A Midwinter Match: A funny, feel-good read from the author of The Country Escape

Jane Lovering

Aug 2021 · Boldwood Books Ltd

About this ebook

'Beautifully written and both heartbreaking and heartwarming' Jessica Redland

Ruby Oldbridge needs to learn to take her own advice.

A talented counsellor at work in York, she is however floundering in her own life. Her romantic track record is woeful, her finances are in a pickle, and she’s back in a house-share after splitting up with her useless ex.

But one thing Ruby is brilliant at, is helping other people find a way through their problems, and she excels at the job she loves, doing just that.

Happy-go-lucky, Mr Positivity, Zac Drewe also loves his job – the trouble is, it’s the same as Ruby’s, and the management have decided to ‘rationalise’ their department. There’s only room for one of them.

As the snow and winter close in on York, Ruby and Zac have everything to lose, and Ruby starts to wonder if the happy face Zac shows the world, might be disguising a sadder secret.

Set against one another, they are unlikely friends. But perhaps, if they could take the time to understand each other, they might discover that rather than rivals, they could be the best thing that ever happened to one another...

Funny, fresh and fantastically warm-hearted, discover Jane Lovering’s unforgettable new cast of characters and irresistible, feel-good story. Perfect for fans of Julie Houston, Beth O’Leary and Kate Forster

Praise for Jane Lovering:

'A funny, warm-hearted read, filled with characters you'll love' Matt Dunn

‘Jane Lovering has that ability to choose exactly the right words and images to make you laugh, with a wonderful touch of the ridiculous, then moving seamlessly to a scene of such poignancy that it catches your breath’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

‘It is very difficult to explain just how wonderful this book is. The power of her words and her descriptive prowess to put it bluntly is amazing... the emotional impact it has had on me will be long lasting’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

‘Fall in love with reading all over again with this cracking tale from Jane Lovering. An excellent reminder, if one is needed, of the absolute pleasure of losing yourself in a good book' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

Ratings and reviews

Ruby Oldbridge works for an organisation that helps the long-term unemployed retrain and/or find employment, Ruby specialises in counselling her clients to really get to the bottom of what is holding them back. She walks into work one day to find that her company has merged with their arch rivals, a company with a more 'strident' approach to getting people back into gainful employment. Even worse, Ruby will have to compete with her counterpart from the other firm, Zac Drewe, for the single counselling role going forwards. The blurb for this book led me to think that Ruby was some kind of psychologist rather than a private add-on to the Job Centre, I was imagining an English equivalent of Dr House, glamorous, gifted but with a car-crash private life. What I got was much more downbeat; a woman with anxiety disorder and huge debts, living in a box room house-share, working for unappreciative bosses and ungrateful clients. I love Jane Lovering, but this time she gave me such a downbeat holiday romance I just didn't feel the love-factor. Maybe its because I had insomnia and finished this at 3:00am, who knows. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I adored this cleverly perceptive and wittily written tale. I guffawed and chortled as I dove between the pages laced with Ms. Lovering’s smirk-worthy levity, sharp comedic visuals, and head-nod inducing snark. I was totally engaged and fully present with them in the midst of their office chaos, clearly hearing the shuffling of papers and squeaking of office chairs over the drone of Christmas carols. The characters were endearingly quirky and struggling to do their best while in a difficult squeeze whilst in competition with each other for the same desperately needed job. The storylines were relatable as well as entertaining while striking all the feels and eventually igniting an unexpected fledgling romance. I reveled in the perfection of the epilogue.

About the author

Jane Lovering is the bestselling and award-winning romantic comedy writer who won the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel Award in 2023 with A Cottage Full of Secrets. She lives in Yorkshire and has a cat and a bonkers terrier, as well as five children who have now left home.