The Christmas Hummingbird (Miramar Bay #7) by Davis Bunn
Narrated by Graham Winton
Publisher: RB Media – Recorded Books
Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction
Published: October 25, 2022

The Christmas Hummingbird is the seventh book in the Miramar Bay series by Davis Bunn. I have not read the previous books in the series but was able to enjoy this as a standalone book.

I thought this book was so unique. I don’t think I’ve read a lot of books with a similar feel. I enjoyed this sweet story and though it was very heartwarming.

I enjoyed the narration by Graham Winton. I thought it was wonderful!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was slow and I hate to say it, boring. I was expecting a feel good Hallmark(ish) book with a Christmas setting. That's not what it is. I feel hoodwinked!

Unfortunately I can't give complete feedback on this audio book. I've tried listening several times and I just can't connect with the narrator. As a fan of Nicholas Sparks and Karen Kingsbury, I really wanted to enjoy this book. Perhaps I will pick up the kindle version and try reading it rather than listening to it.

Title: The Hummingbird Christmas
Author: Davis Bunn
Narrated by: Graham Winton
Publisher: Recorded Books
Length: Approximately 5 hours and 24 minutes
Source: Review Copy from NetGalley. Thank-you!

Do you like rescue animals? Do you have anyplace locally that helps out rescue animals? We have a very nice wildlife sanctuary in Green Bay that helps wounded wildlife. On the domestic front, my dog Spot and cats are rescue animals.

In The Hummingbird Christmas, a wildfire is raging across the west coast and small town of Miramar Bay. Ethan Lange loses his home, but is rescued by Ryan Eames, a policewoman and single mother. Ethan becomes deputized to help with the fires and to help with theft that seems to be linked with the fires. As Ethan and Ryan work together, a spark grows between them. Ryan is afraid to trust again, but when Ethan meets her young, gifted son, Liam, she sees that the two have a special bond. Both are artists and Ethan understands Liam in a way that Ryan does not. Liam doesn’t talk much to people, but when Ethan brings Liam a young hummingbird to rescue, Liam is intrigued. Liam is so intrigued that he gets their small town on board with putting out feeders for all of the birds that are smoked out by the fire. Will Ethan and Ryan end up together and will the mystery of the thefts be solved?

I really liked the characters in this novel. I really liked the relationship between Ethan and Liam and how Liam was able to find his purpose and open up. I like that Ryan was able to move forward thinking about having a second chance at love. Their relationship moved forward slowly and seemed real to me. The hummingbird rescue was great and a unique story.

This book takes place at Christmas, but didn’t have much to do at Christmas. It was a unique story for me about the California fires and bird rescue.

I did not realize that this was part of a series while I was listening to it. It is book seven of the Miramar Bay series. It worked well as a standalone novel, but now I do want to go back and read more of this series.

Graham Winton was a good narrator.

The Christmas Hummingbird is a sweet story set in a charming coastal town of Miramar Bay, which has been plagued by wildfires. Ethan Lange recently lost everything after being rescued by policewoman Ryan Eames. He uses his loss to fuel his dedication to preventing others from losing their treasures, while also rescuing hummingbirds being displaced by the fires. Ethan develops a touching relationship with Ryan’s son in the process. While this story is set at Christmas time, it isn’t just for holiday reading. It is a touching story of seeing someone for who they are and valuing them for it.

This was a lovely story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I listened to the audiobook and really liked the narrator. He created a great sense of atmosphere and tension. I loved the storyline as it was very interesting this made it very hard to put down. I like the way that it had an autistic character. It was heartwarming to see how he was brought out of his shell and was able to communicate better. I loved the characters they were easy to like and felt realistic. I definitely became emotionally involved in this story. There was plenty of excitement with some unexpected twists. I definitely recommend reading this book especially if you enjoy reading crime or thriller books.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating a very interesting storyline that had me frantically turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-christmas-hummingbird-by-davis-bunn-rb-media-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Thank you to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a chance to read and review this book. I found out it was book 7 in the series and I have not read the other books but I feel this can be a stand alone. It is set in Miramar Bay right around Christmas time, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a Christmas story. I did not connect well with the main characters and found some of the story may be to unrealistic.

