TRIPLE CHRISTMAS BOOK REVIEW

Hi, everyone! I'm doing something a little different with these reviews seeing as they are older books. This post contains 3 reviews for 3 different Christmas novels! 

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
My Rating: 3 stars

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞.
Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can't get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley's second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.

As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.

Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.

PURCHASE A COPY OF WINTER STREET

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​THE SERIES (MUST BE READ IN ORDER)

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​My Rating: 3 Stars
Genre Women’s Fiction | Christmas Novel

I hate to say it, but this is NOT my favorite Elin Hilderbrand novel. I think one of the main reasons why I felt indifferent to this one is because there were so many points of view and a ton of DRAMA packed into only 3 days! It was really strange and for me it just didn’t work. I also hated how this one ended. Had I known this was going to have a cliffhanger and the series was going to span over the 4 books I would have either bought the other ones or not read it. The blurb gives no indication that the book would leave a big hole in the storyline and it honesty made me want to rage LOL. I hate that! I like knowing what I’m going into if it’s a series with cliffhangers in any of the books.

Now, I won’t sit here and write a big review because the book is a little older, but I will say that the book is decent (I’m teetering on okay and good). Hilderbrand writes a good novel and is able to keep her readers engaged and that’s no different with this one. However, the family drama, the lack of answers as to what happens with ANY of the characters, and that horrible cliffy at the end annoyed me. So, I’ll stick to my 3 star rating and MAYBE read the next ones. We shall see!

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐

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Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne
My Rating: 4 stars

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

​New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne welcomes you to a small town full of big surprises that are both merry and bright...

Nothing short of a miracle can restore Eliza Hayward's Christmas cheer. The job she pinned her dreams on has gone up in smoke—literally—and now she's stuck in an unfamiliar, if breathtaking, small town. Precariously close to being destitute, Eliza needs a helping hand…for her sick young daughter's sake as well as her own. But she's not expecting her holiday hero to almost run her down with his car!

Rescuing Eliza is pure instinct for tech genius Aidan Caine. At first, putting the renovation of his lakeside guest lodge in Eliza's hands assuages his guilt—until he sees how quickly he could fall for her. Having focused solely on his business for years, he never knew that what his life was missing was Eliza and her little girl. But is he willing to risk hoping for a yuletide romance that could lead to forever?

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THE SERIES (INTERCONNECTED STANDALONES)

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My Rating: 4 Stars
Genre Clean & Wholesome Romance | Christmas Romance

Snow Angel Cove is the first book I’ve read from RaeAnne Thayne and I’m not disappointed! Well, maybe a little disappointed that it took me this long to read one of her uplifting novels, but at least I got to it! One of the main reasons I chose this one to start with is because it’s a CHRISTMAS ROMANCE. I’m all about holiday romances this year and am reading a myriad of them from all different authors. Seeing as I’ve been wanting to try out the authors work, I thought this would be the perfect book to start with and I wasn’t wrong. This is a sweet, charming, and uplifting read. It takes place during Christmas and shows that love can come your way despite all the things that are blocking its path.

Aiden is a tech genius who always seems to be on the go. Wanting a peaceful Christmas, he decides to head to his home in Sow Angel Cove where his family will eventually come to enjoy the holidays. However, an accident changes everything for Aiden including his future…

Single mom Eliza Hayward has hit a rough patch in her life after her husband’s untimely death and moving to Haven Point for a fresh start is exactly what she and her daughter need. But after losing her job (before it even started) and being hit by a car, things look like they aren’t going to be as good as she hoped. Until a gorgeous tech genius swoops in and changes everything for her. Will these two be able to overcome their pasts in order to have a brighter future? Or will the holidays be their undoing? You’ll see when you read this breathtaking romance.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

❄ Every once in a while, I need a romance that’s not focused sex. This is that kind of book. There is NO sex, just a few hints of it here and there (nothing graphic). It’s just a clean, and wholesome romance with all the heartwarming and uplifting feels.

❄ The characters in this book had the best intentions. There aren’t any frivolous fights, miscommunications, and bad breakups and makeups. Everything is straight and to the point. I loved their sweetness and the way they opened their hearts. When you just want a book that has NO ANGST, you turn to a clean and wholesome romance like this one.

