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Proposal at the Winter Ball
Best friend to Christmas bride?
This Christmas, hotshot architect Alex Fitzgerald needs an interior designer to impress his biggest client—and fast! Who better than his best friend, Flora Buckingham? Yet one unforgettable kiss unleashes the feelings Alex has kept hidden for years…
Alex cherishes Flora above everything. He is estranged from his family, so she's been the bright spark in a dark life. But after their kiss, Alex must make a decision—step back and protect their friendship, or risk everything, down on one knee, for the happiness he's always dreamed of!
This Christmas, hotshot architect Alex Fitzgerald needs an interior designer to impress his biggest client—and fast! Who better than his best friend, Flora Buckingham? Yet one unforgettable kiss unleashes the feelings Alex has kept hidden for years…
Alex cherishes Flora above everything. He is estranged from his family, so she's been the bright spark in a dark life. But after their kiss, Alex must make a decision—step back and protect their friendship, or risk everything, down on one knee, for the happiness he's always dreamed of!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
9 people are currently reading
592 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Gilmore
276 books89 followersAfter several very happy years as a bookseller, Jessica Gilmore moved into the charity sector and now works in the Arts. Married with one daughter and two dogs, she lives in the beautiful Chilterns where she can usually be found with her nose in a book. A lover of a happy-ever-after, Jessica loves to write emotional romance with a hint of humour and a splash of sunshine.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 15, 2017
A pleasant friends-to-lovers story featuring a hero who has freckles (!). I liked that he wasn't a big ol' jerk. When he says stupid stuff to the heroine it's not out of cruelty, more out of casual cluelessness. The Austrian setting was different and romantic, although I could have done with less "design porn" (the hero is an architect, the heroine an interior designer). The pacing felt off to me at times, with a bit of a mad rush at the end, but all in all a nice read.
February 18, 2018
One of the best friends to lovers stories ever! All the feels - fears, doubts, worries, excitement, hope, what-ifs, joy, relief, highs and lows...all dealt with so well.
The Austrian and English countryside setting was lovely. The uber luxurious ski resort and honeymoon suite....one of the best enforced proximity plots haha, and then Flora's parents' home in Kent.
Flora's feelings of inadequacy in a family of overachievers was very relatable. In Austria Alex really helped her blossom so that socialising and networking was not so scary. He made her feel desired and he's man enough for her to feel confident wearing heels and her gorgeous figure was to be admired, not hidden.
Then her passion of fabric design and crafts...this resonates very much in me. In fact I am very inspired to see if I could do something and sell them online!
Great story.
The Austrian and English countryside setting was lovely. The uber luxurious ski resort and honeymoon suite....one of the best enforced proximity plots haha, and then Flora's parents' home in Kent.
Flora's feelings of inadequacy in a family of overachievers was very relatable. In Austria Alex really helped her blossom so that socialising and networking was not so scary. He made her feel desired and he's man enough for her to feel confident wearing heels and her gorgeous figure was to be admired, not hidden.
Then her passion of fabric design and crafts...this resonates very much in me. In fact I am very inspired to see if I could do something and sell them online!
Great story.
December 14, 2019
I liked it, but had one, huge issue with it that I had to ignore.
September 14, 2021
A good book for getting out of a reading slump but forgettable.
February 28, 2016
Jessica Gilmore‘s heartfelt, emotional, poignant and charming contemporary romances have cemented her position as one of the genre’s fastest rising stars and her latest book for Harlequin Romance, Proposal at the Winter Ball, is a magical tale set in Innsbruck that will touch your heart and leave you with a huge smile on your face!
Flora Buckingham is the first to admit that she is nothing like her high-achieving family. After she had been made redundant from her design job when she had broken off her engagement with the boss’s son, Flora had been making ends meet by temping and selling her exclusive designs online. Although she is well aware that this is not the career she had always envisaged for herself, Flora is determined not to accept hand-outs or help from anyone – not even her best friend, hot shot architect Alex Fitzgerald!