The Christmas Hummingbird by Davis Bunn is a sweet Christmas story that shows you how create family in the midst of chaos. Ryan is a single mom and police officer. Ethan is a banker and artist. Both have been hurt in the past. When a fire threatens their small community, they band together to protect the residences and the animals. In the process, they find something they didn’t know they were needing: each other.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. Thanks for the opportunity netgalley and the publishers.

The Christmas Hummingbird is an interesting and enjoyable story. It is set in Miramar Bay right around Christmas time, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a Christmas story. Ryan Eames is the chief of police in the small coastal tone and a single mother to her lonely, uniquely gifted eleven year old son. She is stretched thin by double shifts and grappling with an out-of-season coastal wildfire, along with a series of thefts in the vacation homes in the fire area. When it appears the fire was intentionally set to be able to carry out the heists, Ryan is convinced to deputize Ethan Lange. Ethan was burnt out in the fires and he is now starting over. He is an artist, works at a bank and is quite good at following clues and coming up with plans. Ryan feels some kind of connection to Ethan, who she invites to dinner and miraculously, watched Liam and Ethan connect in a way that she has not seen before. When Ethan finds a hummingbird who is sick and possibly dying from smoke inhalation, he rescues it and teaches Liam, Ryan and others how to care for it. This leads to Liam coming up with a plan to save the hummingbirds and it pulls the whole town together. With other animals to be saved, more robberies occurring, the fire spreading and Ryan, Liam and Ethan developing relationships, this is a beautiful story.

I really enjoyed this story set at Christmas, that uses the magic of Christmas to solve a mystery, catch some bad guys, save some animals and bring a bullied little boy into his own and become part of the community. I really liked all the characters in this story, especially Liam and Ethan. Their relationship was wonderful and I loved watching Liam blossom. Ryan is a wonderful mother and police officer, but I'm not sure how the decision to hire Ethan actually came about. "The Christmas Hummingbird" is a story about healing and second chances, as well as how anyone can step up to help save the environment or those that live in our world. It looks like this might become a series and I will definitely read or listen to the next one in the series, if that happens. The audiobook is narrated by Graham Winton, who is a good choice as the book is told from Ethan's POV. I have listened to other books he has narrated and enjoyed them as well. I recommend this one in either format if you enjoy romance, stories of family, mystery and crime.

Cast of Characters
Ryan: single mother and policewoman
Liam: Ryan's son
Ethan: Survivor of housefire
Trevor: rescued hummingbird

With coastal wildfires demanding long hours at work, Ryan is feeling the strain. One of the people she helped evacuate was Ethan who has been well acquainted with starting over. Ethan in turn rescues a hummingbird displaced by the wildfires. As Ethan slowly helps the bird recover and includes Liam in that process, Ethan builds a special connection with the boy and recognizes the special gifts within Liam. Can these three lonely people build a lifelong connection?

The Christmas Hummingbird is part mystery and part romance. Readers learn some interesting things about wildfires and animal rescue in the process. And in the background is a fun thread of a project that Ethan is working on. A project that Liam becomes instrumental in helping with. A fun holiday read--especially if you can curl up by the fire with a hot beverage! Or bring the audiobook along on your winter travels for a sweet holiday treat.

Disclaimer: I received a digital audiobook of The Christmas Hummingbird from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

When I saw the title 'The Christmas Hummingbird' I knew I had to start reading this book right away. Hummingbirds rarely ever make it into a book title, as there are so many other animals that usually get that status. I like to root for the little ones like hummingbirds!

Honestly, the first few chapters didn't reel me in like I wanted to be. The wildfire added an interesting element to the plot; actually it added a ruggedness to an otherwise kind-of-cozy type story. The wildfire brings in other things in the story, involving the police force investigations and cooperation with the fire department.

After I was introduced to the main characters, Ethan (banker and artist) and Ryan (policewoman), I started to become more interested in seeing what would happen, and how a Christmas hummingbird would come into play (which I inevitably enjoyed).

All in all, it's a lovely story. I believe it belongs in a Davis Bunn series, but I found that it read great as a standalone novel.

Audiobook listeners: The audio version is narrated well. Suits the tone of the book.

Ethan Lange is forced to start over when a wildfire in Miramar Bay took everything just days before Christmas. Ryan Eames is a policewoman, divorcee, and mom to a gifted eleven-year-old artist, Liam. Liam hardly speaks but he warms up to Ethan over hummingbirds and art. Meanwhile, Ryan seeks assistance from Ethan over burglaries after the fire.

