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Snowbound at the Manor
An unexpected Christmas
With a handsome stranger!
The words merry and Christmas don’t go together for Jess. Not since the tragic death of her sister. So, her trip to a luxury stately home is for business, not pleasure. Only Jess hadn’t counted on spending Christmas snowbound with enigmatic Rufus, elusive owner of both the manor and the most delicious smile she’s ever seen… To top it off, it’s more difficult to ignore the sparks between them with each passing day!
From Harlequin Romance: Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories.
With a handsome stranger!
The words merry and Christmas don’t go together for Jess. Not since the tragic death of her sister. So, her trip to a luxury stately home is for business, not pleasure. Only Jess hadn’t counted on spending Christmas snowbound with enigmatic Rufus, elusive owner of both the manor and the most delicious smile she’s ever seen… To top it off, it’s more difficult to ignore the sparks between them with each passing day!
From Harlequin Romance: Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories.
- GenresRomance
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
6 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Ellie Darkins
137 books58 followersEllie Darkins is a writer, editor and reader of romance novels. When she's not tapping away at her keyboard she can usually be found next to the kettle, knitting *another* jumper, or in the local library sampling the coffee, cake and romance novels.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 25, 2020
4.25 stars
I don’t even care that it’s only October and I’m cracking out the festive reads. I, lover of Christmas and all things festive, have turned into the Grinch and one is not amused. So going on the fact that I love a snowbound romance and this one takes place in Yorkshire, in I went.
Whatever plans she’d had for the house this weekend, he was sure that he didn’t feature in them.”
This was a great introduction to Ellie Darkins’ writing as she whisks us off to the Yorkshire Dales where scientist, Jess opens the door of her home for the holidays to discover a gorgeous hypothermic Yorkshireman in a heap on the doorstep. And what a wonderful couple she and Rufus turned out to be, real, relatable and with a chemistry that’s impossible to ignore.
It was just the two of them. In the place he loved most in the world...”
Whilst closed-door, the tension and desire between Jess and Rufus shines with logfires and the beauty of an old but welcoming manor house all adding to the romantic charm of this story. An engaging read reminding you that even in less than perfect circumstances Christmas can be special, Snowbound at the Manor is worthy of a space on any festive-season lover’s shelf. I’ve already treated myself to several more of Ellie Darkins’ books.
Copy received courtesy of Mills & Boon via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I don’t even care that it’s only October and I’m cracking out the festive reads. I, lover of Christmas and all things festive, have turned into the Grinch and one is not amused. So going on the fact that I love a snowbound romance and this one takes place in Yorkshire, in I went.
Whatever plans she’d had for the house this weekend, he was sure that he didn’t feature in them.”
This was a great introduction to Ellie Darkins’ writing as she whisks us off to the Yorkshire Dales where scientist, Jess opens the door of her home for the holidays to discover a gorgeous hypothermic Yorkshireman in a heap on the doorstep. And what a wonderful couple she and Rufus turned out to be, real, relatable and with a chemistry that’s impossible to ignore.
It was just the two of them. In the place he loved most in the world...”
Whilst closed-door, the tension and desire between Jess and Rufus shines with logfires and the beauty of an old but welcoming manor house all adding to the romantic charm of this story. An engaging read reminding you that even in less than perfect circumstances Christmas can be special, Snowbound at the Manor is worthy of a space on any festive-season lover’s shelf. I’ve already treated myself to several more of Ellie Darkins’ books.
Copy received courtesy of Mills & Boon via NetGalley for an honest and unbiased opinion.
November 28, 2020
[I received a gifted copy for an honest review]
Snowbound at the Manor is a charming holiday romance by Ellie Darkins. This is my first time reading the author and look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Jess planned to be spending her Christmas holiday with her best friend and then a less than pleasant visit with her family. Instead, she finds herself snowed in at a giant and beautiful manor minus her best friend. However, she's not alone, when the manor's owner shows up half frozen to death on the doorstep. While neither one of them want to be in any sort of relationship for their own reasons they can't help but ignore the chemistry between them. They give in under the temporary snowed in circumstances but when the snow melts will they really walk away from each other.