❄ The setting and the way it’s written is breathtaking. RaeAnne Thayne knows how to build the worlds her characters live in through her writing. Visualizing and feeling it make it all the more amazing to read about. If Haven Point were a real place, I’d gladly live there!

❄ The story put a big smile on my face. If you read a book that doesn’t make you smile and feel things, then it’s probably not a great one. This one IS and I loved the characters, the way they fell in love, and how they treated each other.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

❄ I’m not a huge fan of INSTA LOVE but when you read wholesome romances you sort of come to expect them. Sometimes I just wish it would take them a little bit longer (than like a week!) to fall in love. It’s just not realistic otherwise.

❄This book NEEDED AN EPILOGUE and it didn’t have one. I would have liked to know what happened after they said “I love you” for the first time. What happened with them? Did they go on to marry and have babies? What about Maddie? I needed some answers that were never given. You read an entire book centered around these characters but don’t know where they go and it’s FRUSTERATING. .

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣

Putting all my likes and dislikes together, I have come to the conclusion that I really loved this book despite the small things that left me feeling unsatisfied. This is a wonderful Christmas romance, and I look forward to reading many more books in the series.

If you enjoy CLEAN & WHOLESOME romances (those books without the sex) then this would be a great series to try! I certainly recommend it!

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Four Christmases and a Secret by Zara Stonely
My Rating: 3 stars

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

​‘For lovers of Sophie Kinsella this is the perfect book’ Goodreads ReviewerIt’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Except for Daisy, Christmas means another of Uncle T’s dreaded Christmas parties, complete with Christmas jumper and flashing antlers. And Oliver Cartwright. Gorgeous Oliver Cartwright. Who she hates.

Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is. Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things.

This Christmas, however, Daisy is determined things will be different. There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers. No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too.
 
But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share… and it could change Daisy's life forever…
​
Bridget Jones meets the Hallmark Channel in an irresistible romantic comedy you won’t want to miss this Christmas.

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My Rating: 3 Stars
Genre Chick Lit | Comedy | Holiday Romance (partially)

Since the start of November, I’ve been on a Christmas book spree. I’ve been slowly putting together a list of books to read during the holidays and this one was included. Now, while I enjoyed Daisy and Ollie’s story, this was NOT THE CHRISTMAS BOOK I was expecting. The story only has a few chapters with Christmas in it and because of this, I was really disappointed. The title of your story should give readers an idea of what to expect within the pages and this title is NOT fitting to the story. It’s not festive at all ☹️. Luckily, it wasn’t a total bust as I enjoyed reading about Daisy and watching her grow (there are even some emotional aspects to it that warmed my heart). However, I have to give FOUR CHRISTMASES AND A SECRET 3 stars because it wasn’t what I expected and there were a few things that bothered me about the story as a whole. You can see my specific likes and dislikes below.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

❄ Daisy is a wonderful character and I enjoyed getting to know her throughout the book. She may not have it all together in the beginning (but who really does) but she steadily grew into the woman she had always wanted to be (with a little help from those closest to her) and it was nice to see.

❄ This book has a beautiful friends-to-lovers romance going on even though it took most of the book to get there. This is the norm in chick lit books though. Chick lit novels tend to be more about the heroine and her journey rather than the romance. I wasn’t expecting anything more than what we got.

❄ The secondary characters (especially Stanley the pooch) were fantastic additions to the story. I love when I connect with secondary characters and I had no problem doing that in this story.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

❄ It’s not a CHRISTMAS BOOK like I was led to believe. This one shouldn’t be marketed in the holiday department because most of the book has NOTHING to do with Christmas. Yes, there are Christmas scenes but they are short and don’t really define what’s happening in the story (aside from uncle T and how he fits into the story- you’d have to read to know what I mean). I was really disappointed!

❄This book felt SO LONG. It says it’s only 300 pages but I’m telling you, it felt like I was reading a 600+ page book. Perhaps it’s because the story wasn’t what I thought it was that made it drag? I don’t know for sure, but it didn’t feel like a shorter book as it says!

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧 𝗨𝗣

FOUR CHRISTMASES AND A SECRET is a nice story with meaning, but it wasn’t the book I expected when I purchased a copy. Thankfully, I did enjoy Daisy and the rest of gang, but I was hoping for something more in terms of Christmas and the festivities involved in the holiday. If you’re specifically looking for a holiday read, I recommend trying another book because you’ll be disappointed in the lack of Christmas from this one.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