This was a treat to find, it was almost like a book within a book, I enjoyed the concept and it was very well written, the characters were very likable and you could really feel the struggle Jude was having and his transformation was lovely, Emily was equally lovely and she was a really nice person, I hope we can catch up with these characters in the future.

A Cornish Winter's Kiss
by Jo Bartlett

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Port Agnes, Cornwall, during the enchanting holiday season, this heartfelt romance weaves together festive charm and profound emotional change.

At the centre of the story is Emily, a talented audiobook narrator renowned for her engaging interpretations of romantic tales. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with Jude, a once-successful author of gritty crime novels. After receiving disheartening news about a significant decline in his book sales, Jude is driven to rethink his writing strategy. In a bid to revitalise his career, he is told by his editor to explore the concept of love, believing that incorporating a romance subplot for his lead detective might rekindle readers’ interest.

Teaming up with Emily, who brings her expertise in romantic narratives to the table, Jude embarks on a journey to uncover what true love looks like. As they navigate their creative collaboration, their interactions bloom with chemistry and mutual understanding, revealing layers of vulnerability and growth in both characters.

I found Jude and Emily's characters to be incredibly relatable and well-developed, which made their evolving relationship feel authentic. The pacing of the story kept me engaged from start to finish. While some plot twists were a bit predictable, the warmth and charm of their romance made the reading experience thoroughly enjoyable.

This is the first Jo Bartlett book i've read but i'm gping to have to keep an eye out for more i loved this infact its been a while where i've stayed up all night to finish a book because i just couldnt bring myself to put it down
i was just hooked from the beginning theres just something so relateable bout Emily and Jude and i just wanted to know how the story ended
it shows how childhood trauma and not dealing with things can have a knock on effect later on in life and mKe you closed off and cynical and how it takes a special someone to come in and knock the walls down...
and its really well written and dealt with there are some fantastic characters and
i dont want to give any spoilers but i actually cried in a scene with Jude and his dad....
also as its based around christmas the family scenes around the tree and the traditions that emilys family do makes you all nostalgic and think of the christmas's you have..
actually didnt want it to end i feel like i have so many unanswered questions i want more..

Emily Anderson adores romance in books and real life, even though her own love story feels more like a tragic subplot. As an audiobook narrator, she brings love stories to life daily, convinced her perfect romance is just around the corner. Crime author Jude Cavendish thinks romance is complete nonsense. When his publisher demands he add a love story to his latest novel, he's horrified because he knows murders and mysteries, not grand gestures and stolen kisses. Desperate for help, Jude reluctantly turns to Emily, whose sunshine personality clashes with his grumpy cynicism. She's determined to show him that love is more than fiction, while he's set on proving her wrong. But as Christmas magic sparkles over the Cornish coast, their opposing views on romance start shifting into something neither of them expected.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was an interesting book, because I was wondering if this had a series connected to it, like the rest of the Cornish books by Jo Bartlett.

I really enjoyed the premise of the chance romance of a lovely voice actor and a grumpy author who doesn't believe in love, and she sounded so lovely that I wanted to hear how she sounds like in a book as well. I do want to read more about this new group of people - so many it's a new series upcoming??

The ending was slightly abrupt, but definitely a book I would recommend to others!

When cynical crime writer Jude is tasked with adding a touch of romance to his latest novel, he turns to romance audio book narrator Emily to help. Can she persuade Jude that love really exists?

An easy to read story, with plenty of likeable characters and an entertaining story. It is certainly predictable at times, but it is a fun read nevertheless. Jo Bartlett is a must read author for me, and this is another feel good read from her.

I know, I know. Christmas in July might sound a little nuts, but when it comes to Jo Bartlett’s charming storytelling, I’ll gladly make an exception. There’s something enchanting about diving into a delightful story that makes you lose all concept of time, and that’s exactly the experience I had with this book.

The story revolves around Emily Anderson, a hopeless romantic and a daydreamer who, in a twist of fate, lands her dream job as a voice actress narrating the works of her favorite romance writer. Jude Cavendish is a brooding crime author who crafts gritty thrillers. But here’s the kicker, Jude’s publisher insists he needs to shake things up by adding a love story to his latest manuscript. To Jude, love is nothing but a foolish distraction. When he reluctantly enlists Emily’s help, sparks fly, setting off a delightful chain reaction that alters their lives forever.