This was a sweet romance with my favorite 'snowed in ' forced proximity. It had an interesting plot line that led to our main characters staging social media photos that leaned towards the intimate at times and found their chemistry hard for them to ignore. It was filed with hot chocolate by the fire, snowman competitions and some other instances that wouldn't have happened if they hadn't had to take so many photos. I found Jess' reasons for avoiding relationships completely understandable while Rufus' not so much, his all seemed to be contrived in his head. Together they were cute and had great witty banter. The romance between them was a nice slow burn and had some fantastic build up and anticipation. Unfortunately I was let down by the fact that it all lead up to essentially nothing because it was all off page intimacy, seemed like a missed opportunity for an author who seems to be really food at writing passion and chemistry.
In the end, Snowbound at the Manor by Ellie Darkins is a great romance to curl up with on a winter night.
Snowbound at the Manor is a charming holiday romance by Ellie Darkins. This is my first time reading the author and look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Jess planned to be spending her Christmas holiday with her best friend and then a less than pleasant visit with her family. Instead, she finds herself snowed in at a giant and beautiful manor minus her best friend. However, she's not alone, when the manor's owner shows up half frozen to death on the doorstep. While neither one of them want to be in any sort of relationship for their own reasons they can't help but ignore the chemistry between them. They give in under the temporary snowed in circumstances but when the snow melts will they really walk away from each other.
This was a sweet romance with my favorite 'snowed in ' forced proximity. It had an interesting plot line that led to our main characters staging social media photos that leaned towards the intimate at times and found their chemistry hard for them to ignore. It was filed with hot chocolate by the fire, snowman competitions and some other instances that wouldn't have happened if they hadn't had to take so many photos. I found Jess' reasons for avoiding relationships completely understandable while Rufus' not so much, his all seemed to be contrived in his head. Together they were cute and had great witty banter. The romance between them was a nice slow burn and had some fantastic build up and anticipation. Unfortunately I was let down by the fact that it all lead up to essentially nothing because it was all off page intimacy, seemed like a missed opportunity for an author who seems to be really food at writing passion and chemistry.
In the end, Snowbound at the Manor by Ellie Darkins is a great romance to curl up with on a winter night.
October 26, 2020
Ellie Darkins’ latest book is a delightful Christmas romance with strong characters, humour, emotion and a healthy dose of festive cheer. Medical researcher Jess has planned for a pre-Christmas break at a secluded manor on the Yorkshire Moors with her best friend and social media starlet Lara. What she doesn’t count on is heavy snow stranding Lara in Geneva, blocked roads leaving her snowbound at Upton Manor, and, property owner Rufus quite literally falling at her feet suffering from the effects of hypothermia. As plans go out of the window, Jess and Rufus are forced to work together in order to promote Upton Manor on Lara’s Instagram feed, overcome their reluctance to form emotional attachments to other people and enjoy a Christmas that neither could have foreseen, all the while trying not to fall in love with each other.
In Jess and Rufus, Ellie Darkins has once again used her excellent skills to create two characters who the reader can relate to from the outset. The dramatic introduction of Rufus into the story is compelling and entertaining, and it is a joy to watch the story unfold as a thawed-out Rufus proves to be the very thing that Jess is missing in life. The humous sub-plot of updating Lara’s Instagram via a detailed list of required photography only adds to the enjoyment of the story, and the reader is soon rooting (along with the absent Lara) for Jess and Rufus to act on their attraction to each other. The author has a talent for creating emotionally scarred characters who are both likeable and realistic to the reader, and here is no exception; yes, there is humour in the plot, but there is a strong, emotional backdrop to the plot and you cannot help but be moved as events from the past threaten the derail any plans of a happy ending for the characters.
The fact that the story is largely a two handed piece (telephone and video calls, and brief appearances from Lara and Jess and Rufus’s parents are the only signs of secondary characters in a plot confined to one location) is another bonus as the reader really can become invested in the story from the outset, and we cannot help but smile as Jess and Rufus finally act upon their feelings. The added sprinkling of festive spirit adds magic to the emerging romance, and, the cosy atmosphere created means that your can almost feel that you are sat by the fire at Upton Manor enjoying the surroundings. The well developed plot keeps the reader engaged throughout, and as the snow thaws and the plot moves towards it’s conclusion, there are still surprises and twists and turns as we wait to see if Jess and Rufus can overcome their past hurt to forge a happy ending together.
In this strangest of years, where this Christmas may not be what any of us had planned, this story finds a niche in that Jess, Rufus and the absent Lara are all facing up to a very different Christmas period, and yet, find that making the most of what you have can sometimes be the most rewarding experience.
