Member Reviews
When her beloved grandmother passes away, Mia Broadhurst returns to the snow-covered seaside village of Winsted Cape, where Grandma Ruth ran the lighthouse overlooking the golden beach.
This will be Mia’s first Christmas without her, and she can’t bear to part with the lighthouse that has been in their family for generations.
She works in NY and has a busy career but her marriage seems to be ending.
Mia works with real estate agent Will Thacker. As they restore the historical building, she tries not notice how handsome he is. There is an attraction there but she knows she is returning back to NY and he says he is leaving soon himself.
A note is found and it has a mysterious notation on it. Mia wants to find out the answers but will it help them save the lighthouse?
This is like a Hallmark Christmas movie mixed in with a little mystery and I enjoyed it very much.
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the book to review.
Mia’s life is in New York City working at a PR firm with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Milo. After the death of her grandmother, Mia returns to Winsted Cape to help her mother and sister get their beloved family lighthouse ready for sale.
Milo calls to remind her that she hadn’t booked the venue for their annual Christmas celebration. When she is unable to find another location on such short notice, she decides to hold the celebration at the lighthouse. Their real estate agent, Will Thacker, offers to help Mia restore the building for the party and the sale of the property. There’s an attraction between the two, but Will has issues of his own to resolve and Mia needs to return to NYC after the sale.
Along the way, family secrets are discovered that could derail all their plans for the party, the sale, and their futures. Milo also seems to want a reconciliation. Can everyone work together to come to an agreeable solution? Do Mia and Will have a future together? This is a heartwarming holiday story with a HEA.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion.
A Lighthouse Christmas - Jenny Hale
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily
When her beloved grandmother passes away, Mia Broadhurst returns to the snow-covered seaside village of Winsted Cape, where Grandma Ruth ran the lighthouse overlooking the golden beach.
This will be Mia’s first Christmas without her, and she can’t bear to part with the lighthouse that has been in their family for generations. As she steps into it, childhood memories rush back to her. She can almost hear them playing tag on the steps… But her life is back in New York, dedicated to a busy PR firm, and she has no choice but to sell.
Jenny Hale has done it again with this lovely story. This is a warm novel about family and relationships. I read this in one sitting as it is a magical read from start to finish.
This is truly everything you need for a festive read; a cosy story complete with snow and very relatable characters.
Rating 4/5
Mia goes home close to Christmas to get her Grandmother's Light House ready to sell. Her Mom is not ready to go there but Mia and Riley take on the job of starting to sort through things. In the meantime Mia has a divorce from Milo, her husband of 5 years plus getting the Christmas party ready for the company her husband owns and where she works... The seller is Will .Thacker.. This book is a VERY GOOD READ. As to not spoil it .Does anything happen between Mia and Will. See what she does for the Christmas Party and this book definitely had a surprise ending for me.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
So now, I have officially started reading Christmas books and this is the first Christmas book I have read in this year. After reading Beach House by the same author, I was excited to read more of her books and so glad I got an opportunity to read this one.
Plot:- Mia returns back to her childhood place, a lighthouse, owned by her grandmother Ruth. Mia is facing a bit of trouble in her own marriage and her grandmother had passed away recently and so this would be the first Christmas without her grandmother. As Mia is busy with her lifestyle in New York, she has no choice but to sell the lighthouse. While preparing to sell over the lighthouse, she meets handsome Will, a real estate agent and tries hard not to get her feelings towards this handsome man on her way. And while going through her grandmother's stuff, she discovers some pictures and then finds a deep secret that her grandmother had been hiding--and Mia's life as well as her mother's and sister's will change forever.
Writing:- The story is truly engaging, giving the reader a sense of Christmas, when you read through this book. Even though the Christmas is two more months away, I feel like celebrating Christmas with the characters. Also the writing was really good that I was really into the story, feeling like I was a part of the story. I do like the warm relationship between Mia, Riley and their mother and the budding growing romance with Mia and Will. The description of Christmas baked goods made my mouth water that I started literally crave for them! Though the ending was predictable with many romance novels, I truly enjoyed reading this book.
Characters:- Maybe except for Mia's ex husband, Milo, all the characters in this story are likable.
Overall:- If you want to feel a warm sense of Christmas, this book will be one for you! Worth four and a half stars!
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
CW: death of a loved one
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Mia's grandmother has died, and Mia has returned home to help her family sell the house and lighthouse that has been in her family for generations. The realtor has offered to help get the place ready, which means they'll be spending a bit more time together. They definitely won't fall in love...
