A Surprise Christmas Wedding

Lottie is working her dream job at Firholme and has to arrange a wedding at very little notice and is shocked when the groom turns out to be her ex who walked out on her a year ago! Great story and actually very festive!

Having now listened to the audio version of this book I can now say this is one of my favourite festive story's this year. The narrator was wonderful and the time just flew by!

#asurprisechristmaswedding by @phillipa.ashleyauthor was a Christmas read I was very excited to read and couldn't wait to download it from @netgalley however, I have also brought it in paperback, I mean how could I not look how pretty the cover is!

I adored the story starting off in beautiful Cornwall for a romantic proposal then moving up to the The Lake District where an interesting romance occurs. Lottie is quite literally stuck in the middle of an awkward situation, while trying to get over her ex and move on with her life she finds herself organising her ex's wedding!!

It's the perfect plot set in a breathtaking location which @phillipa.ashleyauthor describes perfectly. I could smell the pine trees, feel the fresh mountain air on my skin and picture the setting as I turned each page, devouring the story very quickly.

After reading #asurprisechristmaswedding I would love nothing better than to spend a snowy Christmas in a cosy cottage up in the lakes.

This is a perfect Christmas read for 2020! Out in paperback in all supermarkets and bookshops now.

#review #christmasbook #christmas #christmasreview #bookblogger #chellsandbooks #asurpriseweddingforchristmas #avonpublishing

Oh what a lovely book ! Listening to his audio book is like cuddling up in front of a cosy fire with a hot chocolate.
Is it predictable- yes, but who cares- this book just gives you a warm hug.

The narration was great, the narrator embraced the accents with aplomb and developed lot of easily distinguishable characters. The narration was bright and light and perfect for the story.

The story itself is a wonderful, "will they, won't they" seasonal love story. The characters and back drop help to lift it above the norm and I thoroughly enjoyed it as a piece of fun escapism.

I have read this author before, and will continue to read/listen to her stories in the future.

This was a lovely way to get into the Christmas spirit.
The Characters felt like real people which made them interesting to read about.
I loved reading about how they were attracted towards each other and the story gave me all of the feels

I adored listening to this audiobook.

The story isn't 'just' a festive read but also a very atmospheric and moving one too.

Set in the Lake District, this story resonated with me as it is a place I go to regularly. The author brings the area to life and describes it beautifully - from the little shops in Kendal to the rustic pubs in Keswick. Beautiful.

Lottie is a wedding planner at a beautiful hotel and she has a challenge - this is the first year they will be hosting a Christmassy one and they're hoping to get lots of great feedback from it and wow future brides to be... but the wedding that books it is only Lottie's ex!

I loved hearing how Lottie reacted, how kind and gentle she was and really supportive and lovely and I also liked how she stood up for herself at the end.

Sometimes when reading/listening to books I feel frustrated when characters criticise others and they just take it, but no, this story never once made me frustrated - Lottie stood up for herself but always in a very careful way.

I finished this yesterday and I miss it. It was perfect escapism.

My reading has been more varied this year; like so many I have sought instant distraction, guaranteed happy endings, romance, and CHRISTMAS! This book had it all in buckets! Lottie is dumped by Connor, the love of her life, just after he has proposed. A new job as events planner at a spectacular hotel in the Lake District brings her face to face with the gorgeous but circumspect Jay, and more unfortunately in contact with Connor and his next fiancé who want to book the hotel for their wedding. There’s so much Christmas here - reindeer, snow, Christmas trees, and a Christmas wedding which fulfils everyone’s dreams! I really enjoyed this light hearted romance. Lottie is genuinely big hearted and her romance with Jay is well observed and full of ‘will they, won’t they moments’. There’s some real poignancy and tear jerking moments with the plot incorporating story lines about cancer, stroke, meningitis and family reunion.
Laura Kirman is a very fluent and clear narrator who managed the different voices and accents capably and her voice adds a warmth to the heartwarming story. I was surprised at how enjoyable this was and how emotional I felt at various points! Lovely! With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Audio for a digital copy of this audiobook.

My first Phillipa Ashley book and it won't be my last!

I listened to this story and loved both the story and the narration of it. It gave me a really fuzzy warm feeling and put me even more in the mood for Christmas.

