The Christmas Wish - Tilly Tennant

Blurb

Christmas is coming but it doesn’t feel that way for Esme. Jilted by her cheating fiancée Warren and mourning the death of her beloved grandmother she’s determined not to let life beat her and books a trip to Lapland, on a holiday that her grandmother had always dreamed of taking.

Beneath the indigo skies of Lapland, love is the last thing on Esme’s mind but she can’t ignore a spark with Zach, a broodingly handsome actor, also nursing a broken heart. But when Esme is bombarded by messages from Warren promising he’s changed and she discovers that Zach is hiding something-will her head be turned? And when a trip to the northern lights reveals the full extent Zach’s own secret past is there any hope that Esme will get the happy ending that her grandmother wished for her?

Review

Esme is picking up the pieces of her broken heart, having escaped are cheating, emotionally abusive and controlling fiancee Warren. Living with her Grandmother slowly she begins to find herself again and feels like things might finally be starting to look up, until the unthinkable happens and her Grandmother dies suddenly. A grieving Esme falls back into Warren's arms but soon releases he was full of empty promises and hasn't changed at all. Esme's Grandmother was planning to surprise with a Christmas holiday to Lapland, Warren sees it a a reward for leaving him in the first place so refuses to go. Will Esme decide to honour her Grandmother and go without me?

I have conflicting emotions about this novel, there were parts I loved and some parts I really didn't. Esme is weak-willed throughout most of the novel, obviously that is the point. But the copious excuses she makes for Warren's absurd behaviour are a bit ridiculous and long drawn out, especially after the intervention of her Grandmother and her parents. It was also hard to believe a character like this would suddenly become brave enough to take a trip to Lapland alone.

Having said that I loved the rest of the story, deciding to visit Lapland Esme gets in touch with three other people travelling alone, the characters she meets are hilarious, with depth and of course one of them its truly handsome. The idyllic land of Christmas wishes provides the perfect escape and together they enjoying, wondering Christmas markets, seeing Santa (you are never too old) and of course seeing the Northern Lights. They are having a fabulous time, until Warren turns up to take Esme home... Will she be strong enough to resist him this time with the help of her new found friends? Can she learn from previous heartbreak? 

Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

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