What I love about Emily is her unwavering spirit. She has this incredible ability to brighten everyone’s day, and, unsurprisingly, that becomes Jude’s kryptonite. Before long, Jude finds himself inviting Emily on walks and dinners, often acting like he’s just trying to be nice while secretly wrestling with the possibility of change.

When Jude’s walls begin to crack the reader is allowed a glimpse of his heart that is carefully hidden. Yet, love is rarely straightforward. Poor Jude. The healing journey is complex, and he is grappling with deep-seated wounds. It’s Emily’s infectious optimism that helps him embrace a love he never thought he needed.

This book wouldn’t be complete without the lovely supporting characters of Jude’s and Emily’s family and friends. I especially adored Jude’s stepmom Viv who loved Jude the way a mother should. And let’s not overlook those cute pups, Rufus and George Barlow—two best buds that could teach us all a thing or two.

So here’s to Emily and Jude, and the beautiful messiness of love. It’s not always easy, and it rarely goes according to plan, but sometimes that just makes the story all the more captivating. You never know what’s waiting around the corner or who might just change your life.

If you’re looking for your next summer read that proves love can surprise us all, pick up this book. You won’t regret it!

Thank you to Ms. Bartlett for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

What a warm, feel-good story about love, growth, and letting people in—I had all the cozy feels after reading this one!

Hopeless romantic Emily believes in the fairy tale of love, even if it hasn’t happened to her (and she’s not sure it ever will). She scores a job as an audiobook narrator and charms listeners wherever she goes.

Grumpy crime author Jude has been burned big time by his own family and an ex who shattered his belief in love. He doubts anyone has ever loved him or ever will. And when his editor demands he add a love story to his latest book, he’s beyond confounded and has no idea how to make it work. When he sees Emily at a book event and hears her narrate a romance, bringing it to life and making the ridiculousness sound real, he hopes she can help him.

As they both spend time on the Cornish coast, grappling with feelings, working, trying to convince each other to see things their way, things get a little more complicated. Jude has never let anyone in—has never really had anyone to let in—yet he finds himself telling Emily things he’s never told anyone.

I LOVED this book! It was so adorable, cozy, and sweet, with real feelings and hope. Both characters, but especially Jude, are going through some challenges and leaning on each other. I loved how their relationship developed, how things were sometimes difficult, how they seemed so right for each other, and how lovely the ending was!

3.5⭐️
This is a sweet story of audiobook narrator and hopeless romantic, Emily, teaming up with a cynical crime writer with a painful past, Jude, to help him bring a little romance and depth to his crime series and believe in love again. With Emily’s help, Jude begins a journey of self discovery, learns what love is all about, begins to overcome his painful past and reconnect with family, and fall in love with the woman who helps him do this. This is both a romantic and familial love story that highlights the power of love and the importance of family. Overall a cute read, but it started to feel very repetitive. It was also a little hard to read about Christmas when it’s July and 95 degrees out. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in regular for my honest review.

I always enjoy a book from Jo Bartlett, it did seem strange enjoying a Christmas tale whilst the UK was experiencing a heatwave, but that meant I could sit and relax and complete this in a lazy afternoon! Set in a stunning area of Cornwall, it’s a beautiful story of community spirit and escapism. Once agin the author did not disappoint.

Out Now ….. Boldwood Books
Emily Anderson adores romance-both in books and in real life (though her own love life is more ‘tragic subplot’ than ‘happily-ever-after’). As an audiobook narrator, she spends her days bringing love stories to life, convinced that one day, her own perfect romance will come true.
Jude Cavendish thinks romance is a fairy tale for fools. A crime author with a serious case of writer’s block, he’s horrified when his publisher asks him to add a love story to his latest novel. He knows murders, mysteries, and mayhem
-not grand gestures and stolen kisses.
Desperate for help, Jude reluctantly turns to Emily, whose sunshine personality is the complete opposite of his grumpy cynicism. She’s determined to show him that love is more than just fiction, and he’s determined to prove her wrong. But as Christmas magic sparkles over the Cornish coast, Jude starts to wonder... what if Emily’s right? 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Ok so reading a book based in the Winter time, when I’m laying down with a fan to cool me , felt odd 🤣 BUT soon the storyline engaged me so much, that I didn’t pay attention to that lol. I loved the 2 main characters and also their families. It shows that all families have their ups and downs but being able to talk about things is so important! Enjoyed this book so much and definitely would read another of this authors books. In fact I’m sure I have another in my ARC list by this authors books.

