Where on earth do I begin with this one? I absolutely loved it from start to finish. It's both heartwarming & heartbreaking, full of love, loss, friendships, family ties & new beginnings. Some fabulous, likeable & strong characters with a realness about them. Wonderfully written & I heartily recommend it.

This is a real feel-good Christmassy read set in the run up to the festive season. It has all of the essentials for a good read - romance, family relationships and intrigue especially for the 'love letters' that were written over 40 years ago!

I’ve not heard of this author before so wasn’t sure what to expect.

When Maddy’s husband went missing seven years ago, she got on with life, raising their daughter and caring for her aunt Ruthie. Shortly before Christmas, a man visits claiming that he has proof his father and Ruthie had an affair, and that his father and mother adopted the child born of that union.

Add to the mix some mysterious text messages that may just be from her missing husband, and Maddy’s life just got a lot more complicated.

A lightweight, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC of The Christmas Love Letters by Sue Moorcroft. This was a cute, festive read. There is heartbreak and loss, but also love. One of the characters, Maddy, lives in Nelson’s Bar in Norfolk. Living with her is her daughter Layla and Great Aunt Ruthie. Her husband, Adey, had disappeared six years ago during one snowy night. No one knows where Adey is or if he is alive. One day, a random stranger, Raff, turns up at their door with love letters for Ruthie that contain some secrets about their family. Raff and Maddy get to know each other and become close. Maddy then receives several text messages. Turns out the person behind them was her husband who disappeared six years ago.... I would recommend if you like romance and festive, christmas reads! Cannot wait to read Sue's next book! 🎄❤️🎄❤️

Sue Moorcroft is the absolute queen of fabulous Christmas stories and this one is utterly perfect! It has everything you want in a seasonal tale and I found it emotional, moving and totally satisfying. Really didn’t want it to end!
Maddy Cracey lives in a tiny village on the Norfolk coast and her life should be idyllic, but seven years ago her husband walked out on her after a massive row and never returned, disappearing without a trace. She’s lived in limbo ever since, raising the daughter he didn’t know was on the way, and caring for her elderly great-aunt Ruthie. When handsome stranger Raff’s visit reveals deep secrets from Ruthie’s past, Maddy’s life is turned upside down, but will it be for good or bad? I very much enjoyed finding out!

I adore Sue Moorcroft's books, but I'm about to say something quite controversial - this book didn't do it for me.

Firstly, I couldn't decide if it was a Christmas book or just a book set at Christmas. I have the same debate with movies. For instance, A Muppet's Christmas Carol is a Christmas film, as the story doesn't work at any other time. But with Love Actually, if you remove Christmas from it and place it at another time, it generally would still make sense. That isn't a reason why I didn't particularly like the book, I just thought it was interesting to note.

I did like the book, I did enjoy it, it was fun. But it felt drawn out and a bit flat. I so wanted to love it because I love her, but this is the first book of hers that I had to force myself to finish. Don't shoot me!

The format was a bit odd. I assumed that it was going to have more to do with these love letters, but they're barely in it, leading me to think why they were made into such a prominent topic via the title and the blurb. I also wanted to know more about the love affair that stemmed these letters and was meant to be a main theme of the book, but they just seemed to be there for push forward the other storylines.

There are a few different storylines going through it: the affair, the love letters, the missing husband, the new loves etc. This is normally okay because there's usually one that is the main one and the others circle around it. But this seemed to be fighting itself as to what plot I should be focussing on, which meant that instead of enjoying all of them, I found them quite challenging, as I would get involved in one of them, and then another would swoop in and pull me out of it.

What I will say, is it gets better as it goes along. From about 60% there was more substance and it became a much more interesting book to read.

I can't say it is a bad book, because it's not, in fact I'm sure Sue is incapable of writing a bad book, and I have read other reviews giving it 4-5 stars, so it's clearly a personal thing. But it wasn't my favourite of hers and it felt difficult to get through it. Whilst Sue Moorcroft is usually a go-to recommendation, I wouldn't rave about this one. But it hasn't tainted my opinion on her writing as a whole and I thoroughly look forward to any future books.

Beautifully written story of love, loss and heartbreak. All the characters come alive on the page and I silently wept for Ruthie. Lovely Norfolk setting which made me want to visit, especially at Christmas. Heartwarming, charming and a perfect pre Christmas read.

Definitely in my top five favorite books of 2023. Possibly my #1 favorite! This book has all the things I love in a story: Characters of various ages from young to old, A romantic interest that does not need a major disagreement to make the plot interesting (I really do not care for conflict), Story surrounding a joyful time, like Christmas!, Expertly written by a talented author, Detailed descriptions of the scenery/settings and The ability to clear my mind of all "real world" concerns and escape into another world.

I enjoyed this story from the moment I started. I am a fan of this author Sue Moorcroft and with each book I read I become a bigger fan, if at all possible. I become friends with her characters since they become so much more than people on a page to me. I truly do care for them. At one point while reading at a coffee shop, I was crying and hoping people did not notice, since I was so touched by a scene in the book.

