24 February 2017

Book Review: Christmas Under a Starlit Sky by Holly Martin

"Neve Whitaker loves managing the Stardust Lake hotel. She gets to work alongside her wonderful family and she’s spending Christmas on the most enchanting, snow-covered island in Scotland. So why is her heart so heavy this festive season? 

It might have something to do with the gorgeous actor Oakley Rey, the man she finished with before he left for California and the man she loves more than anything. With Oakley’s career in Hollywood soaring, Neve is convinced she’d only hold him back. She had to end it with him – at least that’s what she keeps telling herself. 

But now she has a secret she’s struggling to keep, and when Oakley arrives on Juniper Island determined to win her back, Neve is thrown off balance. Will Neve’s fear of having her heart broken again push Oakley away for good, or is it time for her to take a leap of faith?"

Rating: 5/5

This book is the second in Holly Martin's 'A Town Called Christmas' series, and follows on from the first book Christmas Under a Cranberry Sky. I adored that book, and was so excited to read the second one, and find out more about these characters, and what secrets were going to be divulged here! In this book, we focus on two characters called Neve and Oakley. Neve is the sister of the main character from the first book, Gabe, so it was fun to see those familiar characters back again, and also find out much more about Neve and Oakley's own love story.

I loved Neve from the beginning of the book, and found her to be so likeable, and I wanted everything to work out for her so badly! Yes, I felt she made some bad decisions regarding her and Oakley's relationship, but I think her heart was in the right place regarding the decisions she did make. She couldn't seem to believe that a big Hollywood star like Oakley would want to settle down with her on a small remote island where she works in her brother's hotel, and I think we could all understand that that seems too good to be true! But Neve was such a lovely person, and I wished she had a little bit more faith in love, and the fact that Oakley clearly adored her.

I really do love a great romance, and Holly Martin certainly delivers on this count within this book. Oakley is everything Neve could dream of in a man, and was certainly great to read about, he seemed pretty much perfect! A successful actor, handsome, kind, generous... there was barely anything bad about this man at all. For all the mistakes he does make, he does so because he's been lead to believe other things, and I felt sorry for him in that regard, he didn't have an easy time of it from Neve! But their love story is just wonderful, and made me feel so warm and happy inside, I loved everything about it.

As well as the fairytale romance between Neve and Oakley, there's another little side story involving a couple of the minor characters, Ivy and Adam. This was completely charming, and had me sucked in too, it seems like Juniper Island is the place to go if you want to find love! As in the first book, the setting is utterly perfect. I love Martin's descriptions of the whole island, from the animals, to the cabins and the snow - it all sounds utterly idyllic and you can see why everyone who ends up on the island wants to stay, it sounds like paradise, especially at Christmas time!

For me, this was one of my favourite reads of the festive season, and I really cannot wait for Holly Martin's next books. I hope this isn't the last we see in the Town Called Christmas series, because I would love catch up with Gabe, Piper, Neve, Oakley and more again at some future date, even if it isn't necessarily at Christmas. The writing in this is so warm, it draws you in and makes you want to keep reading to find out how this wonderful love story is going to end. Needless to say I was left with a huge smile on my face, and I had loved every page. A wonderful book, I can't recommend it enough!

No comments:

Post a Comment