Catherine Walsh (3)Rezensionen

2023 was… not a good year. Not even reading-wise. So, as one of the last books in 2023 I wanted to read something holiday’ish, funny and emotional.

Thankfully, this novel worked out very well: Andrew and Molly are kind, empathetic and relatable people…

»“I’m honestly okay.” Only now that I’ve opened the floodgates, hell if I know how to close them again. Oh God, did I break something inside? Is this just who I am now?
I’m going to be so dehydrated.«

Both have been flying home for Christmas for nine consecutive years and although they predictably became friends soon, things have been shifting between them. Now, on their tenth journey together, pretty much everything goes wrong.

Yes, it’s all very predictable but the chemistry between Molly and Andrew is a formula for success and their banter - both in the present and in the interspersed flashbacks to earlier years - is both heartfelt and, very often, hilarious. At times, I actually laughed out loud (something I rarely ever do while reading).

I found myself hoping the author and her heroes wouldn’t mess up - and they didn’t: Yes, there’s a kind of “shock moment” (not a third-act breakup, though) shortly before the end but it’s plausible and intelligently handled.

I also really enjoyed that once both Molly and Andrew come to understand their respective feelings and challenges, they actually talk to each other. Miscommunication can be so annoying and here, a lot of that is avoided:

»Andrew frowns, draping the towel against the back of a chair. “What’s up?”
“I want to decide what this is before Christmas,” I say. “I don’t want to wait until we get back to Chicago. That’s too long. You said you’re not going anywhere, but I need to know where we stand or I’ll just go crazy.” I pause, sliding my hands down my thighs. “Does that make sense?”
“Of course it does.”«

Of course, not everything is perfect: The protagonists each struggle with a few problems, which the author isn't always capable of addressing with the desirable sensitivity.

The holiday atmosphere was wonderfully consistent and I read a lot of this book in an extremely comfortable armchair, between the illuminated Christmas tree and a quietly spinning Christmas pyramid, next to my wife of 24 years (minus one day at the time of writing).

»I could get used to this.
Going to bed with him, waking up with him, repeating it over and over again until it stops being special. Until I can take him for granted.
Not in that bad way, but a comfortable one. Knowing that he’ll be there. Just like he’s always been.«

After having done just that for more than 8700 nights, I know what Molly means and here’s to hoping for more of the same!

Four stars out of five.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam½

Very much a romcom for the holidays. Cute, easy read.

3.33⭐

After a bad breakup, Sarah came to the conclusion she didn’t want a relationship so had a string of one-night stands, knowing that she would not have to see them again and she wouldn’t get hurt.
The book starts as she is kicking her latest O-N-S out in the morning, thinking that would be the last time she saw him.
Her best friend Annie is getting married in Ireland, Sarah is Maid of Honor when she arrives, she is in awe, that is until she meets Paul the groom’s brother, it is Declan, her latest O-N-S. OMG AWKWARD!
To top that off, the mother of the groom decides to change the table arrangements of the first night and put Sarah and Declan on the same table. Oh well, not to worry, once the wedding is over, she will be flying back to New York and will never have to see him again. Yeh, that doesn’t work quite as planned.
Obviously, there is so much more to this book, lots of things happening but you need to read it!
I absolutely loved reading this, it was a fun, light read that kept me wanting to read more. I think I read this book in record time, I couldn’t get enough of it.
Catherine Walsh brought me a book that took me out of my romance genre slump.
I look forward to reading more from her.

My sincere thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Matchmaker and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

Katie Collins is content living with her grandmother and working at a local pub in a small village in Ireland. Everything was fine until a big development company swooped in to build a new luxury resort making their quiet community anything but quiet. The locals begin witnessing their surroundings becoming more and more changed and, in their opinion, not for the better. Expressions of concern and complaints about the disruption fall on deaf ears until one day Katie has had enough and barges into construction command central, in her pajamas no less, and makes a scene. She makes an impression on Callum, the construction foreman and right-hand man to the head of the project. Sparks begin to fly in more ways than one.

While this book is a romance, what I enjoyed even more was Katie's love for her small community and her desire to keep it alive without giving up what made it home. I loved that she was unapologetic in her desire to live where she had always lived. So many people who grow up in small towns can't wait to leave it for what they feel will be bigger, better, and more exciting. Katie doesn't fault people for wanting to live in bigger cities or moving from place to place, she just knows that she loves her life the way it is, and I love that about her. This is a change from the raft of small-town girl meets billionaire or pro-athlete and changes her life for love/him.

While I didn't love this one quite as much as Holiday Romance, which was my first book by Catherine Walsh, I still really enjoyed it. I love Catherine's writing style. 4 stars

The Matchmaker makes four of Catherine Walsh’s romance books I’ve read. She is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Katie is a likeable main character and Callum is the ideal match for her. But this book is really about Katie’s love affair with her village and her cozy lifestyle.

