Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

What a brilliant Christmas story. Definitely recommend.

When Rosie contacts her family to say she is getting married in less than a month in Aspen her family think it’s too soon as she has only known her fiancé a couple of months. Will the wedding go ahead and will the family have the Christmas they deserve in Aspen.

A charming festive read, guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart.

A Wedding in December follows the story of the White family and daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding in Colorado. She’s having second thoughts, her parents are secretly discussing divorce and her sister Katie has her own issues. Add in some hunky Americans, plenty of snow and you’ve got a fantastic Christmas read.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

Sarah Morgan has long been favourite author of mine, so I was excited to receive an ARC of her latest book. It certainly doesn’t disappoint.

This book is funny, sad (though only a little), happy and heart warming. It is about a family whose members have got stuck in certain roles in the way they relate to one another, and how they overcome this to form new relationships with each other, now that they children are all adults. It is also about romance (of course). I laughed, I cried a little, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I recommend it.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant story by Sarah Morgan. Fans of Sarah will not be disappointed. You fall in love with all the characters, even those you think you will dislike, become beloved. Great read!!!!

Maggie White loves Christmas at home in Oxford, it’s her time of year but this year it is going to be really difficult. She and husband Nick have separated but haven’t told their daughters, Katie and Rosie. She’s received a call from youngest daughter, Rosie, telling her that after a whirlwind romance she is marrying her boyfriend Dan. This is normally a time for celebration, but not in this case. They are getting married on Christmas Eve in Aspen, Colorado. Katie, 10 years older than Rosie, is having troubles of her own, but is keeping her feelings bottled up, which isn’t helping her in her job as an A&E doctor.

The family flies out for the wedding, each with their own agenda, Maggie to pretend everything is perfect in her marriage, Katie determined to break up the happy couple, and Nick hoping to be able to keep his wife from making a fool of herself.

If you are after a nice, comfortable read, with beautifully descriptive writing, a nice interaction between all of the characters and a good old happy ending, then this is a book for you. Whilst I enjoyed it, it was slightly predictable, but it certainly made me want to go to Aspen in the snow.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and HQ publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Summer is over and autumn is beginning, rainy days (not so unusual if, like me, you live in Scotland!) and darker nights. So I curled up on the couch and spent the day engrossed in this book. As I've said before I love a good wedding story and this has the added bonus of snow and Christmas thrown in..

You would think from the title that the story is mainly about a winter wedding, in this case between Rosie and Dan, which it is but you are also told the story from the perspective of Rosie, her sister Katie and their mum Maggie each of them harbouring their own secrets, worries and insecurities.

The characters are believable and likeable and the detail throughout the book makes it easy to picture the scene. The Lodge in Aspen sounds idyllic and the family cottage in Oxford put me in mind of the cottage in the film The Holiday.

It's a heartwarming story about relationships, family and love it's emotional with the perfect balance of humour and a little sass, a perfect read for the winter months.

This was my first Sarah Morgan book but it won't be my last!

Thank you Netgalley and HQ UK for the ARC

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Going into A Wedding In December, I expected a frothy, light-hearted romance set in a stunning winter wonderland. The winter wonderland I got, but this book is a much more emotional, character-driven story than I was expecting; less frolicking in the snow (although there’s certainly a bit of that!) and more soul-searching chats by the fire. Which is no bad thing – Morgan has a good grasp on her characters and their emotional landscapes, and manages to introduce them to us in the first few chapters while still holding onto key secrets and making us feel that there’s more to know. Though Morgan employs tropes – the picturesque cottage in Oxford, the wintery sleigh ride, the hot best man – she manages to make them feel cosy and familiar rather than worn out or tired. Her characters, especially the members of the White family, don’t feel one-note or shallow. Even when I thought Dan, the prospective husband, and his mother, wedding planner extraordinaire Catherine, felt a little unrealistic and flat at first, toward the end of novel Morgan reveals that they too have depths and are not one hundred per cent perfect.

Though this is a romance novel, the story really revolves around the White family, and is the story of them casting off old roles and moving into new, better ones. The characters all go on a believable emotional journey and come to understand each other better, leading to a happy ending that feels earned and right. At its heart the novel is about choice, and understanding one another better. I liked that whenever the narrative brought up the question of making choices – especially in relation to Rosie’s choice to marry Dan, which is what sets the whole plot in motion – the prevailing message is that we must make our own choices and be independent to do so – but even more importantly, we must own our choices and any consequences that come of them, good or bad.

