A summer escape…

To idyllic Christmas Island

Rebecca Browne has the perfect summer job.

As a companion to wealthy octogenarian Flora Winter, Rebecca will spend the hundred days of summer on Christmas Island.

But as she falls in love with the festive resort town and its friendly inhabitants, she’s more and more conflicted about keeping her employer’s secrets—especially from Griffin May, the charming ferryboat captain who’s becoming more than just a friend.

Titles in the Return to Christmas Island series include — I’ll Be Home for Christmas —♥— Home for the Holidays —♥— A Merry Little Christmas —♥— Last Summer on Christmas Island —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few light kisses).

Title:  I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Series:  Return to Christmas Island #1
Author:  Amie Denman
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  September 28, 2021
Publisher:  Harlequin Heartwarming
My Rating:  4.5 stars

I’ll Be Home for Christmas begins the Return to Christmas Island series with a charming romance, a few secrets, and a whole lot of fun with the residents of Christmas Island.  I can read a Christmas romance any time of the year, but this series takes place on an island that weaves Christmas charm into every single day of the year.  So, if you’re hesitating because you only read Christmas romances at… well, Christmastime… don’t hesitate for one second longer, you’ll find a wintery theme in the background of a bright summer’s day and love every moment in this delightful town.

There is a scene, very early, that had me roaring in laughter with a bit of “I totally get that” mixed in.  When an author can make me laugh within the first chapter, well, I’m going to be hooked on the rest of the story.

Rebecca has been charged with keeping an eye on Flora Winter, a delightful older, wealthy woman who owns the company Rebecca works for… and she’s recently made changes to her will which has those in high places a bit worried.  She’s being sent to Christmas Island as a companion to Flora, and to be undercover while figuring out why the will was changed, and what in the world this woman has planned for the future of not only the company but well beyond with a few secrets of her own to be eventually revealed.

To say that Rebecca and Griffin’s first meeting was a bit, let’s say unconventional (and funny) would be an understatement and sets up the start of a sometimes rocky attraction between them.  I loved this couple from the start, for different reasons.  Rebecca grew up in foster care, so she really has little knowledge of what a family does for each other as she’s always been on the outside of those families she’s stayed with to some degree.  My heart broke for that young Rebecca.  Griffin knows the tight-knit feeling of family and community, but he’s also a bit leery of an outsider coming in to stay with Flora.  There’s a bit of mistrust under the attraction going on between this couple.

Watching Rebecca and Griffin’s love story unfold was simply delightful.  Both are stubborn and it shows.  I loved watching Rebecca bloom under the influence of Flora, the community, and especially Griffin’s love for her.  We’ll meet some quirky residents of Christmas Island, and a few that will have their stories told in time (I’ve read the next two books).  The feeling is of an island community that needs the outside world (tourists) for part of the year, financially, but they also are complete in themselves on this island.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas is a fun, engaging, and lovely reading experience that any reader who loves a good, well-written romance would absolutely love.  I had such a good time here, and I’ll definitely be back for more from this series.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or e-book