Once upon a Christmas, she gave him her heart. This year, he’ll have to win it back again . . .
 
When Lucy Hannigan returned to her childhood home in Somerset Lake, one of the first things she did was join the local book club. And thank goodness, because now that Lucy’s first Christmas without her mother is bearing down upon her, she can use all the help and support she can get.  Especially when she has to take in a tenant and the only person interested is Miles Bruno, her ex-fiance.

Lucy’s friends keep teasing her about the way Miles is trying to make up for his mistakes but forgiving and forgetting isn’t coming easily to Lucy. With bills piling up and her mother’s finances in disarray, however, Lucy isn’t in any position to say no.

As the small town prepares for the holidays and competition heats up in the Merriest Lawn decorating contest, Lucy can’t help feeling like a Scrooge. Her mom loved the holidays and won the contest each year, but as much as Lucy would like to carry on the tradition, she isn’t sure she has it in her to deck the halls this holiday.

Yet when Miles shows up with tons of tinsel, dozens of decorations, and lots and lots of lights, Lucy begins to wonder if maybe the spirit of the season will finally mend her broken heart.

Titles in the Somerset Lake series include — The Summer Cottage – The Christmas Village –

Title:  The Christmas Village
Series:  Somerset Lake #2
Author:  Annie Rains
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  October 12, 2021
Publisher:  Forever
My Rating:  4 stars

We return to the Somerset Lake series with a charming second chance to get it right romance with a couple who need each other, even though Lucy may disagree at first.  The Christmas Village is a lovely reunion between Lucy and Miles years after their engagement was broken off.  Miles made mistakes and he’s going to do everything in his power to fix what went wrong between them but to also help Lucy come back to life after her mother’s recent death.

Lucy is overwhelmed not only by her mother’s death but by the mounting bills and trying to keep her head above water in the financial mess that was left behind.  The only logical thing to do right now is to lease out the over garage apartment – she just didn’t expect that Miles would be her new tenant or that he’d changed so much over the years apart.  Adding to the weight on her shoulder is the upcoming annual Christmas Merriest Lawn competition, one that her mother usually won each year.  She’s not got the heart for it this year yet one former love will change her mind as the decorations and their relationship begins to take shape.

I enjoyed The Christmas Village so much.  As always with this author the story flows smoothly, the characters come to life on the page, and there are emotional moments galore as Miles works his own version of holiday magic on the woman he still loves and will do whatever he can to win back her heart.  Lucy is a character that I understood, life is bashing her down right now, and trust in the man who broke her heart once is not an easy task.  I loved watching their relationship grow as the holidays approached.  If you love a really good second chance romance, especially one set around Christmas time, then you’ll want to add this one to your Christmas reading list.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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