Eeek this was such a cozy read! If you like a good Christmas hallmark movie, but like a little spice on the side, this is definitely the book for you. Kira is such an amazing character. She knows her flaws and she does whatever she can to start over and she does it and she succeeds. Bennett is such a great cinnamon roll hero. Everything in him instantly wants to help and protect Keira. He sees that she needs to do it on her own to believe in herself and he lets her, but doesn’t let her fall or fail. It’s a great book.

This is the perfect cosy and a bit spicy holiday read! So cute! But also so inspiring and so beautiful!

You can be independent but also share your life with someone else and be surrounded by a wonderful community.

I really loved this and see myself re-reading around Christmastime every year.

THANK YOU Netgalley, Laurie Gilmore and Harper 360 for giving me an ARC of this delightful holiday read.

This was such a fun read. Kira and Bennett were so cute together. I loved the drama and spice! It's a great holiday read and I can’t wait to read the next one in this series!

She owns a tree farm but hates Christmas and he's new in town and looking to get over his latest string of bad dates. Kira North hates Christmas and can't stand the too cute town she lives in... yet she owns a Christmas tree farm. Bennett Ellis is new in town to visit his sister and take a break from some bad dates. When Ben runs into Kira, they do not have a great first meeting but they keep running into one another and just can't stop thinking about each other. But can a relationship work between two people who are completely different... and the fact that Ben has an entire life back in California while Kira lives in Dream Harbor? When this was advertised as a steamier Hallmark movie, I was hooked. As a lover of Hallmark movies I can't resist a holiday romance book. I just felt like this book was missing something, some holiday romance magic. I didn't really feel the chemistry between Ben and Kira and it just didn't feel like it really worked for me while I was reading it. I just didn't find myself falling in love with the characters or the romance despite this book having so many elements I would normally love. If you like small town romance with a touch of heat, definitely give this a go though, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

Release Date: October 22,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Harper 360 for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Another exceptional story inside Dream Harbor! This Christmas story was super cute and I loved the reverse grumpy/sunshine trope. The FMC Kira was so much fun and I loved everything about her. The connection between Kira and the MMC Bennett was adorable. I enjoyed all the Christmas vibes from the Christmas tree farm to the holiday festival and the snowed-in scene. A perfect cozy Christmas rom-com!

My Thoughts💭

If you know me well I’m a sucker for hallmark movies during Christmas and this was exactly it! It’s cute, heartwarming and of course spicy 🔥 Absolutely loved this book. I loved that this story the FMC was the grumpy one about Christmas! I swear each book comes out gets better and better! The character development was perfect. The forced proximity between Kira and Bennett is executed perfectly, leading to some great spicy scenes in this series. Thankyou to @harpercollins360 for this arc!


If you’re looking for
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Small Town
-Forced Proximity
-One Bed
-Hallmark vibes

Then this is the book for you!

Kira North! Talk about grumpy. I thought when Kira made her debut in The Pumpkin Spice Cafe I was going to dislike her in The Christmas Tree Farm. Who hates Christmas, right!? 🤣 I thought wrong? I absolutely loved her grumpy character. I have to say, so far so good, in Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series. Can’t wait to read the next one! 🍓

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. But throw in a grumpy FMC, cinnamon roll MMC, and some rescue dogs during Christmas time - and you’ve sold me on a great ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ novel.

This book had a bit of mystery, some struggles, finding oneself, and of course love. Kira and Bennet’s meet cute was top notch. The town get togethers are very reminiscent of Stars Hallow. Connecting with the rest of the town and the other books was a cherry on top.

This is a must read this Christmas season!

Kira and Bennett are the perfect duo in this next installment of this small town series. I loved the way Ben was a fixer and Kira was determined to make it on her own. The doggies were adorable. The friendships blossomed, the mystery was delightful. I enjoy seeing past characters it really rounds out the series. Might be my favorite yet!

Better and better.... this series is addictive! Halfway through this book I was considering skipping Halloween & Thanksgiving and putting up my Christmas tree three months early. I was also googling local tree farms, making cocoa and considering a real tree for the first time. It got me in the Christmas SPIRIT - Lord Hallelujah! And the love story was "Snowed-In-Together-In-Front-Of-A-Fire- CRACKLIN'-HOT!

Jeanie's brother Bennett (in town for a holiday visit) and the new owner of the local Christmas tree farm, Kira, have a grumpy-sunshine co-dependent fling going on. She's trying to be an independent bawse lady and he's trying not to be a doormat. There are dogs, the sweetest romantic gestures, all the zany town characters you love, a check-up on Jeanie & Logan and Noah & Hazel and so much cozy-ness I didn't leave my couch all day. It's the perfect read for your spicy holiday TBR. Gilmore continues to tease the enemies-to-lovers romance of Mac & Annie (which I hope is coming SOON)!

Seasonal romances have started becoming some of my favorite books to read around the holidays. The first book in this series, ‘The Pumpkin Spice Café,’ gave me all the fall feels, and this third book definitely gets you in the Christmas spirit!

‘The Christmas Tree Farm’ expands on the newcomer Kira’s story, whose character was briefly set up in the second book. She has moved into town after purchasing the local tree farm, but unfortunately, she has no plans to continue selling trees. Honestly, she just wants the entire town of Dream Harbor to leave her and her new house alone — until a handsome out-of-towner passes by her property and changes her perspective.

I’ve got to say, Jeanie and Logan’s story from the first book will always be my favorite, but Kira and Bennett’s love story is is now a close second. It’s such a cozy romance that’s sure to get anyone (including Kira) excited about Christmas. It even sets itself up nicely to continue another local’s love story in a fourth installment (coming in March).

