Wednesday 20 September 2023

Guest Review: Christmas Nights at the Star and Lantern by Helen Rolfe

The Copper Plough is at the heart of village life for the residents of Heritage Cove, and never more so than at Christmas, when the tree glows in the alcove and the smell of mulled wine carries out onto the street. So when new owners for the beloved pub arrive and decide to shake things up, not everyone welcomes the changes with open arms.

Local bakery owner Celeste is ready to keep an open mind. But she’s shocked to discover that one of the new landlords is Quinn, a former Navy sailor with whom she had a short but powerful romance years earlier.

Fate may have brought Quinn and Celeste back together, but life seems determined to keep them apart. Can the villagers learn to embrace the newcomers this Christmas? And will Quinn and Celeste find a way back to each other before snow falls over Heritage Cove?



Review: This is book 6 in the Heritage Cove series from Helen Rolfe. Although part of a series, this book, along with the other five, can be read as a standalone. However, I’m sure that, like me, regular readers of the series will enjoy catching up with returning characters as well as meeting new ones. The stories in this series focus on events in the seaside village of Heritage Cove. This one covers the period leading up to Christmas, the book’s cover featuring a lovely, appropriately snowy scene.

The story this time revolves around the village pub, which is under new ownership and has had a name change into the bargain. The pub is very much the hub of the village and the new owners are keen not to alienate the locals while at the same time introducing some changes that may improve profitability. Celeste, part owner of the Twist and Turn bakery, is shocked when she realises that one of the pub’s new owners is someone she recognises. Quinn McLeod, who has bought the property along with brother Eddie, visited the village two years previously, when he and Celeste had a brief affair. She has not heard from him since, and is unsure if she wants to resume their relationship. Meanwhile, ex-naval sailor Quinn is struggling with ghosts from his past and wonders if he has done the right thing in returning to the village and hoping to rekindle his romance with Celeste.

I thoroughly enjoyed this instalment in the Heritage Cove series, and can wholeheartedly recommend it. I picked it up and was so immersed in the story that I put it down for only short periods, finishing the next day. I have read all of the books in the series so far, and enjoyed finding out what was happening in the lives of the villagers. There has been at least one other story set at Christmas in the village, and I remember how magical a time the author has described. It sounds a wonderful time, with all the Christmas traditions, many involving the village pub. Quinn is a very likeable and handsome character, but is having a hard time dealing with his past; the author has dealt sensitively with the difficult subject of mental health problems that plague so many in his position. I hope to meet him again in future parts of this series and find that he has found help.

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