Warm and fuzzy and emotional, even if a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. There was a twist I didn't expect, but I'm still happy with how it turned out. It definitely helped me to mentally fast forward to the holiday season!
A Lighthouse Christmas is the first book I remember reading by Jenny Hale. The title and description drew me into wanting to read this story. If like Mia you have lost a much loved grandmother you would quickly sympathize with her. I found it heartwarming, the sadness gives over to hope and a longtime secret. A Lighthouse Christmas is a realistic, feel good story that is more women’s fiction than romance.
Well written with a plot that moved smoothly, not too fast but not too slow either. The characters especially Mia and Will come to life on the page so it is easy to like them. Even Grandma Ruth is more than just the deceased grandmother but a character that you come to know through the eyes of her family. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and loved the lighthouse with its history.
An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A lighthouse Christmas by Jenny Hale.
When her beloved grandmother passes away, Mia Broadhurst returns to the snow-covered seaside village of Winsted Cape, where Grandma Ruth ran the lighthouse overlooking the golden beach.
This will be Mia’s first Christmas without her, and she can’t bear to part with the lighthouse that has been in their family for generations. As she steps into it, childhood memories rush back to her. She can almost hear them playing tag on the steps… But her life is back in New York, dedicated to a busy PR firm, and she has no choice but to sell.
This was a lovely feel good read. I read in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. I loved the cover. 5*.
Bookouture thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas story!
Jenny Hale does the damn thing again!
I just love her! And her writing.... It can whisk me away and have me in a snowy scenery within minutes.
A Lighthouse Christmas by Jenny Hale is a fabulous, heart warming story.
Mia has to go back to Winstead Cape suddenly when her Grandmother Ruth passes away.
Her grandma ran a historic lighthouse which has been in her family for many generations.
Sadly this is Mia's first Christmas without her loving grandma. She can't even think of parting with this gorgeous lighthouse that over looks the beautiful sea side.
When she steps inside all these memories and feelings come rushing back.
One thing is holding her back.... New York!
Where is is a busy PR. Which leaves her with the choice to sell it!
Now she gets together with a real estate agent Will.
They start fixing the historical lighthouse up for it to sell.
Mia starts taking longer looks at this handsome agent.....
But she can't start falling for him now.
She is only back for Christmas.
Later Mia finds a photo in her grandmother's belongings with something written on it!
Could this message hold the key to a secret that has been hidden for many many decades?
It could possibly change everything!
Jenny Hale is one of those select, few, highly talented authors who writes emotive, enthralling romantic reads that I just cannot resist because I know I will thoroughly enjoy escaping into them.
Hale can whisk me away and into a story with her phenomenal writing!
The story has believable characters.
All of the books I’ve read of hers leave me with a smile on my face.
A beautiful story which strung my heart!
Thank you again for the chance to read yet another book by her! She is always a go to for me!
An amazing story with some very strong and well written characters. I loved Mia and her family. Something about their struggles, with the family revelations towards the end of the book, and money and work issues throughout, felt real and different to other similar books. Not everything was easy for them, and it made you will them on to happy endings and to work everything out. There isn’t a lot I can say without giving plot lines away, about them finding Hope. But, this was an amazing twist I didn’t see coming and kept me hooked until the end.
Grief stricken from her Grandmother Ruth’s death, Mia returns to her childhood home Winstead Cape to reluctantly prepare the lighthouse her grandmother managed for sale. While going through Grandma Ruth’s things Mia, her mother and her sister discover a secret that changes everything. Will it be too late to save the lighthouse which has been in the family for many generations?
This novel read just like a Hallmark Christmas movie, evoking cozy feelings of Nostalgia, while also including a mystery, family drama, romance, and of course plenty of Christmas cookies. The closeness of the Carter women and their relationship really shined. Seeing how close Mia was with her Mother and Sister made me long for my family who I now haven’t seen for over two years due to the Corona situation.
I also enjoyed Mia’s journey of self discovery as she was torn between staying in Winstead Cape, or returning to her life in NYC. The romance between Mia and Will also developed at a natural pace and I was happy to see Mia get her happy ending and feel more confident about what she wanted in life.
This was the perfect novel to read on a cozy evening with Christmas music playing in the background and a glass of festive wine (this is how i enjoyed it). The story is somewhat predictable but it provides all of the Christmas Magic and Nostalgia that anyone could need to enjoy the holiday season.
