I’m delighted to be picking up this series again as part of the blog tour for Coming Home To Merriment Bay Part 3: Christmas. My review is written with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and for my copy of the book via the publisher.

Blurb:

Part Three of this heartwarming four-part serial about finding the strength to put the past behind you and to reach out for a future filled with happiness and love.

Cat and Kyra have finally traced the man in the photo they found in Viola’s trunk – thanks to Amias. But Bailey Mitchell lives thousands of miles away and is almost ninety-eight, so meeting him in person is never going to happen. Which is just as well. Exchanging Christmas cards and chatting on social media leads to revelations Cat had not expected.

At least Christmas is looking promising. It may be freezing outside but things have definitely thawed between Cat and her mum, Mary. They’re actually getting on, especially now that Mary is dating Jeremy Stone, the builder working on Viola’s house.

Cat’s also hopeful that Viola’s situation may improve. And when a surprise visitor brings more than just well wishes, Cat’s Christmas takes a delightful turn.

With the festivities in full swing, and snow falling on Merriment Bay, the future’s looking bright. Christmas is a time for miracles and Cat believes she may get one of her own this year if she’s prepared to put the past behind her and open her heart to Love once more.

This is Part Three of a new, four-part serial. The parts are:

Coming Home to Merriment Bay – Part One: A Reunion

Coming Home to Merriment Bay – Part Two: Sparks Fly

Coming Home to Merriment Bay – Part Three: Christmas

Coming Home to Merriment Bay – Part Four: Starry Skies

This is a novel told in four parts. It forms Book One in Emily Harvale’s Merriment Bay series which is interconnected to her Wyntersleap series. Each series can be read alone, but several characters appear in both series.

Review:

I’m not usually a huge fan of Christmas books, but Coming Home To Merriment Bay Part 3: Christmas continues a series I’ve loved from the beginning. There is a festive feel: talk of mistletoe, presents, mince pies and snow, but it’s never thrown in the reader’s face. It’s simply a backdrop to a heartwarming story, which is perfect for Scrooges like me.

As you would expect from the third instalment in a series, the characters are now really well developed and they display all the traits I’ve come to love about them  I also enjoyed the introduction of new characters: Jeremy, Bailey, Ben and Diana as they bring out a different side to the existing characters which adds an extra layer to the story.

There are still a few questions that remain unanswered and I can’t wait to see how the series concludes!

Coming Home To Merriment Bay Part 3: Christmas is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: