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-Synopsis-

All Celeste wants for Christmas is to escape. But could a surprise visit to an inn where candles glow behind every window and the smell of winter spices fill the air be her chance at a new beginning?

Dropping her suitcase down on the front step of the Christmas Cove Inn, Celeste can’t help but smile. Her holidays should have been spent on assignment in the Caribbean, the perfect way to mend her broken heart. But when her flight was diverted to Sea Spray Island near Cape Cod, she had to take the only room left at the inn.

Celebrating the season is the last thing on her mind but that’s all cheerful islander and single dad Nathan wants to do. His family’s cozy inn is full of festive spirit, and it’s not only the twinkling decorations and crackling fires that begin to thaw Celeste’s aching heart…

With fast-falling snow keeping her on the island, she’s soon drawn in to the Christmas countdown activities by the quirky locals… and is spending more and more time with Nathan. When he asks for her help to raise money for the struggling community center, she says yes in a heartbeat. For the first time in years, has Celeste finally found a place to call home?

But when the snow stops and it’s time for Celeste to return to the city, will she really be able to say goodbye to Nathan and Christmas Cove? Or will the magic of the season give her a reason to stay?

A heart-warming and joyous festive read full of romance, Christmas spirit and small-town charm. Perfect for fans of Pamela Kelley, Heidi Swain and Sarah Morgan.

-Review-

A huge shoutout to Kristin Harper, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me access to an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! Thank yall!

The Christmas Cove Inn follows the split perspectives of both Celeste and Nathan as they struggle to balance their livelihoods with the ever growing matters of the heart. This book deals with such topics as found family, second chances, reconciliation and finding one’s place in the world, all within the gorgeous landscape of a Winter Wonderland.

Sea Spray Island is the epitome of the picturesque Christmas destination. The small town community seems to live and breathe off of decorating and celebrating Christmas the entirety of the season. In fact, there are family friendly activities every single day including a “Make-a-Flake” event and “Chowder Chowdown”. Also the main clock tower in town lets out a verse from The 12 Days of Christmas at the top of every hour. For somebody whose favorite holiday has always been Christmas, I have always dreamed of staying in a place like this. The destination gets full stars from me in this book!

Being that the community is small on the island, there are moments in which the rumor mill starts to become a slight problem for the main characters. However, the strong sense of community made up for it in groves when it mattered the most. I genuinely got a strong sense that everyone not only knew everyone else, but that everyone actually cared for everyone else. This showcased the true meaning of Christmas and I though that was beautiful.

Throughout the book, certain characters begin opening up about their past heartaches in a very natural and understanding way. Even with the cheerful Christmas backdrop, there is a deep melancholy within certain people. Just like in real life, it seems that we miss people the most around the holidays since it should be spent with those we love the most. There are feelings of loss and regret that repeatedly show up within this book. This leads to some amazing character development and even redemption that I thought were incredibly heartwarming and bittersweet to witness.

One of the reasons behind the 3 1/2 star rating from me was the pacing. In the majority of the book both Celeste and Nathan are incredibly stressed about a particular situation involving their jobs. Celeste needs to make it to the Caribbean by a certain day to keep her job and Nathan needs to figure out how to raise money for the community center before it gets shut down. While their worries are completely understandable, I did find the constant harping on these issues to be a bit repetitive especially when nothing new would actually change. Plus, they would both let this stress control their attitudes towards each other and that led to some immature reactions from both of them at times.

With so much attention being placed on those main issues, I felt the romance aspect was not given a proper focus until just about the last quarter of the book. By the time it arrived, it felt a bit rushed. Not to mention, all the side characters and circumstances constantly getting in the way of Celeste and Nathan being alone, it got a bit too slow-burn if that makes sense.

That being said, I did enjoy most of the aspects of the budding romance between the two main characters. Nathan being a single dad to his daughter Abby, had some reservations when it came to opening up to Celeste. I found this to be extremely mature considering the truth of what had happened to Abby’s mother plus a previous unsuccessful dating attempt. On the other hand, Celeste was hesitant to open up due to her getting used to being by herself after losing her mother. As they became closer and their feelings began getting harder to ignore, they began to make their pasts known to each other.

Them using each other as a support system made the foundations of their relationship all the more stronger. Plus Abby’s love for Celeste was incredibly sweet that people who come from blended families would enjoy.

All in all, if you are looking for a cozy heavy Christmas read with a good amount of drama and slow burn romance, I recommend The Christmas Cove Inn to you. I am curious to read more of Kristin’s books for sure.

Once again, a huge thank you to Kristin Harper, Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for my opinions.

-About the Author-

Kristin Harper earned an MFA in creative writing. Before becoming a full-time author, she held numerous professional roles, including college professor, data analyst, and development director. She grew up in New England, and has lived in various places across the US, including the West Coast and Washington, D.C. Kristin’s now happily back in Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw from Cape Cod – the source of inspiration for the setting of her Dune Island series.