I am delighted to be a part of the blog tour for; The Holiday Plan by Emma Lynden. The cover is as cheerful as the story. Before I share my review with you all, I was supposed to post this yesterday but I was sidetracked (family life got in the way again) and I wasn’t able to post then, apologies, so here it is now. Firstly, a quick thank you to Jenny at Harpeth Road for the invite.
about the book
The Holiday Plan by Emma Lynden.
Genre: Sweet Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Fiction.
From one of the freshest new voices in clean and wholesome romantic fiction, The Holiday Plan is the perfect escape for fans of Courtney Walsh, Annie Rains, and Debbie Mason.
Native New Yorker and author Verona Scott is battling heartbreak, both personally and professionally. Coming off a disastrous split with her ex, she’s struggling for inspiration to write her next book. And she’s lost without her favorite Aunt Theoni’s wisdom and guidance.
Hoping for a fresh start and to avoid the holiday completely, she’s planned a Valentine’s detox: a luxurious trip alone to the historic Courtington Castle hotel, near the adorably quaint town of Camelot Creek, tucked into a picturesque valley in the Adirondacks.
But escaping the heart-shaped balloons and red roses isn’t as easy as she thought.
This won’t be the restful retreat she’d imagined. Instead, she’s just walked into one of the biggest matchmaking events of the year. Not to mention, the incredibly attractive single dad and dating coach Troy Turner is heading the whole thing up, and he’s on a mission to include Verona in the festivities.
Troy is in the midst of a professional crisis of his own. After a bit of unfounded bad press, the very last thing he needs is a guest to cast doubt in the minds of his attendees.
Will Troy change Verona’s mind about the most romantic day of the year? Just when sparks begin to fly, an unexpected visitor checks into the castle, stirring up the past. No matter what, for Verona, Valentine’s Day is the day where everything changes.
A heartwarming, sweet romance that will whisk you away to a magical winter wonderland, and have you reaching for the hot cocoa and box of chocolates long after the holidays.
Purchase here – https://geni.us/THP_Amazon
Review
The Holiday Plan is a heart-warming and cheerful debut romance!
Verona is as happy as the cat who the cream, she has a wonderful fella and is on the way to writing her way to being the queen of romantic fiction. But, everything goes wrong! She is shocked to learn her editor who has loved her work previously, doesn’t want her latest book…nooo!! All that hard work! And her much loved-up bliss is shattered when she is jilted by her boyfriend and learn he has then proposed to someone else. Verona has found herself in a deep dark pit of self-loathing, hurt, confusion and heartbreak, so she does what any jiltee would do and take herself away, to her favourite holiday destination to heal her wounded heart.
But…I do seem to be saying that quite a bit…there is another fly in the works, for when she reaches Courtington Castle hotel for her quiet and relaxing getaway/detoxing holiday where she forgets her troubles and works on her future only to find that the Castle is holding a Valentine’s Day, romantic weekend….imagine it, you are trying to get away from anything romantic and suddenly you are faced with nothing but happy couples and ….even worse, an events organiser who has his sights on including Veron into his romantic weekend. Groans!!!
This book has all the cheerful, overly cute factors you look for in a sweet romance, the actual romance itself between Verona and Tory is a slow-burner, to be perfectly honest it is a little too slow for my liking, I liked Troy and Verona they are both running away from real life and trying to move past hurt, they both have a past which has impacted them in a way which will take time to heal. But my issue with their relationship is that there is a lot of talks and flirting but it takes them so long to actually make a move, I saw them more as friends right up until the last part of the book.
Overall, The Holiday Plan is a delightful story of friendship and moving on, it’s certainly feel-good and heartwarming but it doesn’t dazzle in the romance stakes. This makes me think of those cute afternoon films, you know the one’s I am talking about, we all watch them while curled up with hot chocolate, sweet and cheerful.
What more could you want for a cold winter evening!
About the author
Growing up, you could always spot Emma Lynden with her nose in a book, drawn towards uplifting fiction full of hope and heart, and frequently imagining stories of her own. It was then that her dream of becoming a writer first took root.
But it wasn’t until years later, when a close friend chanced to remark, “I bet you could write a really nice romance,” that those long-tucked-away dreams finally found the direction they’d been destined for.
Our friends know us best, don’t they?
After a stretch of late nights, a whole lot of scribbling, and the spark of a holiday surprise, she penned “The End” on her debut novel… and so this adventure began.
When she’s not clicking away at her keyboard spinning heartwarming stories about family, friendship, and finding true love, you can usually catch Emma soaking up the sunshine (or snowfalls) outdoors, capturing the beauty of everyday life behind her camera lens, or cozily curled up with her first passion—reading—a hot mug of something sweet in one hand and the promise of a happily-ever-after in the other.
Chicks,Rogues and Scandals 
This sounds lovely, something I will enjoy. Great review!
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Thank you so much, it’s a really sweet and feel-good book, well worth a read.
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