Alex’s life revolves around his high-powered career. Having learnt at a very early age not to rely on anyone other than himself, Alex had thrown himself into his job and became one of the leading names in architecture in a very short space of time. When a designer lets him down, Alex finds himself in a quandary: he could stand to lose a massive contract and serious damage could be made to his reputation unless he finds a bold, talented and innovative designer to help him decorate a chain of boutique hotels in Innsbruck, Austria. Although he knows that Flora would rather stick pins in her eyes than accept help from him, he is adamant that she is the only woman for the job! But is Flora willing to swallow her pride and take on this challenge?
Flora hates accepting help from her friends and family, but with no job to go back to after Christmas and a seriously depleted bank account, she cannot help but be worried about the future. Although her first instinct is to refuse Alex’s job offer, she soon realises that this is the opportunity which she has been waiting for for most of her professional life – and when Alex tells her that they will be travelling to Innsbruck and staying in a luxurious hotel frequented by society’s movers and shakers, she quickly comes to the conclusion that refuting Alex’s offer would be a pretty stupid thing to do!
Although Alex and Flora have been friends since childhood, there has always been a spark between them and when a forbidden kiss awakens feelings which they’ve struggled to keep buried for years they find themselves faced with an impossible decision: should they put the kiss down to Yuletide merriment and act like it never happened? Or admit that they’ve been madly in love with one another for years?
Fans of romantic fiction should do themselves a favour and add Jessica Gilmore’s name to their must-buy list! Sparkling with humour, warmth and heart, Proposal at the Winter Ball is a zesty-paced and feel-good page-turner featuring a gorgeous hero who will make you go weak at the knees and a delightful heroine you cannot help but root for!
Heartwarming, romantic and absolutely impossible to put down, Proposal at the Winter Ball is another Jessica Gilmore must-read that is going straight to my keeper shelf!
Flora Buckingham is the first to admit that she is nothing like her high-achieving family. After she had been made redundant from her design job when she had broken off her engagement with the boss’s son, Flora had been making ends meet by temping and selling her exclusive designs online. Although she is well aware that this is not the career she had always envisaged for herself, Flora is determined not to accept hand-outs or help from anyone – not even her best friend, hot shot architect Alex Fitzgerald!
Alex’s life revolves around his high-powered career. Having learnt at a very early age not to rely on anyone other than himself, Alex had thrown himself into his job and became one of the leading names in architecture in a very short space of time. When a designer lets him down, Alex finds himself in a quandary: he could stand to lose a massive contract and serious damage could be made to his reputation unless he finds a bold, talented and innovative designer to help him decorate a chain of boutique hotels in Innsbruck, Austria. Although he knows that Flora would rather stick pins in her eyes than accept help from him, he is adamant that she is the only woman for the job! But is Flora willing to swallow her pride and take on this challenge?
Flora hates accepting help from her friends and family, but with no job to go back to after Christmas and a seriously depleted bank account, she cannot help but be worried about the future. Although her first instinct is to refuse Alex’s job offer, she soon realises that this is the opportunity which she has been waiting for for most of her professional life – and when Alex tells her that they will be travelling to Innsbruck and staying in a luxurious hotel frequented by society’s movers and shakers, she quickly comes to the conclusion that refuting Alex’s offer would be a pretty stupid thing to do!
Although Alex and Flora have been friends since childhood, there has always been a spark between them and when a forbidden kiss awakens feelings which they’ve struggled to keep buried for years they find themselves faced with an impossible decision: should they put the kiss down to Yuletide merriment and act like it never happened? Or admit that they’ve been madly in love with one another for years?
Fans of romantic fiction should do themselves a favour and add Jessica Gilmore’s name to their must-buy list! Sparkling with humour, warmth and heart, Proposal at the Winter Ball is a zesty-paced and feel-good page-turner featuring a gorgeous hero who will make you go weak at the knees and a delightful heroine you cannot help but root for!
Heartwarming, romantic and absolutely impossible to put down, Proposal at the Winter Ball is another Jessica Gilmore must-read that is going straight to my keeper shelf!
December 12, 2015
Novella set in Innsbruck ("watch the whimsy")
A delightful, short read (with an especially large typeface) set just pre-Christmas in the lovely Austrian city of Innsbruck, full of Christmas sparkle, Schnapps and "long lashes tipped with snow". This is the story of Flora and Alex.