In Jess and Rufus, Ellie Darkins has once again used her excellent skills to create two characters who the reader can relate to from the outset. The dramatic introduction of Rufus into the story is compelling and entertaining, and it is a joy to watch the story unfold as a thawed-out Rufus proves to be the very thing that Jess is missing in life. The humous sub-plot of updating Lara’s Instagram via a detailed list of required photography only adds to the enjoyment of the story, and the reader is soon rooting (along with the absent Lara) for Jess and Rufus to act on their attraction to each other. The author has a talent for creating emotionally scarred characters who are both likeable and realistic to the reader, and here is no exception; yes, there is humour in the plot, but there is a strong, emotional backdrop to the plot and you cannot help but be moved as events from the past threaten the derail any plans of a happy ending for the characters.
The fact that the story is largely a two handed piece (telephone and video calls, and brief appearances from Lara and Jess and Rufus’s parents are the only signs of secondary characters in a plot confined to one location) is another bonus as the reader really can become invested in the story from the outset, and we cannot help but smile as Jess and Rufus finally act upon their feelings. The added sprinkling of festive spirit adds magic to the emerging romance, and, the cosy atmosphere created means that your can almost feel that you are sat by the fire at Upton Manor enjoying the surroundings. The well developed plot keeps the reader engaged throughout, and as the snow thaws and the plot moves towards it’s conclusion, there are still surprises and twists and turns as we wait to see if Jess and Rufus can overcome their past hurt to forge a happy ending together.
In this strangest of years, where this Christmas may not be what any of us had planned, this story finds a niche in that Jess, Rufus and the absent Lara are all facing up to a very different Christmas period, and yet, find that making the most of what you have can sometimes be the most rewarding experience.
November 20, 2020
It took me a little while to warm to the characters and events in this story, although I enjoyed the setting and the unexpected encounter element from the start. Rufus and Jess meet dramatically with him collapsing on her holiday home doorstep, and the chemistry begins to sizzle as she helps him thaw out. Neither is keen on involvement, so there is plenty of conflict in this story as they fight the attraction between them. The Instagram promotion angle is the least appealing element of the story for me, but I appreciate others may love this.
This is a lovely festive read with a great setting, romance and snow.
I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
December 1, 2020
Fun tension-filled start, but the conflict felt arbitrary for such a modern novella - the heroine doesn't want to get married because her parents are unhappy. The step from casual dating to marriage to me seems like the difference between a sandwich and a six-layer cake. Why her fear of marriage stopped her for ages, I just didn't understand. It took them forever to even decide to have a fling, and despite their mutual lusting, I wasn't particularly sold on their romance. Too much time was spent in their heads on very repetitive thoughts, very little development happened on-page.
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Content warnings: injury, serious illness of parent, death of sibling, unhappy marriage. Sex scenes are fade-to-black.
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Content warnings: injury, serious illness of parent, death of sibling, unhappy marriage. Sex scenes are fade-to-black.
October 15, 2020
Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and Mills and Boon for the e arc copy of this book.
Jess hates Christmas for various reasons and when the opportunity to spend a few days in an English Manor house in the Yorkshire Dales with her best friend comes about, she grabs it with a huge sigh of relief. Not only will she be spending Christmas without her parents, she is also going to be helping Lara, with the photo publicity for the manor. Jess arrives earlier than she anticipated and is glad she did as the weather is closing in. Unfortunately, Lara is stuck in an airport and can’t make it due to the weather. As Jess is looking around the manor and contemplating whether she can make it back to her parent’s house, the power goes off and there is a knock at the door. She bravely answers and finds a man lying almost unconscious on the front door step. She realises that he has hypothermia and needs to be heated up, so she hauls him in and places him as close to the fire as she can get him. This is their story, how they cope with being stuck in the house, how they work together and each realises what it is they want from life.
Really good characters, a lovely setting and a great read. I read this in a day as I got so caught up in the story. This was my first Ellie Darkins and it won’t be my last. I would definitely recommend this book.
Jess hates Christmas for various reasons and when the opportunity to spend a few days in an English Manor house in the Yorkshire Dales with her best friend comes about, she grabs it with a huge sigh of relief. Not only will she be spending Christmas without her parents, she is also going to be helping Lara, with the photo publicity for the manor. Jess arrives earlier than she anticipated and is glad she did as the weather is closing in. Unfortunately, Lara is stuck in an airport and can’t make it due to the weather. As Jess is looking around the manor and contemplating whether she can make it back to her parent’s house, the power goes off and there is a knock at the door. She bravely answers and finds a man lying almost unconscious on the front door step. She realises that he has hypothermia and needs to be heated up, so she hauls him in and places him as close to the fire as she can get him. This is their story, how they cope with being stuck in the house, how they work together and each realises what it is they want from life.
