The Winter We Met
When charming, mysterious Nik sits next to Jess on a plane home from a Christmas toy trade fair, she never could have imagined the impact he’d have on her life. As they touch down in London, Jess is hesitant to let Nik walk away, and before she knows it, she’s invited him to visit.
As the two take in the delights of the toy store where she works, Jess gets an upsetting phone call. Willow Court, her grandmother’s care home, is to close before Christmas. Jess is determined to find the perfect new home for her Gran – and throw the best Christmas party Willow Court has ever seen!
But time is running out with the closure looming and Jess becomes increasingly drawn to enigmatic Nik who joins forces with her and best friend Oliver to realise those plans.
Will a chance encounter on an aeroplane bring love to Jess’s life or is this Christmas miracle too good to be true?
My review
This is an enjoyable and festive story, that’s more than just a seasonal romcom. There’s almost two stories with the toyshop element, and the Willow Court care home element. They tie together cleverly with very touching and inspiring consequences.
The characters are all larger than life and fascinating. Nik is gorgeous, Jess is strong and genuine, Gran is sweet and courageous, to name just a few of the lovely people we meet.
It’s an original Christmassy story that uses toys, a staple part of Christmas fare, and a more serious issue of senior care that can be rather fragile.
Great fun, moving, absorbing.
Purchase Link – getbook.at/WinterWeMet
Author Bio – Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK and studied German and French at university. She has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris, and has travelled widely.
When not writing she loves family time, reading and baking. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.
In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014 her bestselling debut, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction Best Ebook Award.
In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category.
In 2019 she was shortlisted for the RNA’s Romantic Comedy Award.
In 2020 she won the RNA’s Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award with her novel Knowing You, from publisher Canelo.
Social Media Links – Twitter: @SamTongeWriter
Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor