Review: The Christmas Village

After Christmas 2020 I told myself I would do Much Better when it came to reviewing Christmas 2021 books. I would be on top of it and get the reviews up in a timely manner. Reader, that did not happen. No, I simply couldn’t keep up with full time work and full time school and reading and reviewing All of the Books. So, here we are, over a month after the Big Day and I am still reviewing Christmas romances. Woohoo! The Christmas Village by Annie Rains was a sweet romance read that was, unfortunately, completely forgettable. Seriously. I couldn’t remember a thing about it when I sat down to write this review. *cringes*

Here’s the book’s description (which did, thankfully, remind me what the book was about):

Lucy Hannigan has inherited her mother's bulldog, Bella, and her childhood home, the only pink house on Gingerbread Lane. With the holidays coming up, the pressure is on to decorate the house for the annual lights competition and maintain her parent's winning streak. But Lucy already has her hands full as a midwife and a new landlord-to her ex-fiance.
When Miles Bruno is suddenly asked to move out of his rental home, he's grateful to Lucy for taking him on as a tenant. But their broken-off engagement doesn't make it easy to live next door. Sparks still fly between them, and he'd give anything to get back in Lucy's good graces. But to do that will take much more than just tree trimming and house decorating and contest winning. Will one wildly grand romantic gesture on Christmas Eve finally soften her heart?

Once again, the small town + second chance got me. With a bonus Christmas storyline! How could I turn it down? I didn’t and maybe I should have. I’m finding I’m totally over the whole “we were so in love but were torn apart by Circumstances and now we’ve been thrown back together and we remember why we were in love and we’ll live happily ever after” storylines when they were So In Love when they were, like, children (or, you know, eighteen). I love romances. I love the predictability and warmth and loveliness of the stories. I don’t love when I don’t care one iota for either of the leads and have a hard time understanding why they broke up in the first place. And don’t seem to actually work through the “issue” in the end anyway. That’s what happened with Lucy and *checks description again* ah yes, Miles. The reason they broke up was valid enough but there was SO much happening with it that just got brushed aside when they really should have had more conversations about it. It blew my mind a little, to be honest. You can’t just start over, friends!

I also admit I wasn’t expecting such a chaste storyline. I’m fine with all sorts of steam levels but considering what had happened in the couple’s past, I kind of expected more than just handholding (I think there were kisses too but please see: “Kaley doesn’t remember anything about this book” as discussed above). And, for some reason, it irked me a lot and my poor little romance reading mind was a bit boggled.

Now, the Christmas element was lovely. There’s Christmas in the title and there’s Christmas in the story. Most notably, the light decorating competition. I LOVE Christmas lights so it was really fun to read as the pair decorated the house. Christmas spirit was also found in the storyline about family and how sometimes your found family is just as important as your blood relatives.

So…no. I didn’t like The Christmas Village. I’m sure there are fans of Annie Rains out there and I do really wish I had become one of them but I will never again think of this novel once I press publish on this post. I know you can’t win ‘em all but it really does make me sad!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Sunshine on Silver Lake

I read romances all year and can find a reason to suggest them no matter the season. Spring rain? Perfect time to stay inside with a love story. Summer? Great for vacation! Fall? Get cozy with a tea and romance. Cold AF winter? Snuggle under the blankets with a Happily Ever After. Yes, I am Team Romance so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I was interested in Sunshine on Silver Lake by Annie Rains. 

Here's the synopsis:

Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky café owner and a handsome park ranger.

With summer just around the corner, Emma St. James is eagerly planning a 5K run at Sweetwater Springs National Park. But first she needs the help of one charming, rugged, and handsome park ranger. Her brief high school romance with Jack Hershey may have ended in heartbreak, but Emma can't deny that he still gives her butterflies. So when Jack responds to her request with an all-too-tempting plea to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer, how can she say no?

Jack would do anything for his sister -- even pretend to give up his bachelor life to care for his nephew. Passing his days with his high school sweetheart guarantees one long, hot summer -- but only because every moment together leaves him wanting a real relationship. He can't imagine spending another season without Emma by his side. Can he convince her to give their love a second chance before the summer draws to a close?

I hadn't read Rains before and certainly hadn't realized this latest book was part of her Sweetwater Springs series (yes, I know that the synopsis above says "welcome back" but I don't think I read this particular description when I requested the book). I quickly figured it out as characters kept coming by Emma's coffee shop and it seemed like I should probably know who they were. Rains gave first and last names, after all. Is that a thing that's just in romance novels? Like, is a surname that important? A lot of the times it read super awkwardly as characters popped up and I was getting a lot of backstory on them. I've noticed this is a thing I'm getting annoyed at a lot more recently - these romance series that are purposely started to tell you the love story of everyone in town. I think the pandemic is making me crabby. Everyone deserves a Happily Ever After!

Second chances is probably my favourite trope followed closely by friends to lovers. Bonus if the story takes place in a small town. Because of all that, I figured Sunshine on Silver Lake would be right up my alley. And it was...sort of. See, Jack and Emma never actually dated. The night of Emma's senior prom would have been the start of something, they're both sure of it, but they're both equally sure they can never recover from Jack standing Emma up. She went to prom solo and his excuses never seemed quite right. It turns out his excuse is part of a heavy storyline (one of two) in the book. I'm not going to give anything away but both of those storylines added some depth to an otherwise light novel. But. They were friends and I was rooting for them to eventually become lovers as they pretended to date (side note, the reasoning behind them pretending is sweet but also so ridiculous especially when pretty much the whole town finds out).

I appreciated how important family was in this book. Jack didn't have a great upbringing but he, his mom, and his sister (and his nephew) are all really close. He didn't hesitate when offering to look after his teenage nephew and they had a good time, full of fun and respect. Emma's mom had died when she was young - which is another large part of the storyline - but she and her dad are super tight. But she was also her own woman and wasn't about to be ruled by her dad's apparent disapproval of Jack.

I really liked the setting of this book. It felt a little bit like Stars Hollow but with much kinder people behind the counter at the local coffee shop. It was lovely that everyone looked out for each other and would lend a helping hand, no questions asked. I suppose that would make up for everybody being in everybody else's business. I really wanted to go to the concerts on Friday night at the park and hike in the park Jack worked at. It was a sweet and gorgeous sounding town and I can see why readers would keep coming back to this series.

I know it may seem like I didn't love Sunshine on Silver Lake and, well, I guess I didn't. But I didn't dislike this latest book by Annie Rains. I think it suffered a little bit by not quite being what I wanted to read and not quite being the type of romance I'm usually drawn to. I think there is certainly a place for romances that are sweet instead of spicy and keep the sexy times behind closed doors (and for the love of all things holy - let us not call those romances "clean"). I think I'm just finding I'm more into the angsty, steamy stories these days. All that said, if you want a light story that's full of heart, Sunshine on Silver Lake might be for you. At the very least, you'll be craving caffeine and baked goods and loving the little Westie named Barnaby!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*