Nantucket is the location for a busy Christmas season. I
had expected the island would close down over winter, but
apparently itβs a popular destination for holiday fun
for both locals and visitors. CHRISTMAS AT THE NANTUCKET
RESTAURANT will be one to remember for a splendid set of
ladies.
Pamela M. Kelley previously wrote of three OβToole
sisters who inherited the awesome eatery Mimi's Place. They
had to move in and run it for a year before they could
decide to sell or split the business. With the year up, they
have settled in well to the new reality. We join them for
the second in the Nantucket Restaurant series.
Taking the famous Christmas Stroll along the business
streets, each place handing out samples of wares, are the
restaurantΒ managers Mandy Lawson and Emma. Iβm
not sure of Emmaβs surname, but she may have reverted
to OβToole, as both she and Mandy are recently
divorced. Their sister Jill OβToole and her new
husband, Billy Carmenetti, now live in the city but decide
to spend the month of December on Nantucket. Life has
clearly brought the three sisters ups and downs.
Along with Paul Taylor the executive chef,Β Gina
Caruso the bartender who is a new migrant to the island, and
Jared Hawthorne, the new sous chef, the staff are kept on
their feet with orders from regular customers and tourists.
The local seafood of course is high on the menu, but there
are also vegetarian options, steaks and delicious desserts.
Β
While bringing us on a pleasant walk around the places of
interest, the characters still need to put time aside for
their families, especially Mandy who has two kids. Various
other ladies in the story are expecting, or are trying first
dates, so itβs a time of change for the cast. Lucky
Gina has two young men keen to escort her; one is a chef and
one is a big-spending executive. Β Not just the men, but
the company they keep, help her make up her mind.
This is a low-stress, romantic, and energy-filled
Christmas. My only worry is that there are so many
characters to follow, it would be hard to remember who was
doing what where, if the reader had to put the book down and
return to it. I enjoyed the story and CHRISTMAS AT THE
NANTUCKET RESTAURANT would certainly help me plan a visit.
The theme is that women in mid-life can start again, be
happy and fulfilled.
Nantucket's famous Christmas Stroll is always the first week of December and this year Mimi's Place co-owners want to do something extra special for the restaurant. It will be Emma and Paul's first Christmas together as a couple and Mandy's first holiday as a newly divorced mother of two. Although Mandy does have a promising new relationship, she wants to take things very slow, and the holidays are for sure not the time to dive in too deep.
Their sister Jill and her new husband, Billy, are planning to spend the whole month of December on Nantucket too, juggling remote work for the executive search firm they own together in Manhattan with relaxing, spending time with family, and helping out at the restaurant too.
Gina Caruso, the awesome bar manager, is spending her first winter on Nantucket after having lived for years in Boston. It's a bit of an adjustment—winters on Nantucket are so much quieter than the city life she was used to. She's even more confused when someone she had a major crush on back in the city moves to Nantucket, while Jared Hawthorne, the new sous chef at Mimi's Place makes it his mission to introduce Gina to all of Nantucket's holiday festivities. Suddenly her boring winter is starting to look a lot more interesting.
No excerpt available.
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