Could a fake engagement…

Reveal true love?

Boutique owner Violet Brookstone would do anything for her lifelong best friend, Jordan Frome.

Even pose as his fiancée so Jordan can win a promotion to the Great Valley Hotel—far from Christmas Island.

But their pretend summer romance makes Violet realize that Jordan is more than just a friend.

How can she tell him the truth when confessing would keep Jordan from the fresh start he deserves?

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 —♥— Under the Mistletoe —♥—

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

Owned

Title:  Last Summer on Christmas Island
Series:  Return to Christmas Island #4
Author:  Amie Denman
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 25, 2023
Publisher:  Harlequin Heartwarming
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Last Summer on Christmas Island is the fourth title in the Return to Christmas Island series, and this time around, we’ll find best friends who will do just about anything for each other… even pretend an engagement that is as fake as they come.  Or, is it?

Violet and Jordan have been best friends since childhood.  She’s always lived on the island and has no plan ever to leave, especially when her business, her family, and all her friends are right here, completing her world.  Jordan’s parents were killed in an accident when he was a child; his grandparents came to the island to care for him until their deaths.  He’s worked at the local hotel for years, slowly working his way up, but he’s reached the point where there isn’t anything higher to move to right now.  Jordan has made a decision, one he’s sure his best friend Violet isn’t going to like, but he’s about to ask for a favor that will ultimately change their lives… one way or the other.

There were so many times that I just wanted to shake Jordan, to tell him to look around and see his blessings right in front of him.  He is so focused on what he doesn’t have, his perception of how the people on this island (his friends) perceive him that it’s sad and frustrating at the same time.  He still sees himself as that kid with the hand-me-down clothes, with the house that’s falling into disrepair, as the man whom others pity – and that is so far from the truth of today.  He has good friends, a job where he is valued, and a woman who loves him as a friend enough to want to see him happy.  Even if that means that Jordan will move away from the island and from Violet to take a position in another hotel that is far higher up the ladder than he is here.  He wants to reinvent himself, a brand new start far from anyone who knew his background.  What he doesn’t see for a long time is everything he’s accomplished; everyone he’s about to leave behind sees him for the man he is today.

I loved watching this couple, who have had each other’s backs for most of their lives, begin to see that the love they have as best friends has evolved into something more, the kind of love to build a lifetime together if they’d only open their eyes.  Violet’s strength in letting Jordan make his choices is amazing, as I don’t know if I could stand back and lose the love of my life because of his insecurities.  He is worthy of all the good things and of Violet’s love for him… it simply took him a long time to finally “see” what has always been there: Violet.

I enjoyed returning to this world full of familiar faces and watching another couple find their happiness together.  If you love a well-written, emotional, funny, and even, at times, frustrating romance, then you’ll love Violet and Jordan.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or for your favorite e-reader