THE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE by Annie Rains

 

Publisher: Forever
Date Published: October 12, 2021
ISBN#    ‎ 978-1538703472
Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Gina (myreviewbooks@aol.com)
Obtained via publisher

5 Hearts

Lucy Hannigan hasn’t had the best year. With her mom first getting stick and then dying, the holidays are looking pretty bleak. Added to that are the stream of seemingly never ending bills her mother left behind. What was her mother thinking with all these changes and additions to her home?  Making things even harder is that the love her life, the man she was engaged to be married to, but who dropped her without a word, is still in town. Not only is Miles Bruno still in Somerset Lake, he’s a deputy sheriff.

Miles Bruno never left his home town and really hasn’t wanted to. Despite having a hard life growing up, things are looking pretty good for him now, as an adult. He has a good job, good friends and looking to buy his first home. He still hurts from his broken engagement and can’t help but hope to make amends when Lucy moves back in town. Can Lucy and Miles put their past behind them and move forward to a happy ever after now?

Sometimes you just need to sit down with a cup of tea, a cat on your lap and sigh over a really good romance. Annie Rains gives her readers that exact thing in her CHRISTMAS VILLAGE. There are themes in the story we can all relate to and Rains ties them all into a wonderful read. While the story takes place from just before Thanksgiving through the New Year, it is an ideal book to read anytime because of how she delves into the foibles of human nature. Broken and mended hearts, down on their luck families with friends and neighbors who are there to support them, a gossipy character who makes you laugh and an adorable dog and cat, what’s not to like?

The CHRISTMAS VILLAGE is the second book in Rains’ Somerset Lake series but stands completely on its own. She does catch readers up a bit on Jake and Trisha from The Summer Cottage, but the focus of the story is on Miles and Lucy. There are hints as to who will have the next story and what their futures hold. Book 1 had a few quick appearances by the town’s blogging gossip, Reva. She’s more present in the CHRISTMAS VILLAGE and a hoot. Rains doesn’t rush the relationships between her characters, but takes them through the ups and downs we all encounter at some point. She writes for any age and guys would enjoy this one too because it shows they too have a softer side. It’s an ideal read to introduce a teen to reading romance while at the same time, perfect for an adult to curl up when you just want a good read.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.