Cover Image: Christmas at Corgi Cove

Christmas at Corgi Cove

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I enjoyed this book. It was cute and held my interest from beginning to end. This was my first time reading this author but not my last.

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Rosie spent her teen years being raised by her aunt and uncle at their bed and breakfast in Corgi Cove. They gave her the love and stability her mom couldn't. Very old-fashioned, her aunt and uncle haven't done anything on social media to help the inn, it's struggling, and it's almost too late.
The developers of the local resort know about the inn, its prime location, and they have money. Rosie won't let them sell the only place she's ever called home without a fight. Her biggest obstacle, other than financial, is Everett, the guy from corporate holding all the cards. If only he wasn't attractive. And seemingly helpful. 
A magazine contest is a long shot but could be the answer to Rosie's prayers. With a little luck, help from the town, plus friends and family, the Christmas miracle Rosie needs might just happen.
This book has all the magic of Christmas with a B&B in dire straits, corgis, a cat, sparks between the local woman and the guy from NYC--what more could you want?
Received an ARC from Netgalley

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I loved this book!! The story inside is just as beautiful as the cover. It's a sweet heartwarming romance that was a joy to read.
I received a complimentary copy from Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Cute story about fearing and resisting change, learning surprising things about yourself that you never suspected, and small-town life where everybody knows your name, knows your business and isn’t afraid to jump right in and tell you how to live it.

Rosie’s young life was difficult and she didn’t feel at home anywhere until she came to live with her aunt and uncle at the B&B in Corgi Cove. But they are now in financial trouble: the fancy resort across the way has lured away almost all of their business, and they have not kept up with the times or done needed repairs and upgrades so the inn now feels a little worn down and outdated. Potential is there but they don’t have the vision or money to achieve it and are facing bankruptcy and loss of their long-time home

The fancy resort wants to buy the property and has sent Everett out to seal the deal. Having to go to Texas at Christmas is his punishment and banishment for arguing with his boss. He’s sure this is going to be an easy sale and he’ll be back in New York in no time. He can’t wait to get out of Texas and it shows.

There’s an attraction at once between Rosie and Everett but she especially doesn’t want anything to do with that possibility. At first he just wants to get on her good side so she will go along with the sale but things change as time goes on. Their interactions are cute, funny, and increasingly sweet.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy of Christmas at Corgi Cove via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed the story. It felt jumbled and hurried at times and some of the other characters are endearing but some that I think were meant to be endearing are just annoying. All in all, though, a good holiday read. I voluntarily leave this review. All opinions are my own.

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Actual rating 3.75, rounded up for corgi chaos.

This was as I expected - much like the Hallmark channel movies, but in book form. Some of the situations were just completely unrealistic, but the supporting characters made things fun. I didn't really connect with Rosie and Everett, as individuals or as a couple, which made it slightly difficult to really be invested in their story. But the overall experience was mostly fun, especially with the mischievous corgis. I'm now over any thought of owning one for myself, and will gladly stick with cocker spaniels!

My thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I discovered this author two years ago but it only took that first book (Maps for the Getaway-click for review) to have me snapping up her backlist and eagerly anticipating each new release, especially the winter books. If, like me, you're counting down the days until the start of what I call Hallmark Holiday Movie Season, you'll want to add Noblin's newest offering, Christmas at Corgi Cove to your 2023 reading list.

This book has all the feel-good elements that I've come to enjoy in my winter holiday reading: humor, love, family dynamics, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, community spirit, holiday hijinks, happy endings, and adorable, mischievous, lovable dogs (cats are good too but this book has dogs).

I love that the author uses alternating chapters to tell the story from both Rosie's and Everett's points of view. Everett could easily be the villain of the piece but watching his evolution through his own thoughts and actions gives the reader the insight needed to feel empathy for him and his situation. Rosie and her family elicit the reader's support immediately (who doesn't love an underdog?) but Rosie herself has issues to work through. I enjoyed watching both of these characters grow throughout the story, learning what's really important in life, falling for one another bit by bit, discovering the fine art of compromise. By the end of the book, I was cheering for both of them equally hard.

The secondary cast of characters is pure gold and that includes the hilarious Bonnie and Clyde as well as quirky citizens who insert themselves into the picture at every opportunity. Nosy? Oh, heavens no. They're just concerned. The joys of small town life, am I right? They bring plenty of humor to the story but also genuine caring. When the chips are down, the citizens of this town rally to support one of their own without hesitation.

Christmas at Corgi Cove is another heartwarming story from Annie England Noblin that left me awash in the spirit of Christmas and smiling with delight.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley.

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This is the first book that I have had the pleasure of reading by this author, and I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with the beautiful cover, then I met the characters and loved them as well.

