Review by Veronica

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“Well, there actually was a point.”

“Which was?”

He leaned down toward her, his breath on her skin. Fear pricking her, the uncertainty of letting him in nearly overwhelming, she closed her eyes and held her breath, but when his kiss never came, she opened her eyes, confused. “What was the point?” she asked, focusing on his grinning face. 

Will held up a croissant. “I told you if I wanted one, I could get one.” He wiggled it in front of her. 

A Lighthouse Christmas is a feel-good Christmas story about family, love, and finding out what truly makes you happy. 

When her beloved grandmother passes away, Mia Broadhurst returns to the snow-covered seaside village of Winsted Cape, where Grandma Ruth ran the lighthouse overlooking the golden beach.

This will be Mia’s first Christmas without her, and she can’t bear to part with the lighthouse that has been in their family for generations. As she steps into it, childhood memories rush back to her. She can almost hear them playing tag on the steps… But her life is back in New York, dedicated to a busy PR firm, and she has no choice but to sell.

With the snow falling, turning the grounds into a winter wonderland, Mia works with real estate agent Will Thacker. As they restore the historical building, she tries not to notice how handsome he is. After all, she’s only home for Christmas… And Will’s deep blue eyes, as stormy as the Atlantic Ocean, tells her he has his own heartbreak to contend with.

Warmed by a crackling fire, Mia packs up Grandma Ruth’s belongings with the help of her mother and sister. But waiting for them is a black-and-white photograph with a faded inscription. The mysterious message is the key to a family secret that has been hidden for decades––one that changes everything.

When Mia finds out the truth, will it save the precious lighthouse and show Mia where her heart belongs? Or will it tear her from Winsted Cape––and Will––forever?

Jenny Hale’s books just make me oh so happy. She is a master at creating these heartwarming Christmas books that sweep you off your feet and have you feeling all those lovely warm feelings. A Lighthouse Christmas follows the story of Mia, who has returned to her grandma’s lighthouse to get it ready so it can go on the market. I loved following Mia as she returned to her grandma’s house and experienced all those wonderful memories with her grandma and reconnecting with the community where the lighthouse is located. This book focuses on the importance of family, and I adore Mia’s family. Her mother, Alice, and Riley are wonderful secondary characters that help to add depth and laughter to the story. I really enjoyed their family dynamic. 

The setting in the book was utterly breathtaking; I could close my eyes and see that winter seaside wonderland Jenny had created. She did a great job bringing this little community and this gorgeous lighthouse to life.

The one thing that stood out for me with this book was the sense of realism within the story. Jenny’s characters’ lives are not picture-perfect. They are all dealing with some real-life challenges, such as grief, financial problems, complicated love life, and more. For me, this added a lot of depths to these characters and allowed me to make those personal connections with them. Jenny masterfully balances all these issues while all the same time weaving (or should this be creating) this magical Christmas story. While I was reading this book, I felt a range of emotions, from happiness when Mia and Will made snow angels, sorrow when Mia and her family dealt with the loss of Grandma Ruth to laughter when Will and Mia were baking.

The romance in this book is sweet and wonderful. Mia is in the process of getting a divorce and isn’t looking for a relationship. She wants to spend time focusing on herself and figuring out what she wants to do with her life. But what Mia didn’t anticipate was meeting Will and feeling that instant connection with him. There are plenty of sweet, cute moments between these two. And even though both agree they should just be friends, it becomes harder for them to ignore their romantic feelings for each other. There were times in this book where I was like, “just kiss her already!” and boy, I was happy when he finally did.  

The food talk in this book is to die for! I felt like I could smell and taste the fantastic festive food baked in this book. After I was finished reading this book, I decided to bust out my apron and start my holiday baking. I will have to put in a lot of extra workouts to burn all these goodies I have been eating. LOL

A Lighthouse Christmas is a Christmas story with oodles of charm.