Devi Nair
📚 Read as a physical book (signed copy!) 📃 305 pages | ⏱ ~4 hours read time 🏷️ Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
I'll be honest: I picked it up because I'd seen Jenny Colgan speak at the EVER AFTER Romance Book Festival, and let me tell you, if her enthusiasm and charm could be bottled and sold, Indigo would have a whole shelf dedicated to it. Naturally, her book delivers exactly what her talk promised: warmth, wit, and the kind of cozy literary escapism that makes Toronto in winter feel almost forgivable. Almost.
he setting alone feels like a love letter to bookworms. You can practically smell the dust and old paper, hear the wind rattling ancient windows, and feel that quiet magic of being surrounded by stories. Honestly, stepping out of McKinnon castle and back into real life felt jarring (Toronto could never compete in that moment).
The mystery thread kept things engaging, even if it didn’t try too hard to outsmart you. It’s more about the experience than the twist, and I didn’t mind that at all. Watching Mirren and Jamie piece together clues in a castle built on secrets was equal parts charming and suspenseful. And yes, the romance is inevitable, but it works because it’s rooted in something real: a shared obsession with books. That kind of connection? Dangerous. If someone started talking rare editions and literary history with that level of passion, I’d also be making questionable life choices.
Also, knowing Colgan herself lives in a Scottish castle just makes the whole thing richer. The authenticity seeps through every page. This isn’t just imagined whimsy. It’s lived-in magic.
Would I recommend it? If your idea of a perfect December involves a snowbound castle, a mystery hidden in a mountain of books, and a romance that earns its ending without needing to be scandalous about it, this is your book. Jenny Colgan writes with genuine affection for readers and for reading, and it shows on every page. It's a signed copy on my shelf now, and it has absolutely earned its place there.
📚 Read as a physical book (signed copy!) 📃 305 pages | ⏱ ~4 hours read time 🏷️ Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
I'll be honest: I picked it up because I'd seen Jenny Colgan speak at the EVER AFTER Romance Book Festival, and let me tell you, if her enthusiasm and charm could be bottled and sold, Indigo would have a whole shelf dedicated to it. Naturally, her book delivers exactly what her talk promised: warmth, wit, and the kind of cozy literary escapism that makes Toronto in winter feel almost forgivable. Almost.
he setting alone feels like a love letter to bookworms. You can practically smell the dust and old paper, hear the wind rattling ancient windows, and feel that quiet magic of being surrounded by stories. Honestly, stepping out of McKinnon castle and back into real life felt jarring (Toronto could never compete in that moment).
The mystery thread kept things engaging, even if it didn’t try too hard to outsmart you. It’s more about the experience than the twist, and I didn’t mind that at all. Watching Mirren and Jamie piece together clues in a castle built on secrets was equal parts charming and suspenseful. And yes, the romance is inevitable, but it works because it’s rooted in something real: a shared obsession with books. That kind of connection? Dangerous. If someone started talking rare editions and literary history with that level of passion, I’d also be making questionable life choices.
Also, knowing Colgan herself lives in a Scottish castle just makes the whole thing richer. The authenticity seeps through every page. This isn’t just imagined whimsy. It’s lived-in magic.
Would I recommend it? If your idea of a perfect December involves a snowbound castle, a mystery hidden in a mountain of books, and a romance that earns its ending without needing to be scandalous about it, this is your book. Jenny Colgan writes with genuine affection for readers and for reading, and it shows on every page. It's a signed copy on my shelf now, and it has absolutely earned its place there.