🎄🎁🏝️ "Christmas on Ocracoke" (2020) 🏝️🎁🎄

MY REVIEW 

 

 

Paperback: 164 pages

Publisher: Anaiah Press (November 13, 2020) 

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1954189028

ISBN-13: 978-1954189027

⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information

“Reeling from the upheaval of a failed marriage, Annie Hanahan is desperate for a new start—and when she inherits a cottage on Ocracoke Island, she may finally get it. Without a second thought, she packs up and leaves everything behind: her first name, her job, and her ex-husband, because more than anything, she wants to get her son away from his father’s partying and neglectful ways. But when she arrives in the Outer Banks, she finds the island—and her promised refuge—ravaged by Hurricane Dorian. 

When their parents died in a tragic car accident, Trey Kingsley dropped out of college to raise his sister. Now that she’s grown and moved away, it’s his turn to find a life of his own. As a contractor who has given so much of his time to helping Ocracoke recover from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, it surprises no one when he offers to help the beautiful newcomer, but something is holding her back. Life keeps throwing them together, though, or perhaps God’s hand is giving them a nudge. Will a little bit of divine intervention be enough for a Merry Christmas on Ocracoke?”

 

Thank you in advance to the author, Christina Sinisi, for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not requested or required, and all words are my own.

 

First of all, let me talk about the hard stuff before I get into the heart and soul review of this book.  

 

This book takes place mostly in and/or around Ocracoke Island (North Carolina) after the tragic category five (5) Hurricane Dorian (early September 2019). As a result, much of the island suffered damage and access was restored to visitors as of December 5, 2019.

Some readers might find the timing as well as the optimistic theme of book a bit disturbing. I wasn’t sure how a romance set against post-disaster recovery was going to work. It was a brave effort on the author’s part, and this is my first time reading her work. The author kept the focus on Anna, James, and Trey throughout the story.

 

In addition, there are mentions of infidelity and drug use though the actual use occurs before the beginning of the story.

 

This is a novella, so it will be a very short read and could probably work better as part of a series as opposed to being on its own. Given the short chapters, it had my attention from chapter one and did keep it until the end.

 

Anyway … that said …

 

The cover is cutesy and whimsical though has kind of a photo shop feel. Still, it tends to fit the theme of the story. I love Christmas stories any day of the year. It’s honestly my favorite holiday, so much so my mother tells people that Christmas IS MY holiday. As a result, I was instantly drawn to this story.

 

There are a few typos. One is mention of Anna’s last name. She gives it on page 42, yet on 67 Trey doesn’t know it. These don’t affect the story line too bad.

 

Anna’s intro was definitely high speed; her baby (or rather toddler) was an interesting intro. Though, I was glad that the use of “sweet baby James” was toned down. Trust me; this kid is anything but sweet. I remember being 2, and it was not the terrible two’s. I felt so sorry for Anna at times. Some might even had said he was spoiled. I might tend to agree. Still, there were times he made the story interesting.

 

I was also wondering what Anna was running from – how bad was it, was it going to catch up to her? What was going on? So, I definitely had to keep reading.

 

Trey is loveable right off, and the “stalking” mention even by him is a bit laughable given the situation and small region they are in. No, stalking isn’t funny, but in this context he is already giving her a free pass to call their random meetings just that.

 

Trey is there for other reasons – namely the work on the devastated island where Anna has inherited a home. Potential spoiler – I found it hard to believe that NO ONE knew the condition of the place after the storm. I would think as widespread and as damaging as the storm was – it would be hard not to know.

 

There are 3-4 encounters between the previous night and the next day before they make it to the island. From there, the relationship develops more on Trey’s part than Annie’s. He is very interested in her, she is obviously reluctant.

 

Her sweet island second chance is in need of repairs and that leads to Trey with a solution – staying with him.

 

There is a brief mention of her family when her mother calls her. This is where my own Christian beliefs were pushed – when Anna’s mother used the forgiveness line with her. While I get the intent, that tactic never sits well with me. There are some things that take time to forgive.

 

Also, Anna feels a growing attraction to Trey but feels it is too soon to be attracted to him given the length of time between leaving her husband and falling for Trey.

 

However, they cannot fight fate. And it isn’t until the last 25% of the book that things come together, and Trey learns the truth. But, Anna learns something about him as well and it does threaten the romance.

 

I loved one important lesson here – does having or coming from money give someone less character, or can they have it whether rich or poor?

 

I loved Trey’s kindness as well as the overall community feel and wanted to know more about the characters after the story ended. This was the kind of story I felt could’ve been long due to the plot, though it might not have worked given the title.

 

What Anna was running from, in the end, seemed like a bit of a letdown. While I realize it was supposed to be an uplifting read, it could’ve had a little more than 2-3 pages of being played out.

 

As long as these characters were involved, I would definitely read another story by the author. And, I would likely check her books out if I didn’t have an overwhelming TBR list. That’s not a bad thing, but lately … the books are piling up!

 

As it is distributed by a Christian publisher – Anaiah Press – expect heavy doses of prayer, references to God, bible quotes, Christian themes such as forgiveness and redemption.

 

Fans of the author and those who enjoy the genre should check this quick read out. FYI: it wasn’t quick for me as I was in the middle of another book for the month as well as writing my own story for Camp NaNoWriMo (Camp National Novel Writing Month), but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a quick read at all.

 

This was the 2^nd book I was reading this month (and concurrently) with themes of forgiveness in them.

 

 

 

RATING:

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub

 

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, CHRISTINA SINISI writes stories about families, both the broken and blessed. Her works included a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and the American Title IV Contest in which she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. Her published books include The Christmas Confusion and the upcoming Sweet Summer, the first two books in the Summer Creek series, as well as Christmas on Ocracoke. By day, she is a psychology professor and lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with her husband and two children and cat Chessie.

 

 

You can also find her on the following social media accounts:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christina-Sinisi-Author-105861987440664

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristinaSinisi

Website: https://www.christinasinisi.com/

 

* This post contains affiliate links