Christmas at the Island Hotel (Mure)

Product Information

The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger. The new hotel’s impressive kitchens throw together two unlikely new friends: Isla Gregor is the hardworking young girl who has been awaitress in the island’s cafe, dreaming of a bigger, better life now that she’s at a proper fancy hotel. Konstantin Pederson is working his way up in the hotel’s kitchens too…but he is also, secretly, the only son of the Duke of Utsire. Konstantin has been sent to learn what it is to work hard for a living, before receiving his inheritance. Although he’s initially resentful, the place grows on him; he has never met anyone quite like Isla and her fellow Murians before. Jenny Colgan creates enjoyable, often quirky characters that you can't help but root for and fills her books with both humor and poignant moments. She also fills them with food and includes a few recipes at the end. If you are looking for something not too heavy and a holiday read that will tug at your heartstrings, this is a great book to snuggle up to with a cup of tea and a piece of shortbread or two. Between The Endless Beach and An Island Christmas these are without a doubt Jenny Colgan's best ever books, and if she continues to write in this more slightly grittier way with some heavier subjects in amongst the lightness, then I am incredibly excited to see what her next books are.

The biggest glaring one is our heroine starts book one at age 26, then in way less than two years, she’s magically become 31. Really? How could you not think through these things when you began the book? This is the second in the Moose Springs, Alaska series and I was impatient for its fall release since I had loved The Tourist Attraction. I just finished reading it last night and now I’m eagerly awaiting book #3 Enjoy the View which is scheduled to be released in January. The characters are likable and the stories are fun but I really love the town of Moose Springs. It might be fictional but it definitely inspires me to book a trip to Alaska – even in the winter! But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe:Please. Show me what will make me happy.

There are some huge storylines going on, so in some respects its good that its set in December as it allowed some of the lightness of the festive season to shine through and there were some smiles to be had. Equally though the December setting on Mure was perfect as the darkness of the island at this time of year was so atmospheric, and really added to the mood especially with one particular plot line. And then there’s the horrible stereotypes that the author indulges in. Texans are all types. I know to give Tripp a story arc you felt the need to paint him in the WORST possible way, but honestly it’s very, very lazy. I can handle the way the author paints Jan, because I expect she’ll have a moment in a later book where she finally, finally, is decent. But be careful, if she’s so horrid, then once again you are indulging in a stereotype to no end.

And I admit, had there been the normal amount of time in between them, my noticing of some glaring plot point issues might not have been quite so intense. These characters and so many others pulled at my heartstrings. But honestly I expect nothing else from a Jenny Colgan book. She has this way of writing these accessible people that are quirky and vulnerable and funny, and I always fall in love with them. Flora lives on Mure and she runs the Seaside Kitchen, the most beloved cafe that offers the most delicious things ever. Her boyfriend Joel, the one who's American, a high - flying lawyer with quite a few issues from his childhood finally start to open and feel happy. But then something happens - how are they going to cope with it? Lucy, who has jetted off to snowy Colorado for her dream-come-true white Christmas, is taken into the fold of Jules’s loud and brash family, discovering more about herself in a few short days than she has in years. AndJulesleaves the cold climes of Colorado to spend her Christmas on a beach with Chloe’s friends in Melbourne, finding that time away is just what she needed.So, my concerns: One of the "romantic" scenes was a bit more graphic than I prefer as one of the things I love about Jenny Colgan is that she can write a passion-filled love scene capturing the characters' feelings and thoughts without being gross. Not a big deal but I just hope this is not a trend. The other thing is that there's much more profanity in this book and I just hope that it doesn't get any worse. Granted, the worst language was expressed by Coltan who has a really foul mouth anyway and he is, of course, in horrible pain. However, I just hope it doesn't get any worse because it really takes away from the charm of the stories. I thought Mure would be fun to read about during the holidays, but the whole book just felt curiously blank I thought. There was too much drama to even enjoy any of that. I don't really think this is what most readers would want in a romance Christmas book. There's not a lot of that going around. Tripp was a rather interesting new character, I hated him at first, he has horrible views on things but the more time he spent on Mure, the more his horizons started to open and towards the end I at least liked the guy, and felt a bit sorry for him. He is related to someone on the island but that is all I am saying. Must the UK and US versions have different titles? I read books 1 and 2 as "Cafe by the Sea," and then in book 3 suddenly the characters are referring to the cafe as the "Summer Seaside Kitchen." Wait, when did it get renamed? Oh, it's the UK-US publisher nonsense.

