(courtesy Harper Collins Publishers)
SNAPSHOT
Is a new beginning waiting for her this Christmas? When Imogen leaves her fiancé at the altar and escapes to her grandmother’s cottage by the sea, the only thing she wants to do is disappear. But in a village curious about their new arrival, Imogen finds hiding out harder than expected, especially with the charming local baker Dexter around to distract her. As secrets unravel and the festive season draws near, Imogen wonders if she’s been running from the wrong things all along. Will the runaway bride find her happy ever after under the mistletoe? (courtesy Harper Collins Publishers)
I adore romantic comedies and I adore Christmas romantic comedies most of all.
There’s something magical about the season anyway but that feels even more pronounced when people are falling in love.
I only came across Cressida McLaughlin in the last 12-18 months but I immediately loved her style of writing which feels fairytale lovely and yet still very grounded and human.
In other words, she manages to inject some real emotional heft into her novels while still leaving you feeling as if you are walking on elf dust by the end of the book.
It’s the perfect combo and I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the second of the series which began with The Secret Christmas Bookshop in 2024.
The Secret Mistletoe Promise (The Secret Bookshop, Book 2) releases 6 November 2025.
Cressida McLaughlin (courtesy Curtis Brown)