Emily is a true romantic and when she meets her favourite author on a train, her life changes forever.

Jude is a cynical crime writer whose popularity is not as high as his publisher would like. He needs to make his main character a little softer, a bit more relatable - however, Jude does not believe in love, romance and all of that, not at all, and it is a big ask for his main character to have a relationship.

When these two meet, sparks fly, but not the good kind. Emily does her best to convince Jude that true love DOES exist and she tries to expose him to multiple experiences to prove that fact. Does he come around or is he a lost cause?

I really enjoyed this premise for a romantic novel. Both Emily and Jude were believable characters and I absolutely loved Emily's parents! They reminded me a little of my own :) And Emily herself was such a sweetheart, who would not like this lovely girl?

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...it's Christmas in July!

A Cornish Winter's Kiss is the first festive fiction I've read this year, and it's by one of my favourite authors too.

It's a heartwarming read that has some of the most frustrating (but likeable) characters. I could see it, and I'm sure you could see it...but why couldn't they? Jude was the grumpy to Emily's sunshine, and opposites do attract after all.

Written in Bartlett's inimitable style and set in one of my yet to visit favourite places, Cornwall.

I adored every minute 🩵

A heartwarming romance just made for Christmas reading! Emma loves reading romance novels and a chance meeting with a famous author leads to a career as a narrator for audiobooks. Determined not to settle for anything less than the true love she sees modeled by her parents and in the pages of the books she loves, she is hesitant to get involved with Jude. True love and some Christmas magic might just change some hearts and minds.

A chance meeting on a train with a favourite romance author brings a new career for librarian Emily – instead of reading stories to children (which she does extremely well), she becomes an audiobook narrator. Meanwhile Jude, a successful crime writer, is struggling – he’s been told to introduce some romance into his next book, it’s something he knows little about, and he doesn’t know where to start. The pair begin to work together – if anyone knows how to engage a romance audience, it’s Emily – and she sets about introducing him to a range of experiences hoping he’ll pick up some ideas for bringing some love into his writing.

It’s a useful start – but they’re not quite there yet. And as it’s Christmas, Emily’s about to disappear to Cornwall to spend time with her family – and that forces him to make some decisions about his own Christmas plans, or he’s never going to hit that deadline. And, just maybe, and although he hates Christmas and still doesn’t really believe in love, she’s started to make his heart beat a little faster…

This is one of those wonderful books where I’d love to tell you how the story unfolds – but I think you really need to discover it for yourself. I will say though that I thought it was absolute perfection – two very different individuals who I grew to love, both very real, dealing with all sorts of issues, their relationship steadily growing, and a story filled with emotion. There are some wonderfully handled family moments (the supporting cast is particularly strong), problems with honesty and trust, a number of barriers to any chance of a happy ending – all played out against a backdrop that will be so familiar to many.

I never really think of romance books in terms of “tropes” – this one is certainly grumpy/sunshine, but is so much more than that. There’s plenty of lightness and laughter, but real emotional depth too – and a story with unexpected twists and turns, beautifully told, that completely engaged and delighted me from beginning to end. There are so many special moments I really want to tell you about (and not only Gary Barlow…) – I’m sorry though, my lips are sealed, but I promise you’ll enjoy this book every bit as much as I did. And don’t worry about the Christmas setting – it’s certainly particularly special, but there’s no real reason why this book needs to sit on your reading pile while waiting for the festive season. I absolutely loved it…

Who wants to escape to Cornwall for Christmas? This story is heartwarming with all the cosy sparkles of a christmas tree and drinking hot chocolate and eating gingerbread while sitting by the fire.
When Jude and Emily meet to try and rescue his latest book, who would think that a grumpy writer would find love again, Jude doesn’t believe in romance can be real after suffering heartbreak all his life, then Emily brings a new outlook to
everything and welcomes him into her world to try and help change his way of thinking.
With cold wintry walks with their dogs along the Cornish Trail and unexpected invites to celebrate the lead up to Christmas with Emily’s family to join in their advent traditions - what could be more amazing than that? Being subjected to playing with Emily’s niece and nephews and then singing on a karaoke machine declaring his chance of a new start brings Emily’s jaw to the floor.
Is this the start of something special for Jude and will he be able to rescue his book deal?

