Home For The Christmas

Sanctuary Island Series – Book 4

By Lily Everett

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Synopsis

Tis the season for family and love…
At least it’s supposed to be. For Libby Leeds, however, the holiday season is just another reminder of things she’d rather forget. When she left Sanctuary Island as an orphaned child, she never thought she’d go back except in her dreams, dreams she’s kept alive by writing monthly column of her fictional small-town life, until her publisher sends her back home for the holidays.
Owen Shepard is a fallen hero, wounded in action rescuing three of his fellow soldiers, but after a whirlwind of media attention, all this charismatic Army Ranger wants is to get back on his feet and make it to Sanctuary Island to be with his daughter in time for Christmas. What he didn’t expect was to be put on a crash course with a columnist hiding her past. Will the magic of Sanctuary Island at Christmastime allow them to find healing together?

Tina’s Review

** Provided by Publisher in Exchange for an Honest Review **

Judging a Book by it’s Cover:
Cover depicts a classic winter-y Christmas scene with horse-drawn sleigh, snow-covered cabin in the woods, and surrounding pines wrapped in lights. Synopsis sounds warm and filled with love, healing, and second-chances – a theme that Ms. Everett is well-versed in.
Looking Deeper:
Third person POV. For the past several years, Libby’s been living a lie – or perhaps more like wistful thinking. But the daydreams and make-believe life is shattered when her boss commits her to a task that can expose her to all as a fraud. Given an ultimatum, present the perfect life she always writes about or lose your job and risk prison, how is she going to pull this off? Owen’s broken, in more ways than one, and all he wants is to find his way home to his daughter and try to make her holidays something truly memorable and special, but will be able to connect to a child that knows he only plans on leaving her again? Ms. Everett never fails to infuse family values with hope and heart-warming second chances. The Hero and heroine in this story are both very well-written. There are a handful of secondary characters present or mentioned from previous installments of this series, and other tied-in series’, however, this story can and does stand strongly on it’s own. There are also a few new characters introduced into the mix, each providing another layer or filler to the plot. The chemistry between Libby and Owen is fantastic, even (or, maybe, especially) when Owen thought Libby was married to Nash – which provided a few smiles and giggles along the way. The interaction between the characters is authentic and the dialogue felt spot-on. There were several conflicts along the way, especially given the premise of the plot, that were handled in the best way they were able. The lies and secrets were getting a little tedious and thick however, seems everyone had something to hide, or at least omit. The plot is extremely well-written with an easy flow with characters that you feel like you truly are getting to know on a personal level. There were only a few small spots that I’d say predictability made itself present (the Christmas Present in the epilogue, for one). The conclusion felt solid and sturdy with an epilogue that covered all the key elements. Overall, HOME FOR CHRISTMAS was an endearing Holiday read.

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Author Bio:

Lily Everett grew up in a small town in central Virginia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although she’s lived many other places since, from college in Philadelphia to her first publishing job in New York City and her current home in Austin, Texas, she never forgot the beauty and warmth of her little hometown. She is thrilled to be writing the Sanctuary Island series full time because it allows her to combine her longstanding love of romance with the memories of her childhood home.

Lily’s alter ego is Louisa Edwards. Under that name, she is the author of the Recipe for Love series, sexy contemporary romances with hot chef heroes set in the high-stakes, fast-paced world of professional restaurants.

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