"The Christmas Hummingbird" is a story about healing and second chance. A heartwarming story with likable characters. I was expecting a bit more festive vibe and strong emotions but didn't quite get that. The hummingbird was the best part for me.

Graham Winton did a fine job with the narration.

Ryan Eames is a single mother and police officer in Miramar Bay, California, dealing with an out of season coastal fire. One night, she wakes Ethan Lange, and he manages to escape his house just before the wildfires claim it. When Ethan is deputized to help out with the wildfires, he and Ryan grow close, especially as Ethan draws her son out of his shell.

Graham Winton did a marvelous job narrating the audiobook. Despite the title, I do not think this was really a Christmas book, just a story that happened to take place in December. I liked learning about the hummingbirds, though. I could see this book being turned into a Hallmark movie. The story was sweet, but I never quite connected with the characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Ethan Lange meets policewoman Ryan Eames when she rescues him just before a wildfire swallows his home. In a very sweet story, they, and her gifted 11-year old son Liam, form an unlikely trio. Ethan and Liam start a town-wide rescue operation to save the hummingbirds that live in the canyons and are threatened by the wildfires. Soon there are hummingbird feeders all over the place, and Ryan and her son actually end up 'fostering' one. Then there are the thieves who are taking advantage of non-resident homeowners, and Ethan comes up with a scheme to thwart them. There's plenty more, but not a whole lot about Christmas, except the time of the year.

I listened to this story and enjoyed the narrator, he managed to let you know -- most of the time -- just who was talking, and there were other characters as well.

Thank you ,NetGalley, for the ARC of the audiobook, and also for the help in restoring my copy when an app update made it disappear when I was less than 10% fromo the end!

In a Nutshell: A contemporary romance cum drama cum mystery. (!?!?) Contains diabetes-inducing levels of sweetness. I might have loved it two decades ago. Right now, I am too pessimistic to accept this plot with ease.

Story Synopsis:
Ethan Lange has recently lost his house and everything he owns to a forest fire. The only reason he escaped alive is that police officer Ryan Eames reached his house before the blaze did. Ryan and Ethan bond over shared trauma of the past and also over Ryan’s young son Liam, who is an artist just as Ethan is in his part time. The trio come closer when they end up planning an animal rescue operation. All this while still dealing with the fires. And also a mystery about the cause of the fires.
(I am not too happy with my story synopsis this time, but the plot is such that it goes all over the place!)

Where the book worked for me:
🔥 I’ve never read a story with hummingbirds in a prominent role. The animal lover in me was mighty pleased with everything related to animals, but especially the hummingbirds.
🔥 I was aware of the frequent forest fires in California, but just to what extent they cause damage and how untethered they are in reality was revealed to me through this story. This is the first time ever I read a fictional novel on this natural disaster, and it was an enlightening and sobering experience to see how life is lived with a raging fire in the background.
🔥 Whenever a male author writes a female character without focussing on her generous anatomical attributes, it deserves a plus point. The writing doesn’t focus on the physical appeal of the characters at all while still giving us enough information to picture them in our minds.
🔥 As a second-chance romance, the book proceeds well. There is no instant attraction between Ryan and Ethan, but a connection that grows from acquaintance level and progresses slowly. I liked this mature portrayal of their relationship.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
💥 It is set around Christmas but the story does use the festive season at all, except if you consider the feel-good elements as part of the holiday spirit. The title made me expect a lot more of Christmassy content.
💥 Many situations are highly exaggerated and unrealistic. Ethan is supposed to be the Vice-President at a bank, while also dabbling as a set designer and a voluntary firefighter. Regardless, he still finds spare time to spend whole days with Ryan and her son Liam. Ryan seems to use the police vehicle for her personal reasons quite often. Also, why would she refer her ex as “my ex” even when she is musing alone?
💥 Related to the above but deserving of a separate point: While the relationship between Ethan and Ryan grows slowly, the connection between Ethan and Liam accelerates from zero to hundred in no time. It feels weird how Ryan has no issues with a stranger getting so close to her only son in hardly any time and spending so much time alone with him. I might have oohed and aahed at this behaviour in my early twenties, but as a mom, I just felt creeped out.
💥 The main characters are too perfect and goody-goody. Even Christmas stories need a Scrooge or a Grinch to be truly memorable.
💥 There are too many elements packed into this little 200 page novel: natural disaster, romance, drama, mystery, parenting struggles,… It handles the content decently but the plot feels directionless because of the kitchen sink approach.
💥 There are way too many conversations in the book! Luckily, the audiobook narrator was great, so understanding the flow wasn’t tricky.
💥 Okay, no offence to any woman with the name ‘Ryan’, but I have heard only of men named ‘Ryan’. It was very tough for my brain to remember that Ryan was a woman. This might sound like a silly point, but I kept confusing myself while listening because of this new-to-me nomenclature.