I have always thought that Christmas seems to come earlier every year, but it really does come far too early to McCredie's little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. What follows is a fun, enjoyable story. This is such a delightful read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

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A touching family drama happens at Christmas at Corgi Cove by Annie England Noblin. When Rosie Reynolds was young, she is let down by the one person who you count on loving and caring for you, her mother. However, thankful to an aunt and uncle who loved and took her in, she found a home. A home that is now a struggling inn. She makes plans to hold a contest to save the inn, but Everett St Claire arrives on the scene to have a big city chain buy the inn. Early on you will be pulling with all your heart for the underdogs.

As you can imagine Rosie and dogs dig in their heels. It is Everett St Claire that is the surprise element in this story finding an irresistible to the area, the inn, the people, the dogs, and especially to Rosie. What an enchanting holiday story by Annie England Noblin.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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The title of this book was more intriguing than the actual story. It is an enemy to lovers story about a young woman in a small Texas town and the man from New York City who comes down to purchase her aunt’s and uncle’s Bed and Breakfast.
Corgi Cove has been Rosie’s home since she was 15 . She knows the B&B isn’t doing well, but not how dire the situation is until Everett shows up to buy the place, knowing it will be torn down and a new fancy hotel put in its place. Rosie fights her attraction to a man who plans to destroy her home, while Everett knows that purchasing this property is the key to his continued employment.
But Uncle Joe has a heart attack when he first meets Everett, and the younger man saves his life. This also buys the two young people time to get to know each other.
Can spending time in a small town make Everett realize he’s missing out on life by focusing soley on work. Can Rosie forgive the man who is attempting to change her whole world?
The story is a bit predictable, and the main characters seem somewhat flat. Starting with 15 year old Rosie may have been a mistake, as we don’t see her grow into a young woman, we jump straight from the whiny teen to someone determined to save her home. The enmity between Rosie and Everett seems a bit too vitriolic to be overcome by physical attraction, but apparently Christmas magic is at work.
But the town is fun, the dogs had a touch of levity, and it’s definitely a feel good story.

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This was a low key, typical holiday Hallmark type romance set in a small town in TX where Rosie’s aunt and uncle own an older, struggling B&B that is about to be foreclosed on. Everett is the big city real estate exec sent to buy it so that his company, which already owns an upscale lakeshore hotel in town, can expand their footprint on the lake. They will, of course, tear the B&B down and build something sleek and modern in its place. For Rosie, the B&B was her refuge when she came there as a troubled teen, and she’s determined to save it.

There are quirky town characters, lots of holiday spirit, two cute corgis (of course) and a slow realization on Everett’s part that maybe he’s been missing out on human connections and there is more to life than work.

I didn’t feel that much of a connection between Rosie and Everett, although I enjoyed the banter between them. The book also never explained the circumstances that led to Everett being demoted and sent to TX in the first place so it was hard to understand his motivations. However, the book provided a nice dose of holiday cheer. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

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The holiday season is on the horizon! I can hear the sleigh bells a’ringin’ and chestnuts a toastin’. Where better to celebrate a festive holiday with snow laden hills, nights drinking cocoa by the fire, and the winter wind blowing through the trees than Texas… wait. What? Not the ideal setting for a holiday novel, but I’ll go with it. I do feel, however, like I’ve been sold a bill of false goods with the cover of Christmas at Corgi Cove by Annie England Nublin - I specifically see two adorable corgi dressed in holiday sweaters amid a backdrop of a snow covered cabin. I’ll go with it, but I’m giving you the hairy eyeball as I do it.

A Little Bit of Plot
Rosie Reynolds is on a mission to save Corgi Cove, her aunt and uncle’s cozy little lakeside inn, from being bought up by the larger and more corporate Lake Queen resort. To do this, she takes a chance at becoming Southern Living's best decorated inn of the year. The winnings include a remodel and a large cash prize. Unfortunately, standing in her way (kinda) is Everett St. Clare, a buyer from Lake Queen that hopes to buy out Corgi Cove before it is lost to the bank. Both Everett and Rosie can’t deny the very real attraction happening between them, but would a relationship just be a lost cause?

What I liked about the book
- Honestly, I requested this book because I used to have a corgi and my mom loves both Hallmark Christmas movies and corgis. So I wanted to be able to recommend it to her.
- This was better than a Hallmark movie for three things alone: alcohol, sex, and swearing. Nothing makes me more upset than two random people declaring their undying love for one another without having even kissed. How?!
- The side characters are delightful. I loved all the townies that had their own eccentricities.
- The corgis: Bonnie and Clyde. Having owned one, their behavior in this was spot on. You don’t own corgis, they own you.