Another thing I really appreciated about this novel was that I got a very clear idea of the setting, but without really noticing that Morgan had put that image into my head. She doesn’t resort to flowery prose or belabour the point when it comes to description; she lingers just long enough to sketch the wider picture of the setting, then allows you to fill in the details by yourself. As such, I have a very clear picture in my head of Snowfall Lodge, the treehouses, and Jordan’s cabin, but without feeling like Morgan beat me over the head with overly detailed descriptions of them.

There are only a few bad things to point out in this novel. There are some conversations where the dialogue feels unnatural or stiff, especially in the middle sections of the novel and noticeably between Katie and Jordan. Some of this pair’s dialogue is snappy and witty, but then two sentences later it’s stilted and doesn’t really flow like natural speech. However, I did find that this picked up toward the end of the novel, and the important conversations that made up the climax definitely landed for me, and felt like they delivered the emotional punch they needed to.

The only other things I would point out were really nitpicks. For one, spasm is not a sexy word. It’s just not. For two, I was surprised at Katie’s line that “we call [the ER] the emergency department”, and even more surprised to learn that this wasn’t an American writer’s mistake, since Morgan is actually British. As far as I’m concerned, the emergency department of a British hospital is called A&E! But, as I said, these two are nitpicks compared to the overall quality of the story.

In conclusion, A Wedding In December a nicely done story about love, family, making hard choices and growing to become a better person. Morgan’s style in general is very readable, and I found it easy to read page on page at a time without even meaning to. A good novel to curl up with by the fire – especially for Brits dreaming of a white Christmas!

When I picked this up I wasn’t expecting for it to become one of my top reads of 2019, largely because no matter how much I love Sarah Morgan’s writing her women’s fiction and I haven’t got along particularly well, but also because 5-star reads are like hen’s teeth for me the moment. My dry spell is officially over.

“We’re getting married on Christmas Eve.”

Rosie is marrying Dan, her older sister, Katie is determined to halt proceedings whilst rubbing the best man, Jordan up the wrong way and harbouring her own secrets, and their parents, Nick and Maggie are secretly separated yet acting like love’s young dream in front of their daughters. Unsurprisingly, this is a family who have lost their way a little and between them have an entire luggage store of emotional baggage to unpack, but there’s no better place to do that the beautiful snowy backdrop of the Colorado mountains at Christmastime.

“...sometimes it’s nice not to have to fight your way through life alone.”

Heartwarming, uplifting and with moments of hilarity, A Wedding in December has reignited my love of Sarah Morgan’s work and with a more contemporary feel for me it hit all the high notes with down-to-earth, relatable, at times frustrating but loveable characters and a story which brought lighter angst and drama yet no shortage of romance and feeling. And whether the men are in their twenties, thirties or fifties, they make you melt with their charm, heart and wit.

“I never read a romance novel. Maybe if I had, I might have learned a thing or two.

I can’t tell you how happy I am that I gave this a chance and whether you’re a lover of Sarah Morgan or new to her writing, you’ll have no regrets in curling up with this, Christmas or not.

This is the story of the White family - Mum Maggie, Dad Nick and elder daughter Kate who is ten years older than Rosie. Rosie meets Dan in New York and after a whirl wind romance he proposes on a visit to his mum in Aspen, Colorado to the total shock of her family. They all head to Aspen for Christmas! Maggie and Nick are hiding a secret from their girls and Kate, an A and E doctor (ER) is determined to stop the wedding!

Initially, I didn’t think I would get into this book as for the first few chapters it is so over detailed and laborious that I began to glaze over with the minutia because a lot of which is mundane. However, as the author gets into her stride I began to really enjoy it. There are some lovely moments of humour - one I particularly like is when Maggie gets absolutely trollied on the plane journey to Denver as she doesn’t like flying. The scenes at the airport are easy to picture and I found myself chuckling! There is some amusing dialogue and some entertaining situations that are nicely interspersed with the drama. I adored the Colorado setting - a perfect place for Christmas. Dan’s mother Catherine has created Snowfall Lodge which is an idyllic location amongst the snow and pines. The characters are very likeable too. Kate seems like a prickly pear, very feisty but she’s very caring and carrying a lot of concerns and some baggage. Her love for Rosie is tangible and her desire to protect her is laudable, if a bit smothering! I like the repartee between her and best man,Jordan. Initially, Catherine seems too perfect to be true but she too is very likeable. Maggie is fabulous and you realise just how much she has sacrificed for her girls and Nick. The Aspen setting allows them to really talk and sort themselves out.

Although I suppose it’s a predicable romcom with all’s well that ends well, it is very enjoyable and at times quite joyous. It’s a feel good book which we all need from time to time!