The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at about five and a half hours, is narrated by Graham Winton. He does a nice job, voicing the characters individually. I appreciate him not using a whiny or nasal tone to voice the female characters. If you want to read this, the audiobook is a good bet.

This book is supposedly part of the Miramar series. Though I haven’t read the rest, I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything jumping straight to this title.

Overall, it was a good enough story, but it didn’t go the way I had expected. Ambitious in its plot, scattered in its flow, and too perfect in its characters. The lack of Christmassy feels didn’t help. But if you want to read a story that will teach you about forest fires and hummingbirds, this is a nice enough option.

2.5 stars, rounding up for the audio and for the hummingbirds.

My thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Christmas Hummingbird”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

This is a fairly short (around 280 pages give or take) Christmas tale. It’s unique in a lot of ways but at the core is something more relatable and touching.
Ryan Eames is a single mother and a policewoman. Heryoung son is very lonely and very gifted. Ryan is dealing with an extremely full workload, having to work double shifts, due to a bunch of out of season wildfires. She is really having a hard time mustering up some good old Christmas cheer. Then one day a stranger comes into her life and everything begins to change.
Ethan Lang is only alive because Ryan saved him from a fire when his home in the canyon was ablaze. Now, with Christmas only a few days away Ethan finds that he has lost everything in the fire. He is not only dealing with the fire but also a very painful past. This isn’t the first time in his life he’s had to start all over. The only difference now,to him, is that he has Miramar Bay.
When Ryan and Ethan find themselves united by a very serious cause, an animal rescue for those unfortunate animals that the fires impact, they find themselves being drawn together in another way starting with Ryan’s son. Now, Christmas in Miramar Bay is looking to become one that will change everything for a lot of people.
I know I ended that strangely but I don’t want to tell you the whole story. It’s a touching story that is a bit different. It won’t take you long to get through so it’s definitely worth checking out so you can see what you think of it for yourself.
If you like audiobooks, this one is quite good. Once you get used to the narrator's voice the story just sort of flows quickly and easily. It’s good.
Thank you to NetGalley and those responsible for the book for the review copy!

Narrated by Graham Winton ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Davis Bunn
⭐⭐⭐
This was a very short and sweet story.
The characters were likeable, some times a little unrealistic with their absolute niceness, but if your looking for a drama free easily reading this book is definitely it.

The Christmas Hummingbird is a very different sort of Christmas book. The story takes place around the holiday season but is not your typical Christmasy romance novel. Instead, what we have is a sweet, heartwarming and inspiring story about bonds created between people and animals and helping them start afresh with kindness and compassion.  A clean, lovely, emotional and feel good book.

I listened to the audiobook. The pace is slow moving but it suits the story and overall I had a pleasing time listening to it. I also got to know a bit more about hummingbirds!

My thanks to NetGalley, the audiobook publisher RB Media/Recorded Books and the author Davis Bunn for the audio Arc of the book.

The cover is what grabbed my attention and the story didn’t disappoint. The main characters-Ryan and Ethan- are strong characters that you can believe in. While the fire is a huge part of the book, they find a way to continue to help their neighbors including animals.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. Everything is my own thoughts opinions and feelings.
This was a cute book. A man lives in a small town. Theres wild fires raging in his community. He ends up losing everything to the fire. One of the police officers that comes to warn him to get out now happens to be a single mom who he falls for. Well as all good stories go they need a hero. The police and fire are looking for a volunteer to help with what seems to be the fires are actually arson. So he is teamed up with the amazing police woman. He falls for her slowly and he is great with her son. The man and the son end up saving the hummingbird