Christmas Baggage

by Deborah M. Hathaway

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If there is one thing she has learned in England, it's that not all Englishmen are created equal. Because this guy was turning out to be a real pill.

Tired of spending the holidays throwing up on cruises with her parents and, you know, being dumped by ex-boyfriends, Claire Frost is determined to change her luck this Christmas. Taking time off from her flower shop, she follows her friend to London, ready to enjoy all-things England. And boy, does she. The frost-covered flowers. The frozen green hills. The bright red telephone boxes. The festive Christmas markets.

Also the men. Definitely the men.

Except, of course, her friend's cousin. Liam Everhart is super attractive, super swoony, and super English. Too bad he's also a super jerk. A super jerk whom she now has to spend every minute with. What a blessed, blessed relief that his Darcy/Poldark looks are overshadowed by his Darth Vader/Malfoy personality. She had enough Christmas baggage to deal with, so why would she ever add a swoony Englishman to the mix?

This is a clean, sweet, wholesome romance set in present-day London, England that features the enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes, with a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

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Book Details

Genre

Romantic Comedy

Subgenre

Holiday (Christmas, Valentine’s, etc.)

Series

Christmas Escape • Book 1

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

October 16, 2024

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Abuse (physical, emotional, or verbal), Grief or loss of a loved one, Power-imbalance relationships (e.g., teacher/student, boss/employee), PTSD or trauma recovery

Representation

Single-parent or widowed-parent protagonist

English Christmas Romance

Sweet, English, and Christmassy—all elements I love, although this story ended up not being my cup of tea.I liked Claire and seriously empathized with her. She really had been through the wringer. When it comes to Liam, I’m not a fan of arrogant jerks. Yes, it was a misunderstanding, but I still wasn’t overly crazy about him. While they had some sweet moments together, the romantic attachment was too fast for my personal taste.Tasha, Liam’s mum, was my favourite part—she was a perfectly sweet English mum!!Content: mild innuendo; euphemisms; kissing

Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity in London! A Sweet Holiday Romance!

London during Christmastime is such a magical setting. I'm dreaming of walking the streets and stopping for lunch at Greggs. Hold the Branston pickle, please. If you read this one, you'll know what I mean!Deciding to not spend another Christmas alone, florist Claire Frost is packing her bags and heading to London with a friend. A perfect escape! The extremely rude man accusing her of stealing his luggage at the airport will be nothing but a memory. Well, until Claire stumbles into him yet again ...A double meet-cute leading to forced proximity! Yes please. Liam was so observant, thoughtful, and kind. Claire really needed someone in her life to put her first. I loved seeing them both living their best life.The kisses were absolutely heart-melting. The red telephone box on the cover is a hint. Swoon! And overall there was something so elegant about the writing. It created a wonderful cozy vibe as you explore London alongside Claire and Liam. So enjoyable!

Absolutely loved it

I feel like the author took every bit of warmth and wholesomeness that makes Christmas and poured it into this book 😭I frickin loved this book so much, the swoon and the Christmas vibes were off the charts. It had a meet not-cute, subsequent arguments which eventually become banter, vulnerable discussions about insecurities, and finally, it had the MCs explicitly choosing each other ❤️ I also love loved the tourist vibes and Christmas vibes in this book.

The not-Chosen One

I liked the premise of the story, so I went into it with a good will - enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes - but found it a bit slow to get into, initially.Claire's been tossed around like unwanted baggage her whole life. She's sympathetic, but she's also kind of pathetic which makes her rather like a Charlie Brown character that leaves you feeling empathetically sad. She's determined to turn things around this Christmas, though, by taking advantage of her best friend's offer to go with her to England.Initially, Liam is a real jerk to Claire, then he swings warm & cold, it makes it difficult to like him.And Claire's finding Liam attractive seems to be a large part of her willingness to forgive him for his off-putting behavior. She comes across as so desperate for positive attention that she's willing to put up with things most people wouldn't - which is psychologically accurate but also sad.Now, I'm not saying the story is bad, but that these things weighed down my ability to enjoy it better.I did like Claire's perspective on her life:“I’ve learned that life is much easier to handle when I focus on what I have rather than what I don’t.”And her ability to laugh about things:“You’re like a walking self-help book.”Claire laughed. “That’s because I’ve read enough of them to last me a lifetime.”And the red phone booth scene is pretty yummy!***SPOILERS***But then in the climactic moment, with the way it's worded, it sounds like Liam chooses photography, with Claire just being the bonus from that decision - see, she's second again. It was obviously the author's intention for it to be Claire's time to finally be someone's 1st choice, but I really wanted her to have a more clear-cut 'I choose you!' moment. Which frankly would have worked even better if Liam had chosen her over the second fiddle offer from his soul-sucking job to begin with.I'm grateful the author didn't have Claire's parents suddenly repent & show up for Christmas just to have everything tied up conveniently with a Hallmarky Christmas bow; it wouldn't have been at all believable. HOWEVER, it would have been gratifying to see Claire finally be open with them about how much it's hurt her to always be nothing more than an afterthought to them when she desperately wanted & still wants to have a real relationship with them. Something that offered the opening of a door, a potential for healing would have been Christmassy & still believable.***END SPOILERS***It ends satisfyingly & sweetly, so at least no regrets*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic

A Sweet HEA

This is the perfect holiday rom-com. Liam and Claire set off to a rocky start when he unknowingly yells at his cousins best friend in the airport. She immediately believes he is the worst possible Englishman she could have ever met until they are forced to spend the day together. Through all the sites of London, Liam’s tough exterior starts to fade and they both become real people to the other. This is such a sweet story that will make you chuckle with how clumsy Claire is and swooning over their HEA!