Fintan is left with getting a brand new luxury hotel ,the first for the island, up and running right before the Christmas holidays, after his husband dies of cancer. Through Fintan’s grief and utter chaos of finding the right staff for the hotel, will it sink or will it be successful? A complicated book full of chaos that will remind you how complicated the holidays can be, but even with the chaos, there can be silver linings. #harpercollinspublisher #jennycolgan

I have read the two previous books that are loosely connected to this one and was happy to see this new one pop up! I enjoy Jenny Colgan's writing - it does not require my tired brain to work hard and I enjoy her characters and the settings she uses. This one was no exception. The book follows two nurses, Lissa and Cormac, as they swap jobs in Scotland and London. They both get used to their new surroundings and end up becoming friends along the way. A fast read but a good read in these trying times.

My thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story that finishes well can make a reader forgive and sometimes forget earlier disappointments. Although in this case, the fact that almost everyone is miserable from page 1 until about 75% into the story makes me question if the author is disconnected from her fan base for this 4th in her Mure series. Its Christmas, after all. And not everyone finds Christmas to be a happy time, but this story opens like a bad TV sitcom, with a new and unlikable character dropped into the mix, and a disquieting foreboding while I waited for the train wreck that arrived as expected. Recurring beloved couples in crisis fall deeper into crisis.

Isla, one of Flora’s helpers in the seaside kitchen, gets a charming much expanded role, but is described in terms that are often disparaging. In her new role in The Rock's kitchen, she is alternately described as a scullery maid and pot girl, even though she is an accomplished baker. It appeared the men in the kitchen don't take her kitchen skills seriously because she is shy and has a willingness to help wherever she is needed. In a key passage later in the story she is described as scuttling after her love interest into the kitchen. "Scuttling" should be banished from romances - its just plain degrading for any character who is not already understood to be cruel. Who has a romantic female lead “scuttle” in the same paragraph that her male mutual love interest is described as cheerful and confident?

Eventually our characters are allowed some upbeat holiday spirits and our troubled couples start to work out their issues. I felt the story really didn’t start, or at least could not be considered entertaining, until that point. The last few chapters were grand, and then it was over too soon.

Oh, and considering that Book 3 in the Mure series was also set at Christmas a year earlier with miserable recurring characters, if a 5th book comes out as another Christmas story, I might have to take a pass.

#NetGalley, #ChristmasAtTheIslandHotel

Colgan takes the reader on another fine visit to the island of Mure. There are familiar characters and new. Some old business is resolved and some new difficulties loom. A great addition to the Mure series.

Life is changing on the island of Mure, the luxury hotel the Rock is scheduled to open at Christmas. Fintan is at a loss as hoe to make it happen as he grieves for Colton. Flora is on maternity leave from the Seaside Kitchen but spending her days trying to get the hotel ready to open. The kitchen staff, Gaspard the temperamental French chef, Konstantine the exiled Norwegian royal that doesn't know how to do anything, and the local girl trying to start a life Isla need to find a way to work together if the hotel has a chance of success. A story of taking chances and working together to make dreams come true this is a story for the holidays.

Christmas at the Island Hotel was a great combination of a cozy small town read and a fun behind the scenes look at the workings of a hotel and restaurant. I cared about the characters and the description made me feel like I was really there.

A mishmash of storylines and crazy personalities. Not my favorite of Colgan’s, but fun.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mure, Scotland - Present Day

The tiny island of Mure lies in the far north of Scotland's waters as close to Norway as it is to Scotland. Despite its small year-round population, Mure is self-sustaining with fresh seafood, and land to graze cattle and sheep. It's also the home of a brand new hotel, the Rock, that, maybe because of its name, is off to a rocky start.

Fintan MacKenzie technically owns the Rock, but he despises it, and would sell it in a heartbeat. However, it was left to him by his husband, Colton, who passed away not long ago. It was Colton's dream idea, and every bit of love and money that he had went into making the hotel a success. Fintan has been dragging his feet in preparing it to open, so his older sister, Flora, a new mother, is hammering away at him to fulfill Colton's dream. But it isn't Fintan's dream.

