Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of Moonlight on the Thames!

I look forward to the Christmas-centered romance novels that come out each year because they're so easy and festive that they are simply addicting. Moonlight on the Thames was much different than any one I've read before, though. This book tackles much deeper issues than a typical Christmas novel, but does so in quite an elegant way.

Nicola hates Christmas. At first, it seems like it's probably for some petty reason, but it's not. So, instead of facing her past, she puts all of her energy into her career. And it's paying off, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's happy. Dmitri is also facing a past incident that he'd rather not reveal, and it's one that completely threw him off his path towards becoming a concert pianist. So, instead, he directs the choir and plays simple Christmas carols on the piano. Nicola and Dmitri meet when Dmitri's choir falls victim to Nicola's minor Christmas induced meltdown at Paddington Station.

I really enjoyed following Nicola and Dmitri's relationship as they got to know each other, both the good and the bad. I think these are two characters that bring out the best in each other, and you can see that based on the way they speak to each other. But this isn't what I typically look for in a Christmas romance, and I definitely wasn't expecting the turns that this story took. I definitely enjoyed it, but am happy I read it in September and not in the festive lead up to Christmas!