What I didn’t like as much
- Certain aspects of the book should have been cut (the issue with the uncle) and others delved into further (how exactly the town was cooperating with the contest)
- I didn’t feel as though there was a ton of chemistry between Everett and Rosie; I think he’s more attracted than she is.
- The Lake Queen company wouldn’t be this lenient with their offers and they wouldn’t put them on hold for domestic issues. They’d also cut their losses - one offer made and if it’s not accepted, wait until they can buy it at a lower price from the bank - that’s business.

I definitely enjoyed aspects of this book, I believe it was a bit too long and not focused on the best aspects of the storyline. It moved quickly, however, and I finished in an afternoon. I think if you’re looking for something to get you into the holiday mood, you could definitely do much worse.

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CHRISTMAS AT CORGI COVE -- Annie England Noblin
Avon
ISBN: 978-0063222243
October 17, 2023
Contemporary Fiction

Corgi Cove, Texas – Present Day

Rosie Reynolds knows that her aunt and uncle’s inn is on the verge of bankruptcy, but like them, she keeps hoping that something will happen to keep it open. One day, Everett St Claire arrives at the inn with an offer from the company he works for to buy the inn. But the company’s plan for the inn would likely mean tearing it down and building an exclusive resort—and it would also leave Rosie homeless as she lives in a cabin on the property. But before Everett can further discuss the offer, Rosie’s uncle has a medical emergency that ends with him in the hospital for days.

Meanwhile, Everett works on getting Rosie to convince her aunt and uncle to sell, but she’s adamant that this won’t happen. She wants to see the inn renovated and filled with customers. But in the condition that it is in now, that likely won’t happen without an influx of money. Everett is sympathetic to Rosie’s dilemma, but he is getting pressured by his employer to close the deal. However, he soon finds himself enjoying himself in Corgi Cove—especially being with Rosie. But the future of the inn continues to come between them.

CHRISTMAS AT CORGI COVE is set near Christmas and takes place over several weeks. The name “Corgi Cove” could mean the corgi dogs that Rosie’s aunt and uncle own. The inn was once a grand place to stay but now has fallen into disrepair. Rosie has grown to love the inn and the area after she was dumped there at the age of fifteen by her mother who grew tired of Rosie’s teenage antics. In this tale, there are many minor characters, and I won’t list them all. The main focus is on Rosie, Everett, and the inn. They battle at first, then declare a somewhat truce. The fact that he is there to facilitate the purchase of the inn keeps coming between them. Never mind the fact that they are growing attracted to each other.

Readers will smile and shed a tear or two at the antics in CHRISTMAS AT CORGI COVE. The corgis are heathens named Bonnie and Clyde and they help provide a few lighthearted moments. Rosie’s aunt and uncle waver between wanting to keep the inn open to realizing that it may not be possible. It is Rosie who is determined to keep the inn up and running, but she realizes that some kind of miracle will need to happen. When a contest for the most intriguing inn is shown to Rosie, she has the bright idea to enter it. Everett realizes that if they win, his chance to get them to sell is going to fly out the window. Not a good thing when his supervisor threatens to remove him and replace him with someone who just might force the sale. What will happen? Will Rosie and her family win the contest? Will Everett win her heart?

Come for the fun in CHRISTMAS AT CORGI COVE and stay for the end as you won’t be able to predict how it ends until it does. An intriguing and enjoyable tale, be sure not to miss CHRISTMAS AT CORGI COVE.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

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There may have been a great story hidden here, as it started with great promise, but I was unable to find it.

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This is very much the sort of story you might see in a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel and it's got all those feels. Selling the B&B might save Mary and Joe financially but their niece Rosie isn't so sure. Nor is she sure about Everett who, if he can manage to buy it, might save his own job. The back and forth between these two is nicely presented through their alternating chapters. Neither of them counted on the town, the corgis (love the corgis) or the spark between them. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Nice characters, good community spirit, and family make this a good read.

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This is the second Noblin book that I’ve read. Last year, it was Christmas in Blue Dog Valley so Christmas at Corgi Cove continues my Noblin doggie Christmas reads. I have to be honest though, it was the title and cover that got my attention first before I even realized that I had read Noblin before.

I had the honor of being dog mama, for about 10yrs, to a sassy, spunky, mischievous, commanding, little lovebug, who hubby and I called Lil Sadie Baby. We believe our Lil Sadie Baby was mostly a Cardigan Corgi, with all the typical Corgi features. The vet estimated that our Lil Sadie Baby was probably around five yrs old when we adopted her. Lil Sadie Baby crossed over the rainbow bridge several years ago, but she is still memorialized with all our other beloved fur babies.

