This is a Hallmark movie in book form... and Hallmark movies happen to be my guilty pleasure!

Sophia Jones loves her quaint life in Wishington Bay. She is a server at the village's best restaurant, lives above the cutest little gift shop, and has found great friends in her co-workers and neighbors. Eighteen months ago, Sophia walked out on her unhappy marriage with a cushy lifestyle and ended up on the coast where she quite literally ran out of petrol. Money is tight, but the magic of the town and her new-found "family" keep her afloat.

"Family doesn't always mean those you share the same blood with. You make your own family. And Gabe is a part of theirs - so that extends to you"

If that line doesn't fill your heart with tenderness, I don't know what will!

When Sophia takes on the cleaning of a friend's home for extra cash, an unexpected visitor shakes things up in her peaceful winter wonderland. Hunky Australian introvert Nate McKinley comes to Wishington Bay to escape his own messy divorce and work on his book in peace. He stays in his brother Gabe's home while he is away on holiday. Of course, that's the home Sophia has agreed to clean. Things start off rocky between Sophia and Nate: walls, walls, and more walls! But as those defenses slowly start to crumble, the two find comfort in each other's shared circumstances.

This book has all of the classic makings of a sappy love story: a meet-cute in every chapter, a jealous villain who tries to spoil things (in the form of a much younger, blonde, social-media-obsessed waitress!), and shocking secrets from the past. While some of the plot twists may borderline the realm of cheesiness, I found the predictability to be like a warm blanket. If you're like me and can't wait for the holiday marathon of romantic comedies, this book is for you!

A wonderful whimsical wintery romance! This is the second book by Maxine Morrey to take place in the charming village of Wishington Bay. Sophia moved to the small village a year and a half ago to escape her previous life, taking a job as a server and a house cleaner. Nate, Gabe’s Brother, has retreated to the UK from Australia after a bad divorce. Gabe and Holly ask Sophia to keep an eye out on the broody soon to be bachelor. But Sophia was not anticipating such a grouch or for there to be such chemistry between the two of them.

This was such a lovely story - definitely Christmas light. Sophia and Nate were both complicated characters with some baggage. Sophia has a huge secret about her pass that she’s keeping from everybody in town, I was very curious to see what that was - although I’m not sure exactly why the big secret was so big? It was fun catching up with some characters from the previous book, especially Brian the dog! Another sweet small-town romance that left me smiling!

This book in emojis

Read the complete non-spoiler review in my blog : https://bookbugworld.com/review-winter-at-wishington-bay/

Winter at Wishington Bay by Maxine Morrey ❄️

This book takes place in Wishington Bay which is charming, lovely, welcoming and maybe a bit magical as Sophia says.

Sophia has left her past life 18 months ago when she did come at this place. She is an honest person but it seems living in the lie of her own. A past she is hiding from the lovely people of this town whom she has come to call her family.

Nate is a gorgeous Australian bloke who took up the offer of his brother Gabe to come to Wishington Bay for some solace. Sophia being a cleaner is asked to clean up Gabe's place and make it comfortable for Nate and to make him feel welcomed. Nate was expecting to be left alone and Sophia's welcoming nature got them off a rocky start.

"Just when I was wholly convinced he was a total arse, he'd go and say something endearing."

This is enough to convince you of their rocky start. What happens next?? Is something for you guys to find out.

This book tells us about how we can rebuild our life, appreciate people around us and show gratitude. There is always someone out there who expects you to fall but no matter what you should trust and love yourself to rise up again.

I loved all the characters. This is a loving, heartwarming and romantic read for cozy winter which I definitely recommend.

There is no doubt why Maxine Morrey has become my favourite author.

Couldn't help but share this -

"I've fallen completely, head over heels, absolutely madly in love with you. And right now, I'm not entirely sure what to do about it."

Enjoyed this one for the 'easy' read feel of it. It did drag in places (especially the middle!), but I wanted to know what Sophia was running away from, and the reason we're given was actually really fresh and novel and it was a nice surprise, even if it didn't carry as much drama throughout. On the whole, this is a cute feel-good read and I did spend a nice moment with it. Oh, and Bryan totally stole the show for me - he was just so adorable and lovely!

Wishington Bay is a magical place. The scenery is beautiful and the locals are welcoming and neighborly. A perfect place for people to fall in love.

I love the tenacious and genuine Sophia Jones. Her straightforward advice to the serious and quiet Nate McKinley is priceless and their amusing and teasing banter is hilarious.

Nate is a bit withdrawn at first considering his wife left him for another man, but it’s fun to see him come out of his shell with Sophia’s help.

As Sophia’s secrets are slowly revealed and someone outs her in the end, it’s a joy to see her confront her problems with finesse and grace.

As for supporting characters, my favorite is Flora who has Sophia’s back when her past comes back to haunt her. Ned and Eloise and Holly and Gabe are also great friends and employers who give her jobs with no questions asked.

Overall, I loved this feel-good story with charming characters and a lovely location that I would be thrilled to visit.

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

A bit dull. I read [b:The Christmas Project|32306652|The Christmas Project|Maxine Morrey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1475065822l/32306652._SY75_.jpg|52934218] by Maxine Morrey and really enjoyed it, so not sure what happened here. Also, I hate it when the main character is "lying" even when it's about something silly. (Maybe especially when it is?) I'm an over-communicator so while I have my own set of problems with that I just don't have a lot of patience with this kind of situation. The dog is cute and the accident-prone nature of the main character is actually pretty funny. But the dialogue is lackluster and the plot pace is tiresome. Moving on, but would probably try this author again. Hopefully this is just a one-off.