Holiday Romance - Catherine Walsh

Title: Holiday Romance (Fitzpatrick Christmas #1)
Author: Catherine Walsh
Genre: Chick-lit, Christmas
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 354
Date read: December, 2023

Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for the holidays, when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight.

Nothing romantic has ever happened between them: they’re friends and that’s all. But once a year, for the last ten years, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, drinking terrible airplane wine and catching up on each other’s lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it’s the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.

Molly isn’t that bothered by Christmas, but—in yet another way they’re total opposites—Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the festive season and she knows how much getting back to Ireland means to him. So, instead of doing the sane thing and just celebrating the holidays together in America, she does the stupid thing. The irrational thing. She vows to get him home. And in time for his mam’s famous Christmas dinner.

The clock is ticking. But Molly always has a plan. And—as long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong.

What she doesn’t know is that, as the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own…


I loved this book and read it in just two sittings! The relationship between Molly and Andrew is adorable, and I loved seeing it grow from friendship to something more. The progress seemed natural and believable with that sudden burst of, "Wow! I think I love you in a different way now!"

The setting itself was a bit contrived, but worked within the bounds of the story, and I loved reading about their families and their different ways of doing Christmas, once they made it to Ireland.

It's not high literature, but a sweet comfort read, that I could see myself rereading on a fairly regular basis.

The Northern Lights Lodge - Julie Caplin

Title: The Northern Lights Lodge (Romantic Escapes #4)
Author: Julie Caplin
Genre: Chicklit, travel
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~13hrs
Date read: December 2023

With a shattered heart and her career completely in tatters, Lucy needs to get away from her life in the UK. But, when she takes a job as hotel manager of the Northern Lights Lodge, she doesn’t quite expect to find herself in a land of bubbling hot springs and snowflake-dusted glaciers – and in the company of gorgeous Scottish barman, Alex.

Determined to turn her life around, Lucy sets about making the lodge the number one romantic destination in Iceland – even though romance is the last thing she wants. However, as Alex and Lucy grow closer under the dancing lights of the aurora, Lucy might just learn how to fall in love again…


Not quite as good as the two previous books I've read by Julie Caplin, but as always she writes her settings so well, that I'm always extremely eager to go visit whatever place she sets her books in - and this was no exception. I actually found myself WANTING to go to Iceland in November when it's cold, dark and wet! Now THAT is a real achievement!

All the subterfuge annoyed me - both with regards to Lucy and her past, as well as Alex and his reason for being there. The latter sort of made sense (and was fortunately explained in the book), the former less so, once Lucy began to make friends with her colleagues, but thankfully she spoke up about it before Bob could end up being too much of a nuisance. And I loved the way first Alex and then the girls handled Bob and Clive!

Snowed In - Catherine Walsh

Title: Snowed in (Fitzpatrick Christmas #2)
Author: Catherine Walsh
Genre: Chick-lit, Christmas
Rating: 3.5/5,
# pages:
Date read: December, 2023

Megan is dreading going home for the holidays. She’s the village pariah, the she-devil who left local golden boy Isaac at the altar four years ago and ran away to the big city. She could really do without the drama. Particularly as he’s engaged again, and she’s just been dumped for the fourth time this year.

Christian’s fed up of being on his own every Christmas. He doesn’t mind being alone , but he hates his family’s sad eyes and soft tones as they sit around coupled up. Because he’s actually, totally, fine.

So when Megan literally bumps into Christian in a Dublin pub, they come up with a pact to see them through the holiday season. They’re going to be the very best fake dates for each other, ever .

Rules are drawn up, a contract is signed on a wine-stained napkin. They will sit through each other’s family gatherings and be outrageously in love until freed from their annual obligations. After all, it’s only for a few weeks.

But with everyone home for the holidays, two big families to deal with alongside old friends, old flames and old feelings, things are bound to get messy. And when a snowed-in cabin and a little Christmas magic are added to the mix, anything could happen…


Not quite as good as the first book in the series. I still really liked both Christian and Megan, but their relationship wasn't quite as adorable as that of Andrew and Molly. I do love a good fake-dating trope though, and when added to the forced proximity of being snowed in together, you definitely end up with a charming story regardless.

The way Megan cut off everybody from her past, as well as people's reactions to Megan returning didn't quite ring true though, but that just may be because I'm not from a "small town community" myself. The Christmas aspect was a lot weaker in this one too.

But I still liked it well enough to finish in two days :-D

Løbende tjener - Dennis Jürgensen

Title: Løbende tjener (Roland Triel #1)
Author: Dennis Jürgensen
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 487
Date read: December, 2023

Frans Jessen har skabt en milliardforretning med sine designersmykker.
Efter en omfattende sag om ophavsretten findes den ene af de involverede parter myrdet på makaber vis, og jagten begynder på en skånselsløs morder.

I spidsen for efterforskningen står den erfarne Roland Triel fra Politigården i København.

Triel lider under en personlig tragedie.
For få år siden blev hans kone brutalt myrdet i deres hjem og hans 13-årige datter mishandlet.
Sagen er aldrig blevet opklaret, og Triel er besat af tanken om at finde den skyldige.

Midt i arbejdet med den aktuelle drabssag giver Triels kones morder uventet livstegn fra sig.

Efterforskningslederen hvirvles nu ind i et mørkt psykologisk spil med den forbryder, han vil gøre alt for at fange.


Dennis Jürgensen's talent cannot be denied. He writes ridiculously readable books, and this was no exception. It took me all of 5 pages to be hooked, and if I hadn't had Christmas plans I'd probably have finished it in a day.

This is a suspense novel much in the same style as Chris Carter's Robert Hunter series - although fortunately not quite as graphic in its violence. I'd guessed some of the twists ahead of time, but definitely not all of them... and there was also something I'd thought was a twist, but which may just be setting up something for one of the later books in the series. I was slightly disappointed by the ending - it seemed too easy, somehow.

Though the first in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel too. The main plot is nicely contained, although there is an overreaching arch that's left open.