As soon as I found that Jewell Cove is a town in
Maine I
knew there would be snow! Here the Christmas preparations
start right after Thanksgiving, and in CHRISTMAS AT
SEASHELL COTTAGE a doctor named Charlie Yang is on her
knees in the church... helping to place the manger in the
nativity scene. She's muttering about fancying a man on
the
docks who doesn't know she exists, when he comes up behind
her and offers to help. Like her, Dave Ricker is welcome
to
join in but a newcomer.
After hot chocolate and carol singing, Dave is inviting
Charlie for a drink, and she's being a little shy, when
they spot someone behaving suspiciously. A desperate young
woman has abandoned her baby in the manger. Suddenly
becoming a consummate professional, Charlie takes the
child
into her care. Between the new responsibility and police
involvement, the pair are thrown together and exchange
some
rather personal information.
I liked Charlene, or Charlie, who went into a medical
career not for pay or prestige but to help people. She's
understated and friendly, having tried to please her
parents all her life. Dave has a more complicated past,
including a military career, but comes across as a decent,
practical outdoors guy. He can't be blamed for finding hot
chocolate around the town tree a little tame, but he goes
along. The local lunch special might be meatloaf and
mashed
potatoes, but he accepts this excellent winter fuel right
away.
Jewell Cove is cosily decorated, laughter is in the
air and people
are making plans about where to spend the holidays.
Charlie
hadn't bargained on having a baby to mind, but she can
still have the shortbread, tree ornaments and books,
right? And... just maybe she can have someone special. Or
maybe that's not what fate has in store. The intricate
tale
will keep you guessing right to the end.
I enjoyed Donna Alward's Christmas book last
year, A Cadence Creek Christmas, and her wintry tales in
different settings would blow the cobwebs away for any
reader. All the merriment of Christmas preparations can be
found in the likeable adult romance story CHRISTMAS AT
SEASHELL COTTAGE, and all the fun and excitement of the
first flush of romance.
And local doctor Charlie Yang finds her quiet, steady life
disrupted by both an abandoned baby in the nativity
manger,
and a real-life mystery man. Sure, she's always wanted a
family of her own, but she didn't imagine it coming from a
baby that wasn't hers and a man who was more interested in
living day by day than making long-term plans.
Ex-SEAL Dave Ricker hadn't planned on making Jewell Cove
his
forever home, but the talented and tender-hearted
Charlie
has him reconsidering his position on settling down. Can a
beautiful woman, adorable baby and a small-town full of
holiday spirit change his mind for good?
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