4.5 / 5 Stars
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for proving me with an ARC.
A Lighthouse Christmas is a feel good Christmas tale of a family coming together with some second chances thrown in. Mia, her mother, and her sister are together to go through Grandma Ruth's things. With a debt hanging over their heads, the women accept the fact the family's lighthouse will have to be sold. Each woman has her own struggles but the story focuses on Mia's impending divorce and the new friend she makes in the local realtor. Heart warming circumstances work out for the women in a way that leaves you longing for family and Christmas time. A Lighthouse Christmas is a pick me up story that leaves you wanting more. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
EXCERPT: A tiny gasp from across the room pricked Mia's consciousness, but her eyes felt as though they were cemented shut so she couldn't view the source. She took in a long steady breath, the faint spice of it calming, the sounds around her becoming clear. The coastal wind howled outside, rattling the latch on the screen door of the lighthouse the way it always had, and her mother's faint whisper floated over her, too quiet to decipher. She wriggled comfortably, only then feeling a foreign hand under her own. Trying to swallow, she was aware of her dry mouth.
The end of the evening came back to her in snippets - talking with Will on the sofa, him making her giggle with a little joke about the snow angels despite the fact that she could hardly keep her eyes open, and then laying her head back on the sofa just to rest for a second . . . Oh, no. She'd asked Will to the Christmas party. Thank goodness he'd declined. What had she been thinking? All she needed was to have to try to balance entertaining Will with being a fake wife to Milo for everyone's benefit. And right now she was -
Her eyes flew open and she froze. Will's relaxed lips breathing quietly against her, as he slept. She was suddenly aware of the gentle rise and fall of his breathing, his hand on his chest, her fingers over his. It was intoxicating while simultaneously mortifying.
Carefully she engaged her core muscles and kept them tight to lift herself up and away from his body without having to push off of him. Their legs were intertwined, so she put a hand on the back of the sofa to steady the first leg as she hoisted it off him, planting one foot on the floor. With one leg to go, she hovered over him and his eyes flicked open, meeting hers. The lips that had been slack with sleep turned upward just slightly as he took her in.
'Morning,' he said.
Riley coughed conspicuously from the kitchen, and Mia knew they were probably being watched. Will heard it too and his smile spread wider.
But while Mia grinned back, internally she was scolding herself for letting this happen. She'd just spent the night draped across the real estate agent. Have mercy.
ABOUT 'A LIGHTHOUSE CHRISTMAS': When her beloved grandmother passes away, Mia Broadhurst returns to the snow-covered seaside village of Winsted Cape, where Grandma Ruth ran the lighthouse overlooking the golden beach.
This will be Mia’s first Christmas without her, and she can’t bear to part with the lighthouse that has been in their family for generations. As she steps into it, childhood memories rush back to her. She can almost hear them playing tag on the steps… But her life is back in New York, dedicated to a busy PR firm, and she has no choice but to sell.
With the snow falling, turning the grounds into a winter wonderland, Mia works with real estate agent Will Thacker. As they restore the historical building, she tries not notice how handsome he is. After all, she’s only home for Christmas… And Will’s deep blue eyes, as stormy as the Atlantic Ocean, tells her he has his own heartbreak to contend with.
Warmed by a crackling fire, Mia packs up Grandma Ruth’s belongings with the help of her mother and sister. But waiting for them is a black-and-white photograph with a faded inscription. The mysterious message is the key to a family secret that has been hidden for decades––one that changes everything.
When Mia finds out the truth, will it save the precious lighthouse and show Mia where her heart belongs? Or will it tear her from Winsted Cape––and Will––for ever?
MY THOUGHTS: I was so excited to finally be approved for an ARC of a Jenny Hale book, and every atom of that excitement was justified. There is a little bit of everything in A Lighthouse Christmas - family drama, mystery, romance.
It's pretty clear from the outset just where the author is taking us, but the journey to get there is fun and heartwarming. There are plenty of complications along the way to keep the reader interested, but I am not going to give any of those away.
The setting is beautiful - a windswept lighthouse and winter snow. The characters are so well depicted that I felt I could just walk right into their lives with them. Three heartbroken women mourning the loss of a much loved mother and grandmother, one of the women also facing the demise of her marriage. One handsome real estate agent, also in mourning. His sister, owner of the failing local bakery, and her gorgeous little son, Felix. I just wanted to hug all these characters. But of course, there must always be a fly in the ointment, and that is where our mystery characters come in. They turn the whole situation upside down and disrupt all the carefully laid plans.