Really good characters, a lovely setting and a great read. I read this in a day as I got so caught up in the story. This was my first Ellie Darkins and it won’t be my last. I would definitely recommend this book.
November 16, 2020
A nice escapism Mills and Boon. Basically, it does exactly what it said on the cover.
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf Reads as part of NetGalley November 2020
***eProof given by UK publisher, Mills and Boon, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction***
I can already hear you going “OMG! Andrew, are you feeling well? You’re reading a straight-up romance novel. And not only that, it’s a Mills And Boon!”. And yes, it is. I have several that I requested from NetGalley (a mix of Mills and Boon Modern, Medical & True Love) as well as a bunch of other romances (both straight and gay), but after 2020 being what it has been, I think we all needed something fun, silly and us just knowing things are going to end happily (so, yeah, you are going to see a lot of romance stories over the next few weeks. Sorry/not sorry in advance)
Jess doesn’t do Christmas. So, her escape before spending an awkward and tense Christmas with her parents is to spend a long weekend with her influencer friend in a Yorkshire Dales stately home. But heavy snowstorms have other plans. Jess turns up to the manor with roads behind her getting blocked by snow, her friend Lara is stuck in an airport and can’t get to the UK and, just when she thinks things can’t get worse, the power goes out and she discovers a man - the owner - lying almost unconscious on the front doorstep with hypothermia… Looks like they’re going to be spending Christmas together… Let the snow fall and the sparks fly…
Like I said earlier and you guys know, I don’t read straight-up romance novels. I like fantasy and sci-fi and crime, but this year has pushed me into the genre and I found that these are wonderful escapism. Hence why I have several more on my TBR.
And this was an easy escapism fun. It’s Christmas romance that you can see on a Christmas TV movie. It’ does exactly what it says on the cover. A Mills and Boon romance that ends with kissing, romance and a Happily Ever After.
As a newbie to the genre, I’m not exactly sure if this is compared to other Mills and Boon (heads up, I have 3 more and other books within the romance genre [to name a few I hope to read before the end of 2020: [book:Claiming His Bollywood Cinderella (Mills & Boon Modern)|55071752], Mismatched Under the Mistletoe, Won't Go Home Without You, Common Goal among others] so I will find out), but this was a fun, easy candy-cane of a read. If you are a fan of Mills and Boon stories or romance in general, this might be up your street.
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf Reads as part of NetGalley November 2020
***eProof given by UK publisher, Mills and Boon, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction***
I can already hear you going “OMG! Andrew, are you feeling well? You’re reading a straight-up romance novel. And not only that, it’s a Mills And Boon!”. And yes, it is. I have several that I requested from NetGalley (a mix of Mills and Boon Modern, Medical & True Love) as well as a bunch of other romances (both straight and gay), but after 2020 being what it has been, I think we all needed something fun, silly and us just knowing things are going to end happily (so, yeah, you are going to see a lot of romance stories over the next few weeks. Sorry/not sorry in advance)
Jess doesn’t do Christmas. So, her escape before spending an awkward and tense Christmas with her parents is to spend a long weekend with her influencer friend in a Yorkshire Dales stately home. But heavy snowstorms have other plans. Jess turns up to the manor with roads behind her getting blocked by snow, her friend Lara is stuck in an airport and can’t get to the UK and, just when she thinks things can’t get worse, the power goes out and she discovers a man - the owner - lying almost unconscious on the front doorstep with hypothermia… Looks like they’re going to be spending Christmas together… Let the snow fall and the sparks fly…
Like I said earlier and you guys know, I don’t read straight-up romance novels. I like fantasy and sci-fi and crime, but this year has pushed me into the genre and I found that these are wonderful escapism. Hence why I have several more on my TBR.
And this was an easy escapism fun. It’s Christmas romance that you can see on a Christmas TV movie. It’ does exactly what it says on the cover. A Mills and Boon romance that ends with kissing, romance and a Happily Ever After.
