not an easy task. The characters are strong and well written. The story warms the heart.

I adore a Kate Forster book and this one is literally no different. It is filled with warmth, love, humour, lots of heart and a tonne of Christmas joy and spirit. Its like a great big hug in book form. A must read for chick lit fans.

I fell in love the cover, wanted to read a Christmas novel and this one was the perfect match.
I loved this cosy story, rooted for the characters, and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I loved and hated this book at the same time. Eve's hardship in publishing were so realistic!

Eve is an editorial assistant hoping to climb the ranks of publishing. However, her boss takes credit for all of her accomplishments and even forces Eve to spend the full month of December with an author and his daughter to help him with his writing. So Eve moves into Edward Priest's house, but the two can't help but butt heads from their first encounter. Thankfully, they realised they need to compromise if they both want to succeed, and things start to go smooth... too smooth that they can't help develop feelings for each other. When things seem to be going great, Edward's ex-wife shows up and things go downhill.

This is not your typical Christmas romance. It has dark themes (Cranberry manor) and lightens issues in publishing that are all too real and mental illness and how it can affect the people around the individual suffering from it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This was a lovely book that covered a variety of topics but in my opinion all were covered well. Eve Pilkins works for a publishing house with a dreadful boss called Serena. She gets sent to work with an author over Christmas to ensure that he meets the deadline for his new book. Edward Priest who is the author has two children, Myles who never leaves his room, and Flora who buries her dolls in the garden and is very dark in her imagination. There is also the housekeeper and ex wife Amber who is very mentally unstable. Enter Eve who shakes up the family in more ways than one. Brilliantly written with a great assortment of characters and a real sense of doing what is right, not just for yourself but also for others.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I went into this story expecting a happy Christmas one, but it was a bit depressing for me. I did not like Edward at all, and I felt sorry for the little girl. Sometimes I liked Eve, but didn’t connect to her like I should have.

If you're expecting a lighthearted and fun Christmas story, this is not it. It's the story of a selfish author with a dysfunctional family and the woman who brings light into their dark lives. When Eve is sent to edit the latest book Edward is writing, little does she realize what she's getting involved in. Edward is rude, his young daughter is very morbid, his stepson locks himself in the tower and the housekeeper is quite strange. It's a good thing she doesn't let it all run her off!!

Some scenes had me laughing, some crying and others had me shaking my head. A few times I wanted to smack Edward upside the head! What I did love is how much Eve and her family loved Christmas and went all out with the decorations....people after my own heart:)

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I don't even really know how to review this. What on earth.

From the blurb:

> An absolutely charming and uplifting Christmas love story of hope, forgiveness, and the true meaning of Christmas.

Based on the blurb, I was anticipating a fluffy Christmas romance where the scroogy writer learns the meaning of Christmas and love and helps the FMC do something idk.

• This was incredibly depressing. There's surprise kids in this - neglected, emotionally damaged kids. The 7 year old buries dolls in the snow to rescue them because she is so lost. The teenager hides in a tower not talking to anyone. Cosy.

• I liked Eve, generally. She was a solid character.

• I did not like Edward. He was incredibly selfish and a terrible parent. This is acknowledged in text, but isn't super well addressed.

• I did not buy into the light speed romance because Edward sucked.

• Eve fixed everything in this book. It was super unbalanced - Edward did nothing for her. There should be an exchange of something, but no, Eve fixed his writing and his contracts and his family etc, and he does absolutely nothing except chain her to her evil boss. Unreal.

• The cheating. Unacknowledged by literally everyone except the NOT EX WIFE! They weren't divorced!! She is not an ex!!!!

• I cant believe this Jane Eyre'd the wife. That's how this is resolved? A house fire?

• The writing on the whole was quite readable, and I did enjoy some of the meta writing commentary.

> ‘Your heart just exploded,’ Flora announced taking the stethoscope off his chest. ‘You’re dead now.’


I wish, flora

Overall, this was an absolutely perplexing read. I found the blurb to be wildly misleading. Not cozy, not romantic, not very Christmassy...

This book was sent to me by Netalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. This is a career/romance/mystery...all combined...this would be the best movie...the book is character driven with a hint of mystery...the protagonist is quirky and such fun to read about...the characters come alive on the pages of this novel, written by a talented and gifted author. I did not want to put it down...I wanted to see how it ended...don't try to guess...just curl up in a comfy chair, enjoy a cup of steaming herbal tea, and be transported to Cranberry Cross. I really liked this book. I hope there are more like it.

Just lovely. A sassy, sarcastic lead who knows her worth and who she is -most of the time up against falling for a family with all their issues and crises. A good look at what dis functional looks like but also what great looks like in Eve and her family. Books about writing a book have been done before but this hits the sweet spot and draws you in to cheer on Eve and Edward and their glorious friends and family.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Aria and Aries for providing me with a free Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was delighted with this festive read. It's a slow burn romance set -for the most part- in a big mansion, where our main character Eve is sent to check on renowned writer Edward Priest. She comes to find a man as cold and quiet as his home and he hasn't even started the first draft of a book he should be nearly finished with by now. In fear of losing her job and during the most beautiful time of the year at that, Eve sets herself on a mission to help him get back to work but quickly finds herself emotionally entwined with Priest and his bizarre situation.
"Christmas Eve at Cramberry Cross" is reminiscent of old winter classics but with a modern twist. There are many direct references to brittish favourites as well like "The turn of the screw", "The secret garden" or "Pride and prejudice" and it's very self aware. I enjoyed that it was dramatic but not too sappy. It even gets pretty dark and mysterious at times but you can of course expect loads of warmth and tenderness!

3.5 stars, this book would make for a good stocking stuffer!

A demanding boss. A selfish and self-centred author. A fractured family. Eve is thrown into the middle of a dysfunctional family when she is tasked with helping to deliver Edward Priest’s new novel on time. But with Edward’s family in disarray, she will have her work cut out for her as she chivies him along. With Christmas approaching, can she help bring a little hope and festive cheer into their lives?

A good festive story which was easy and enjoyable to read.

Slightly depressing, with far too many thoughts from the main character. No the best. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

I received an ARC of, Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross, by Kate Forster. I really enjoyed Eve's character, but I did not like Edward at all. This book was a little depressing actually, for a Christmas story.

A delightful, snowy slow burn romance set in the north of England. Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross brings to life the publishing and editing, as well as family struggles with the drunken, irresponsible estranged wife, the brooding teenager who wants to feel a part of things, and the young daughter who wants to feel she matters. Sometimes a person comes along who can just do small things that have incredible impact and help find the light at the end of the tunnel. Told with a caring heart, this is a Christmas to never forget.

Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross by Kate Forster was a lovely, feel good Christmas book. I enjoyed the characters and thought the storyline was great!

There were things about this book I enjoyed. I liked the story itself and most of the characters. I was interested to see what happened next. And, I liked the Christmas scenes.

What didn't work for me was the main character. I think that because we were privy to her every thought, we could see just how judgmental she was. Her attitude towards men started to wear thin. I think if that had been toned down, it would have been a more enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the ARC.

Bad writing, a poor story line and unsympathetic, poorly developed characters make for a very disappointing novel.