It’s Christmas at the Dane Crown Inn and the much-needed renovations at the resort once known as “the gem of Florida’s Treasure Coast” have been put on hold for the holidays. Amy Sommer Peterson and the rest of the family deck the halls with festive garland, decorate towering Christmas trees and hang sparkling lights. When surprise guests arrive to share the season, everyone soon gathers in the kitchen to decorate cookies, sing Christmas carols, reminisce about the past and make new memories.
But while the rest of the family celebrates, Amy faces a host of challenges. At her bakery in Emerald Bay, a staffing emergency might just put Sweet Cakes out of business. Amy’s hopes for a second chance at love falter and a new problem threatens the family’s ability to fulfill Aunt Margaret’s final wish. Amy’s sister and cousins hold the keys to overcoming every obstacle if Amy can only trust the closeness they once treasured. But can she?
Each book in this series leaves me eagerly awaiting the next. Fully-developed characters, complicated relationships, a vivid sense of place, strong family bonds, and plenty of heart make this a book - and series - not to be missed.
I'm enjoying the way Duncan weaves the journeys of the cousins/siblings together into a family saga while also giving readers each individual's story along the way. The characters are multi-layered, interesting, and relatable, even if I've not walked their particular path. They're at different stages of life with with a variety of challenges and yet I'm just as invested in the mother whose marriage is in trouble and teen is rebelling as I am in the young influencer who shows up for Christmas with a mysterious secret in her pocket, the two cousins about to take a scary leap in business, and the aging pop star who may have lost her career but is discovering that life - and possibly love - aren't quite done with her yet. I want to know more about all of them. I've come to care for them. I want them to succeed. I want them to be happy. And, I'm so eager to discover what happens to them next.
If you enjoy heart-tugging family sagas sprinkled with humor, heartache, hope, and love, give this series a try. I strongly recommend reading the books in order as each new book builds upon the prior ones. The books (so far) are: Treasure Coast Homecoming, Treasure Coast Promise, and Treasure Coast Christmas.
Thanks for the lovely review. I just checked and I have a couple of Ms Duncan's books on my kindle but have not read one yet. This does sound like a series I would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best type of series. You get invested in the family and can't wait to find out how everyone does. Good writing and character development make it all the better, keeping you interested and anticipating the next book. It is the type of series you really don't want to see end.
ReplyDelete