As a newbie to the genre, I’m not exactly sure if this is compared to other Mills and Boon (heads up, I have 3 more and other books within the romance genre [to name a few I hope to read before the end of 2020: [book:Claiming His Bollywood Cinderella (Mills & Boon Modern)|55071752], Mismatched Under the Mistletoe, Won't Go Home Without You, Common Goal among others] so I will find out), but this was a fun, easy candy-cane of a read. If you are a fan of Mills and Boon stories or romance in general, this might be up your street.
October 23, 2020
Jess finds herself stranded at a manor house that she and her friend Lara were meant to be staying at on the run up to Christmas. Lara is unable to get to the manor as her flight is cancelled and while Jess is trying to figure out what she is going to do, a man turns up at her door nearly frozen to death.
After taking him in and getting him warm she discovers that he is the owner of the manor, and he had asked Lara to stay so she could help promote the manor on her Instagram to try and increase the level of business. Without Lara there his plans seem to be fading as quick as the snow is falling. Never one to let someone down Lara and Jess hatch a plan for Rufus to get the social media coverage he was hoping for, falling in love wasn’t in the plan for either of them.
Rufus feels he doesn’t deserve it, and shouldn’t be given the responsibility of looking after someone, where as Jess has had to deal with her parents being stuck in an unhappy marriage since the death of her sister years before. Both feel that the risks involved in falling in love are not worth it, but they can’t deny their attraction.
This was a nice Christmassy read and on the whole I enjoyed it. There were parts of the story that seemed to be a bit repetitive but not to the level where I switched off from the story. There was a lot of build up to them getting together, and the time they spent at the manor was well written. I also liked that this was a closed room romance, so you could focus on their growing relationship rather than the sex.
For me the conclusion of the story was a bit anticlimactic, it almost felt like the writer was in a rush to finish the book. Don’t get me wrong you will get a happy ending, it just seemed the issues that have been talked about in the book, such as her parents marriage and the impact this has had on her relationships gets resolved very quickly. I am not sure how I would have liked to be different, I just think it wasn’t as developed as well as the story.
That being said I was pleased that there was an epilogue and felt that this added that extra bit to the happy ending that would have been really missed had it not been added.
After taking him in and getting him warm she discovers that he is the owner of the manor, and he had asked Lara to stay so she could help promote the manor on her Instagram to try and increase the level of business. Without Lara there his plans seem to be fading as quick as the snow is falling. Never one to let someone down Lara and Jess hatch a plan for Rufus to get the social media coverage he was hoping for, falling in love wasn’t in the plan for either of them.
Rufus feels he doesn’t deserve it, and shouldn’t be given the responsibility of looking after someone, where as Jess has had to deal with her parents being stuck in an unhappy marriage since the death of her sister years before. Both feel that the risks involved in falling in love are not worth it, but they can’t deny their attraction.
This was a nice Christmassy read and on the whole I enjoyed it. There were parts of the story that seemed to be a bit repetitive but not to the level where I switched off from the story. There was a lot of build up to them getting together, and the time they spent at the manor was well written. I also liked that this was a closed room romance, so you could focus on their growing relationship rather than the sex.
For me the conclusion of the story was a bit anticlimactic, it almost felt like the writer was in a rush to finish the book. Don’t get me wrong you will get a happy ending, it just seemed the issues that have been talked about in the book, such as her parents marriage and the impact this has had on her relationships gets resolved very quickly. I am not sure how I would have liked to be different, I just think it wasn’t as developed as well as the story.
That being said I was pleased that there was an epilogue and felt that this added that extra bit to the happy ending that would have been really missed had it not been added.
November 6, 2020
I loved Snowbound at the Manor. It was the perfect blend of glamourous escape and real emotion, and allowed me to ditch real life for a while, in favour of a festive, snow bound hideaway.
Jess arrives at the manor just before the snow makes the roads impassable. Her friend is snowed in, unable to make their pre-Christmas getaway, and a frozen man turns up at the doorway on the edge of hyperthermia. Jess leaps into action knowing there’s no longer any way for an ambulance to reach the manor. The man turns out to be the owner, Rufus, and they quickly realise they are spending Christmas stranded together.
Jess’s friend, a successful Instagram influencer, had been Rufus’s last hope to save the business. So he and Jess set to taking festive pictures for her to use. As Rufus tries to inspire everyone to fall in love with his childhood home, emotions run high and Jess and Rufus start to mean more to each other than either of them planned. In a Winter Wonderland weekend where the outside world retreats, they play in the snow, bake mince pies, rollerskate and tell their secrets, until the snow melts and life calls.