Fair warning: The author dedicates this book to Hallmark movie fans who wish these stories had a bit more spice, and she truly delivers that in this one. Each book in this series seems to get spicier and spicier! I felt like some of these scenes overshadowed the sweeter ones, but I still find myself invested in this series about an adorable small town and am eager to read the fourth book when it arrives next year.

Once you pick this book up, you won’t want to put it down. This is such a cute read for Christmas. Has all the feels of a cozy Hallmark movie. If you love Christmas, dogs, grumpy sunshine, and Mr. Fix it vibes then this is the book for you! It’s the perfect small town love story.

This book follows Kira, the grumpy new Christmas tree farm owner and Mr. Fix it, Bennett. Kira doesn’t plan on reopening the Christmas tree farm, but when funds run low and she has no heat, she has no other choice. Bennett starts coming by the farm more often at the behest of the town because they think a dead body or treasure is buried at the farm. Bennett can’t help but want to help Kira and fix all her problems. She is very closed off to this idea at first because she wants to prove she can do it on her own. The longer the spend together, the more they’re both willing to work together and start to fall each other along the way. The perfect mix of romance, spice, and a bit of a mystery thrown in as well.

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. I just love the cozy feeling all of Laurie Gilmore’s books have. They’re quickly, fun reads. I will always recommend them to everyone.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

5/5 - Kira North uproots her life and purchases a Christmas tree farm in Dream Harbor, in search for a new beginning. She’s a bit of a recluse and is not very fond of Christmas but is in dire need of customers in order to bring in income. The living conditions on the farm are insufficient and being able to survive through the cold winter might not be possible. Along comes Bennet who gradually eases his way into her life. But Kira is stubborn and refuses any help. Does Bennet have the heart and patience for Kira? After all, he’s only in Dream Harbor for a few weeks and will be returning to San Francisco after New Year.

This is my favorite story thus far from the Dream Harbor series! This small town romance had such a beautiful holiday vibe. I love how the author gave us a grumpy FMC instead of the typical male. I found Kira to be very relatable. I’m sure we’ve come across a point in our lives where we’ve felt defeated, but manage to overcome obstacles on our own. This story includes grumpy/sunshine, small town, forced proximity, and one bed.

I highly recommend this book, especially for the holidays! It was a quick read that was very enjoyable!

I so desperately wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the first two in the series and thought book 2 was better than the first so we were on a great trajectory.. unfortunately this one just didn’t do it for me. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.

I really enjoyed the grumpy x sunshine vibes of Kira and Bennett and thought this trope was really well done. I enjoyed the setting and thought the Christmas tree farm was a perfect vibe for a christmas romance! And Kira learning to do life on her own in a little cabin running a business was cool!

Something I liked about the first two books was that it was a little cute and a little cringy but they balanced each other out and it felt really hallmark to me (in a positive way). I missed that balance in this one and it felt far more cringe than cute.

I wasn’t nearly as invested in the main characters as I wanted to be. I felt like they lacked depth and I never really connected to them enough to root for them. They were just there and I was along for the ride.. but I didn’t know where I was going or why. Things happened really quickly without a lot of reason and that was confusing.

I enjoyed seeing all of our other beloved characters pop up throughout the book. The continuation of their stories always makes me really happy. I liked that we got to see two main characters from outside of Dream Harbor come together and love our little town!

I will definitely continue reading this series because I’m invested in the universe and that’s something this author does really well! This one just wasn’t my favorite of the three.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As always the vibes are there! The Christmas feels are perfect and I love a grump sunshine romance! It’s like the most adorable hallmark movie in book form! I loved it!

It was a great book! A good installment in the series. I loved the character development. I’m not usually someone who reads in third person, but I quite enjoyed this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶🌶

Okay, this was the story I didn’t know I needed. I have to admit, I was a bit sad that Mac and Annie’s story wasn’t going to be next, but now I’m thankful because Bennet and Kira were absolutely wonderful to follow.

Bennet is used to people taking advantage of him, and he’s trying to change that and not let anyone take advantage of him anymore. Meanwhile, Kira is trying to be independent for the first time in her life. There were moments when their goals clashed, but as they got closer and started communicating, they were able to understand each other.

And the chemistry between them? Chef's kiss!

These two had me smiling the whole time, seriously!

Thank you so much, Harper 360 and NetGalley, for sending me this ARC!

This is the third book in the cozy/kinda spicy Dream Harbor series. In this book, we meet Kira who is a grumpy heiress who has just bought the town's Christmas tree farm, and Bennett, a sunshine-y guy who is visiting his sister Jeanie (who owns the Pumpkin Spice Cafe, which is the first in the series!). He is trying to enjoy a little vacation away from California & his job as well as getting away from a toxic relationship/sistuationship.
I love how Kira is the grumpy one and Bennett is the golden retriever/sunshine-y one, because normally it’s the opposite.
Kira is initially really rude and standoffish to the people in Dream Harbor. But whenever Jeanie convinces Bennett to try and get Kira to open up as well as attend the towns annual Christmas tree lighting event, things slowly start to turn around.
Kira and Bennett agree to only let whatever’s going on between them be a “holiday fling” & nothing more. However, as time goes on, they both realize they’re falling in love with one another but neither one wants to admit it…
I actually loved this one so much more than the first one in the series. I don’t know if it’s because it was giving me all the Christmas vibes or what, but I just wanted to jump into the pages of this book! I can’t wait for her next one 😊😍😍
Thank you to NetGalley, Laurie Gilmore, and Harper 360 for a copy of this eARC! It was wonderful & I look forward to reading more by her.

I haven’t read any of the previous book, but I was in the mood for a holiday romance and this absolutely delivered. I enjoyed the balance between plot and romance. The writing is good and I’ll absolutely be reading the rest of the series.

It was a great book! A good installment in the series. I loved the character development. I’m not usually someone who reads in third person, but I quite enjoyed this.