Celebration at Christmas Cove is a sweet, clean, and charming story set on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. When Celeste Bell gets stranded there while trying to get to a writing assignment in the Caribbean, the last thing she wants is to get tangled up in the month-long Christmas celebrations with the residents. Nathan White is a single father trying to keep the community center he directs funded and running. While the story is quite predictable, the characters are relatable, realistic, and endearing. Nathan’s daughter, Abbey, and several other secondary characters add charm and fun to the tale. It is well-written and easy to read. I recommend this book to those who enjoy delightful contemporary Christmas stories.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own

Celebration at Christmas Cove by Carrie Jansen is a standalone Holiday novel.

Celeste Bell, our heroine, is flying to the Caribbean for business, even though it is close to Christmas. Celest lost her mother a year ago, and has been a workaholic, keeping herself busy; and not caring to celebrate the holiday. Celeste is a travel writer for a magazine, and since she doesn’t care, she accepts an assignment from her abusive boss, as she hopes for a promotion. Her flight is diverted to a small island in Massachusetts.

Nathan White, our hero, is on his way back home to Sea Spray Island, after failing to get funding for the town’s Community Center. Nathan is a single dad, having lost his wife a few years ago, and has a wonderful teenage daughter, Abigail. Nathan meets Celeste, and though she stubbornly wants to get another flight to the Caribbean, he tries to tell her she is stuck on the island for a day or two. He brings her to his sister’s inn for her to stay until things open up.

Nathan is determined to try to find funding elsewhere, in order to be able to stay on Sea Spray Island, and keep the community running. He felt a connection to Celeste, but at first she was only pushing to leave the island, despite the terrible storms, which was a bit irritating. I loved the many people on the Island, who were fantastic and fun; Carol (Nathan’s sister, who owns the Inn); Abigail (who was terrific and wanted to keep Celeste in town); Patty (the airport attendant, who was a riot); Arthur (also staying at the Inn, who tried to help Celeste fight her abusive boss).

What follows is an entertaining and engaging storyline, with some wonderful characters, and enjoyable Christmas events in the town. At first, I found Celeste annoying, than even Nathan also started to be irritating, so this was a slow burn romance that took a bit longer for the couple to finally come together. Celebration at Christmas Cove was a fun story, very well written by Carrie Jansen. If you enjoy a Christmas feel throughout the book, with cute decorations/events, funny sweaters and cozy socks, then you should read Celebration at Christmas Cove.

Celebration at Christmas Cove by Carrie Jansen is a sweet, holiday romance that has everything a holiday romance should have. A heroine who hates Christmas (check), small-town that goes overboard for Christmas (check), single dad with an adorable child who still believes in the magic of Christmas (check), a town full of quirky characters who are trying to set up the two main characters (check).

Celeste Bell is a travel writer for a prestigious travel magazine and is headed to the Caribbean to cover the festival over Christmas. She volunteered for the assignment because after losing her mother over a year ago, she doesn’t want to spend Christmas at home, as she doesn’t have any other family. But, when her flight is diverted to a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, she can’t wait until she can get off the island and finish her assignment in the Caribbean. But, as mishap after mishap occurs, her stay on the island is extended until after Christmas.

Nathan White, a single dad to Abigale, manages the community center on Sea Spray Island, but funding for the center is running out, and it’s up to Nathan to find funding, or he’ll have to move himself and Abigale off the island to find work. He can’t imagine leaving Sea Spray Island, as it’s the home of his sister and brother-in-law and the perfect place to raise his daughter. Also, he doesn’t want to let down the residents of the island by having the community center close.

This is a sweet romance with everything I wanted in a holiday romance book. I was initially not fond of Celeste but warmed up to her later in the book. The rest of the characters were fun, engaging and a delight to read about. This is certainly a slow burn, clean romance, perhaps it took a bit longer for Celeste and Nathan to get together, but it was worth the wait. The book is easy to read with good pacing and an enjoyable story.

I recommend this book to anyone wanting a sweet, holiday romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My thoughts: this is so sweet, clean romance set in an New England Island community at Christmas. The residents go all out celebrating this Holiday season and have some really fun sounding activities going on. There's even some guests on the island although one might be there under duress. Still the community welcome to them and invites them to join in, forging a relationship with the reader that makes them feel as if they were part of the community as well. The story was slow, but engaging, and I didn't want to put it down. In fact I wanted to continue on and find out more about this community and its residents. If you're looking for a good Christmas read for this holiday season, you will want to read this book. Highly recommended. I was given a copy free and all opinions are my own.

This is a fantastic choice for a holiday read to get you in the Christmas spirit. I read this sweet story of found family in August, and even though it's still really hot outside this book had me reaching for my cozy socks and sweaters because I totally felt like I should be cold and hanging mistletoe.

I liked the pacing. I felt like it moved quickly without feeling frantic. I also liked that there were some funny situations and quirky characters as befits a small town (or small island) setting, but it didn't feel crazy or over-the-top.

The romance is sweet and clean. I would say it's more of a slow-burn on the romance side because there's not a lot of instant attraction or chemistry, but the development of the relationship is satisfying and the ending was believable.