A Christmas story....of two lost souls, down on their luck, and returning home to try and put their lives back together. When Dillon, the male protagonist, sees Olivia, the female protagonist and his first love, it is the first time they have encountered each other since he left her behind. Reuniting is a blessing for them both, but not the ending the reader will expect. Read to find out the twist in the story.

Can you go home again? Can you rekindle that first love? These are the questions we ask in The Christmas Cottage. Dillion returns home after leaving as a teenager. It's not the best of circumstances that he returns home. His hometown has been devastated by a winter storm that does lots of damage to the town and right at Christmas. Olivia has also returned back home. Her circumstances not much better. The join forces to try and bring a little Christmas cheer to the town and maybe even save their town.

3.5 Stars: Dillon Farrow left Miramar when he was seventeen. He built up a successful investment business, until a betrayal by a friend brought it all crashing down. His only choice is to move back to Miramar and live in the family cottage while trying to rebuild his life. Olivia Greer, Dillon's high school sweetheart is recovering from a divorce and heads back to Miramar. She hasn't been home since her mother died and the family cottage has sat empty ever since. She plans to move in and figure out what is next in her life. As they are both returning, a winter flood sweeps away all the roads in town, and they are forced to take refuge in the local jail. This reunion brings back sweet memories, and will change lives for more than one person in Miramar.

This was a sweet story set at Christmas. I have only read one other book in this series and enjoyed it. This was fine to read as a standalone, although it is book #9). The mayor of Miramar is an old friend, and the ex-wife of Dillon's best buddy growing up. They all work together to rebuild Miramar, as well as their lives. This is a slow moving story, and besides being set at Christmas, there isn't a lot of festive activities. This is a story of forgiveness, new beginnings, working together, rebuilding, friendship and some romance. I enjoyed this one, but would have liked more Christmas. As the book is basically told from Dillon's POV, Graham Winton was a perfect choice for the narrator. He does a great job with the voices and story. I enjoyed his performance and know that he added enjoyment to this story.

The Christmas Cottage (audiobook) by Davis Bunn
I must admit that I was expecting more “Christmas “ in this story, but in the actions of a town rebuilding, the spirit of Christmas certainly set the tone. The part of rebuilding a town after a storm destroys it and the roads leading to it, was so relevant and on point with where I live right now, it just happened.

Set in Miramar Bay, California, this is a story about redemption, rebuilding, and re-enforcing the human spirit. Dillon and Olivia both arrive back in town from different directions and circumstances. With a lot of history and brokenness they are looking for a reboot and a safe landing space. In their retreat from their former life, they reconnect as friends and build a new relationship with respect and trust as a they work together to help a town they hold close to their hearts. They land in jail, as there is no where else to stay, they both find new direction and purpose.
This is a story of rekindling hope.
I found the story well written, and I was not hindered with it being in a series that I had not previously read. It was fine as a stand alone.

The narrator had a soothing, storytelling voice with full command of his audience. Well done!
I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook for review.
4/5⭐️

This is a quick read, it's a lot like Nicholas Sparks novels. It takes place at Christmas but is not much of a holiday book because of the characters' situations. Books in the Miramar Bay series can be read individually and a visit back to Miramar Bay is always satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

Sadly I didn’t finish this one. Can’t say I was enjoying narrator or the story. Not sure which one was actually to blame but it just didn’t work for me.

Not the love story I was hoping for. Having both left Marimar 9 years ago for better things both Olivia and Dillion return coincidentally at the same broken and looking for the comfort of home. They come home to their town having been ravaged by a flood. Surprised to see one another again they reconnect helping out through this tragedy. Olivia uses her camera to capture photos to give the townsfolk a sense of hope and happiness. This wasn’t a love triangle because Olivia encouraged Dillion to start a relationship with another woman from town. I would’ve liked to have see them rekindle their childhood love. I feel like Dillion felt the bond with the woman’s daughter to choose that life for himself rather than try again with Olivia Thank you to NetGalley and RB media for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

The Christmas Cottage is advertised as Christmas Romance and I feel so disappointed after reading it because it barely has any Christmas or romance. It seems like the author remembers this is supposed to be a xmas novel at the end of the book and then tosses a santa Claus in there.

The short summary is Dillon and Olivia were high school sweethearts and now 20ish years later find themselves back in their hometowns after a storm. They are both broke and without any future plans. They help rebuild the town by using their skills - Olivia is a photographer and Dillon is an accountant. Most of the book is dedicated to describing photography lightning, cameras, paper or red paper and how FEMA works. I would recommend this book for people who like photography or paperwork :D.

