Holiday Fictio – Emma's Biblio Treasures

Published October 23rd, 2025 by Simon & Schuster UK
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Romcom, Holiday Fiction, Festive Fiction

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this heartwarming festive read. Thank you to SJV and Books and the City for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

even people, four days and a snowy Christmas on board a luxury sleeper train. This festive season getting away from it all takes on a new meaning…

The Yorkshire Belle is a glamorous steam train all decked out for an escapist festive getaway. It is not supposed to be where a group of people, all trying to get to their destinations for the holidays, will spend their Christmas.

Seven people, each with their own hopes and dreams, secrets and sorrows, board the train as strangers, but as the snow keeps falling and they realise they are going nowhere fast, they are forced to slow down and embrace the present.

This Christmas on board the Yorkshire Belle, will the friendships they make change their lives forever?

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MY REVIEW:

Seven strangers are stranded during a snowstorm and end up taking refuge on The Yorkshire Belle, a luxury steam train that had been prepped for the ultimate festive getaway. Unable to reach the nearest village – let alone their destinations – the group spend four days on board the train slowly forging bonds of friendship. But will any of them be the same people that stepped on board when the snow melts and they head back to reality?

A quintessential cosy Christmas read that hits all the right notes, this was a marvellous start to my festive reading. Like hot chocolate by the fire on a cold day, it warmed me from the inside out and gave me a warm glow. Told with Ms. Johnson’s signature warmth and wit, delightful characters and a hearty dash or peril, heartache and turmoil, it takes you on an emotional but uplifting journey. After all, this may be a Christmas tale, but it doesn’t mean that life comes up wrapped neatly in a bow. Life is dark, messy, chaotic, emotional and full of jagged edges and Milly balances these things with humour, warmth, love, hope and friendship.

The ‘trapped in a snowstorm’ trope has been done time and again, but this felt like an original take on a familiar trope that happens to also be one of my favourites. And it’s a stroke of genius. I loved this setting. It’s claustrophobic, precarious and turbulent, but also opulent, cosy, jovial and full of camaraderie. There is also a sense of nostalgia as their phones don’t work and they are cut off from the outside world apart from one radio station that keeps them updated on the storm.

One of the things I love most about Milly’s books is the characters she creates. They are always so relatable, real and recognisable, feeling like she’s plucked your neighbour from their house or someone from the street and put them in a book. These seven characters were some of my favourites she’s created. I loved that they were strangers when they first got on the train – with the exception of married couple Frank and Grace – that they forge strong bonds of friendship over the course of their claustrophobic few days together that last beyond their Christmas on The Yorkshire Belle. I loved this eclectic septet, especially Jane and Elizabeth. And I had a lot of empathy for Frank and Grace, especially as we learned more about them.

A heartfelt and uplifting story that gave me all the festive feels, I highly recommend this book.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. She is the author of 23 novels, 4 short story ebooks, a book of poetry and a Quick Reads Novella (‘The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe’) and was an erstwhile leading copywriter for the greetings card industry. She is also a poet, a professional joke-writer, a newspaper columnist and a seasoned after dinner speaker.

She won the RoNA for Best Romantic Comedy Novel of 2014 and 2016, the Yorkshire Society award for Arts and Culture 2015, the Romantic Novelist Association Outstanding Achievement award in 2020, the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2021 and the Richard Whiteley Award for Inspiration to the County of Yorkshire in 2022.

She writes about love, life, friendships and the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience and celebrate her beloved Yorkshire.