It’s recent college graduate Zach Greenfeld’s favorite time of the year and he’s just received a temporary gig planning Lighthouse Bay’s Christmas parade. Not only does it speak to his penchant for organization, it also puts him face to face on a daily basis with his unrequited crush—Holland Stone. But his new job starts off in disaster when the most important float—Santa’s sleigh—gets damaged. … damaged.
Holland needs to win the Lighthouse Bay Christmas parade float competition in order to grow his new dollhouse-making business. The prize is an article in a major city newspaper, and nothing beats free advertising. Except, eager to help the adorable parade organizer, he volunteers to help fix Santa’s sleigh, leaving no time to work on his own float, and putting his prize at risk.
Damaged floats, snowstorms, and a last-minute parade emergency force Zach and Holland closer than ever. All they need is a little bit of Christmas magic to help them realize they belong together.
Christmas Lane is a sweet, May/December, small-town Christmas romance with an HEA!
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If you’re looking for a heart-warming read, Christmas Lane is a charming little book that will give you the warm and fuzzies! This is holiday book, yes, but I read it in August, so clearly you can enjoy it any time of the year.
This story includes a cast of small-town characters, including Zach, a new college graduate who is sweet and invested in his community, and Holland, a dollhouse-maker who is the object of Zach’s crush.
While planning the Christmas parade, Zach must manage a number of last-minute crises and Holland is right there to help him out. The two navigate a very busy season, starting a new relationship, and a few other job-related challenges. At its heart, this is a very sweet, Hallmark-style story without a lot of serious conflict, which is perfect when you want something that will make you smile.
This is a very sweet and tender story of two men who are meant to be together. Holland and Zach at first seem to have very little in common, but the more we learn about them, the more perfect they seem for each other. There are some sad moments, but overall there is just a straightforward romance that makes me sigh. I love how they each have things they don’t like about themselves, but the other views those things as positives.
The secondary characters also have a lot going on, and I am excited to see that they will have the chance to find happiness as well. I’m glad to see that this is listed as book one, so I know I can expect more of this great group of friends. Love it!
Christmas Lane contains everything you love and expect from a romance of Christmas, the context, the characters, the basic story, romance, etc. … really everything is there and well. In part, the story is set in a small village in the snow where the Christmas period is taken almost religiously by its inhabitants. In addition, the story happens in a region where it snows a lot at the end of the year, which adds the little dose of Christmas magic we love so much.
Regarding the characters, it is a faultless. I loved them all. Whether Zach and Holland, the two main or Clark and Dev, certainly secondary characters, but who appear very regularly throughout history. By the way, as Christmas Lane is Volume 1 of the Lighthouse Bay series, I hope they will be the heroes of the next book.
In terms of history, we must be honest, it’s not the most original out there. But who cares, because you know what, we do not expect an original script with a Christmas romance, but a touching story and that feels good. Christmas Lane is a cute romance that talks about Zach and Holland’s seductive game while they finish organizing the annual parade. Yep is everything, but with lots of little things happening here and there, funny events, full of good feelings and warming our hearts.
I will end my review by talking about what could be a black point in my reading, the age difference. Well, I just did not mind. There is 15 years difference between the two men, but we do not feel it. Maybe it’s due to Zach’s maturity or the fact that we get carried away by the magic of Christmas, I can not say. The only thing I’m sure of is that I had a great time with this novel and that I recommend it to anyone looking for a cute little Christmas romance to finish this end of the year.
A lovely holiday read that will leave you with a smile and a filled-up heart.
Career goals and yearnings for love, Zach Greenfeld is on the cusp of both…at least he wishes he were. He’s looking for a job that isn’t at his family’s diner and lasting love, and if that love comes in the form of a super hot older man who happens to be double his age? All the better. Maybe he’ll get his heart’s wish this Christmas. Holland Stone is charmed by the brightness in Zach, but as an old man he’s convinced there can’t be anything between them. Except the busybodies and well-meaning people of their town give Holland and Zach a chance to see they’re truly meant for one another, but only if they can survive the storms of various types that sweep into their little town.
