Ok, I don't want anyone to panic, but did you know today it's exactly 10 weeks until Christmas?!!

(This is especially exciting for us this year since we're headed to the US & Canada for the holidays!)

Now, you may know that I take my Christmass-iness seriously and absolutely love indulging in a sweet festive story - either in the form of a cosy romance novel or a Hallmark movie. Like last year, I have a bunch of cosy Christmas reads lined up, and I thought I might start sharing some each week (probably Tuesday) so you've got time to decide what you want to read, and hunt them down at your local library. =)

Now that I've been reading Christmas romances for a few years I've started to have some favourite authors that I keep an eye out for, sand one of those is Jenny Hale.

Holly McAdams loves spending the Christmas holidays at her family’s cozy cabin, with its little red door and twinkling lights, tucked in the snowy hills outside Nashville. But this year will be different.Someone unexpected is joining them…

 After Holly and her beloved Nana struggle through a snow storm to reach the cabin, they discover gorgeous and wealthy Joseph Barnes, who has been renting the cabin for the last few weeks, is now snowed in. And it looks like he’ll be staying for the holidays.

 Determined to make the best of the surprise situation, Holly tries to bring everyone together by baking delicious treats and decorating the cabin with plenty of festive sparkle. She finds herself growing close to handsome Joseph, who is unlike anyone she’s ever met before, even if Nana isn’t so keen on the dashing stranger with the mysterious past.

 But charming and irresistible musician Rhett Burton is also back in town. Thrown into close proximity with the person who used to be her best friend and the man who broke her heart, Holly realizes it’s time to face her feelings and figure out what she really wants from her life. But to complicate things, both Joseph and Rhett have secrets to reveal…

Will Holly be able to find herself and the love she’s always dreamed of this Christmas?

 I thought this was super sweet, although I have to admit Holly and Joseph nearly drove me crazy with their refusal to see how perfect they were for each other! It Started with Christmas had a fantastic cast of background characters with great big personalities - I find they are a bit less quirky in the US stories than the UK ones. The setting for this book was a cabin in a small town outside of Nashville, and I loved the hints of music and heapings of southern hospitality throughout the story.

I gave this one three cups Christmassy hot chocolate - complete with whipped cream, candy canes and a sprinkle of Christmas magic!

And, a little bonus review - I've read a bunch of Jenny Hale's Christmas books, and my favourite one so far is We'll Always Have Christmas...

Christmas has always been a special time for Noelle Parker. Winter evenings spent with family and friends, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies at her family’s cozy bakery have shaped her love for all things festive. But this year everything is changing …

 The beloved bakery is facing closure and Noelle needs a miracle to save Christmas.

Determined to raise funds for the family business, Noelle begins revamping the bakery while juggling a surprise new job, caring for the elderly and cantankerous William Harrington in his luxurious, sprawling mansion.

 As Noelle melts the frostiness of the house with cake baking, snowball fights and glittering decorations, she helps William to reconnect with a romance that has spanned decades and unexpectedly finds herself falling for his grandson – the gorgeous but mysterious Alexander Harrington …

 In the countdown to Christmas, can Noelle save the bakery, reunite a family and create some magical memories of her own along the way?

 Snow and festive baking are two of my most loved cosy Christmas tropes, and this had loads of both! I thought this started a bit slowly, but once I got into it I really loved it! 

This one got 4 sweet, spicy, Christmas cookies from me!

I would love to know if you're as Christmas romance obsessed as I am! Tell me about your favourite festive reads in the comments!

xo Bron

***It Started with Christmas***

Out on 29 Oct from Bookouture

Source: Free ebook provided for review by Bookouture via NetGalley