There are two things I love very much in a romance book-- a grump/sunshine pairing and a good villain. This book had both, plus the sweetest cabin owner you will ever meet, all surrounded by a charming town nestled in the Tennessee Hills. All of this should have been enough, but sadly it wasn’t. I did very much enjoy the overall story idea, but the execution was a bit messy for me.

The main character, Lila, for all her sweetness, was a little too much. I don’t want to give anything away but I will say that for all of her insisting things go a certain way, and then getting what she wanted for the entire book, she sure did hide when the going got tough.

The villain, who was such a good one, just sort of goes away. We got closure on that part of the story, but it wasn’t very believable. Nor was the rest of the ending, but meh, it’s Christmas. I can forgive a tidy Christmas ending.

In the end, this is a fast weekend read that was more complicated than it should have been but was fun nonetheless.

If I could, I would give this book a 3.5.

Pinewood Hills is a charming, little town where Lila and her friend group decide to spend a week for their holidays. They always spend the holidays together, decorate the tree, watch Christmas movies, and this might be the last holiday they spend together as they all seem to be moving onto other things in life.However, it all takes a turn when Lila meets Theo, and her friends have to leave her at Fireside Cabins.

As expected, Lila falls in love, but there's so much she doesn't know yet, which we get to discover.

What I loved: The descriptions of the surroundings, places, the Christmas market, shops and restaurants, dishes and food were absolutely a win here. I felt like I was with the characters in this magical little town that lives and breathes Christmas. I could almost imagine Santa's little elves running around town! The mood was set just right, and I loved Pinewood Hills. The author did a fantastic job of describing the sounds and smells and tastes, which just added even more dimension to the descriptions.

If you enjoy a good, supportive friendship between four women (kind of reminiscing of Sex and the City group), you will love the friendship between Lila, Edie, Piper, and Charlotte. All very different characters, but beautiful in their own way. They think about each other, they follow up on each other, and truly care about each other.

I also love how Lila's character developed. She wasn't sure who she was, and what her purpose in life was. But throughout the book, we can see that she finally starts thinking about her past, and how it influences her present. Towards the end, we find a Lila that knows what she wants and where she needs to be. In the end she realised that all she needed was to be around good people, and I loved that message. She seeked home and family, and she found it in the end.

The excitement and mystery comes in the second part. It was a nice addition to the whole story, and made it a bit more different than the usual Christmas, love story.

What I didn't like: Although I loved Lila's character, she was too much for me. Her kindness and thoughtfullness were a bit intense sometimes (and I know how weird that sounds), especially in moments where she decides to sneak into someone's place to decorate it for Christmas, or to keep texting someone who she doesn't even know, and pushing them to tell her their life struggles.

Theo on the other hand... I really went back and forth with this character. For the majority of the book he was presented as cold, mysterious, even rude. Things he would do to stop Lila from getting closer to her sometimes baffled me. But then again, Lila was so pushy and over the top, I couldn't blame him! I warmed up to him more towards the end, once we got to know his full story. One quote that stayed with me, and it came from Theo when Lila asked him why he didn't like surprise was ''Because sometimes they can rip your heart out.''

Overall, I think you might enjoy it if you love a Christmas story that has a dash of mystery to it, where the main character needs to find herself, and where we follow a hate to love kind of a relationship.

I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover, but loved it even more after reading. A heartwarming, festive escape.

Friends get together at Fireside Cabins for one last celebration. But the cabin is not as the website portrayed. However, decide to make the best of it and have the best Christmas ever.

A perfect Christmas location. Christmas in a book. A host of loveable characters, spreading Christmas cheer. I could imagine it as a festive film.

Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was perfect. It was a great ARC to read now, but would be even better once it gets cooler. This book was a perfect light hearted, heart warming read. There was romance, Christmas, decor, heart breaking moments, but an overall happy ending. It was different than other warm and fuzzy reads in that you were really rooting for the characters, as it wasn't obvious that it would end "right." This is my first book by this author and I look forward to more. I may need to read this closer to Christmas. Great read!

Loved it and I am not a holiday person. I enjoyed the romance and the family and friends. The location was wonderful, too. I wish I could make a reservation. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Christmas at Fireside Cabins by Jenny Hale is an absolute delight. We follow Lila as she and her three best friends head to a cabin for a Christmas girls trip. However, the trip doesn’t go as planned as the cabin is run down. They decide to stay as the owner of Fireside Cabins, Eleanor, is so excited to have guests as the business hasn’t been doing well since her husband passed away. Lila also meets a mysterious and grumpy coffee shop owner, Theo, that she can’t help but be drawn to. She wants to know more about him and his past, as no one in town seems to know much about him. We follow Lila to see if she can save Fireside Cabins and find where she truly belongs.

