Review: Christmas with the Book Lovers by Victoria Connelly

Source: Review copy from author

She’d been a little tempted to keep it herself, she had to admit. Indeed, she’d placed it on her shelf of beloved hardbacks just to see what it looked like. But wasn’t that the test of a really good gift? If it truly hurt you to give it away then you knew that it was a good present.

(from Christmas with the Book Lovers)

Christmas with the Book Lovers is the latest installment in Victoria Connelly’s series, The Book Lovers. It is set right after the first book, The Book Lovers, which introduced readers to the Nightingale family, which owns a trio of bookshops in the village of Castle Clare, and children’s book author Callie Logan, who moved from London to Owl Cottage in Newton St. Clare after her marriage ended and befriended Sam Nightingale, the owner of a secondhand bookshop and the founder of the village’s new book club.

In this novella, Callie is spending Christmas Eve with the Nightingale family at Campion House, and she is excited to experience the family tradition of reading ghost stories aloud, specifically those by M.R. James. Callie is intrigued by the family’s recollection of a first edition of a James book that Sam read from in the past and that his mother, Eleanor, swears is haunted. When eerie noises and shadows outside begin to make the family anxious, Callie second-guesses her gift for Sam.

So far I’ve loved every book in this series, and Christmas with the Book Lovers is no exception. This book is perfect for the weeks between Halloween and Christmas, merging spooky stories with yuletide traditions. I loved the idea of a haunted book, and with the entire Nightingale family present for the evening, there was enough banter and anxiety to keep me on the edge of my seat. As with every book in the series, Connelly makes the Nightingale family come alive, and I was envious of Callie because she got to be a part of the family and share in their traditions.

Christmas with the Book Lovers is a short and sweet tale that would be best enjoyed with a hot drink, a warm blanket, darkness outside, and the twinkle of Christmas lights inside. It’s a stellar addition to the series and one I would definitely re-read during the holiday season. I can’t wait to see where Connelly takes these characters next!

Disclosure: I received Christmas with the Book Lovers from the author for review.

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Review: The Book Lovers by Victoria Connelly

Source: Review copy from author
Rating: ★★★★★

‘A good book lives forever,’ he said.

‘I sometimes think it’s easier to love a book more than a person, don’t you think?’ she said. ‘A book doesn’t change — it remains constant and perfect no matter how many times you read it.’

(from The Book Lovers)

The Book Lovers is the first in a new series by Victoria Connelly, whose writing I have loved since I discovered her Austen Addicts series several years ago. This was the first non-Austen-inspired book I’ve read by Connelly so I didn’t know what to expect, but oh my goodness, it was fantastic!

The novel centers on Callie Logan, a children’s book author who leaves the fast pace of London to settle in Owl Cottage in Newton St. Clare. She’s going through a divorce and needs to rediscover her creativity, and a small village where everyone knows everyone seems like just the place to heal. She soon meets the wild adventurer Leo, who takes her hiking through the woods and cooks her meals from ingredients he has foraged, and Sam Nightingale, the owner of a used book store who is trying to start up a book club and is dealing with relationship troubles of his own. Callie forges a friendship with both men, as they each bring something different and needed into her life.

I loved how Connelly introduced such an exciting cast of characters in the Nightingale family, including Sam, his sister Bryony, who owns a children’s bookshop, his parents, and his grandparents, especially the grandfather who is always hanging around Sam’s shop. This is a close-knit family who gets together every Sunday for dinner, and the love they have for one another — even when they get on each other’s nerves — is infectious. I loved how they welcomed Callie with open arms, and how Callie — whose parents are cold and distant — blossomed in their presence.

I couldn’t put this book down, and the characters felt so real to me that I thought about them when I wasn’t reading and couldn’t wait to jump back in and find out what happened next. The best part is they are standalone books, so no cliffhangers, but you’ll want to dive into the next book right away. Stay tuned for my review of book 2 later this week!

Disclosure: I received The Book Lovers from the author for review.

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