After having enjoyed The Cornish Cream tea bus series I was chuffed to have received the first instalment of a new series by Cressida McLaughlin.

Every year, just after Christmas, Sophie packs up all her belongings and her handcrafted journals business to start fresh in a new town.

That is until she moves to Mistingham and has secured not only a lovely place to live but also a cosy corner to sell her handmade journals in Hartley Country Apparel. She has become fast friends with its owners Fiona and Ermin. But when Fiona finds Sophie browsing the internet for her next clean slate, she questions if moving again would actually be in Sophie’s best interest in the long run.

It even gets a little mysterious when Sophie finds the beautiful bound book Jane Eyre with the cryptic message that ‘sometimes you have to look closer to find what you have been missing’. Intrigued by the anonymous giver Sophie sets out to find them.

To help her quest Sophie signs up to organise the village’s Festive Oak Fest and is surprised to do this together with Harry Anderly. As they start preparing for the Fest, Sophie and Harry get to know each other and it brings them closer.

Will Harry and all the other wonderful characters in Mistingham be able to convince Sophie to open her heart and stay?

I absolutely loved this warm and cosy Christmas read and can’t wait for the next instalment in this series. Cressida McLaughlin has done it again!

I have not read anything by this author before but I intend to change that. I loved this story. Easy to read and a good Christmas story without too much drama other than in the love department. Sophie never stays long in a town and always feels the need to move on due to her childhood in foster care. Sophie arrives in Mistingham on the Norfolk coast and suddenly realises that she is settling very well. The village people are kind and take her under their wing. Sophie makes notebooks and sells them in a corner of a village store and online. Life is running smoothly until she runs, literally, into Harry. Harry is ”Lord of the Manor” and disliked by the majority of the villagers who think he is aloof. The village hold a Christmas fair, and when his father was alive, on the village green which is part of the Manor land. Since Harry returned this has not been allowed. Fast forward, things are changing and it is thanks, in a strange way, to Sophie. Life continues, the fair is now being held on the village green. Sophie and Harry are forced to get the fair organised and Sophie realises that she is falling for Harry. Time for her to move on – does she or doesn’t she? The villagers want her to stay but she cannot accept the notion of staying in one place for her future. She has to make a decision which is very difficult – Cornwall or Mistingham. Please read this to find out. A lovely story

I enjoyed books from Cressida’s Cornish Cream Tea series so it was inevitable that I would jump at the chance to read another of hers that contains a bookshop during the Christmas period! This is a light and enjoyable read with a little romance and mystery set in a quaint English village.

‘I’m seizing the moment,’ Harry said. ‘Not waiting for things to be perfect, but making the most of right now. Someone taught me that recently.’

There is a wonderful cast of characters from this small village that come together to prepare for Christmas. It is fun, however, Cressida delves a little deeper into themes of finding a home and the importance of family and community. I love how the gifted copy of Jane Eyre that Sophie mysteriously receives and reads, reflects both Jane and Sophie’s story with the latter drawing inspiration from this classic.

‘I’m going to take chances and be braver. I’m going to live, rather than exist.’

So make yourself a nice cuppa and settle in for all the festive community feels! This is a tale about finding out where you belong in a beautiful village by the sea.




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

A heartwarming Christmas read. Who would not love a community event, a colourful goat and a love story. All set against a beautiful seaside backdrop and a whole heap of books. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters and wanted the best for them all.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her work! This book really got me into the Christmas vibe. Nice setting, great likeable characters and really cute christmas storylines. Brilliant

As a fan of the Cornish Cream Tea novels, I was thrilled to dive into this latest offering by the same author—and it did not disappoint! This heartwarming Christmas read is filled with themes of love, romance, and the power of community. The author once again weaves a delightful story that captures the magic of the festive season. It’s the perfect book to curl up with during the festive period, offering both emotional depth and the cosy, feel-good vibes that make Christmas stories so enjoyable. If you're a fan of cosy, uplifting tales, this one is sure to warm your heart.

Felix the goat was the star of this book. Such a darling! I really enjoyed the story. The setting's lovely, there was just the right amount of festivities, and I warmed to the characters too, human and animals. A lovely book to read in the run up to Christmas.

I adored this book! I have read other books by Cressida McLaughlin so knew that this book would be a fab festive read.
I liked the way the story between Sophie and Harry developed, and the other different characters that you meet during the story.
It is a great festive read, I loved it.

I loved this book, it was in put down able! The style & pace were good, the characters were lovely & there were just enough twists & turns to keep you interested.
It was heartwarming with the right amount of Christmas cheer, not cheesy at all!

This was the most delicious and beautiful read. It had all the best elements of a Jane Austen novel..the mysterious, misunderstood handsome hero, the beautiful heroine and a cast of delightful characters,all with their own quirks I love the idea of the mysterious and beautifully bound books turning up where needed and the whole book gave me a warm fuzzy Christmas glow

After reading and loving the Cornish cream tea series i was really looking forward to The secret Christmas Bookshop and it didn’t disappoint!
Such a lovely read full of community spirit, friendliness,books, love, second chances and Christmas revelry, just perfect in the lead up to the festive season!
Sophie and Harry’s story intrigued me from the start and it was great to see how their working together brought them closer and how that evolved in the lead up to Christmas I loved the interaction of the dogs and the wonderfully charismatic Felix the goat!
Thank you NetGalley for this early read!

