Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat

by Angela Britnell

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

 

What if you had nowhere to call home for Christmas? 
When Fee Winter books a winter break at the remote Black Cherry Retreat in the small town of Pine Ridge, Tennessee, it’s with the idea that the peace and quiet will help her recuperate from her hectic life as a photographer.

But what she didn’t bank on was meeting Tom Chambers and his huge, interfering yet lovable family. With them, could Fee finally experience the warmth and support that’s been missing from her own life – and maybe even find a place to call home in time for Christmas?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘Mama’s orders, honey. It’s more than my life’s worth to argue.’ ‘Are you a man or a mouse?’ she hissed. He shuffled from one foot to the other. ‘Mouse when it comes to my mother. Sorry.’

 

Like so many men he wanted things both ways: to mean something to a woman without meaning too much.

 

I bought some of the chamomile tea Tom told me you drink… Tasted like cat’s pee to me when I tried it but I’m sure it’s mighty good for you.

 

Domesticity was never her mother’s forte… Meals were sporadic. Cleaning was something done by people with small minds and nothing better to occupy their time. And irons were only seen in historical dramas on the television.

 

‘And you think chitlins are nasty?’ Tom retorted. ‘The rest of your family won’t touch nasty pig intestines either. Your own mother said you were peculiar.’ He shook his head. ‘Y’all don’t know what you’re missing.’ ‘I’m happy to keep missing them.’ ‘Fine.’ Tom sighed. ‘Take me to the snails.’

 

The past never left a person alone but wound around them and became part of the fabric of who they were.

 

My Review:

 

This is one of those books I have a hard time rating and classifying as it had a bit of everything, emotional and physical issues, family drama, long-standing grief and guilt, parentage and identity issues, international travel, birth, death, a prison break, and a hard-won romance, and all occurring between Halloween and Christmas. I enjoyed the premise and storylines, but there were periods where the pacing dragged and I struggled considerably with the angsty, hypersensitive, and aggravating main character of Fee during the earlier parts of the book.   I had a difficult time appreciating Fee, as she was such a mess and a quagmire of unique and difficult issues.   She was initially extra prickly, resentful, often rude and thoughtless of others yet oversensitive and easily offended. I pitied sweet Tom with his white knight syndrome, although he came with a smaller set of battered and devastated baggage himself. Thankfully with Tom’s gentle perseverance and endless patience, the frosty Fee began to thaw and I enjoyed the manner Ms. Britnell chose to allow her to bloom and find her balance, voice, and wry humor. Toss in small town intrusiveness, a large meddlesome family, holiday observances, and an exuberant and a well-loved toddler for periodic moments of levity.

Author Bio 

Angela grew up in Cornwall, England and returns frequently from her new home in Nashville, Tennessee. A lifelong love of reading turned into a passion for writing contemporary romance and her novels are usually set in the many places she’s visited or lived on her extensive travels. After more than three decades of marriage to her American husband, she’s a huge fan of transatlantic romance and always makes sure her characters get their own happy-ever-after. Over the last twelve years, she’s been multi-published and sold over 25 novels. She also writes short stories for women’s magazines. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Romance Writers of America and the Music City Romance Writers.

 

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