Politics! Gak! I read books as an escape from politics so it took away from my fun to have Colton's brother characterized as a surly, insensitive Texan who watches Fox News and has never met a gay couple. Ugh--old, worn out stereotype. Sad face. Most importantly, you will not need to read the first three books of the series to enjoy this one. (I did not.) Jenny includes a simple summary in the Prologue that explains who the main characters are and what they have been doing. There is also a hand drawn map of Mure! Just like her writing, details and descriptions are kept to a minimum leaving the choicest words to tell the story. But running a hotel is far from easy, especially with the staff consists of a temperamental perfectionist of a chef, a kitchen boy who doesn’t know how to pee a potato and a shy kitchen assistant who can’t stop herself from blushing whenever anyone tries to so much as talk to her. An Island Christmas" or "Christmas on the Island" (the name seems to differ), means we get to return to the remote, yet unspoiled and beautiful Scottish island of Mure, and catch up with characters such as Joel and Flora and get to know some characters from the previous book a little better.

Games

This book is an absolute delight, but there is certainly plenty of story that remains to be told. In any case, whatever Ms. Colgan decides to write, I'm here for it. While I'm waiting, I NEED to get my hands on the beginning of this series, and then I'm sure I'll be reading this one again. Well it takes place on the remote Scottish island of Mure, where the inhabitants are trying to open a wonderful hotel in time for Christmas, with a very grumpy french chef and a Scandinavian pot boy who doesn’t seem to have ever been inside a kitchen before…. lots of high jinks ensue. What inspired you to write this novel? I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you, William Morrow Books!

I really enjoyed both getting to know the new characters, the disastrous early services in the restaurant, as well as catching up with all the regulars from previous books. It felt like I had returned to my home away from home as I am that absorbed with the lives of the Mure inhabitants. When Bronwyn finds out that Fletcher is in snowy Vermont at a romantic inn for the week, she can’t help but give synchronicity a push. She signs Emma up to help the inn keeper as the children’s activity coordinator. Emma agrees that a week filled with quaint shops and maple syrup would do her good… and maybe Fate really does have a Christmas gift in store for her. That is until she sees Fletcher with his daughter and fiancée. In Book 3 I liked the development of the story line for Lorna and Dr. Saif, the Syrian refugee doctor. His challenges with assimilation and his 2 boys and his missing wife make for an interesting secondary story. However, there is a brutal scene when the refugee office shows him video of an abused woman found in the war zone, asking him if he can identify her. I'm sure this is based on reality but it felt jarring and out-of-place in this type of "cozy cafe" novel. That being said just wow, I was almost in tears towards the end, and throughout I was continually compelled to read on. Flora and her family, and the island's doctor Saif will forever have a piece of my heart. I have now read and listened to the three "Mure" books five times and I totally LOVE this series. In my opinion, this is the best series that Jenny Colgan has written full of love, angst, laugh-out-loud witty conversation, yummy food, and Bramble. "The Endless Beach" is the best one so far for me but I really love all of them.I have to assume that these inconsistencies were intentional, as no professional writer or editor would have missed all of them. I just can't imagine what the point of them was--all it served to do for me was completely distract me from enjoying the story. It made the story almost hard to read at times. In ‘Het eilandhotel’ keer je terug naar Mure, het kleine eiland met zijn uitgestrekte strand, kleurrijke huisjes en inwoners, Flora’s café en het chique hotel op het noordelijkste puntje. Na alle gebeurtenissen in de vorige boeken was ik erg benieuwd naar de ontwikkelingen in de levens van alle geliefde personages en samen met een vriendin las ik dit boek in één dag uit. Jenny Colgan did it again en mijn eerste kerstboek van dit seizoen is uit! This was such a cosy and feel good read that was perfect to snuggle up with during this cold weather and bask in the warm, quirky characters and multiple romances that unfold.