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.

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is closed and you are continuing to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. And it is way too hot to go outside, so why not sit in from of the blasting a/c and read and review books??  BTW - stay home and save lives!!!!!!!! No tan is worth dying for.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalleyUK, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

What do you do when your fake engagement starts to feel too real…?

Aspiring clothes designer Victoria Scott spends her days working in a bar in Chelsea, and her evenings designing vintage clothes, dreaming of one day opening her own boutique. But these aspirations are under threat from the new department store opening at the end of her road. She needs a Christmas miracle, but one is not forthcoming.

Oliver Russell’s Christmas is not looking very festive right now. His family’s new London department store opening is behind schedule, and on top of that his interfering, if well-meaning, mother is pressing him to introduce his girlfriend to her. A girlfriend who does not exist. He needs a diversion. Something to keep his mother from interfering while he focuses on the business.

When Oliver meets Victoria, he offers a proposition: pretend to be his girlfriend at the opening of his store and he will provide an opportunity for Victoria to showcase her designs. But what starts as a business arrangement soon becomes something more tempting, as the fake relationship starts to feel very real. But when secrets in Victoria’s past are exposed will Oliver walk away, or will they both follow their hearts and find what neither knew they were looking for…

What a lovely book. The characters are unique and I laughed and cried - those are good signs of a well-written book. In some ways, it reminded me of Karen Swan's books but that is okay as that shows, at least to me, that it is wonderfully crafted and memorable. I am new to London, UK, and it was fun figuring out the locations of the book's different settings and getting into what I call "The London Groove" - it is such a different way of living for sure.

A great read for anyone who likes "CHICK LIT" or women's fiction, for sure - I simply adored it and look forward to reading more of Miss Toffolo's books as she is a new author to me.

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 👗 👗 👗 👗 👗

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!

This is a great Christmas / Winter book with many emotional moments, many cute moments and it is very fairytale like. I loved how British it felt, but found the characters a little difficult to connect to.

Victoria is a designer who is currently working as a bar manager. She's recently been cheated on by an absolutely awful ex (Peter sucks). I liked her personality but she wasn't very rounded - a perfect angel who helps disadvantaged kids but lacked confidence in her own work.

Oliver is the son of Eric Russell, owner of Russel and Co. who own department stories. Oliver's been sent to a new store in Chelsea to kick of its opening - but there's a problem: his family really want him to get married and be happy.

When Victoria and Oliver meet, they come to a fake engagement arrangement to make Oliver's family happy. Oliver also gives Victoria and her fashion design students a fashion show on the opening day of the new store.

So honestly much of this book is unrealistic (Victoria can rent a two bed flat in London by herself and provide free teaching and materials for kids on a bar manager's salary, for instance). The writing and dialogue is also clumsy in places. But it is really uplifting and definitely made me a bit sad in places. Overall it's sweet and not bad for a debut, but could definitely have felt more real.

Well well well I didn't know what to expect from this book, I thought it would be ok a light Christmas read and do you know what, I flipping loved it, so much I read it in one sitting. 

Victoria works in a bar and meets very wealthy Heir Oliver, they are a millions miles world's apart.
To make his parents happy they fake an engagement, what will all the lies bring them and can Victoria hold on to her life changing serect.

For a debut novel this was a fab quick easy read. I loved it well done Toff.

I really do hope this is not the last of Victoria and would love a follow up book.

It's July and a lovely hot day and i'm reading a christmas book. So What? This was a great read. Set in London, in particular Chelsea in the run up to christmas.. Victoria is a busy girl - working in a bar, designing her own fabulous bridal collection and teaching underprivileged teenage wannabe designers in her spare time. She meet Oliver, the billionaire retail king of the latest store to open in her local area. They meet, he proposes on the same night and somehow they end up in a temporary fake engagement. However, neither is prepared for the chemistry between them . Can they make it work or will past hurts and secrets tear them apart?
I loved both of the main characters- they were likeable and relatable (even if Oliver does have two helicopters!) and were both genuine people and the chemistry between them sizzled. There were some difficult issues in the plot such as infertility, guilt and the prospect of losing a parent but these were handled well. I also loved that their relationship had a positive impact on the whole the Russell family and also the empowering friendship of The Lost Hours group. Overall - gorgeous cover, great plot, sizzling chemistry and christmas. What more could you want?

Didn't know what to expect but have to say I really enjoyed this book, so much i read it in a day. A lovely story of friendship, love, faith and understanding with a bit of fairy tale magic.
I loved how V after an accident and a tosser of a boyfriend she has no confidence in herself but abundance amounts for her students. Meets a stranger who after offering her a deal begins to find himself her real life Prince.

I really didn't think I would like this book but I was very surprised how good and well written it was , I couldn't put it down once I got into it ,would recommend to others.

I must admit I liked the storyline of this book but the artwork and title put me off a bit as they didn't marry up with the storyline; now I wish I'd started it sooner. The story was so romantic and yes very predictable but hey it is a romance novel, it would be weird if it wasn't predictable, and let's be honest here, we read them because we want the happily ever after. The main characters were both really likeable and it kept my interest throughout; I couldn't put it down. The ending was perfect and I think would lend itself to a spin-off where we can have a book for each of the friends to tell their story; I'd definitely read them if there was

A surprisingly good story from Georgia Toffolo, clearly writing about a world she is familiar with. 
Two people pretend to be a couple to appease the parents and stop them matchmaking. 
They inevitably become close friends and so feelings become blurred. The outcome is a shock to both of them and not the happy ever after, or is it?

Georgia Toffolo is a new author for me and I was quite surprised to find that Meet Me In London is a Mills and Boon book. Mills and Boon have quite a reputation for releasing romantic fiction for old ladies, don't they? Well, they've moved with the times and can quite easily fit in with the modern-day chick lit genre now.

This story is about Victoria, an undiscovered clothes designer who works as a bar manager. Fate introduces her to Oliver who is the heir to a chain of department stores, and he asks her to be his fake girlfriend to get his nagging mother off his back.

The pair work together to make sure the new department store opening works with the existing high street community, whilst trying to fight the feelings that their relationship is only temporary and not real.

I really enjoyed reading this. The writing style was easy, the characters were believable, and as I read this book, I could picture it all happening in a Christmas movie, as it is set in November and December with lots of festivity happening around them.

A passionate story of love and friendship recommended for the Christmas season.

A perfect heart-warming romance novel. I really enjoyed Meet Me in London and couldn’t put it down! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a free ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book it was a light-hearted and easy read.