Flora has about had it with her brother. She's exhausted from being on maternity leave from managing the Summer Seaside Kitchen in the village, Living in the family farmhouse with Flora and Fintan, besides baby Douglas, is Flora's partner, Joel, Flora and Fintan's brother Innes, along with his family, including their five-year-old daughter, Agot, who until Douglas was born was the only child, and she's none too happy to have competition. So Flora's exasperation with Fintan is just one more thing she has to shoulder. The hotel is booked for Christmas, they have little staff, no chef, and an owner who seems in no rush to fix those issues.

As much as she'd rather get used to being a mother, Flora takes on organizing the hotel's Christmas plans, but sends the grieving Fintan off to Glasgow to interview chefs. In the meantime, she hires one of her cafe employees, Isla, to work at the Rock in the kitchen since she has baking experience. Joel has found someone from Norway to also work in the kitchen, hopefully under the tutelage of their new chef.

Meanwhile, in Norway, young, rich playboy Konstantin has just been kicked out of his castle home by his irate father. No more credit cards, no more parties, no phone, nothing but a suitcase and his dog as Konstantin finds himself on the next ferry to some place called Mure. And he's not to return for six months! Sullen, unaware of even the idea of doing anything for himself, Konstantin steps off the ship into a life he couldn't even imagine in his wildest dreams.

Glasgow proves to be a bust at first for Fintan, until the swaggering, multi-tattooed Frenchman, Gaspard, shows up at the employment agency. After whipping up an amazing meal in the kitchen, Fintan hires him on the spot. However, when Gaspard arrives in Mure, his Gaulish ego pretty much sets everyone on edge. Can this wild man organize a gourmet kitchen in a few short weeks with the rag-tag employees that have been hired?

If you haven't read any of Jenny Colgan's wonderful stories, do start with this one. CHRISTMAS AT THE ISLAND HOTEL is full of incredible characters, plenty of humor, some very topical issues, a bit of romance, along with the backdrop of the delightfully Scottish island - bad weather and all. Steady, caring Flora mothers everyone, but she's not a pushover. Grief-stricken Fintan is struggling just to get through each day without Colton, Isla isn't sure about the young man from Norway, and Konstantin is learning about a whole new way of life. And then there is Agot, a force to be reckoned with.

CHRISTMAS AT THE ISLAND HOTEL will start readers' holiday season off in a delightful way. We've all had a strange year and Jenny Colgan's terrific fare will cheer everyone up.

This is only the second book I have read in this series (I also read the first one). The first book didn't do it for me so I wanted to try this one as well. Sadly, this book didn't do it for me either.

Perhaps if I had read the entire series, I would know everyone's names and backstories. But since I haven't, I felt like this was A LOT of people and side stories to keep up with on this tiny island of Mure - Flora, Joel & Baby Douglas; Fintan and his deceased husband Colton; the new chef that came along with his silent female baker; Isla who works in the new restaurant; Konstantine who is Norwegian royalty banned from his country and exiled to Mure to work as a dishwasher in the restaurant; Lorna and her Syrian doctor lover; the doctor's wife who is missing since the Syrian war; and the list goes on and on.

It's a cute story, but I just didn't feel any sort of connection with any of the characters. Certainly not enough to have me read the next installment (assuming there is one) or even any books in this series that I missed.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

Such a treat to be back on Mure with the delightful characters Colgan has created! Christmas is my favorite holiday so enjoying the season with them was icing on the cake. Flora's new tensions as a working mother were authentic and I appreciated Colgan addressing how couples can handle these in a healthy, and perhaps slightly non-traditional, way. Isla had more of a starring role in this book and getting to know her better was a real treat as was being introduced to a mysterious newcomer. My only disappointments were that it felt rushed at the end and the Saif/Lorna story has moved from intriguing to depressing and uninteresting. I hope there is more fleshing out of some of these stories in the next installment. Colgan is a must-read for me!