You don't understand why the main characters broke up in their teenage years. It's supposed to have shook the whole town, but everyone is fine when they both return and just decide to be friends, without a serious tal about the past. The romance part is basically "hmm I think I am interested in this guy" and that's it. You are supposed to see the romance there.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

The book is nice, positive and heartwarming.
I expected more of a Christmas, but received more of a self-knowing, self-finding, self-developing kind of book, which is not bad, but just did not match my expectations. The Christmas theme is very slightly touched.
The community's joint efforts on reviving the Bay from its ashes is remarkable and enjoyable to read.
Dillon and Olivia'a SPOILER!!!!not coming togetherSPOILER!!!! is a nice change and was kind of unexpected for me.
Some of the characters were truly hard to relate, however as there are many of them and the book is shortish. it is overall a mediocre reading experience.

This book did not grasp me at all. I couldn't get through it. It is very little to do with Christmas and time of magic. The plot itself was a little dull.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley for my honest review. I went into this book expecting something more with holiday spirit. But apart from this story (a flood devastated a town) taking place around Christmas, it doesn’t have any Christmas feel at all. I know this is book 7ish or something in the Miramar series, and I have not read any of the previous ones, so that may impact this, But I just didn’t love any of the characters. I just didn’t connect with any of the them.

What a beautiful story of community and friendship.

I haven't read any of the previous books in this series, and I was able to follow it with no problems.

Trigger warning: natural disaster.

The narrator did an amazing job on the audiobook.

NetGalley provided this audio. Opinions are my own.

I listened to the audio version of this book, so I did finish it. If I had to read it I probably would not have. I expected this book to be about Christmas and a cottage, but Christmas was a very small focus of the story, and the cottage even less.

There was too much focus on politics and government. So much of the storyline was focused on completing forms, the government reimbursing the city for their damage, that it took away from everything else. Also, too many descriptions on things that really didn’t matter, making it drag on and the words didn't mean much to the storyline.

It was sweet how the community came together to rebuild the town after a flood and also how welcoming they were to Dillon and Olivia, who both had been away for some time.

This book was just ok. I probably wouldn't recommend or re-read it.

Classic, feel-good holiday fare.

‘The Christmas Cottage’ is all about second chances — for a storm-ravaged town as well as two world-weary souls who make their way back home after devastating circumstances leave them no choice. Dillon and Olivia haven’t seen each other in years but fate has brought them back to Miramar at just the right time.

This is as much the town’s story as it is theirs. Because Miramar is a community made up of overcomers. Good people willing to help in whatever capacity they can. And the town needs that help after weathering a bout of storms, floods and mudslides. Miramar is officially a disaster zone just days before Christmas.

Love the host of diverse secondary characters in this novel and the way they pull together in a time of adversity. When Dillon and Olivia get swept up in the cause, they both discover their unique talents are exactly what the town needs and, in serving others, they find their way to healing and second chances.

I listened to the audio edition and enjoyed Graham Winton’s portrayal of these characters. He really captured the spirit and hope in the story in his narration

My thanks to RB Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

3.25 of 5 stars

This was a feel-good Christmas read. I love small town settings & who can resist a budding holiday romance?!
That being said, I felt like something was missing. I did jump into this not having read any of the previous books in the series but was told I would still get an enjoyable reading experience. I believe it would have been a more enjoyable read if I had been already introduced to some of the characters and the setting.
The ending was a little abrupt for me. Hopefully the next installment will begin right where this one ended.

This was a cute story about two former lovers returning to their hometown. It's a love story, but the love is that which the characters find for their town and the people in it. It didn't end how I might've expected it to. It doesn't feel very Christmas-y until the second half, but given the plot, that's not surprising. Overall, it's a quaint and charming book that doesn't require much from the reader and I enjoyed it.

So I really enjoyed this book overall I felt that the story was really well written I enjoyed the writing style I also enjoyed the narrator's voice when I listen to the audiobook the story itself had a lot of depth and I really enjoyed the different aspects of the story with the different point of views and I enjoyed each character and their relationships with how they interacted with each other. My favorite part overall was how no one in the town allowed anything that didn't work out in their favor to hold them back or stop them from going after what they wanted like they were hit with this major storm and they didn't allow that to hold them back from celebrating Christmas or from being happy they still celebrated and had an amazing time even though things were not in perfect condition

The Christmas Cottage is a heartwarming story about starting over, and finding your home.

Despite being about a community facing the devastation of a storm, this was a gentle and uplifting read. The writing style was smooth and engaging, and I found myself absorbed in the story. While relatively low stakes, the story wasn’t overly predictable, which I really liked. There was a strong, friendly and established small town community feel and I look forward to returning to it with other books in the series.

I enjoyed this both as an ebook and audiobook. The narration was soothing, with a gentle pace, and animated characters, which made it both relaxing and easy to follow.

Thank you RBMedia and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

It is getting to be time for the holiday reads and I am ready. The Christmas Cottage was the latest holiday listen. I loved it.

If you love Nicholas Sparks and Karen Kingsbury the way I do, and Christmas, this book is just all around magical. It had every sweet moment in it, and I could not set this book down. It was beautiful. Absolutely loved it!