This has been the most enjoyable Christmas romance I have read to date. This book has the perfect combination of everything I want in a Christmas story: a charming small town setting, festive activities, a hopeful Christmas wish, and a sweet romance. The writing style was immersive, which kept me reading to experience all the Christmas and cozy vibes. I also love that there was a mystery aspect to learn more about Theo. There was the perfect amount of drama and intrigue. My favorite part of this book was Lila’s relationships with her three best friends as they were such a supportive and fun friend group.

Overall, this is a heartwarming read to curl up with this holiday season. It is best enjoyed with a peppermint latte and a cozy blanket with some Christmas classics playing in the background.

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This is feel-good romance, set in a quaint little town at Christmas. Lila and her three best friends plan to spend a week in December together on a girls' getaway vacation, which may be their last as their lives are going in different directions. However, once they arrive at their resort destination, they find it is vastly different than the brochures had led them to believe - the cabins are run-down, the landscaping neglected, and in face the whole town and people it in feel anything but cheerful or festive. However, the friends decide to make the best of it and celebrate their time together. In so doing, they meet Theo, the grumpy owner of the coffee bar, and Eleanor, the grieving widow and owner of the resort. The ladies soon take Eleanor and everyone else under their wing, determined to help the community and spread some Christmas cheer. While the premise of the story is wonderful, I didn't quite believe that four women with such incredibly different backgrounds and personalities would be friends, much less live in the same apartment complex. The characters were a little too stereotyped for my taste. I found Theo's backstory to be much too unbelievable as well. However, it was a charming story featuring characters with good hearts and a happy ending, Hence, I'd still recommend this book for a feel-good holiday romance read.

Let's talk log cabins...⁠
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I love the look and feel of log cabins. What is it about them that really warms me? No idea... but, when I first saw the cover of Jenny Hale's Christmas at Fireside Cabins, there was no doubt I needed to read it ASAP.⁠
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I easily snuck this one in between my other books as it was such a sweet romance. And, like most holiday romances, all I could envision was the Hallmark channel. Who doesn't love a nice Hallmark Christmas movie?⁠
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When Lila arrives at the resort, it's less than idea, but as the guests get wrapped up with Christmas spirits, the magic deep within appears and the place gets a bit of a makeover. Which is exactly what makes for a good Hallmark movie... Hint, hint @Hallmark...⁠
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As cheesy as it may be, I fell in love with the characters and even though I knew how things would end up, I couldn't stop myself from reading. Well done, Jenny!⁠
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Thank you @Bookouture and @Netgalley for allowing me to read this, be a part of the book tour, and give my opinion!⁠
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#Bookouture #JennyHale #ChristmasatFiresideCabins #ChristmasStory #ChristmasBooks #ChristmasReading #HallmarkMovies #HallmarkChristmas #ReadingAtChristmas #BookRecommendation #BookReview #ReadThis #IsItChristmasYet #CozyReading #FiresideReading #FiresideBooks #LogCabinBooks

Christmas at Fireside Cabins is a wonderful holiday read! I was able to dive right in and seriously could not put the book down until that last page was read. Such a fun and romantic story!

Christmas at Fireside Cabins will get you ready for the holiday season!

Lila Evans is alone at Christmas. With no surviving family, it's a lonely time of year. So Lila and her closest friends take a girl's week and celebrate the season together each year. This year things are getting busy. With relationships and jobs getting in the way, Lila ends up mostly alone at the rented cabin. But her good heart keeps her there helping the owner and herself feel some Christmas cheer.

Lila's eventual love interest Theo is so nasty that it's almost hard to believe. And she keeps coming back for more of it when he dishes it out, it's a little toxic. But she melts his heart and with some VERY unexpected turns, Christmas at Fireside Cabins will work it's way into your heart.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved grumpy hero Theo, liked his banter and chemistry with Lila, but she herself was a bit hard to take sometimes. She’s sweet but pushy, noses but well meaning. It sounds mean to say out loud, but she’s a bit like a dog...willing to please and looking for love. I felt bad for her through much of the story, but didn’t connect with her enough to truly like her, rather than just pity her.
The mystery surrounding Theo took some weird and rambling twists and turns. It got messy and unnecessarily complicated, to my way of thinking. So while the storyline itself was good, it came off as a while a little to Hallmark movie-like for me, who is not a fan of that channel. Still, a nice Christmas romance for those who like it sweet.

This was just a great book. The first book from this author, but I just loved it.
I love Christmas and this book made count down days until Christmas. 3.5 stars.

A truly magical Christmas book about the bonds of friendship, following your heart and finally finding where you belong. Absolutely loved it!

First, I want to thank Jenny Hale, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review!