This was so much fun to read a Christmas book in a summer climate. I also liked the characters had some wit to them.

Jenny Colman's books are among my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. It was lovely to return to the tiny Scottish island of Mure and get caught up on the lives of all the characters that Jenny wrote about in The Endless Beach, and it was also nice to meet a couple of new ones. If you are looking for a lovely Scottish story, with plenty of Christmas spirit thrown in, this is your book!

I loved returning to the charming, cozy Island of Mure in Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Coligan. This was a lovely sweet love story with charming side characters. Reading this book while eating sad desk lunches felt a like Saturday lie-in with a milky tea. It was so calming and a perfect Christmas read! This book feels timeless, like you can enjoy it now and for many years to come. Coligan writes with whit Agot had me in tears.

Loads of fun being back with my Mure Island friends. An enjoyable take on Christmas through the eyes of different nationalities and different ages. Christmas at the Island Hotel was a nice escape from reality.

I’ve adored every book in this series, and Christmas at the Island Hotel did not disappoint. Colgan introduced a lovely assortment of new characters to Mure and did a wonderful job of moving along the stories of our old favorites. Not sure if this was the finale but it could be...but I’ll still be looking forward to the next saga on Mure!!! Thanks NetGalley for this copy!

This book starts out slow by defining the characters and their personalities. Konstantin is the son of a Duke. He is very self absorbed. His father takes everything away from him and sends him to Mure, a tiny island. Flora and Fintan are brother and sister trying to open a hotel that was left to Fintan. Isla is a local hired to help in the kitchen. There are secrets, drama and some romance. I enjoyed the book after their slow start. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

Colgan has an amazing talent of weaving small town charm, eccentric characters & a raw but touching storyline all together. You know when you read one of her stories it’s sure to tug at your heart, ends with something sweet and sure to leave you wanting more. As always Colgan whips up a delicious story that makes you want to whip up something in your own kitchen. This story includes a new momma, a widower, a spoiled rich kid & a shy and gracious aspiring chef. Their lives intertwine and they are all sure to keep you on your feet trying to guess what comes next for this eccentric bunch as they work together to open the doors of the Island Hotel.

Well folks, it was definitely worth the wait! I totally loved this fourth book in the Mure series. It. Was. Wonderful! I actually read it twice before writing my review because I enjoyed it so much!

Jenny Colgan has written a funny, romantic, heartwarming story with all my favorite returning characters as well as some wonderful new ones. Some unfinished business from the prior book is addressed with the possibilities for a Book #5 (hope, hope, hope) as well.

An added bonus, there was no profanity (OK, two bad words but that's all), no graphic sex, and no disparaging comments about specific politicians.

I sincerely thank NetGalley for sending me this ARC. This didn't impact my review as I had already pre-ordered it anyway and it's been the number one "Want to Read" on my list since I finished reading "Christmas on the Island" a few years ago.

Christmas is coming to Mure Island and so is the planned opening of Colton’s Hotel, the Rock.

Fintan and Flora work to have an opening of the Rock that would have made Colton proud. Opening a first class hotel and restaurant isn’t easy anywhere, but on the remote Scottish island of Mure it is an extremely difficult task.

My friends from Mure! (Sigh) I have missed the characters in this series. It was wonderful to check in with them again in the pages of Jenny Colgan’s latest and lovely book in the Mure series. Everyone has their challenges in this story including Flora, Joel, Fintan, Saif, Lorna, and Argot. How and when did Argot go from being precocious to bratty, I wondered? There are some wonderful new characters, too, like Gaspard, a rough around the edges French Chef, sporting serious ink. In my mind he stole the show on every page he appeared.

I adored this book, I savored every word.

Sweet holiday story that's part of a series I have yet to read in chronological order. I didn't realize this was a series so I had a few missing links to fill in but the story didn't suffer to badly from that yet I'd suggest trying to read the previous books. It wasn't as interesting of a story as I had hoped but a mostly enjoyable read.