The Lodge on Holly Road by Sheila Roberts

I love Christmas books so much, that sometimes I want to read them even if I see in the synopsis that there are story elements I usually shy away from. That was the case with The Lodge on Holly Road. I don't typically enjoy books with widows/widowers, single parents, etc. But I do love the idea of families finding love and togetherness during the holidays, so I went into this hopeful but leery at the same time. lol. I'm so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave this book a try! The community of Icicle Falls is so warm and inviting, and the characters in this book made me smile. The town is so festively decorated, and has everything in it that I love seeing in Hallmark movies. I liked all the different stories surrounding the characters. You've got widow, Olivia, who runs the inn with her single son named Eric. And then there's the guests at their inn, which include a recently widowed man named James and his adult children, John who hopes to plan the perfect proposal for his girlfriend Holland, and single mom Missy and her two young children, I'm also assuming some of the characters are townspeople from previous books in this series that I haven't read. Their stories put me in such a festive mood, and left me wanting peppermint hot cocoa. Definitely recommended.