Would I have enjoyed more actual romance between the two MCs? Sure, but I still really liked the story as it was. I enjoyed reading as Katie rallied the troops to reinvent the local matchmaking festival. I would love to hear more about the book’s other budding romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a .99 Kindle book so I wasn't expecting a lot from it. Usually, around the holidays I'll read Xmas rom-coms until I'm sick of them.

I thought this book was really good! It's friends to lovers, slow burn and so funny. The snarky dialog between Molly and Andrew is my kind of banter. I couldn't get enough and was so sad when it ended. I'm sure I'll be reading it again next year and anything else Catherine Walsh writes.

One complaint I have for all books who show this type of promo: "A totally hilarious and unforgettable Christmas romantic comedy" on the cover. Because I'm too stupid to figure it out myself by reading the book.

4.5 Stars from me and .99 well spent.

This is the first book I have ever read by Catherine Walsh and I will say she has a new dedicated reader on her hands. I couldn't get ENOUGH of this book. The dialogue, the banter, the realistic conversations, and just the slow-burn swoon worthy story made this a book I couldn't put down.

What I liked: I swear Walsh sat in a cafe somewhere and just wrote what she heard. The conversation between her characters was so realistic, you felt like you were eavesdropping. The reactions mid sentence, the interruption in thought, it was simply true to form. Think about it - when two people are going back and forth, especially if facial expressions are present or an argument is heated - there are interruptions. In most books, the characters speak in complete sentences but with Walsh, I LOVED how her characters would be mid rant and completely break train of thought to acknowledge the reaction of the person they were speaking with.

The slow burn of the romance just made you fall in love with the characters as they fell in love with each other. You grew with them, you changed with them, and you saw how they fit together - even when they couldn’t. The excitement of the possibilities flourished with each page and the way she described each interaction just made you heart flutter. Even her steamy scenes were beautifully written with so much feeling, so much heart that you couldn’t be more happy with two people coming together if you tried.

What I didn’t like: Honestly I really can’t give you anything I didn’t like about this book. Even going back and forth between past and present, you were able to follow the time jump. When she brought it all together through Andrew’s declaration, it made it clear why those were necessary, to see things in that moment from his perspective instead of just Molly’s. I do wish she dove a little more into Andrew's struggle with alcohol. but I really don't think it was pertinent to the story and if she did, it may have taken away from it rather than added to it. She gave you just enough to show Andrew's vulnerability and how he leaned on Molly as much as Molly leaned on him.

Walsh did a fantastic job with this holiday romance. You felt like you were a part of the ride every step of the way. You will laugh, you will cheer, and you heart will swell all throughout the book and burst with joy when you get to the last page.

I had the pleasure of receiving this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My sincere thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Holiday Romance and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

This book made me think of People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry. The main characters, Molly and Andrew, live in the United States but are from Ireland. They meet every year on their flight back home for the holidays. The book flashes back to past trips from the present where they are having some difficulty with their annual flight. Due to a storm, they are taking flights to other continents, busses, and ferries to make it to their destination. As they endure this marathon, they explore their feeling for each other with a satisfying HEA.

I really did enjoy this book. I don't know that I would agree with the caption that this was "totally hilarious", but there were some cute moments. Readers looking for a low stress Christmas read should definitely check out this book.½

I was thrilled by this, and then bummed when I realized it's a debut!!

She does a great job with sexual tension and I loved the annoying yet charming and maybe a bit of a dick hero and the completely relatable loves sex a bit standoffish heroine.

Warning for lotsa vomit talk.

I received an ARC of this audiobook to listen to through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
One Night Only by Catherine Walsh and narrated by Jessica Regan was delightful to listen to. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and I enjoyed it immensely.
Sarah Anderson had her heart broken in her first serious relationship and since then her dating history has been one and done. When she flies to Ireland for the wedding of her best friend she’s just a wee bit shocked to discover that the hot Irish guy she kicked out of her bed in New York just a couple of days ago is the younger brother of the groom and also in the wedding party. Declan Murphy knows that he wants more from Sarah and he’s not about to give up just yet. However he too had his heart broken and so as much as he desires more from Sarah he’s hesitant to risk all. When they return to New York, and Sarah walks into the bar where he works, he’s hopeful until he realizes that she’s on a date with someone else and yet… This was a funny and charming story with the perfect balance of steam, angst and humour, strong supporting characters and a heroine and hero who have you cheering for their hard-won HEA.
Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: July 20, 2021 #OneNightOnly #CatherineWalsh #JessicaRegan #BookoutureAudio #ContemporaryRomance #RomanceAudiobook #romancelistener #bookstagrammer #bookstagram