4 stars

Good story. I liked the writing and the author didn't fall into the trap of name dropping products or places too much. I liked that the heroine understood textiles and it was the first time a book has mentioned 'fat quarters' a requirement for my own hobby of quilting. The main romance is central to the plot but I liked that the heroine has reserves of friends that help her along. The author deals will tragedy and tough situations sensitively.
his book seems to be the start of a series and I hope that it does well.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a sweet read. Predictable and entertaining. This is Tof's first novel and if she writes anymore I would read them.
Victoria is a bar manager and fashion designer.
Oliver is heir to the department store Russell and Co.
Their paths cross in the bar V works at and he proposes. Oliver's mother wants him to settle down, get married and have children so to get her off his back he hatches a plan and they pretend to be be engaged just until the store opens.
Best laid plans and all that they didn't bargain to actually fall in love.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

i read this one in one sitting.. Delightful but troubled love story. with great characters, who were very realistic. The conclusion was all my dreams come. I enjoy the occasional Mills and Boon, it brightens my day.

A very beautiful and well written romance novel, easy to read but full of emotions too. Relationships, family and friendship.

DNF @ 42%.

This wasn’t exactly what I would term a success and if ever there were a book that was not my cuppa, this is it.

<img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/33/3c/73/333c731ebb00dbd319ce7e08b2800853.jpg" width="34" height="27" alt="description"/><b><I> Life is too short to do things you don’t want to do.” </b></I>

I gave this a fair crack but the characters, Oliver and Victoria, were simply not my kind of people, and despite the odd occasion when their chemistry seemed to be igniting with wee moments of hope glimmering, I generally found them both shallow and as dull as dishwater. Not a series I’ll be seeking to read more in on this occasion.

I'm not really a fan of 'celebrity' books but I did like the sound of this premise. Victoria and Oliver are both great characters and the first time we see Victoria's reaction to fabric, I knew we were going to be friends!

I really enjoyed the story and all the secondary characters, such as Oliver's parents, were interesting and added to the novel. At times, I did feel there was a tiny bit too much repetition about it 'being fake' and Victoria's fears - all of which I understood and didn't really need reminding every five minutes, but apart from that, it was a really fun read to get lost in.

My only other query is the title - yes, it's set in London but they both live there so it's not like they'd have to 'go' there to meet up. It just didn't really work for me. As there are four friends in this book, I'm assuming each will have a story and this is to be a 'Meet me in...' series but as I say, I didn't feel the title jived with the actual story which is a shame.

Aww, this was such a lovely book, kept thinking of Toff whilst I was reading it. Loved the main characters, put a smile on my face during these weird Covid times. Would definitely recommend, great debut novel.

A good read and perfect for the pool-side. A traditional trope of a fake relationship which turns real. The characters are nice and the story flows well. It’s surprisingly well written although a little predictable but then I wasn’t really expecting something original. The infertility was a bit of a surprise but was well handles and I liked that wasn’t some magical denouement which resolved the problem.

Victoria Scott was heartbroken when her ex-boyfriend cheated on her with a friend. That meant them sharing a shop that she could start her fashion design business was off, Oliver Russell was opening a new branch of his family business just across from where Victoria should have been working.

Good storyline. great charcters, the story flowed really well, and it was a fun read. I sat and read this in the garden and it was a great way to while away an afternoon.

What a delightful read this book was, this story that had me smiling to myself and I loved every minute of it. Well written, with some great characters and a wonderfully romantic storyline, it just drew me in and kept my attention throughout. In fact, towards the end, I struggled to put the book down. This is a perfect Christmas romance for a little bit of escapism.

Victoria was a great character, clever, talented, determined and getting on with life despite what it has already thrown at her, I really liked her. I loved the way she saw life with such a positive attitude even though she was vulnerable and sometimes scared. Oliver is perfect, kind and loving and I so wanted their relationship to work that I found myself holding my breath at times.

I would highly recommend you curl up with this one and thoroughly enjoy it; I certainly did.

Set in Chelsea on the precipice of the opening of a new Russel & Co department store in time for Christmas, aspiring designer Victoria meets businessman Oliver Russell by falling head over heels .... literally, there’s a spilt box of ribbons, flailing limbs and a possible concussion.

Tasked with the opening of the latest store in his family empire, Oliver tackles the looming deadline of opening day with the interference of his mother who is dying for him to settle down and introduce a nice girl to his family. Thus a The Proposal style plan is hatched where Victoria plays a doting fake fiancée and in exchange gets to show off her bridal collection at a fashion show during the department store opening. There’s family dinners, run ins with relatives, secrets and ever growing feelings that might mean things aren’t as fake as they should be.

As a fashion graduate I loved the descriptions of Victoria - bar girl and designer - and her dress sense and designs. I also adored that she taught underprivileged teenagers about fashion and provided them with opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. I liked that this book tackled wider issues too like infertility and looked into the long-lasting effect an accident can have on different friends/women.

