Christmas Inn Love by Kelly Collins

Sweet Christmas Romance

This is one of those sweet holiday romances that is just such a pleasure to read if you enjoy the genre. There are no big, bad villains in this story, just decent people whose grand visions of life are at cross-purposes. The heroine, Celia, runs a quaint inn in a small Colorado town. She and her son Jackson barely scrape by some months, but she is committed to her business and their town. Rob McKenna returns to the area after his mother’s death. Now a real estate developer, he plans to make some of his mother’s property, the part that abuts Celia’s land, into a full-fledged resort. Celia is dead set against this, as she believes it will be bad for her business and the town. They had known each other in high school, but Celia’s boyfriend had been Rob’s tormentor, so they were never close. As this story unwinds, the two adults get closer, partially because of Celia’s son Jackson and Rob’s dog. Will rob continue with his plans as he and Celia get more involved, knowing that she is opposed to them? Will both Celia and Jackson be able to trust anyone again after being abandoned by Jackson, Sr.?

There are so many things I liked about this book. It has gentle humor, which I always like in a romance. I like that the author didn’t make a villain out of the teenager in the book. Jackson’s a good, thoughtful kid, and I love his relationship with his mother. Celia and Jackson have had hard roads to travel, struggling at times to survive and always with that specter of abandonment as an issue. Rob is a good hero. I liked how he felt protective of Celia even before they very much involved. Chemistry existed between them from the start, but this is a slow-burn romance. The theme of Christmas was interwoven well into the story. Part of what Celia liked about her small town was its special little celebrations for Christmas. If you enjoy gentle Christmas romances that have a deep grounding in family, you will most likely enjoy this novel.