Christmas by the Coast by Mandy Baggot

01 Dec Christmas by the Coast by Mandy Baggot

Posted at 11:00 in Christmas, Romance by Karen Byrom 0 Comments

Escape to the USA with this Christmas romance
****

When Harriet Cookson’s beloved grandmother dies, Harriet flies out to Montauk in New York state to comfort her grandfather and hopefully mend family bridges between him and Harriet’s father.

As she becomes involved in helping run The Rum Cocount, her grandparents’ popular Tiki shack, and keeping up with all her late grandmother’s Christmas traditions, Harri begins to question the life she used to lead as a property developer, and the depth of her feelings for her partner Iain.

For she has met an unexpected old love in Montauk – Mack, an Afghan vet she’d written to but yet to meet, who disappeared abruptly from her life years ago. Will the two be able to mend bridges or will Mack’s former betrayal, Harriet’s old life and the continuing presence of Iain get in the way of true love?

A non-traditional Christmas and an in-depth look at love, loss and family relationships make this a less-than-traditional Christmas romance despite its title and cover. Serious issues of post-war PTSD, life-changing injuries, and longstanding family estrangement are all dealt with here.

But the author manages to keep the tone light with atmospheric descriptions of seasonal shenanigans at the Rum Coconut – presided over by talking parrot Meryl Cheep – a lively cast of supporting characters, including mystic Madam Scarlett, and humorous anecdotes.

Christmas in Montauk is different to home – there are cocktail making competitions, clam bakes and pirate outings along with traditional tree-trimming. But together, plot, theme and characters make this a great read for cosying up with this winter.

Christmas by the Coast by Mandy Baggot is published by Aria, paperback and e-book