The story is about Lottie who has moved to Firhomme after a break-up the year before and as the event planner there ends up surprisingly planning the wedding of her ex. Meanwhile there is of course a lovely new colleague working there and some family drama adding into the mix.

Overall a really nice Christmassy chick-lit that I would highly recommend.

We all know that sometimes surprises are good - those joyous moments when you meet up with a loved one that you haven’t seen in a while, a party that has been thrown in your honour, or a tasty treat that has ingredients that you weren’t expecting. Sometimes, however, the surprise isn’t quite so joyous. So is the case for Lottie, whose ex-fiancé Connor decides to get married to someone else one year later in the very Lake District estate where Lottie is the event planner.

The job itself is new and this is the first wedding that Lottie will be planning at the estate. Knowing she needs to shine in order to market the venue and impress her boss, she takes Connor’s lead and doesn’t let on that the two have a past. Lottie knows the importance of living each day to the fullest and not looking back. Her sister Steph’s past year has told her this. She’s looking forward now and the good-looking groundskeeper Jay has piqued her interest. Jay also notices Lottie, but has a past that holds him back. The two not only have become co-workers but friends as well. Can they learn to trust one another with their hearts?

I found this lovely book to be very entertaining. The setting of the estate at Christmas is described beautifully - the wedding planning was an added bonus. I loved the theme of moving on after life-changing events: something we all need to consider during this time in our own history. The characters are well developed and likeable. The story is believable and I felt engaged throughout.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book which was narrated by Laura Kirman. I enjoyed her performance and found her voice to be articulate and sweet- a great choice for the role of Lottie. I would not hesitate to recommend the audiobook version of the book to those that appreciate this format.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.

I've read lots of this author's books, but this is the first I've listened to as an audiobook. Rather than Cornwall, the setting for this story is Cumbria one of my favourite places, so I couldn't wait to start listening. This is a story of betrayal, forgiveness and second chances with a surprising festive wedding. Not wanting to give away the plot suffice it to say not all surprises are welcome.

Lottie is working as an event planner at a Cumbrian country house. Planning her first wedding causes conflict in her personal and professional lives, ultimately it makes her realise, some truths about herself and her previous relationship. Jay appears unsocial, but he has trust issues when it comes to relationships, something that stands between his and Lottie's happiness.

The story has some lovely festive touches, and the romance is conflicted, but rewarding. There is also a poignantly relevant sub-plot about Lottie's sister, which shows the importance of their sisterly bond and is a particularly heartwarming part of the story.

The characters are vibrant and wonderfully flawed, and they are brought to life, convincingly, by the excellent narrator. Not all the characters are easy to like, particularly Connor and his fiancee Keegan. The story has a good plot for an audiobook with lots of characters and dialects. The narrator is professional and copes well with the different accents and characters.

If you are looking for a festive read with family and forgiveness at its heart with ripples of romance, and humour this is a perfect read.

I received a copy of this audiobook from Harper Collins UK Audio via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is an audio book review for A Surprise Christmas Wedding by Phillipa Ashley.
This is a romantic, down-to-earth, cosy, pull your blanket round you kind of read!
Lotte gets a job at Firholme as events manager after Connor ends their relationship abruptly and this is where she meets the gorgeous Jay who is estate manager. They both have baggage from the past.
Then later, Connor turns up at Firholme, with his new fiancé and Lottie has to plan their wedding!! This is such a lovely festive book and is read to us by seasoned narrater Lara Kirman who delivers it to us brilliantly!!
Thank you for my gifted copy from Netgalley and Harper Collins Audio UK.

I actually really loved this!! The story was engaging and keep my interest the whole way through. I even tear up a little over the baby (won't be in my public review)
The narrator was amazing and did the best job with this.
First time I've heard of this author but will definitely be heading over to Amazon to see what other books are available

The narrator of this book is great, very likeable and delivers the story well.

The love story between Lottie and Jay is good - you go through the story of chemistry building and it makes them a very likeable couple.

There are a few things in the story line that I didn't like or understand but they do explain themselves later in the story and it that didn't stop me finishing the book in 3 sittings.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A thoroughly enjoyable Christmas themed book set in a beautiful part of the world - what more could you ask for at this time of year? I thought the narrator was great and did a fantastic job on the northern accents, really breathing life into the story. Some aspects of the story detracted slightly from the mostly uplifting storyline, but were handled fairly well.