Five Gold Rings - Book Review
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One Christmas Eve, a young woman named Eve comes home early to find her boyfriend in the shower with his secret mistress. To make matters even worse, Eve learns that he was planning to propose to her on Christmas day while continuing to carry on with another woman. With her plans for spending Christmas with his family out the window (almost literally, since she hurled all the presents she'd bought and wrapped for them all on his behalf into the street), Eve goes to the jeweller's where she works, seeking sympathy from her kindly employers, Mr and Mrs Caspar.
When the Caspars need to send out a package of five rings for last-minute deliveries, Eve decides to accompany Joe, a fellow employee, to deliver them, since she welcomes the distraction. She and Joe then set off in his battered old Mini to help salvage the proposals and weddings of five strangers. Joe, meanwhile, puts his own family Christmas on hold, partly to be kind, but also because he has been smitten with Eve for years. He doesn't want to pressure her, but in this whirlwind of champagne toasts, wardrobe malfunctions, and awkward family parties she might just notice that he's been there all along.
Five Gold Rings is the latest laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by Kristen Bailey, the author of
Did My Love Life Shrink in the Wash ?,
Can I Give My Husband Back ? and
Great Sexpectations .
Kristen Bailey is my go-to author for when I'm stressed out or need cheering up. Her books are reliably funny, wholesome (if a bit sweary at times) and beautifully written. The fact that this one is set at Christmas only adds to the warm, fuzzy vibes it gives. It really goes for it with the Christmas theme, with every single character (Eve, Noel, Chris, Carol, Joseph etc.) having a Christmassy name
My only criticism of this story is that Eve's boyfriend Chris, is a total straw man character, making it hard to see why Eve got together with him in the first place. However, the sheer entitlement of him texting her to ask about Christmas presents for his family on the same day she caught him in flagrante delicto, unfortunately, does jive with bad boyfriend experiences I've heard about from other women. Joe, on the other hand, is perhaps a little too perfect, with his only flaw apparently being that he is unable to sing, but it's a Christmas romance so I was happy to go with it.
Five Gold Rings is a cosy, fun, Christmas rom-com, which would make a great holiday read.
Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Storm Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Published: October 30, 2023
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268717 - 2023-11-13 06:44:45