Review: A Seaside Christmas by Sherryl Woods

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods takes you back to Chesapeake Shores for another heartwarming holiday season

As the only child of a single mom, Jenny Collins wanted nothing more than to be part of a large, rambunctious family like the O'Briens. Ironically, though, when her mother married into that family, Jenny found herself feeling more like an outsider than ever.

Now, after years in Nashville as an established songwriter, Jenny's drawn back to Chesapeake Shores to collaborate on a Christmas production, and to make peace with the past. As if that's not challenging enough, Caleb Green, the singer who broke her heart, has followed her to town, determined to win her back.

With the help of a little O'Brien holiday magic, will Jenny and Caleb find a way to make sweet music forever?

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published September 24th 2013 by Harlequin MIRA

 

Terri's Thoughts:

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

I must admit that I was a little bit jaded going in to this read as I had originally requested it a month before Christmas so that I could profile it as part of a December Christmas theme on my blog and I was only accepted after Christmas was already over.  I was determined to summon up my last bit of Christmas spirit and hope that my disappointment would not impact my ability to review the book honestly.

 

I can say that I am glad that I went ahead with this read.  It was a touching story about forgiveness and the fear associated with forgiving.  I instantly fell in love with Caleb and his determination to win back Jenny's trust and heart.  He was the perfect book boyfriend that you wish you had.  Jenny on the other hand took a little more time warming up to with her grudge against her family.  I found it awfully juvenile considering she was an adult however it was written in to the pages that she was aware of this.

 

There was the perfect mix of hometown comfort, family and holiday spirit to make this story an enjoyable read.  Although the plot followed the usual formula typical of this genre it was a nice holiday read.  It was also a nice clean read without any explicit scenes that can sometimes be a distraction to the plot.

 

Although this is a Christmas story I found that it didn't matter that I had read it after the holiday's.  This story could be enjoyed anytime of the year.  It did however make me curious about the first nine instalments of the Chesapeake Shores series.  I will be sure to check them out.

 

 

About the Author

With two other careers to her credit before becoming a novelist and four states in which she's lived for extended periods of time, Sherryl Woods has collected friends and memories, along with way too much unnecessary junk.

"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."

The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.

Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.

A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.

Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.

In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.

When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.


Website:  http://www.sherrylwoods.com/index.html