🎄❄️🏝️☕ “A Lighthouse Café Christmas” (Bluestar Island #3) (2021) ☕🏝️❄️🎄 – Book Review
As Bluestar Island prepares for a very special Christmas wedding, Santa’s sleigh crashes into The Lighthouse Café, reuniting Bluestar’s beloved waitress with her former fiancé.
In this holiday novella, Darla Evans has carved out a quiet life for herself as a waitress at The Lighthouse Café. Up until this point, she’s conveniently avoided the one man who shattered her heart and her dreams. But when a wedding draws him back to the island, she knows their meetup is unavoidable.
Tech entrepreneur William “Will” Campbell has returned to his childhood home to be the best man in his father’s wedding. But first his father has a very special task for him—to restore a sleigh in time for the wedding. However, there’s not much time until Christmas. He just might need some help.
As snowflakes cover the small town of Bluestar, Will and Darla work together to make it a very special holiday wedding. With the past looming between them, will the magic of the season open their hearts and allow them to find love again?
Includes a holiday recipe for Darla’s frosted sugar cookies!
The Bell Family of Bluestar Island:
Book 1 – Love Blooms (Hannah & Ethan)
Book 2 – Harvest Dance (Aster & Sam)
Book 3 – A Lighthouse Café Christmas (Darla & Will)
Book 4 – Rising Star (coming soon)
Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published with books translated into nine languages. She is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous other awards.
Tour Giveaway
One winner will receive a digital copy of LOVE BLOOMS and HARVEST DANCE by Jennifer Faye and a $25 Amazon gift card
Ends December 8, 2021
My Review
Thank you in advance to the author, Jennifer Faye, for providing a complimentary review copy through Prism Book Tours. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
Next to Debbie Macomber, Jennifer Faye is the MOST read author in my library so far. This is a special book for me. Not just because it is a Christmas book – it marks the tenth (10th) book by Faye that I have read.
I love SO many authors (new and “old friends”), but I definitely have read more of her books.
Anyway …
I’m sure by now readers of my reviews and blog will likely have figured one thing – I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I know, can I be ANY less obvious?
There is something magical about the season. Just absolutely delightful about it. I love setting up my decorations in what little room I have, I love hanging ornaments on the tree (lights not so much being as short as I am) – those things. So, when I get the chance to read a Christmas book – I’m all in. And, the cuter it is, the less I can resist. That cover is just so cute and adorable!
I definitely suggest reading the first two books (Love Blooms and Harvest Dance) to catch up on the series, especially given the event in this book.
As of note, this is a “novella” and is shorter that the previous two books. The story portion is only 167 pages, so it is pretty much a “day” read if you start it early enough. The short chapters really help move the story along, and it doesn’t hurt that it begins roughly about two weeks before Christmas. Faye definitely keeps the story on pace and doesn’t let it meander and roam much. She keeps it focused on the two main characters for the most part with brief interactions from the other characters.
Some characters from the previous two books return: Hannah and Ethan (Love Blooms) and Aster and Sam (Harvest Dance). Though there is less of Sam than Ethan in the book. Nikki makes a short appearance and there are no “seen” hijinks from Dash the goat. That’s a bit disappointing because I really wanted to know what he’s been up to. Those who read those books, especially Harvest Dance will KNOW what I am referring to.
Aster is featured a bit more than Hannah despite the wedding of Hannah and Sam’s mom (Helen) to the Fire Chief Walter Campbell. That will bring Will Campbell, Darla’s former fiancé, to the island. [I absolutely LOVE the idea of a Christmas wedding].
Will and Darla could be heading for a second chance romance – if that is what they want. But, it is clear that Will broke Darla’s heart and she doesn’t want to go down that road. Will, for his part, doesn’t either – but why? It is clear he still has feelings for Darla.
Agnes Dewey also makes a return in this book. Honestly? This woman has NOTHING nice to say at all. Slight spoiler – she shows up at a wedding in a black outfit! The one character that is seemingly absent – Birdie. She was an integral part of both Love Blooms and Harvest Dance. Yet, in this book, there is no mention of her. Honestly, could we leave her out of the next one?
Moving on …
As luck would have it, Will almost runs down Darla. Of course, Darla is okay, but just as she avoids disaster, the café doesn’t when the sleigh ends up in the café when the truck Wills is using to haul a sleigh away has a bit of an accident. Poor Will doesn’t have a day pass and ends up with a ticket. That is the least of his worries. Now, he has to repair the sleigh for his father’s wedding surprise.
The trick now – keep the secret from the bride to be.
Will needs Darla’s help with the repairs; and that is definitely going to stir up some old memories and feelings. Darla is fairly certain that the relationship is over, though she wants an explanation as to why Will ended things with her.
And, despite the break-up, it is Will who pushes Darla to act on her book submission.
The more time they spend together, the more friendly they become, but the romance just isn’t there. Though it isn’t like there isn’t potential for it to be quite honest.
It seems that while they’re the only ones thinking they don’t have a future together, everyone else around them (or at least Darla) is pushing them together – his father Walter, Darla’s friend Aster, and even bride-to-be Helen. I love how Walter even set his own son up with Darla to get a tree. Smooth move from the older gentleman! I always love when the older folks get there.
Walter actually knows why Will broke up with Darla – it has to do with Walter’s first wife (Will’s mother). Even his father’s heartfelt plea falls on the younger man’s deaf ears. Men! I absolutely adored the romance between Will and Helen.
The author keeps the reader engaged until the very end, and given the length of the novel, everything happens nearly at the end. It does tie the “romance” up quite nicely setting up the segue into book #4.
The only part I really found a bit uncomfortable was not Will’s revelation, more or less the way he’d drone on about there not being a future for him and Darla. As much as they’d have a good time, he kept pushing her away.
I understand completely how Darla felt about putting her book out there. I have a finished story, but would definitely be afraid to get it out there and be “vulnerable”. Her character growth from the beginning to the end was the most surprising, but also heartwarming.
While worthy of five (5) stars on SO many fronts, this does have some issues that plague series – continuity and follow through from previous storylines.
One was the lack of following up from book #1 with Hannah and Ethan. Obviously still together, but are they married or still dating? This also brings us to Sam and Aster. The second book ended with a proposal, but in this book, Aster has her own apartment.
Given the shortness of this book and how closely it was released to the previous one, and not to mention it being a Christmas novella that the author wanted released BEFORE the holiday – I will let the continuity issues slide. Rarely do, I but, it is Christmas.
Another reason? Book #4 (Rising Star) will be released next year and focus on the youngest Bell sibling Emma. I am hoping we readers will see SOME resolution with the Hannah/Ethan and Aster/Sam romances. I’m also hoping to see Birdie again. And, perhaps Faye will clue us into why Agnes is the miser she is.
If you enjoy some of Debbie Macomber’s more recent holiday offerings, you won’t be disappointed by Jennifer Faye’s books either. They are not Christian or faith-themed, but they don’t have any bad language or “graphic” intimate scenes”.
On Faye’s website she even marks the ones that are “clean & wholesome” (this series among others) different from “sweet romance” (contain closed door “love” scenes). You can even find a printed list there too.
Fans of the author and those who’ve read the
first two books in this series should definitely check this one out. Those who
enjoy clean and wholesome reads should check out the author’s books.
Thanks so much for hosting my book! Happy holidays!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're so very welcome! It is a pleasure! Happy Holidays to you as well!
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