Flora Buckingham is the youngest daughter in a family, where the other members are successful - Mum is a TV doctor and Dad is a TV chef. Alex has been in their lives for as long as they can remember - he was excluded from his birth family from a relatively early age, and was blamed for the death of his natural mother, who suffered post natal depression. Add into the mix a wicked and salacious stepmother and it is no wonder that he found comfort in the Buckingham family. Flora and Alex have been "Life-long best mates, blood brothers and confidants..." Can they rack up the relationship into something more romantic...? ( I guess the title of the book kind of gives the game away!).
Alex chooses Flora to be his interior designer on a commission for Lusso Hotels, a fabulously up-market chain headed by the über-glam Camilla. So they head off to Innsbruck just before Christmas to meet and schmooze with the great and the good at the chain's flagship hotel, in the mountains West of the city. This also involves visits to the Christmas Markets, and a stopover in one of the designer mountain huts, as well as a good stab at learning to ski on Flora's part (inevitably, Alex is pretty much a pro, and is there to catch her when she falls...).
Flora is a self effacing young woman, who develops in confidence with the support of a good man by her side. A few glitches along the way, but soon we are off with them on the sleigh ride of romance.
As for setting... Innsbruck is a romantic and glamorous backdrop for this light story: "The old, medieval streets surrounded by snow-capped mountains gave Innsbruck a quaint, old-fashioned air but there was a cosmopolitan beat to the Tyrolean town. People came here to shop at the Christmas markets and to enjoy the myriad winter sports aimed at all levels. There was a palpable sense of money, of entitlement, of health and vigour."
However, the gaudily bedecked ice cave of the ballroom, described in the book, where the eponymous Winter Ball of the title takes place, seems to be a decorative disaster, where the "the ghost of Christmas kitsch just threw up". This doesn't quite ring true. Austria to my mind is always tastefully muted when it comes to Christmas decoration, all white lights and sparkle). But that is a simple observation in an otherwise short, Mills and Boon romantic read.
This review first appeared on the TripFiction website:http://www.tripfiction.com/books/prop...
A delightful, short read (with an especially large typeface) set just pre-Christmas in the lovely Austrian city of Innsbruck, full of Christmas sparkle, Schnapps and "long lashes tipped with snow". This is the story of Flora and Alex.
Flora Buckingham is the youngest daughter in a family, where the other members are successful - Mum is a TV doctor and Dad is a TV chef. Alex has been in their lives for as long as they can remember - he was excluded from his birth family from a relatively early age, and was blamed for the death of his natural mother, who suffered post natal depression. Add into the mix a wicked and salacious stepmother and it is no wonder that he found comfort in the Buckingham family. Flora and Alex have been "Life-long best mates, blood brothers and confidants..." Can they rack up the relationship into something more romantic...? ( I guess the title of the book kind of gives the game away!).
Alex chooses Flora to be his interior designer on a commission for Lusso Hotels, a fabulously up-market chain headed by the über-glam Camilla. So they head off to Innsbruck just before Christmas to meet and schmooze with the great and the good at the chain's flagship hotel, in the mountains West of the city. This also involves visits to the Christmas Markets, and a stopover in one of the designer mountain huts, as well as a good stab at learning to ski on Flora's part (inevitably, Alex is pretty much a pro, and is there to catch her when she falls...).
Flora is a self effacing young woman, who develops in confidence with the support of a good man by her side. A few glitches along the way, but soon we are off with them on the sleigh ride of romance.
As for setting... Innsbruck is a romantic and glamorous backdrop for this light story: "The old, medieval streets surrounded by snow-capped mountains gave Innsbruck a quaint, old-fashioned air but there was a cosmopolitan beat to the Tyrolean town. People came here to shop at the Christmas markets and to enjoy the myriad winter sports aimed at all levels. There was a palpable sense of money, of entitlement, of health and vigour."
However, the gaudily bedecked ice cave of the ballroom, described in the book, where the eponymous Winter Ball of the title takes place, seems to be a decorative disaster, where the "the ghost of Christmas kitsch just threw up". This doesn't quite ring true. Austria to my mind is always tastefully muted when it comes to Christmas decoration, all white lights and sparkle). But that is a simple observation in an otherwise short, Mills and Boon romantic read.
This review first appeared on the TripFiction website:http://www.tripfiction.com/books/prop...
