Book Review - The Holiday Plan
I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Emma Lynden
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harpeth Road Press
Publish Date: January 10, 2022
Format: eBook
★★★★☆
This book is perfect for those that like: Second Chances, Dreamy Destinations, or Fairy Tale Declarations of Love
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: Valentine's Day, Single Parent Storylines, or Jumping to Conclusions
Favorite Line: "If you look, sometimes you can find magic in mistakes." - Troy Turner
The Book
Native New Yorker and author Verona Scott is battling heartbreak, both personally and professionally. Coming off a disastrous split with her ex, she’s struggling for inspiration to write her next book. And she’s lost without her favorite Aunt Theoni’s wisdom and guidance.
Hoping for a fresh start and to avoid the holiday completely, she’s planned a Valentine’s detox: a luxurious trip alone to the historic Courtington Castle hotel, near the adorably quaint town of Camelot Creek, tucked into a picturesque valley in the Adirondacks.
But escaping the heart-shaped balloons and red roses isn’t as easy as she thought.
This won’t be the restful retreat she’d imagined. Instead, she’s just walked into one of the biggest matchmaking events of the year. Not to mention, the incredibly attractive single dad and dating coach Troy Turner is heading the whole thing up, and he’s on a mission to include Verona in the festivities.
Troy is in the midst of a professional crisis of his own. After a bit of unfounded bad press, the very last thing he needs is a guest to cast doubt in the minds of his attendees.
Will Troy change Verona’s mind about the most romantic day of the year? Just when sparks begin to fly, an unexpected visitor checks into the castle, stirring up the past. No matter what, for Verona, Valentine’s Day is the day where everything changes.
The Review
Let me start off by saying that Verona was a delight - the way she found herself in the most awkward situations and still forged ahead, made me laugh and feel terrible for her in turns. Whether she was stumbling into her ex-boyfriend at the most inconvenient time, putting her foot into her mouth with a stranger, or finding herself underdressed and completely out of place, Verona made the best of the situation, by “finding the possibility within the problem.”
For Troy Turner, the King of Happily-Ever-Afters, Valentine’s Day is his most successful time of the year. But that doesn’t mean that he’s not fighting his own battles from the past. Between guilt from his late wife’s passing and not spending enough time with his daughter, to threats to his career, Troy also finds himself at a crossroads. "Play it safe" as he’s had for years or take his own advice as a single’s coach and follow his heart?
Together, Verona and Troy find a way to open up and not only talk about their respective pasts but to let one another in - something they both hadn’t done in a long time. And that, for me, was what this story ended up being all about - Second Chances. In everything from love, to family, to careers - it was a story of letting go of the past to make room for the future. What made this storyline different and fresh for me though was not just offering forgiveness of others, but in themselves as well. As Troy himself says during one of his keynote speeches, “The relationship you have with yourself will trickle into all your other relationships, and yet, it can be the toughest to tend. Because sometimes the hardest person in the room to forgive is ourself.”Perfection. I love, love, love, the attention to oneself. Sure, the romance is the draw, but finding peace within yourself is also just as important.
This is the perfect read for this time of the year when the holidays are over but the magic of winter and snow is still around and you just want to curl up with that sweet, cozy read. My only complaint is that Courtington Castle isn’t real. Like why can’t this be a real place? Because I would drop everything right now and be there and I have no doubt that you will want to as well.
The Author
Growing up, you could always spot Emma Lynden with her nose in a book, drawn towards uplifting fiction full of hope and heart, and frequently imagining stories of her own. It was then that her dream of becoming a writer first took root.
But it wasn’t until years later, when a close friend chanced to remark, “I bet you could write a really nice romance,” that those long-tucked-away dreams finally found the direction they’d been destined for.
Our friends know us best, don’t they?
After a stretch of late nights, a whole lot of scribbling, and the spark of a holiday surprise, she penned “The End” on her debut novel… and so this adventure began. When she’s not clicking away at her keyboard spinning heartwarming stories about family, friendship, and finding true love, you can usually catch Emma soaking up the sunshine (or snowfalls) outdoors, capturing the beauty of everyday life behind her camera lens, or cozily curled up with her first passion—reading—a hot mug of something sweet in one hand and the promise of a happily-ever-after in the other.