I loved Zach’s intelligence, problem-solving, his heart, and his maturity. He tries so hard to take care of everyone and show them they’re appreciated and yet there’s no one to care for him. Holland is a nice guy that I liked because of what he gave to Zach. Not only his heart, but his ability to see the younger man. They were a good pair minus the jumping to conclusions and miscommunications. I found both of them together to be sweet and all that is good with Christmas, creativity, and love.
There was a bit of emphasis on Zach’s part to avoid sexual intimacy of pretty much all types and, given his experiences, it’s understandable. What I wasn’t exactly a fan of was the one sexual experience Zach and Holland have together being off-page and with no discussion of how they resolved Zach’s issue with sex. One sentence saying that things were better than he thought they could be and a few mentions of his desire for intimacy of that nature with Holland just doesn’t do the situation justice. Plus, I just really wanted the steam =].
Overall the story was very sweet from beginning to end and I enjoyed it very much. Finding where you truly belong and treasuring the heart you’re entrusted with, Holland and Zach learn what that means and how far they’ll go to keep it. There are quite a few characters and hints about the difficulties they’ll face in their own stories and I’m definitely interested in revisiting Lighthouse Bay for them. For a sweet and fluffy story full of Christmas Spirit and lots of love, Christmas Lane fulfilled the brief with lots of heart and warm fuzzies to go around.
First let me say, I want to live in Lighthouse Bay and to own a shop on Christmas Lane.
This is a fabulous feel good Christmas story, full of great characters and world building. How Zach found the hours in the day to do everything he did, just amazing. Lol. Holland full of insecurity, it was hard to believe he is the older.
The whole community pulling together. The winter weather. The misunderstandings. All combine together to make a warm cosy festive read.
May/December (age gap) romances are one of my favorite tropes to read about. I also love holiday stories, especially Christmas, so when I ran across this book it was a must read for me. I found it sweet and cute, and I loved the small-town setting. The characters and setting were very well developed, and I felt like I was part of the story. I enjoyed the relatively low angst storyline, with a little angst thrown in at the end to keep you on your toes! While there was no on-page sex, the story was good without it. This was a great Christmas read, and I look forward to seeing what the next book in the series brings.
Christmas Lane is the first book in The Lighthouse Bay series by Amy Aislin. The story is set in a small town during Christmastime, with a May/December romance. It is sweet like a hallmark channel holiday movie on your kindle.. with two interesting men as the main characters.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas and buy this book pronto. It will warm your heart, even in the coldest weather. This was such an amazing, wonderful book. Two pages in and I couldn’t put the book down. I read it in one sitting with a smile on my face, tears in my eyes, and a warm feeling all over.
Zach and Holland wormed their way into my heart. They are beautiful. Beautiful alone, but even more beautiful together. Twenty-four-year-old Zach, who always felt the odd one out, who always felt that he didn’t belong. But now, with Holland, he definitely belongs. Holland, who is fifteen years older than Zach, but never lets Zach feel he is so much younger. No, he makes Zach feel safe and protected and cherished and loved. Holland understands Zach as no other. He is so sweet and accepting.
It had everything I love in a book. The witty dialogue, the sweet and heartfelt moments, the endearing characters. And no, there was no sex. Did I miss it? Not in the slightest. It was so in tune with the entire story it would have been a dissonant. That doesn’t mean I didn’t feel the attraction between Holland and Zach. It was always there. In every little word and gesture, the connection was palpable.
The author set this book in a small town in Maine, and I really felt part of the town. With all the small-town gossip and rumors that you really don’t need, but you can’t get away from. But also with all those people teaming up at a minute’s notice to help each other out. I loved the secondary cast with Mika, Clark, and Dev. I wonder if we get one of their stories as well. I sure hope so.
Okay, I’m going to admit, I am a big fan of fun, smart, sexy, holiday stories. I love the “cheese” factor, the easy-going nature of the romance. They’re just fun and a total guilty pleasure. And, quite honestly, Christmas Lane is easily one of the best I’ve read.
I loved the May to December romance that slowly built between Zach and Holland. Their banter and awkwardness were absolutely perfect and true to who they are. I loved how Holland dove in wherever he was needed. I loved how Zach easily took over in whipping the parade and other events into shape. And I loved Holland and Zach together—they were absolutely adorable in their thinking the rest of the world didn’t notice their lovey-dovey eyes watching each other.