The descriptions of the Christmas decorations were magical and inspirational. I would love to have seen the barn in its full glory. And the food . . . I just had to make a batch of snickerdoodles to nibble on while I read. Jenny Hale, if my work trousers don't fit tomorrow, I'm blaming you!
A Lighthouse Christmas is a delightful and enjoyable read. Jenny Hale is on my 'read everything by this author that I can find' list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#ALighthouseChristmas #NetGalley
I: @jhaleauthor @bookouture
T: @jhaleauthor @Bookouture
#christmasread #contemporaryfiction #familydrama #mystery #romance
THE AUTHOR: Jenny Hale is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award Winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies. Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Lighthouse Christmas by Jenny Hale for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage
My love for Christmas novels made me read this,and I loved it
It's true it's nothing absolutely new or different from the typical seasonal charm romances but I loved the vibe,the colours,the characters.
Made me dive in and enjoy an easy read dreaming of the upcoming Christmas.
I give this one a 3.75 ⭐️. It was a lovely, yet typical, Christmas book that resembled a Hallmark movie plot. I happen to love Hallmark movies so that isn’t a problem to me. It’s the story of a small town, family and friends coming together to save what is most important to them. It was a quick read with lots of holiday charm. The reason for only 3.75 ⭐️ is because I personally didn’t really love the leading character. She kind of annoyed me. And I thought the revelation at the end was a bummer. I didn’t like how certain family members behaved and everyone just gave in. I can’t give too many details or else it will reveal too much. I’m still glad I read this book. It was enjoyable and put me in a holiday mood.
Thank you Bookouture for the ARC!
As soon as I locked eyes on “A Lighthouse Christmas” online, I was hooked. Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday, and the beach is one of my favorite places to be at! I instantly connected, not even having read the synopsis. When I read it, I just knew it was the perfect read for me, and that it should totally be on Netflix already!
I was absolutely right! A book about reconnecting with yourself and finding your place, “A Lighthouse Christmas” delivers perfect slow burn romance and holiday cozy-ness! Sometimes you have to let go and say goodbye before opening up to something wonderful, and Jenny Hale beautifully built Mia’s introspective journey! You can practically taste cinnamon rolls and lattes when you pick up this book — its descriptions are incredibly vivid and comforting!
Be sure to pick up this heartwarming novel over the holidays — it’s the perfect Christmas read!
“A Lighthouse Christmas” is out tomorrow (October 14th)! Thank you NetGalley and BookOuture for this arc — this is my honest review!
Ms. Jenny Hale, you have a new fan!
A Lighthouse Christmas is a delightful story about a family trying to have the best Holiday season possible, while reliving the memories from their recently passed Grandmother. The Carter sisters and their mother are having to sell the lighthouse that has been in the family for decades. The older sister, Mia, is also juggling plans for the massive corporate Christmas party. And of course, there is a sub-story of girl meets boy while trying to find her true purpose in life. It's amazing!
So far, two of Jenny Hale's books have been made in to Hallmark Christmas movies...and there's no secret as to why. Like the other two, A Lighthouse Christmas is a lighthearted joy to read. Although a little predictable, I still found myself smiling as the images of the lighthouse being decorated for Christmas came to fruition. A romantic at heart, the friendship between Mia and Will was also so very charming.
If you love a feel-good romance, with elements of Christmas, this is the perfect book for you. I am hoping this one especially turns into a Hallmark movie, because it would fit the bill perfectly!
Mia’s grandmother has died, and left her home to Mia, her mother, and sister to take care of. The home is actually a working historic lighthouse, which they find is mortgaged to the hilt, so the family is reluctantly preparing for its sale. The family is hoping to have one last family Christmas at the lighthouse, and working with a realtor to make improvements. There is a bit of a mystery involved when they find some pictures and notes from Grandma Ruth’s past.
I was a bit disappointed by the ending, how little time was spent exploring that portion of the story, and it just fell a little flat for me at the end.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a cute- heartwarming story! Its another perfect Christmas book to add to anyone's list! Loved the family drama on both sides, family mystery, a lighthouse,Christmas cheer, bakery, cute little kid, hot real estate agent, and that HEA! I couldn't put this one down as I needed to the not only HEA but the little mystery I knew was coming. The flow/plot was perfect! So cute!
5 Christmas stars
1 steam
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book!
Great book and author. If you haven't read this book yet I highly recommend doing so. Can't wait for more books