However my criticism of this book lies in the blatant nods of their attraction - countless times it’s mentioned that the pair think about having sex with one another, or how attractive they think each other is, or how much they want to kiss each other or be more than a fake romance. It felt so forced and a little juvenile and tedious like a constant reminder of THEY FANCY EACH OTHER in case you’d missed it the previous 200 times. There’s also a hospital scene which is really rather emotional which is ruined by the pair imagining having sex right there in the room with the patient... yikes.

That being said I do love a cliche romance where you know how the story is going to end right from the offset so this did feel comforting and warming for my soul. I also love a fake romance trope and bearing witness to the pair realising it’s both a little more real than they realise.

Slightly different, a British billionaire romance. After literally bumping into each other Victoria ages to be a fake fiance to Oliver to try to keep his parents happy. They both have their reasons for not getting into a serious relationship with anybody, however as is the way with such stories they actually start falling for each other.
As a man reading romance books, which are predominantly written for women, the friendship between the four girls is something that I can't immediately relate to, however it was heartening to see how much they supported each other. It was also good to see the idea of a community spirit being fostered between a new, large department site and the local traders, perhaps this is something that could happen in real life.
Overall a sweet romance, obviously the start of a new series which shows a lot of promise and I will certainly keep an eye out for the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Average story and not the most well written book I’ve read, but a fair novel to pass some time. Not sure I’ll be reading the rest of the trilogy.

The description of all the material and the store were lovely. It was just a perfect love story. .It was an easy read. Ideal for Christmas. I loved how Oliver helped the girls have their fashion and the local community

"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.” many thanks to netgalley.co.uk
This is a love story about Victoria and Oliver. Victoria a struggling clothing designer who can't catch a break and Oliver the son who is expected to excel in all he does when the fake relationship becomes real and feelings are hurt , we go on a journey of self doubt, acceptance, jealousy, and a strong female friendship bond, lovely story well written enjoyed it very much.

Cute, fairytale like and British - three words that sum up this authors debut book.
Both main characters were likeable and relatable. The story dealt with infertility, guilt, family pressure etc. It was ultimately will they or won’t they throughout. I liked the fact that the MC (female) had such a positive impact on the uptight Russell family.
A great uplifting book with a predictable but sweet ending.

A very sweet, romantic read.

It’s not groundbreaking and it’s filled with plenty of the typical romance tropes in this but I did enjoy the additional focus on female friendship and the life issues that the main couple faced. These issues aren’t fully fleshed out but given this is a feel good romance at its heart that’s understandable. For the same reason I was willing to suspend my disbelief a little bit when it came to the characters lifestyles and the perfect way everything unfolded.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I wasn’t sure what expect from this book,

But it was flipping fab, I loved it. I read It in one sitting .

Victoria, whilst working in a bar and meets Oliver, whose very wealthy. Both are miles apart in their background/upbringing and wealth.

Oliver asks Victoria that, to make his parents happy will she fake an engagement, what follows is something neither expected.

I hope this is not the last of Victoria, would love to read about what happens next.

I can't explain how excited I was to find out Georgia was teaming up with M&B to create the perfect Christmas romance and I can confirm, they most definitely, did not disappoint! Set in Georgia's own hometown of Chelsea, we follow the life of Victoria - bar girl and fashion designer. I loved Victoria immediately, with her fashion sense being suited to the 50's - a time and place I would have loved to have experienced myself - along with the fact that she taught underprivileged future teenage designers in her spare time, whilst also working her shifts at the bar AND designing her own stunning bridal collection on top of all that!

Victoria and Oliver's first meeting was a mixture of amusing and really cute - billionaire to the latest store opening up in their local area, Oliver was desperate to get his mother off of his back when it came to relationships, causing him to lie that he had a fiance, which then led to him proposing to Victoria after his immediate fascination and attraction towards her. I absolutely adore fake dating tropes, so when Victoria and Oliver agreed to their fake engagement, in order to make one another happy, I was so excited to see their fake relationship grow in to something real and magical.

You could say Meet Me in London is a nice, quick, light-hearted, easy read, however, Georgia didn't shy away from focusing on some difficult issues as well such as infertility and the loss of a loved one. I found myself resonating with Victoria a lot more than I thought I would, with her love for the 50's and inability to believe somebody could possibly accept me and my traits - good and bad. Oliver handled Victoria's situations as every man should and he really does have the most generous and kindest of hearts. A fictional man you can easily fall in love with. Both characters impacted one another's lives in more ways than one and it was clear as day that this was meant to happen.

I couldn't get enough of Victoria and her best friends either - whilst this book focuses on the possible love between Victoria and Oliver, I think the true love also lied within that friendship group. The tragedy and trauma those four girls went through created a bond nobody could ever understand but them. They have stuck together through and through, even when there was open doors to leave and I couldn't have loved them more if I tried.

An absolutely stunning story filled with empowering friendships, chemistry that can't be ignored and the most wonderful set of characters you could ever ask for. Plus, the whole story is set at Christmas - who cares if we're in July, give me all the snow!