Sophie has never had a real home - and now in her 30’s she moves on every year. Currently living in a village by the sea, she has a stand in a local boutique selling her hand-crafted notebooks.
On the surface her life is going well - her business is doing better than ever, she has friends and a lovely place to live, but she can’t let go of her troubled past and she is making plans to move on as soon as Christmas is over.

She then receives a mysterious package- a beautifully bound edition of Jane Eyre from the Secret Bookshop. The choice of book resonates, so she decides to get involved in the village Christmas fair to find out who has sent it.. Also helping is Harry - he grew up in the village and has recently returned to sort out the family’s finances following the illness and death of his father. Following some unpopular decisions, he is also an outsider and the subject of village curiosity. They don’t get off to a good start. Can they work together? And what will happen if they do? A warm, romantic read with a mystery thrown in - a perfect holiday read. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for my ARC- this has not affected my review.

I absolutely love Cressinda McLaughlin books and jumped at the chance to give an honest review in exchange for an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

The Secret Christmas Bookshop is set in a beautiful seaside resort in Norfolk. Sophie is a relatively newcomer to the village with a complicated past, she has been made welcome into the village, with a chance to sell her handmade notebooks in of the shops. One day she receives a book from the Secret Bookshop.

Harry is the "Local Lord of the Manor ", he has returned to the village, to his family home, but no one has seen much of him. He lives there with Meg, 2 dogs and a goat.

Sophie and Harry are thrown together to arrange the local village fete, can they pull off the event of the year? What is the story of Harry? Who sent the mysterious books? Will Sophie stay or go?

Sophie has spent her life on the move, never staying in one place long enough to get attached to, or hurt by anyone. After twelve months in Mistingham she has already started planning her next move to Cornwall when a beautifully bound book is mysteriously sent to her. Who sent it, and why? As she begins her hunt for the answers, she finds herself organising the village's Christmas festivities along with the handsome 'lord of the manor' Harry. Her new found sense of community and attraction to Harry is at odds with her desire to pack up and move on - will she listen to her head or her heart?
I loved this delightful tale about finding out where you belong. An entertaining story full of charming characters in a beautiful village by the sea....and a jumper-wearing goat named Felix!

This book was amazing and so wonderful. I could not have asked for a better book to read to get me into the Christmas vibe. I look forward to picking up another of McLaughlin's books.

I adored this book! It follows Sophie who grew up in foster care and now doesn't like to stay in one place too long so she's getting ready to leave her town after Christmas but the town might have other plans for her. She meets grumpy Harry and they end up planning the town's Christmas festival. I loved reading about Sophie and the people in the town, and I loved seeing the festival slowly take shape. It felt very wintery and cosy! I have to say that I think my favourite character might have been Felix, he was adorable! This is just such a lovely read, it's one I know I'll read again in the future,
It's a gorgeous, cosy hug in book form - it's my first Cressida McLaughlin but it definitely won't be my last! I highly recommend this one.

Sophie is a commitment phobe who grew up in care and so is reluctant to get close to anyone but having lived in the village of Mistingham for a year she is actually starting to feel settled.... but comfortable enough to let anyone in? This is a lovely Christmas story full of great quirky characters, humour and of course romance. Perfect for curling up in front of the fire with

An adorable story for romance and festive fans. Just the book for cosying up this festive season. Set in a seaside town, this book is set is the lead up to Christmas where things and people aren’t all they seem.
With great characters, emotional rollercoasters, a little bit of mystery and intrigue and of course a festive light up goat – you’ll thoroughly enjoy getting to know everyone in Mistingham. A special shout out to Felix and his funky jumpers – definitely one of the funniest characters I’ve read about in a long time. His antics alone could fill several books!
Sophie and Harry are the main characters, both not quite feeling they belong or fit in so when they are forced to work together they realise they have a lot more in common. Nothing is ever as it seems though and the more they get to know about each other the more they put at risk.
This book is the perfect way to start getting in the holiday spirit. I’m hoping for a return trip!

Once again, Cressida has penned a truly magical book. A heartwarming, christmassy story which has a lovely festive setting.

The North Norfolk coast is one of my favourite places and so a Christmas book set there had to be a winner. The Secret Christmas Bookshop is a gorgeous festive read set in a Norfolk village that has managed to keep it’s close knit community and independent shops.
I loved Sophie who after a childhood spent in care and a broken relationship is definitely afraid of commitment. It’s easier for her to keep moving than to begin caring about people and then be disappointed. However, after almost a year spent in Mistingham, she is dangerously close to feeling at home especially when the reclusive Harry Anderly comes into her life.
This book is filled with books, from the apt quotations from the beautiful edition of Jane Eyre that mysteriously appears on Sophie’s shop counter to the gorgeous notebooks that she makes. The descriptions of the notebooks were so vivid that I could picture them clearly and definitely want one for myself. I wasn’t completely convinced by a 9 year old whose favourite reading was YA romantasy but that was a minor niggle.
It’s a slow-paced story with lots of local detail especially about the planning of the Christmas festival but I enjoyed this and felt that it gave the characters and setting more depth. I really loved the found family aspect especially Jazz who made Sophie see things more clearly. Felix the goat was such a cute character and his antics and jumpers added both humour and drama to the story.
The romance for me was just perfect as the two of them gradually began to open up to each other while still being afraid to be completely honest.
This was a gorgeous festive read perfect for a dark winter evening and I am very grateful to Net Galley and the publishers, Harper Collins UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.