I loved the chemistry between Jess and Rufus and the magic and glamour of the beautiful old house. The Christmas sparkle is wonderfully offset by the raw emotion from their past, which haunts them and stands in the way of their happiness. I was rooting for them every step of the way.
Jess arrives at the manor just before the snow makes the roads impassable. Her friend is snowed in, unable to make their pre-Christmas getaway, and a frozen man turns up at the doorway on the edge of hyperthermia. Jess leaps into action knowing there’s no longer any way for an ambulance to reach the manor. The man turns out to be the owner, Rufus, and they quickly realise they are spending Christmas stranded together.
Jess’s friend, a successful Instagram influencer, had been Rufus’s last hope to save the business. So he and Jess set to taking festive pictures for her to use. As Rufus tries to inspire everyone to fall in love with his childhood home, emotions run high and Jess and Rufus start to mean more to each other than either of them planned. In a Winter Wonderland weekend where the outside world retreats, they play in the snow, bake mince pies, rollerskate and tell their secrets, until the snow melts and life calls.
I loved the chemistry between Jess and Rufus and the magic and glamour of the beautiful old house. The Christmas sparkle is wonderfully offset by the raw emotion from their past, which haunts them and stands in the way of their happiness. I was rooting for them every step of the way.
October 21, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Mills and Boon for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
There’s some words that are like catnip to me if they are used in a book title- and snowbound is definitely one of those. I absolutely love that trope in romance novels, even though I’m not that keen on actual snow in real life.
So I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this and see what this author did with that plot point. And I wasn’t disappointed. Snowbound in a manor house doesn’t get much better for me- all those roaring fires and big rooms and quite probably a home library as well. Perfection. Although the author does include some of the more realistic elements of stately homes such as damp and the possibility of the roof caving in, so we’re not living in total cloud cuckoo land here!
I did like the 2 love interests and found their backstories justifying their current choices and thinking. I have to say though that I’m a veterinary nurse by profession and I know quite a lot of dogs called Rufus, so I could never quite get on board with the sexy image in my head, there was a particularly large labradoodle that kept bounding into my imagination uninvited!
Nevertheless I did enjoy this and read it in one sitting. It was my first book from this author but I’m sure it won’t be my last.
There’s some words that are like catnip to me if they are used in a book title- and snowbound is definitely one of those. I absolutely love that trope in romance novels, even though I’m not that keen on actual snow in real life.
So I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this and see what this author did with that plot point. And I wasn’t disappointed. Snowbound in a manor house doesn’t get much better for me- all those roaring fires and big rooms and quite probably a home library as well. Perfection. Although the author does include some of the more realistic elements of stately homes such as damp and the possibility of the roof caving in, so we’re not living in total cloud cuckoo land here!
I did like the 2 love interests and found their backstories justifying their current choices and thinking. I have to say though that I’m a veterinary nurse by profession and I know quite a lot of dogs called Rufus, so I could never quite get on board with the sexy image in my head, there was a particularly large labradoodle that kept bounding into my imagination uninvited!
Nevertheless I did enjoy this and read it in one sitting. It was my first book from this author but I’m sure it won’t be my last.
October 3, 2020
So, I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of Ellie’s upcoming book Snowbound At The Manor and boy was it a fabulous read. Jess was a delight and Rufus was sooo delicious, throw in a forced togetherness in a beautiful home and two souls destined for each other but with plenty of baggage and reasons to resist. Watching these two fall in love was delightful and I could not put this one down! It comes out at the end of this month in Australia but I definitely recommend you pre order it now! It’s never too early for an escape into Christmas! An unexpected Christmas
With a handsome stranger!
The words merry and Christmas don’t go together for Jess. Not since the tragic death of her sister. So, her trip to a luxury stately home is for business, not pleasure. Only Jess hadn’t counted on spending Christmas snowbound with enigmatic Rufus, elusive owner of both the manor and the most delicious smile she’s ever seen… To top it off, it’s more difficult to ignore the sparks between them with each passing day!
From Harlequin Romance: Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories.
With a handsome stranger!
The words merry and Christmas don’t go together for Jess. Not since the tragic death of her sister. So, her trip to a luxury stately home is for business, not pleasure. Only Jess hadn’t counted on spending Christmas snowbound with enigmatic Rufus, elusive owner of both the manor and the most delicious smile she’s ever seen… To top it off, it’s more difficult to ignore the sparks between them with each passing day!