I am a letter writer from an early age and I love when I hear stories of other people being in a relationship that began or turned into exchanging letters. It unfortunately is a dying form of communication, and I wish it was not.

I think buying and reading this book will be the best Christmas present you can give yourself. It definitely will bring you into the spirit of the holiday season, when we all should think of others before ourselves and try to spread joy.

I want to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure 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.

A truly lovely story! The characters are beautifully written and the relationship between Maddy and Ruthie is delightful. A great story and highly recommended.

Another fantastic book from Sue Moorcroft. She never disappoints and this festive read was no exception! Maddy lives in Nelson’s Bar in Norfolk with her Aunt Ruthie and daughter Layla. Her husband Adey disappeared over six years ago and before he knew she was pregnant. No one knows where he is or even if he is alive. One day Raff knocks on the door with a bundle of love letters that he says were written by Aunt Ruthie to his dad Nigel. Set around Christmas this has romance, friendship, loss and shows how powerful words and love can be. I absolutely loved all the characters and felt that they were portrayed perfectly. They seem so real and you can imagine knowing them. A bonus for me is that I live in Norfolk and love reading books set in the area.

Classic Sue Moorcroft.

I enjoyed being back in Nelson’s Bar, Norfolk reading about Ruthie, Maddy and Raff. A Christmas novel with twists and turns in the present and the revelation of secrets from the past too as Ruthie shares her treasured love letters.

A romance between Maddy and Raff seems inevitable, as they help Ruthie heal wounds from her past, until Maddy receives a message about her own mystery and the world changes.

Sue Moorcroft has a skill of carrying you along with a story and leaving you wanting for more.

I've lost track of how many Sue Moorcroft novels I've read now, and this is a very enjoyable read. Despite the usual gripe I have about the somewhat stilted and formal dialogue, I very much enjoyed this family drama. I would have loved if Ruthie had been the POV character here and we'd gone for something a bit different. The Christmas scenes are always very well done and get me into a festive mood. I guessed incorrectly who the culprit of some of the conflict was, so this book isn't as predictable as some romances can be!

Maddy herself irritated me in parts, especially in that scene with her tenant. However, I do think that the rest of the issues raised were done in a mature and sensitive way. I'm looking forward for the next Sue Moorcroft release.

This is a very moving story about love in different forms and family relationships. With a beautiful Norfolk setting, and coming up to Christmas, this book has all the ingredients for a perfect read: it doesn’t disappoint. Highly enjoyable and I strongly recommend it!

I received an arc from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest with you.

This was an enjoyable and engaging read, although I did wonder whether the two stories might have been better written as a separate books? This was because there were a lot of characters and different story lines running across each other, which I found a little complicated at times.

However, it is beautifully written and I was thoroughly engaged story, main character and her wee daughter. A very enjoyable read.

Another success from Sue Moorcroft, who doesn't love a Christmas tale. Nice little tale to curl up with a blanket on a cold afternoon. Great characters to warm to with lots of ups and downs along the way

It's not Christmas without a Sue Moorcroft christmas novel!

I absolutely adore Sue Moorcroft and this book certainly didn't disappoint. I loved the characters, the heart-warming storyline and the snowy setting. Ticked every box for the perfect festive read.

The ideal book for reading cosied up in front of the fire with a hot chocolate.

Sue is back with another fanastic Christmas book, but this time its with love letters from a long time ago. The book this full of twists and turns as Maddy, a single mum, life is turned upside down Raff with letters that turn her idyllic countryside life upside down.

This Christmas find yourself transported to the beautiful Norfolk coast as another love story is told.

But when Maddy receives a mysterious message, she can’t help but wonder whether her own past is as distant as she thought it was…

I love books that deal with multi-generations of a family — these types of books and old time romances are so endearing for me. I loved the characters and the story development. It is really a heartwarming story . This book was moving with relatable characters. I really enjoyed the characters of Maddy and Ruthie — as their struggles felt realistic and relatable for me. So I enjoyed the family atmosphere, the romance story and coming together to resolve ones issues and misunderstanding with love. Another great book by this author — I always have enjoyed her Christmas books. Recommended !

Thank-you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK, Avon for this ARC . This is my honest review.

A charming, gentle story with characters you can warm to. I especially was rooting for kind-hearted Maddy whose husband disappeared suddenly and had not been heard of for seven years. She is down to earth, loving and loyal.
This being a Sue Moorcroft tale, there is of course romance, but as always there is so much more. Long kept family secrets surface, love letters are found and there are misunderstandings along the way.
A lovely read, just what's needed for the sun up to Christmas.

A cosy Christmas read.
A love story of the past and present with secrets to be heard.
Set around Christmas it`s an easy read with relatable characters.
Maddie`s husband has been missing for nearly seven years when she starts receiving texts from him, living with her great aunt Ruthie who is partially blind and her 6yr old daughter has helped her survive from all the debt her husband left her with.
Ruthie receives a visit from Raff, him and his sister were adopted from birth and Ruthie is the birth mother to Ffion his sister as they discovered lots of love letters from Ruthie to their father.
The past and present is woven together to make a great book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.