Every time Nina Bocci posts that she’s got a new release coming out, my heart does a little happy dance. Every. Time. I love her stories so much. They’re always just the right blend of sweet, funny, smart, relatable storytelling… perfect for cozying up in my favorite reading chair and getting lost for a few hours.
Author: Nina Bocci
Series: Hopeless Romantics, #3.5
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Pages: 108
Review Copy: purchased
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Ingredients of You and Me comes a holiday novella about a travel journalist who visits a small town during the most magical time of the year and finds love in the process.
Camille Douglas has one last article to write for the travel magazine she works for before officially retiring and becoming a full-time novelist. She’s tasked to cover her editor’s favorite spot on the east coast: Hope Lake, PA. Of course, she’s heard the stories and seen the pictures, but she’s doubtful it looks that idyllic in person.
She decides to make the cross-country trip right before the holidays. Snow-covered treetops, Christmas lights a plenty, and an adorable town square decorated in all its holiday glory. The minute she sets foot in Hope Lake she is inspired. It also doesn’t hurt that she is charmed by Dr. Maxwell Reese. The stunning, and single, doctor who has settled down in Hope Lake after traveling the globe. With Max’s help Camille discovers the delights of small-town life—especially during the holidays.
Initial thoughts:
A holiday story from Hope Lake? Yes, please and thank you!! I love this series, and I had no doubt that this return to town would be full of everything amazing and wonderful, wrapped in a sweet little red Christmas bow. ❤
What I loved:
Am I allowed to keep saying “everything” to this part of my process?? I loved the interactions between Max and Camille, and with everyone else in the town. They’re all such a fun group of characters (in both senses of the word, lol!) This story had just the right amount of “will they or won’t they”, and town gossip, and nudging mamas, and self-reflection-in-the-face-of-new-opportunity, and all around Christmas cheer. I also really loved that we got an epilogue, a little glimpse into the future that gave me all the warm & fuzzies.
What I didn’t love:
It’s been about a week since I read this book, and honestly, I can’t think of a single part of the story that I didn’t love. ❤
Final thoughts:
I’ve yet to be disappointed in anything written by Nina Bocci. I’ve said this before, and it remains true… she has a way of creating characters that feel very real, and you genuinely fall in love with them, and their stories. This is another lovely chapter in the Hope Lake world, and my day feels a little brighter for being able to share it with all of you.
Nina Bocci Info:
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(Featured image collage created by Tempting Illustrations, permission to use from the author.)
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