Lindsey Kelk

Book Review: Love Story
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Lindsey Kelk @lindseykelk
Publisher: Harper Collin’s @harpercollins. Thank you
for my gifted copy.

Love Story is delightful mix of enemies-to-lovers,
forced proximity, and family chaos.

Sophie Taylor is a small-town schoolteacher with a big
secret: she’s actually Este Cox, the anonymous
bestselling romance author. When a publishing meeting
goes sideways, she finds herself in a verbal sparring
match with Joe Walsh, a smug yet show more ridiculously
attractive creative director. Their hate-at-first-sight
chemistry ignites instantly, but things escalate when
Sophie loses crucial evidence of her secret
identity—and Joe might be the only one who can help
her.

Thrown together at her family’s holiday gathering,
Sophie is forced to navigate a minefield of judgmental
literary snob parents, an influencer sister dead-set on
unmasking Este Cox, and an ex who stole her book
idea. To make things worse, Joe is now part of the mix,
and they’re stuck sharing a cottage with only one bed.
As he unexpectedly steps in to protect her secret,
Sophie is left wondering: can she actually trust him?

Kelk masterfully balances steamy tension, witty banter,
and chaotic family dynamics. The romance between
Sophie and Joe simmers with both attraction and
mutual frustration, making their eventual connection all
the more satisfying. The supporting cast, while
infuriating at times, adds layers of humor and heart,
making Sophie’s world feel vibrantly real.

Though the resolution feels a bit rushed, the journey is
undeniably fun, filled with laugh-out-loud moments and
genuine emotion. Love Story is a must-read for
romcom fans who love sharp writing, sizzling
chemistry, and a touch of literary intrigue. Lindsey Kelk
proves once again why she’s one of the genre’s best.

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Francesca Cooper is in a rut. Working as an assistant for a temp agency, she has never gotten her career off the ground. Stew, her boyfriend of twelve years and now fiance is embarrassed of her position, but won't let her seek anything outside of their small town of Sheffield. Francesca decides to take a chance and applies for a celebrity PA gig in London. The job whisks Francesca away aboard a luxury yacht for five days while she assists the superstar singer, Juliette, on her way to the show more event of the year, the Crystal Ball. After several ups and downs with Juliette, Francesca finds herself at the Crystal Ball alone, but she doesn't want to waste this chance of a lifetime. While trying to navigate between billionaires, Francesca bumps into Evan, who agrees to be her guide. Sparks fly, but Francesca holds true to her engagement. Will she take another chance and follow her heart?

On a Night Like This is a romantic comedy that hits all the right notes. Francesca's story is fun and feel-good while exploring failure and taking chances. Francesca is completely relatable; she is super organized professionally and a complete mess personally. Francesca is an overachiever and a people-pleaser who has lost who she is until she takes a chance on a once in a lifetime job with an over-the-top celebrity. I loved seeing Fran excel at her job and form a friendship with Juliette. Juliette was a surprising character and more complex than I would have imagined. I'm glad that Fran took the time to peel back some of her layers. The Crystal Ball was described perfectly and I could imagine the many rooms in all of their overdone, sparkling glory. The romance is sweet and completely swoon-worthy and gives off a Cinderella type vibe. Evan is charming from the start and I loved that he went at Francesca's pace and did not push her to do more than she wanted at any point. While I enjoyed the romance, I liked seeing Francesca grow and realize and expand her horizons even more.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

Lindsey rings in the holiday season with sheer hilarity! The Christmas Wish gives Groundhog Day a run for its money with a Christmas Day that just won’t end!

Gwen is having the worst run of luck! Heading home for the holidays with her cousin Manny, she wants to leave the disaster that is her job, relationship, and living situation behind in London - away from the prying eyes of parents and unsolicited scrutiny of her sister. Returning to her small hometown village, Gwen is determined to show more keep the peace (while maintaining her sanity) and steer the conversation away from anything that may trigger the typical family meltdown. All is well until her sister and the gang arrive. One disaster after the next, Gwen ends her day with relief that it’s finally over and can be forgotten - until she wakes up to Christmas Day…again! Stuck in a time loop, Gwen can’t figure out why she is trapped, doomed to relive one of her worst days over and over again. Through trial and hilarious error, Gwen, with the help of her gorgeous childhood crush Dev, learns through each repeated day that life isn’t always as it seems and the truth isn’t hard to find if you are willing to open your eyes and see what’s right in front of you.

What I liked about this book: Lindsey is the master of witty banter and sarcastic remarks! I was laughing straight out the gate with this one and it never stopped. What I really enjoyed was the twist resolution! I just knew what was going to end the loop and was shocked when she woke up on Christmas Day again! I also enjoyed Gwen's reaction to each day - Lindsey literally wrote the same day countless times but each one was so different, such an adventure, so intuitive, and slivers of personal growth that you don’t realize how they are stacking on top of each other until Gwen does.

From heartwarming moments to hysterical situations (and one steamy meetup), the Christmas Wish will quickly become one of your holiday romance favorites. show less

Gwen is leaving the city for a holiday getaway in her family’s small hometown. She lost her big-time lawyer job, her boyfriend cheated on her with his receptionist, and she had to move into a small apartment to nurse her feelings. Can the magic of Christmas help her find herself again?

It sounds like the beginning of every Hallmark Christmas movie but what makes this book standout is the comedy. This book was downright hilarious at times and tear-jerking emotional at others. Lindsey Kelk show more has a wonderful balance of honest feelings about grief and loneliness with humor that is raunchy at times and definitely not for readers younger than 18. The time loop of having to repeat Christmas day becomes a great vehicle for plot movement. It also gives Gwen a chance to reconnect with each member of her family from years of not making time for them due to her high-pressure career.

A couple of my favorite quotes are:

“Whatever else it might be, I do know loneliness can be very cruel. You can’t pick and choose when it visits and it often overstays its welcome, sometimes it stays so long you get used to it and forget to ask it to leave. I would hate for you to fall into that trap.'”

“I couldn’t think of anything more romantic than someone choosing you and you choosing them right back, every single day for the rest of your lives.”

Taking it down to 4 starts instead of 5 because I almost stopped reading the book after the first 50 pages. The pace was slow at that point and the animosity between Gwen and her sister, Cerys, was so vicious that it took away from the holiday optimism I was expecting in the beginning of this book. It is stressed so much in those few pages that I was worried it would be never-ending in the story. Thankfully, there was improvement once the time loop starts.

The Christmas Wish is a fun holiday story more about family dynamics and communication than a holiday romance. The romance doesn’t really start until 3/4 of the book because of a (glaringly obvious) communication barrier where Gwen is so wrapped up in her own dismay that she doesn’t pay attention to or even ask about how things are going with Dev and his love life. Also, if you are a romance reader looking for a lot of heat, this book may not be for you. There is pretty much only a couple of kissing scenes and that is about it. Everything else has more to do with character development that the romance is left out in the cold.

Please note: an electronic Advanced Reader Copy of this book was generously provided for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less