I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Prism Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Christmas Promise
by Janice Carter
Published by Harlequin on January 12, 2021
Genres: Sweet Holiday Romance
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Prism Book Tours
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository
The Christmas season…
Is perfect for new beginnings
After a tragedy seventeen years ago, author Ella Jacobs never wanted to come back to Lighthouse Cove. Not to the whispered rumors, the judgment or even to Ben Winters, the boy she loved. Now she’s returned in time for Christmas—and some much-needed closure. But old flames burn bright. Can Ella find her way back to Ben…or will the secrets of their past extinguish their love for good?
The Christmas Promise by Janice Carter is a book about finding trust in a place where one never truly had it.
Can Ella, Ben, and Grace trust each other after the incident seventeen years ago?
Ella Jacobs
Ella Jacobs is an author and a journalist who comes back to Lighthouse Cove to get some apologies from two people that have wronged her. There is a lot to think about when they talk about what happened seventeen years ago. For Ella, the time has only kept the townspeople who once welcomed her with open arms to shun her when they see her. It takes a lot out of someone to keep from lashing out, and she did it quite well. I like Ella, but she still lets what happened to dictate her life that I don’t like very much. Sure, everyone has something that they can’t let go of in their past, but eventually, you need to.
Ben Winters
Ben Winters is working underneath his father back in Lighthouse Cove. He has put the past behind him and is trying to move forward despite what he knows of his own involvement in his little cousin’s suicide. Ben has been working on the way to redeem himself in not only his family’s eye but in the town’s eye as well. He keeps his involvement buried so that he doesn’t have to talk about it. I like Ben and how he wants to be with Ella. He also realizes that he needs to have closure by telling someone what he did that frightful night.
Grace Winters
Grace Winters is ultimately the cause of what happened that horrible night. Granted, she wasn’t solely the only one, but she had a hand in it. Grace, for the rest of her life, has to deal with that guilt. I like that Grace is trying to make amends with what happened back then by asking Ella to Lighthouse Cove again so that she could apologize and promote Ella’s book. Grace is a great character, and I like how she basically set forth trying to get her brother and best friend back together again.
Four Stars
The Christmas Promise by Janice Carter is a book about learning what truly happened that night, trusting each other, and maybe finding something more? Ms. Carter does an excellent job of writing this novel, and I loved reading it. I am giving this book four stars and recommending it to anyone that loves a good sweet holiday romance. I’m giving it four stars because I get what happened years ago can be harmful to some relationships, but I guess I would have had to think more about accepting both Grace and Ben’s apologies, especially when they came so late. However, I also see the positive of letting go, forgiving, and moving on.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Christmas Promise by Janice Carter.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Janice Carter
Janice Carter has been writing romance novels, in particular Harlequin romances, for a very long time. What began as a hobby when she was working full-time and helping to raise two daughters continues in retirement as a wonderfully satisfying hobby! When she isn’t writing, she is playing with her granddaughter, enjoying cottage life, traveling and always reading!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2021 New Release Reading Challenge
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