From Harlequin Romance: Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories.
December 16, 2022
Jess tiba di Upton Manor dan tidak menjumpai Lara, sahabatnya. Mereka berjanji menghabiskan Natal di rumah yang disewa oleh Lara. Sebenarnya rumah itu adalah proyek pekerjaan Lara, dimana dia akan mempromosikan rumah itu di Instagramnya atas permintaan pemiliknya.
Rufus tiba di Upton Manor dalam keadaan hipotermia. Untung saja ada Jess yang menolongnya. Setelah kesehatannya membaik, Rufus menerima kenyataan bahwa influencer yang disewanya tidak datang. Yang ada hanya temannya yang akhirnya membantunya membuat foto-foto untuk dikirimkan kepada Lara.
Terkurung berdua di Upton Manor membuat Jess dan Rufus mencoba saling membuka diri. Membahas apa yang terjadi dengan rumah itu, lalu masa lalu yang memberatkan mereka. Sampai kemudian mereka membuat kesepakatan yang menguntungkan bagi mereka berdua, sampai waktunya pergi dari rumah itu. Tanpa keduanya menyadari rumah itu memberikan pengalaman yang tidak bisa dilupakan.
Rufus tiba di Upton Manor dalam keadaan hipotermia. Untung saja ada Jess yang menolongnya. Setelah kesehatannya membaik, Rufus menerima kenyataan bahwa influencer yang disewanya tidak datang. Yang ada hanya temannya yang akhirnya membantunya membuat foto-foto untuk dikirimkan kepada Lara.
Terkurung berdua di Upton Manor membuat Jess dan Rufus mencoba saling membuka diri. Membahas apa yang terjadi dengan rumah itu, lalu masa lalu yang memberatkan mereka. Sampai kemudian mereka membuat kesepakatan yang menguntungkan bagi mereka berdua, sampai waktunya pergi dari rumah itu. Tanpa keduanya menyadari rumah itu memberikan pengalaman yang tidak bisa dilupakan.
October 9, 2020
Received an ARC from Netgalley/Mills and Boon in return for an honest review.
New author to me and I will be keeping my eyes open for more of her books. This was a delicious and delightful read. Great plot premise - two strangers trapped together in the snow over Christmas. A modern slant with the use of ‘Lara the Influencer’ and social media.
Two fabulous and believable characters in Rufus and Jess - each with their own hang ups. Almost the entire book focussed on our hero and heroine as we got to know them and their flaws, motivations and pleasures and watched them fall in love.
The prose flowed and the dialogue was real, lively and engaging, with lots of humour. I really enjoyed this one. I would have preferred the epilogue to have been set further in the future and not simply at the wedding But definitely 4 stars.
New author to me and I will be keeping my eyes open for more of her books. This was a delicious and delightful read. Great plot premise - two strangers trapped together in the snow over Christmas. A modern slant with the use of ‘Lara the Influencer’ and social media.
Two fabulous and believable characters in Rufus and Jess - each with their own hang ups. Almost the entire book focussed on our hero and heroine as we got to know them and their flaws, motivations and pleasures and watched them fall in love.
The prose flowed and the dialogue was real, lively and engaging, with lots of humour. I really enjoyed this one. I would have preferred the epilogue to have been set further in the future and not simply at the wedding But definitely 4 stars.
November 8, 2020
If you're looking for a super cosy read that has all the Christmas sparkle with a lovely sprinkling of sizzling heat then look no further.
The setup was novel and brilliant - the best friend of an influencer who is supposed to jazz up the world of insta with promo shots of a glorious old manor house in the dead of winter, who then can't make it and her chum has to do all the work....while also being housebound with the seriously sexy owner (well, son of the owner else it would be a different kind of book!). Fabulous, just fabulous.
I was sucked in from the off, their emotional backstories and believable traits made this one seriously delicious read. I loved it, truly loved it, and can't wait to devour more of Darkins' books!
The setup was novel and brilliant - the best friend of an influencer who is supposed to jazz up the world of insta with promo shots of a glorious old manor house in the dead of winter, who then can't make it and her chum has to do all the work....while also being housebound with the seriously sexy owner (well, son of the owner else it would be a different kind of book!). Fabulous, just fabulous.
I was sucked in from the off, their emotional backstories and believable traits made this one seriously delicious read. I loved it, truly loved it, and can't wait to devour more of Darkins' books!