Anyway, the book summary lays out the premise for the primary storyline. What the book summary doesn’t reveal is that in the prologue, 15yr old Rosie was dumped at her aunt Mary and uncle Joe’s inn, Corgi Cove, because Rosie’s newly married mother and stepfather couldn’t “handle” her anymore after her latest stunt (staying out past her curfew and not doing what she’s told). Seems Rosie was a typical teenager (OMG!!! Shocker!!!). Anyway, fast forward 12yrs and Rosie has never left and absolutely LOVES Corgi Cove.

Most of the story revolves around the contest and preparing the Corgi Cove for the contest photo shoot. There was also a Thanksgiving Day party that Elliot, the rep from the company pressuring Mary and Joe to sell, basically invites himself to and crashes the party by booking a stay (he already has an apartment in town). There is a secondary storyline of the budding attraction between Rosie and Elliot and another one regarding the contentuous relationship between Mary and her sister (and Rosie's mom) Katherine. The story flips back and forth between Rosie’s POV and Elliot’s. Apparently, Elliot’s job is on the line if he doesn’t get Mary and Joe to agree to sell to the Lake Queen company so that they can expand their hotel across the lake.

The ending is very sweet and satisfying. Loved the sibling duo of Bonnie and Clyde!!! They were typical Corgis, and it made for some hilarious scenes. The whole Thanksgiving incident had me cracking up with tears coming down my face. Bonnie and Clyde’s antics and shenanigans reminded me of my Lil Sadie Baby and many of our own fur babies. I want to thank NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #AvonBooks #HarperVoyagerUS #ChristmasatCorgiCove

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🐕Sweet, hopeful: can they save the B&B?🏡

Christmas at Corgi Cove was a delight to read. It has holiday vibes but the story could occur at any time of year and still resonate. I often shy away from stories set in Texas but was glad I went for this one, largely thanks to the beautiful cover and those two adorable corgis! And, yes, corgis Bonnie and Clyde are weaving their way through the book with their energy, affection and antics. I especially got a kick out of their trip to the rehabilitation center with Everett and Rosie.

This was a story with a romance at the center but the secondary characters like loud, liquor-toting Irene and conspiracy theorist Marty added a lot of fun and life to it.

Rosie, the bee keeper niece of the Corgi Cove B&B owners, gets blindsided by her attraction to Everett, the NYC businessman who's trying to get the B&B land to develop. So this is an enemies to lovers story but so much more as the small town community chimes in on a scheme to save the failing B&B to the benefit of the whole town.

I was completely drawn in to their lives and cheering them on.

Thanks to publishers Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley, for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

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I had to give this book a try because of the cover and the corgis. The dogs were cute, and plenty of trouble. I loved that they got to be in the town's annual Christmas play, despite everyone knowing it would be a disaster. The little town of Turtle Lake is kind of quirky and weird in that small-town vibe way that works, but you're not sure you'd want to live there.

The story itself is pretty predictable. Rosie and her aunt and uncle have a B&B (Corgi Cove) that's failing and Everett is sent from a big hotel chain to buy it. But Rosie doesn't want to sell and enters a competition in a last-ditch effort to save the Cove. It's pretty Hallmark movie worthy, and if that's what you want, it works ok. I didn't really catch the chemistry between Rosie and Everett, so I had trouble believing the romance aspect for much of the book, though it got better as they start working together for the competition.
I was frustrated with some things: how we never really got a back story for Everett, he gets kicked out of the NY office for some reason and sent to do a job in Texas that he's never done before, but for all the pressure getting put on him there isn't any reason for any of it. It's just pressure because that's what the job is and he's a workaholic, surrounded by NYC workaholics. No stakes, no reason they need this B&B, no reason he gets kicked out ( a few clashing ones are briefly hinted at and then dropped so we never get a real story). He's not a really developed character until he starts asking himself what he wants with his life thanks to Rosie and Corgi Cove. Maybe that's the point? He didn't realize there was more to life until he saw an alternative? I don't know, but it's an example of one of the things that bothered me. There were many inconsistencies in the story along the way, but maybe that's me reading too closely.

An ok, quick, doggy holiday read.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

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If you're looking for a feel-good, quick read, and you love Hallmark movies, this is the book for you. It's a quick read, as it is somewhat predictable. But the characters are well drawn, and the romance is not overpowering. The characters are realistic. Grab your blanket and cocoa and while away the afternoon on this one.

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Christmas at Corgi Cove by Annie England Noblin is a cute novel about a buyer trying to buy the cove. Love and mystery surround the Cove.

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This was pretty much what I was expecting: a fun, predictable, Hallmark holiday movie esque, light angst romance. The Corgis were adorable and the plot was that comforting level of predictable coziness

For those looking for a clean romance, be warned that there are a few swear words and an open door love scene.

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