I haven’t been to Aspen and I haven’t been skiing either but now I feel I have! This is the best way to visit a skiing lodge isn’t it? No risk of injury and it’s lovely and cosy in the armchair where I read this. Maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to ‘live’ this novel, but for now, it’s the perfect read!

I’m even breaking my no Christmas novels before December rule and it was totally worth it! The Colorado setting, the snow, the idea of a wedding……aahh it was just all so lovely. There’s cosiness and romance yes, but there’s also some ups and downs along the way for the characters of course, so there’s lots to enjoy.

Sarah Morgan is a writer who is fast becoming one of my go-to feel good authors and this is a charming read. It’s pure escapism and it’s a delightful literary journey!

The story itself is fresh and interesting. There might be a marriage, there might not; the family all have their hidden problems; there’s trouble on the horizon etc but this is wrapped up in such a nice Christmas package. I liked the multiple POV and the way each character was nicely drawn, distinct and unique so that I felt part of the family from the start. That’s the skill of this writer - you don’t just get great locations, but she gives you a whole cast of friends to go with!

The Morgan magic does it again.

A lovely story of love, relationships and Christmas- what more can you ask for other than a happy ending?

Another amazing book by Sarah Morgan. She loves Christmas and so do we! When an author has such a passion for something it just shows and so we their readers pick up on that and just fall in love with the book even quicker. The different characters in the book each tell their side of the story but instead of restarting the plot it just naturally flows. I loved particularly Katie and her plight but also Rosie, Maggie and Catherine. All amazing feisty women who come together for a will they won’t they wedding. Enjoy. I certainly did. Thanks Sarah Morgan and NetGallery .

A delightful story about the secrets that families keep from each other, even close families. The White family have always been close, Maggie was always there for her daughters, even when her husband Nick, a professor in Egyptology at Oxford University was away on archeological digs. Katie and her much younger sister Rosie always felt very secure. Both were very bright, but Rosie suffered asthma attacks that occasionally caused her to be hospitalised. Katie, ten years older, adored her younger sister, and spending time at the hospital made her decide to be a doctor, ‘to cure Rosie’, and she was a brilliant student, she sailed through medical school and became an accident and emergency specialist. Rosie obtained both an undergraduate and masters degree at Oxford, and had accepted a fully funded place on a doctorate programme at Harvard University. Maggie was bereft at her ‘empty nest’, and she and Nick had separated, and were talking about divorce. They hadn’t told the girls.

Rosie had only been away a few short months when she phoned home at three in the morning, Maggie immediately assumed something was wrong, but Rosie said she was getting married, on Christmas Eve, in Aspen, Colorado, less than four weeks’ away. She has only known Dan for less than three months. She then asks to speak to her father ... Maggie says he has gone for a walk because he cannot sleep, but he will phone back shortly. Rosie then phones Katie, who is horrified at the news, and is determined to go there to persuade her sister against making such a stupid mistake. She has a couple of secrets of her own that she has not told the family about, because she is protective of them, and also doesn’t want them to be disappointed in her.

Maggie and Nick decide they cannot tell the girls about the impending divorce when one of their girls is about to marry, so they put on a united front of matrimonial bliss. There are a lot of misunderstandings, and it seems that the wedding is really not going to happen after all. But straight talking by everyone eventually sorts out all the family issues, and lays bare all the secrets. Very much a feel-good story, well worth reading.

What a fabulous story. Inter-generational love stories and with an international aspect. I loved the Colorado setting - makes me want to visit! Maggie and Nick are the parents who are about to divorce - the daughters Rosie and Katie - each with their own private concerns and back stories and Dan and Jordan the 2 heroes and Catherine - the groom’s mother. . I liked the way the stories were developed individually and collectively and wished there had been. Has for Catherine too. I really disliked Katie t the beginning but then discovered her inner warmth and was delighted when he realise Jordan was a good guy. Sarah Morgan writes excellent romances and this one is one of her best. Satisfying, entertaining and warm!

Sarah Morgan has done it again! A fabulous festive read perfect for a winter/ Christmassy read!
A stunning setting in Colorado is the background to a perfect winter wonderland for a snowy wedding!
A book about family relationships, trust, communication and love told in a realistic relatable manner, that is totally believable. Rosie and her fiancée dan are getting married after a whirlwind relationship,and invite her parents and sister to Colorado to celebrate, her mum has a fear of flying and has actively avoided it for many years, her sister has her own demons that she is fighting to control and over the course of their stay they all experience a rollercoaster of emotions ably abetted by Jordan and dans mum. A beautiful heart warming book.
Thank you net galley for this early read!