Review: Christmas in London by Anita Hughes

Title: Christmas in London

Author: Anita Hughes

Published: October 2017, St. Martin’s Griffin

Format: Paperback, 288 pages

Source: Personal copy

Summary:
A charming, glamourous
love story set at Claridge’s in London during the magical week before
Christmas starring a sweet NYC baker and the Cooking Channel Producer
who could change her life.

It’s a week before Christmas and
Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan’s
Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the
rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn’t
know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren’t hers to sell.
But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day, so
she agrees.

The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon
rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole
crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to
step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge’s.
It’s a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa’s famous baking
idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than
her food.

And then there’s Kate, the show’s beautiful producer.
On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at
St. Andrew’s in Scotland ten years ago. Now he’s a handsome, brilliant
mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there,
but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy
preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their
work.

Set during London’s most festive time of year and filled
with delicious food, Christmas in London is about love and friendship,
and the season’s most important lesson: learning how to ask for and give
forgiveness.

My thoughts: I was fortunate to head to London last year and spend Christmas week there and loved every minute of it. I am hoping to get back there again soon, but in the meantime, I thought this book by Anita Hughes would help me relive some of those fun holiday memories. Anita is a new author to me and I really did enjoy this fun holiday read!

This is definitely a good old holiday romance/foodie type of read. It almost has the Hallmark-type of feel to it – in fact, I think this would be a great Hallmark movie – between the baking and the sightseeing all around London, and of course the two, yes that’s right, two romances! – I would definitely love to see all that in a movie!

This book is filled with the sights and sounds and even tastes of the holiday. It could certainly be classified as a foodie-lit book – I was sure drooling over all the recipes that Louisa talked about, especially her cinnamon rolls and I really want to try a croquembouche at some point. This book had me wanting to start baking as soon as I finished reading it!

I liked the two female characters – Louisa and Kate. I thought they were both coming from different points in their lives and careers, and trying to figure out how to balance everything that is important to them was clearly an issue for them. They become sounding boards for each other, despite not really knowing each other, and it is through this that they are able to figure out what it was they wanted.

I really enjoyed this holiday read and loved getting to visit London vicariously through these characters. It really is one of the best places to be during the holidays.