A truly wonderful storyline to get you in the Christmas mood 🎄

A Cornish Winter's Kiss by Jo Bartlett is an emotional, heartwarming story about healing, second chances, and the courage to believe in love again. It’s also about the transformative power of connection, both professional and personal, and how joy can bloom in the most unexpected places.

Emily Anderson; a romance audio book narrator, is a romantic, living and breathing love stories. She has a wonderful family and her parents have the perfect love story. Despite only dating jerks, she still wants the fairy tale ending: find her soulmate,; believing he is out there somewhere, maybe just beyond the next chapter. Jude Cavendish is her opposite in every way: a bestselling crime author with a cynical streak. He doesn't believe in love: his mom died when he was young, his first stepmother was awful, and even his live-in girlfriend rejected him. When his editor told him he needed to add something to his latest novel, he balked at adding some romance.

Jude is introduced to Emily, suggesting that she is the perfect guide to help him find a way to give his main character a life. She's all warmth and optimism; he’s brooding and bitter. As the two collide in the most charming Cornish setting at Christmas, their creative collaboration becomes something deeper, and both must confront their pasts; deciding if love is more than just a genre trope.

A Cornish Winter’s Kiss is a warm, festive romance about learning to believe in love again, even when it seems impossible. A perfect read for fans of emotional, small-town charm, and holiday magic.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#BollwoodBooks #NetGalley # ACornishWintersKiss

This was a nice story to read after the darker books I have finished! Emily loves romance- in books, movies and life. Although she has been unlucky in the romance department, she still believes that she will find her true love one day. Jude Cavendish is an author that writes crime, and does not believe in love. However, his book sales have gone down, and his editor and publisher have told him to somehow incorporate a romance into the story with his main character of the series. Jude begins reading a famous romance author, but cannot get into it. He decides to listen to the audio book, and is instantly taken in by the voice of the narrator- it is Emily. Jude then asks her to help him understand this love thing so that he can write it into his story in a way that is authentic to him and his main character. Emily then takes him around and shows him different places and they "people-watch" and discuss what he sees and how it relates to love. Needless to say, they start falling for each other.

Emily is very close to her family, and they begin inviting Jude to partake in some of their traditions. Jude's family is a bit fractured- and this is part of his struggle in accepting love. There is some tension between the two, as they become attracted to each other, they have to find a way to bridge the differences in their views.

This was a nice story, and the characters were very likable. The one thing I struggled with is that it got a little repetitive with the characters inner thoughts/struggles/rehashing of their past. But I was engaged, and it is an uplifting, lighter story!


Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Really enjoyed reading this story. Characters were fun and the storyline was enjoyable to read. I would recommend this book.

A Cornish Winter's Kiss is an adorable romance. Emily Anderson, while not lucky in love, believes in fairytales and romantic love. She's moved up in her career to be the most sought after audiobook narrator, primarily working for best selling author, Sophia Wainwright. Jude Cavenish is cynical when it comes to love, romantic or any other type. That's why he's a crime author. When his agent insists the additional of personality and a softer side, Jude turns to Emily for help. Emily is very patient with Jude considering she doesn't understand his skepticism.

Emily is very much the sunshine to Jude's grumpy. She's positive, bubbly, family oriented, and believes in HEAs and the magic of Christmas. Jude is pessimistic about life, love, family, and Christmas. I loved watching Jude open up and become more vulnerable the longer he spends time with Emily.

A Cornish Winter's Kiss is a great grumpy-sunshine romance. I love the characters and the setting. The author wrote this story with realism. I was drawn in by the synopsis and kept engaged by the wonderful writing, fantastic characters, and vivid imagery.