I loved how the whole town was involved in bringing the Christmas Lane parade to life. I loved the nosiness of each person—that the whole town knew the gossip pretty immediately. And I loved how skewed some of the information became.
There were things that I didn’t like—some that were pretty farfetched and some of the side characters were pretty crappy too (side-eye to Zach’s sister Alana who I really struggled with) . . . but the romance between Zach and Holland is what won me over enough to put those things aside.
Christmas Lane is just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit. I really enjoyed it from start to finish and I can’t wait for more in this fun, sexy, small town series!
I Loved, Loved, Loved this story. I’m not going to give a rundown as the blurb says it all and anything more would-be spoilers. There are so many fun characters. I loved both Zach and Holland. I felt like they belonged together from the start, BUT I love a huge age gap.
All of the characters add so much to this story and the setting is a character in itself. I wanted to see that parade and spend the day there!
This story is a perfect holiday story that could be read anytime and a beautiful age-gap.
I read this book through Kindle Unlimited, and then I purchased it. (Yes, it’s that good.)
I read Christmas Lane after I read Gingerbread Mistletoe (Book 2). Book Two was so good I had to find out about the characters mentioned from Book One. And I’m glad I did.
These characters are just as lovely as the ones from Book Two.
The road to their HEA was captivating, and watching them grow, both personally and as a couple, was beautiful to see. I became invested in this couple right away, and I am delighted with their passion and emotional connection.
I look forward to more from this author.
I know I joke and say I want to move to some of these fictional towns I read about, but there’s no joking when I say I want to move to Lighthouse Bay, like right now. It sounds like the most wonderful little town. And I don’t recall a bookstore being mentioned, so right there I’ve got my in!
I love when a location plays as much of a part in a book as the characters do. Sometimes it can overshadow the story, too, but that’s not the case with Christmas Lane and Lighthouse Bay. Amy Aislin did a really terrific job giving this town its own personality.
Speaking of personalities, I adored Zach! He was so precious and I just wanted to scoop him up in my arms and protect him from all the hurts in his past. He’s so open and loving, I wanted all the good things for him. The way he and Holland would watch each other, hoping the other wouldn’t notice- so sweet. Even with the age difference I thought Holland and Zach were so good together- they balanced and complemented each other so well, filling a void that they each had.
I did get frustrated with Holland at one point and wanted to reach through my Kindle to bop him upside the head. But thankfully he came to his senses before too long, so we didn’t have to suffer long!
Christmas Lane was such a sweet, feel good read- perfect for this time of year. It had a bit of a hurt/comfort feel to it, just because of things that happened in Zach’s past- he wanted to be loved for who he was so badly. He really was so darling, and I was so happy he and Holland found each other.
I’ve only recently discovered Amy Aislin and I’m looking forward to reading her back list. I’m actually in the middle of reading an arc of book two in this series, Gingerbread Mistletoe, and I want to move to Lighthouse Bay even more now!
This books was so descriptive with a heartwarming storyline that I couldn’t put it down. It was an age-gap, set in a picturesque small town, with an amazing cast of characters including Holland and Zach. I absolutely loved this Christmas book and cannot wait for the next release!
3 stars- I’ve enjoyed other titles by this author and found the blurb for Christmas Lane really promising, so I dove right in. I loved the idea of the May-December romance and I always enjoy stories about quirky small towns, especially at Christmas time. While this certainly was an incredibly sweet holiday romance, Christmas Lane wasn’t quite what I hoped for when starting.
From the first chapter, I thought the characters had loads of potential. Zach and Holland had well flushed out personalities and backstories and they complimented each other well. I liked the slow burn nature of their romance as well, with both men taking time to warm up to being in a relationship with one another. I also loved the plot surrounding their love story. The small town Christmas float and fair was just as adorable as one could imagine, and it was easy to picture the scenes playing out.
Despite all it had going for it, Christmas Lane never really took off for me. The pacing was slow and I never truly felt invested in the story, so I found myself putting the book aside more often than not. And while I loved plenty of the plot points including Holland’s ex returning to town, some elements seemed more like manufactured conflict versus a natural development in the story- most notably Zach’s sister and that dreaded miscommunication that leads to a needless fight. Those little bobbles, particularly in an otherwise sugary sweet holiday romance, meant Christmas Lane never pulled me in further than that surface enjoyment.