October 6, 2025
2.5 Stars. This is entirely an eye of the beholder thing, someone else reading this book might be blown away by Flora and Alex’s chemistry, but I wasn’t really feeling a romantic spark. It didn’t help that being stuck in the same room together then stuck in another place together, plus the business trip to Austria (even if it does make for a pretty setting), seemed somewhat contrived. Also, I like a slow burn, and in this case, the attraction was already fully on when the story began and they acted on it relatively early in the story, too, neither of which tend to work for me, it’s a personal preference issue, I appreciate a more gradual build.
I do like a friends to lovers story, however, I felt like this offered up very little of the friends part of the equation. I get that an attraction between longtime friends would lead to some awkward tension, that was believable, still, I was disappointed there were more moments like that, and more moments of chilliness and criticism between them rather than examples of genuine warm friendship. I wanted to experience that friendship baseline a bit more, I wanted to understand what they stood to lose if it didn’t work out, instead, it mostly seemed like I was being told they’re best friends, told that being a part of her family is meaningful to him, yet shown little evidence of either. Plus, there were instances, like when she asks him if he has relatives and when he didn’t know about her side gig, where I just thought are these two even friends, let alone best friends? Wouldn’t those be some pretty basic things to already have discussed if you’ve been close friends for most of your lives?
While I didn’t buy into the romance or the friendship as thoroughly as I would have liked, there were aspects of this that did draw me in, I liked the little bit involving Flora’s side gig, the short solo journey Alex goes on had me more interested in him than at any other point in the story, and I enjoyed the brief time we see Flora with her parents, if those three things, especially the interractions with family had played a larger role, like if maybe this had skipped Austria altogether and focused on going home for the holidays, this story probably would have been a better fit for me.
I do like a friends to lovers story, however, I felt like this offered up very little of the friends part of the equation. I get that an attraction between longtime friends would lead to some awkward tension, that was believable, still, I was disappointed there were more moments like that, and more moments of chilliness and criticism between them rather than examples of genuine warm friendship. I wanted to experience that friendship baseline a bit more, I wanted to understand what they stood to lose if it didn’t work out, instead, it mostly seemed like I was being told they’re best friends, told that being a part of her family is meaningful to him, yet shown little evidence of either. Plus, there were instances, like when she asks him if he has relatives and when he didn’t know about her side gig, where I just thought are these two even friends, let alone best friends? Wouldn’t those be some pretty basic things to already have discussed if you’ve been close friends for most of your lives?
While I didn’t buy into the romance or the friendship as thoroughly as I would have liked, there were aspects of this that did draw me in, I liked the little bit involving Flora’s side gig, the short solo journey Alex goes on had me more interested in him than at any other point in the story, and I enjoyed the brief time we see Flora with her parents, if those three things, especially the interractions with family had played a larger role, like if maybe this had skipped Austria altogether and focused on going home for the holidays, this story probably would have been a better fit for me.
January 11, 2016
The Austrian city of Innsbruck is the snowy setting for this sweet novella, full of Christmas spirt and characters who matter in the real world. If you love stories where best friends fall in love, you'll enjoy the drama of Flora and Alex. Flora is struggling to make her way in the world as she is always being compared to her super successful family. Alex has been a member of their family all their lives since he left his birth family after a tiff in his teens. Alex gives Flora a chance to be the interior designer on a new project for Lusso Hotels, an exclusive hotel chain he designed as architect. The premise of this story reminds me of the old Betty Neels' novels where the young woman feels a keen sense of money and entitlement as she strives to make her way in the world. In all the best ways, Flora gains confidence and learns to make a name for herself even as her relationship with Alex turns a new corner. Thanks, Firstreads for the win of this enjoyable read!
December 3, 2015
This is mostly a fun, light, and entertaining story, that makes you smile and feel the Christmas spirit. I say mostly, because there are some deep feelings, emotions from abandonment and abuse, that Alex has to figure out, to be able to love truly.
I loved the connection between Alex and Flora, best friends to lovers is so natural, and one of my favorite storylines.
Flora has her own issues to work with as well, and things are moving rather well for that matter, without her being even aware of it.
Alex takes a journey to find the truth of his childhood, and to find out what Flora truly does mean to him.
Lots of Christmas activities, while the two best friends, who grew up together, and has always been there for each other, finally open up to their deepest desires and wishes for the future.