WOW!! Christmas at Fireside Cabins is Jenny Hale’s best book that I have read from her! She is an incredible writer that touches your heart and soul with her incredible storylines. This story will put a smile on your face and love in your heart.

Instantly, the picturesque cover of this book captured my attention. It reminded me of a beautiful Christmas card. Kudos to the amazing graphics department for creating such a great cover!

Jenny does a phenomenal job at putting something for everyone into Christmas at Fireside Cabins. For example the strong bonds of friendships between the girls, the Christmas traditions, the budding romance,the heartache, and even some mystery thrown into the story.

You could tell that Jenny had a soft spot and was very passionate about the characters and storylines she wrote about. I even found myself in the girls featured in the story. This aspect made me more engaged in the story more so

My heart melted between the relationship of Rex and Theodore! How could you not just love that little kid.

I totally fell in love with both Theo and Lila and their incredible storyline. What they had was incredibly special.

Christmas at Fireside Cabins is another book of Jenny Hale’s that must be made into a Hallmark Movie.

I have to say that I don’t normally do Christmas books but I was completely tempted by the cover of this one. The inside didn’t let me down. This was the best kind of escapism and has me counting down the days until Christmas. My first book from this author but it won’t be my last!

This is a cute Christmas romance that has an incredibly wintry and scenic setting, a fun and unique cast of characters, and the happy ever after that everyone likes at this time of year. The well-meaning heroine is singleminded in her mission to help those around here, and can come across as pushy at times, but it's a great story of love, family, and finding one's place in the world.

3.5 Stars Rounded

Lily had arrived in Nashville three years ago with her musician boyfriend, little money and dreams for more. But the boyfriend is gone, even though Lily managed to find a job and an apartment, that included her building her own family group to replace the one she’d always longed for. Now the four friends are starting to move on and their dynamic is changing and expecting this to be their last ‘big Christmas trip’, they’ve booked a cabin in the Tennessee mountains to celebrate the holidays.

I adored the friendships here, and the support each of the women displayed for one another. Lily’s story is truly heart wrenching, and while this often made her a bit of a co-dependent doormat in her desire to ‘fix things’, her relationship with Theo and her own good heart saved her from the stamp on her forehead. With an elderly proprietor in Eleanor, a less than ‘as promised’ set of amenities, and the coffee shop with the curmudgeonly Theo in charge, with his disdain for all things red and green – the story has plenty of moments of conflict, cheer and unexpected ‘hope bringing’.

Jenny Hale manages to (every time) create characters that are flawed yet intriguing, and this story is no exception. Yes, there were issues that resolved a bit too neatly and quickly for real life, but the heart of the story is the magic of Christmas and the spirit of goodwill to all – and that is contained here in spades. Everyone finds something they need and want in the story – and perhaps even bits and pieces they hadn’t yet discovered – but for a holiday, quick read, leave a smile on your face read – this is it.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aOZ /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This was a an enjoyable book with a sweet story. Lila is mostly alone and traditionally spends the holidays with a few friends each year. This year, they opt to rent out a snug cabin in the TN hills. Things do not turn out as planned at all from the moment they arrive. For Lila, this includes meeting a grunting barista who seems annoyed every time she is around. Theo is a grouch and a mystery to most of the town but Lila opts to push and find the good in him.

Christmas at Fireside Cabins is a quick holiday read that gives you all those warm feelings and the HEA that you particularly want during this time of year. Theo had some backstory that was just too far on the side of unbelievable for me but he was likable as was the cast of characters surrounding him and Lila. I loved the small town feel as well as the setting in TN. I think if you are willing to overlook some of the hero's story for the pleasure of reading a fun, sweet holiday romance than this book is for you. It is well written and a book that will have me looking for more from Hale in the future.

Christmas at Fireside Cabins - Jenny Hale

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to BookOuture and Netgalley.

Lila Evans doesn’t have any family to spend the holidays with. To make up for this, Lila usually takes a weeks vacation with her friends; Charlotte, Piper and Edie. This year they are going to spend a week at the Fireside Cabins in the Tennessee hills.

Lila truly believes in the Christmas spirit of helping others, and when she realises that Eileen is struggling to run Fireside Cabins, Lila is prepared to do all that she can to help.

This novel is full of Christmas spirit and is a fun and cosy festive read, just perfect to read on an evening in front of a roaring fire.

This is the first time I have read anything by Jenny Hale, but I have more on my shelf that I am now looking forward to reading.

Rating: 4/5
A lovely festive read for the upcoming festive season

Release Date - 14th October 2020

This was a feel good festive read. Some twists and turns throughout but you get the happy ending which you hope for. The characters were great and the setting sounded so nice. I wish we had Christmas things like that in the uk.