December 10, 2020
I'm so in love with this Christmas romance! I love snowbound stories, and this is one of the best. All the perfect Christmassy elements to make my tinsel tingle. Plus the chemistry between the grumpy, bearded owner of Upton Manor and the heroine stranded there was off the charts! Favourite parts: all of the cozy knitwear, mince pie making, instagram hijinks, lots of sparks (not just from the fire) and one of the best meet cutes I've ever read.
September 26, 2020
This was lovely. It created the Christmas spirit perfectly for me and now I can’t wait for the season to start!
Jess and Rufus (also Rufus is my dog’s name lol) were really well suited and their love story was beautiful and gentle.
Rufus was a fantastic beta hero and we love a Consent King. Consent is so sexy. Every time he asked ‘is this okay?’ I melted and loved him more.
Jess and Rufus (also Rufus is my dog’s name lol) were really well suited and their love story was beautiful and gentle.
Rufus was a fantastic beta hero and we love a Consent King. Consent is so sexy. Every time he asked ‘is this okay?’ I melted and loved him more.
November 19, 2020
Absolutely ideal setting for Christmas book with lovely characters. Everything you could want from a Mills & Boon True Love story. They just leave you feeling warm and snuggly, and that was intensified in this one with all the beautiful descriptions of the snow and roaring fires. I loved the behind the scenes peek at what goes into creating those instagram perfect photos too.
January 30, 2021
My first ever Mills and Boon! I loved it! I had no idea what to expect, when I was a kid I equated them with something that boring old mums read but it's not at all. It's almost Hallmark movie-esque which is right up my alley! I loved this sweet developing romance, there were plenty of funny moments thrown in also. I will definitely read more!
November 15, 2020
A lovely cosy novel as autumn turns to winter and the countdown to Christmas begins! The first half of the book was a delightful tease and build to the romantic relationship between the main characters over the Christmas period.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2021
Enjoyed this one, and the setting sounded absolutely dreamy! Did feel a bit repetitive where the characters' conflicts were mentioned (I would also have loved to see more detail about the hero's conflict), but it was cute and very Christmas-y, perfect to snuggle down with on a cold afternoon
November 1, 2020
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I thought that this was a wonderful story!
It was a good wholesome romance and I loved it.
It had an excellent storyline, and brilliantly developed and genuine characters that the author really brought to life.
I loved the setting too, afterall, what's a little snow outside when the 'heat' in the manor is off the scale!
It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!!
I thought that this was a wonderful story!
It was a good wholesome romance and I loved it.
It had an excellent storyline, and brilliantly developed and genuine characters that the author really brought to life.
I loved the setting too, afterall, what's a little snow outside when the 'heat' in the manor is off the scale!
It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!!
November 26, 2020
An awesome stranded story in a gorgeous manor at Christmas. This is a wonderful seasonal read. :)
September 18, 2021
(review to come)
April 15, 2023
Review to come
September 26, 2020
💗💗 Romance Review 💗💗
Goodness! It feels like the longest time since I actually reviewed a book but here we are! Snowbound at the Manor by Ellie Darkins is an absolute Christmas delight coming from the Mills and Boon True Love line.
Jess, a self-confessed festive humbug finds herself stranded in the Yorkshire Moors with the strapping and sweet Rufus when bad snow means they can’t get out and no one can get in. It’s a lovely, festive read filled with romance, burning chemistry and all the adorable joys of Christmas — like open fires, cosy blankets and hot cocoa! Yay!
It really filled me with festive cheer and was a wonderful piece of pure escapism that is more than needed in the world right now! I really couldn’t recommend it (and Ellie Darkins in general—she’s amazing) enough!
All the stars!
Goodness! It feels like the longest time since I actually reviewed a book but here we are! Snowbound at the Manor by Ellie Darkins is an absolute Christmas delight coming from the Mills and Boon True Love line.
Jess, a self-confessed festive humbug finds herself stranded in the Yorkshire Moors with the strapping and sweet Rufus when bad snow means they can’t get out and no one can get in. It’s a lovely, festive read filled with romance, burning chemistry and all the adorable joys of Christmas — like open fires, cosy blankets and hot cocoa! Yay!
It really filled me with festive cheer and was a wonderful piece of pure escapism that is more than needed in the world right now! I really couldn’t recommend it (and Ellie Darkins in general—she’s amazing) enough!
All the stars!
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