A sweet and touching story
~ Four Spoons
I loved the connection between Alex and Flora, best friends to lovers is so natural, and one of my favorite storylines.
Flora has her own issues to work with as well, and things are moving rather well for that matter, without her being even aware of it.
Alex takes a journey to find the truth of his childhood, and to find out what Flora truly does mean to him.
Lots of Christmas activities, while the two best friends, who grew up together, and has always been there for each other, finally open up to their deepest desires and wishes for the future.
A sweet and touching story
~ Four Spoons
December 9, 2015
Flora is pretty much scattered around with no direction or stable job until her best friend Alex offers her a job. Cue the romantic setting, the already there feelings and some drinks you get you get a recipe that can bring together or destroy their friendship. Now the only thing is they will have their short moments while they are away but when they are back home can they really say goodbye to what they shared?
I really enjoyed this book. Both characters had interesting backstories that made their characters more relatable and likeable. I thought it was fun and interesting how they got together and how they shared those stolen moments right before reality has to set in. This book was decently paced, and enough going on to keep things interesting. Overall I enjoyed this book, good for the holidays.
I really enjoyed this book. Both characters had interesting backstories that made their characters more relatable and likeable. I thought it was fun and interesting how they got together and how they shared those stolen moments right before reality has to set in. This book was decently paced, and enough going on to keep things interesting. Overall I enjoyed this book, good for the holidays.
May 29, 2016
Beautiful romance story! I enjoyed this one a lot. It's nice to read a romance that starts with the main love interests as lifelong best friends. I loved the setting, at a ski resort in Austria....I could just picture it, with the couple and their romance blossoming there. I highly recommend this book, Proposal at the Winter Ball. I will definitely look for more reads by Jessica Gilmore. Thanks to Harlequin and Goodreads for providing the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2016
This was all right. I liked the leads and that's half the battle there. I just...felt like Alex's issues were too serious to just be magically fixed with one sit down with his long lost grandma.
If it weren't for the whole business with the stepmother, maybe?
I mean, seriously. That was messed up.
If it weren't for the whole business with the stepmother, maybe?
I mean, seriously. That was messed up.
February 19, 2016
I received this book for free from Goodreads Giveaways. This story is about two friends who are fighting their attractions for each other. Once they finally give in, they discover that they love each other.
December 26, 2015
A quick, easy and cute read. The story of Alex and Flora, his best friend-date-future bride is pleasant and almost believable. The book is well written and could easily have been a little more developed. I enjoyed it more than I expected.
Read
January 12, 2016"This is a very fun read! It moves fast, but you won’t want the love story between Alex and Flora to end, because it’s just that good. Its unpredictability adds a bit of an edge. Savor it while you can" (RT Book Reviews, 4 stars).
December 4, 2015
Beautifully written, atmospheric and heartwarming. Exactly what I've come to expect from Jessica Gilmore. I challenge you not to be swept away by the incredible settings and charming characterisation. Loved it!
April 14, 2016
*received for free through Goodreads First Reads
I wasn't expecting much when I started this book, but I was surprisingly drawn in to the characters and their story. A very enjoyable romance with believable emotions. Read in one day and would definitely recommend.
I wasn't expecting much when I started this book, but I was surprisingly drawn in to the characters and their story. A very enjoyable romance with believable emotions. Read in one day and would definitely recommend.
March 9, 2016
Friends to lovers to forever and a proposal that will melt your heart. I loved Flora and Alex immediately. Their easy friendship was their one constant and too valuable to risk for a moment of passion but the move from friends to lovers was superbly done. Unputdownable. I loved it.
Want to Read
February 10, 2016I am saving it until next Christmas. I don't like reading Christmas themed books until before Christmas.
August 3, 2017
Average Harlequin Romance until the last few chapters. It really came together then.
This is NOT a novella - it's a full-length Harlequin Romance.
This is NOT a novella - it's a full-length Harlequin Romance.
January 5, 2018
I didn't really enjoy this book. I'm not a huge romance lover on the best of days, but so much of this book felt like Alex was just leveraging his relationship with Flora to start up a business relationship. I suppose some people will find this enjoyable, but I thought it was not terribly entertaining.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews