When Wendy Harper inherits her family’s beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. But before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. She and her 12-year-old son Jackson move in–temporarily, she reminds him–in order to do the work themselves, even though Christmas is coming. The charming … town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on both Wendy and Jackson, who even registers himself for school in a bid to get his mom to move them there permanently. Wendy knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea is hard to resist.
Join award-winning author Melody Carlson for a Christmas story that will warm your heart and have you dreaming of your own enchanted seaside holiday.
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A Christmas by the Sea by author Melody Carson is a perfect holiday story about a family needing hope and a new start in life. I enjoyed the story so much! Wendy Harper is a widow with a son, Jackson. She inherits a small cottage in Seaside, Maine which she hopes to sell. Wendy needs the extra money to pay college debts and leftover hospital bills which accumulated during her husband’s illness. Once Wendy and Jackson arrive at the cottage they are faced with a lot of work to make the place appealing to a potential buyer. Jackson wants to live in Seaside. The place has renewed faith and a sense of new hopes for Jackson, especially since he found Oliver.A beautiful story for hope and holiday hearts!
Publication date: September 4, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Every year I always make it a point to read Melody Carlson’s latest Christmas Novel. I have never read one that I didn’t like. This year Melody takes her characters from Cincinnati Ohio to Seaside Maine. Wendy Harper lost her husband to cancer about four years before her
Grandpa, who she called Poppa, passed away. He left her his cottage by the ocean in Seaside Maine.
Wendy and her twelve year old son travel to Seaside to visit the cottage. Wendy was left with a lot of her husband’s medical bills and both of their college loans to pay off. She planned to fix the cottage up and have it ready to list for sale. Her plans were to have it sold before Christmas and be back at her job in Cincinnati.
Seaside property should make a nice profit and enable Wendy to pay off her debts. Jackson, that’s her son, wanted to live at the cottage and stay in Seaside. But Wendy couldn’t see how she could provide for their needs working at a tourist town.
How can she break this news to Jackson? He loves the ocean and makes friends with some of the youth there. But what can she do? Does she really have a choice? And then there’s Caleb Colton who happens to cross Wendy’s path everywhere she goes. Good looking blue eyed Caleb Colton who happens to be a bachelor that at least one other woman in town has her eyes on.
This story was a very good Christmas read. It didn’t disappoint. All fans of Melody Carlson would like this novel. If you enjoy contemporary romance this is for you. It’s also Christian Fiction which means there’s no swearing or bedroom scenes in the story. I highly recommend it to be part of your Christmas reading .
A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson takes us to Seaside, Maine. Wendy Harper is traveling with her son, Jackson from Ohio to Seaside just before Thanksgiving. Wendy inherited a beach cottage from her grandfather. It is an answer to her prayers since she has a slew of debts incurred from her deceased husband’s battle with cancer along with student loans. Wendy has managed to get a month off to renovate the cottage and get it listed for sale. Jackson is excited about the trip and wants to relocate to Seaside permanently. The cottage is in better condition than Wendy expected, but it still needs some work. She hires Gordon, the local handyman, to help with the repairs. Jackson is thriving in the new environment. He makes a friend, finds a dog and enrolls himself in school. One day Wendy is at the hardware store and meets Caleb Colton, a furniture craftsman. She is surprised by what she feels when near Caleb. Wendy admires his beautiful furniture (works of art) and his Christian values. Wendy knows she should do the responsible thing and sell the cottage. However, she is drawn to the town, the cottage and a certain woodworker. To stay in Seaside, though, she needs a steady income stream. Christmas is rapidly approaching, and miracles have been known to happen.
A Christmas by the Sea is a charming Christmas story. I thought it was well-written with steady pacing. It is a wholesome story with a light Christian element. The Christian themes include the importance of having a strong faith in God, prayer, reading the Bible, trust in God, and know that He will answer your prayers but not always in the way you expect. I liked the characters with Jackson being my favorite. He is delightful with his infectious joy. I like how he learned to complete certain repairs courtesy of online videos (they are helpful). I enjoyed the descriptions of Seaside and the ocean. There is a wonderful scene where Jackson and Wendy are finding sand dollars on the beach (they are not easy to find). Colton’s furniture sounded beautiful along with the seashell creations made by Wendy. My one complaint is the ending was rushed along with the romance between Wendy and Caleb. An epilogue would have been appreciated (a year or two later). A Christmas by the Sea is a short book at only 167 pages. One of my favorite sentences is “God takes care of us and He will provide what we need.” My rating for A Christmas by the Sea is 4 out of 5 stars. Melody Carlson has given us another lovely Christmas story filled with love, hope, faith, family and joy.
This was a nice little, feel good, holiday read. Wendy has inherited a cottage on the Maine coast from her grandfather and she decides to take a trip there with her 12 year old son, Jackson, to get the place fixed up to sell. She needs the money to pay medical bills from when her late husband was ill. Her son wants to help fix the cottage up too, but for a completely different reason … he wants to move in permanently with his mom. The story revolves around their fixing up the house, meeting new friends, and having faith that everything will work out. God does listen to prayers and life has a way of working out when you never give up faith.
Can’t stop reading this sweet little book about a woman whose busband died, as she is trying to raise her son on coastal Maine. Predictable somewhst, but sweet and honest.
I think her Christmas books are some of my favorite. This one wasn’t my favorite but it was still very entertaining and enjoyable.
5 stars til the end. Wasn’t a finished ending.
Even though it’s not exactly “in season,” I felt like some light reading by an author I love. This was a cute book filled with hope to boost faith. The main character was someone I could very well relate to, and I kept wanting to cheer her on! The plot also inspired me to tackle some DIY projects :-).
Predictable
**WARNING: may contain spoilers**
Hallmark & Heartwarming Read
Thanks to Amazon Unlimited I was able to read this book. It had been on my list forever! I enjoyed the cozy and warm atmosphere especially around the holidays. Spiced with some romance but wholesome.
I rated this four out of five stars because I felt the ending was a little rushed but the whole experience was a mostly enjoyable read.
Admittedly, I’m not a single mom but her adulting worries especially over finances especially hit home for me. Sometimes they can overshadow the holidays if we let them. Adulting does indeed suck therefore I would have been ok with a bittersweet ending. Single moms have to make difficult decisions all the time and some without the help of a partner. That being said I’m pleased she got her Cinderella ending.
Good read for a quiet evening
A nice Christmas time story, read with a feel good, happy ending.
Well done!
Another good Melody Carlson story. Her characters are always well developed. Good Christmas read with a satisfying ending.
This book was easy to read. I enjoyed it bacause I my interest was captured by the characters.
She writes such great Christmas books. Sink into it and curl up to read. Read in 1 couple of days. Easy but so enjoyable.
This was a wonderful cozy book to read just in time for Christmas. Predictable but I enjoyed it very much
A very enjoyable read. Loved the characters and the story.
Fun Christmas story for an evening of ‘getting away’ for a few hours!
Loved every word on the pages. Brilliant writing and wonderful story.