Christmas by The Lake

Lakeview #7.5

by Melissa Hill

Previously published as "Christmas at the Heartbreak A heartwarming Irish holiday romance" Cosy up with a heartwarming small-town holiday romance from the bestselling author of Christmas movie faves SOMETHING FROM TIFFANY'S, A GIFT TO REMEMBER & A LITTLE CHRISTMAS CHARM.The Heartbreak Cafe, situated by the lake in the picturesque tourist village of Lakeview is a local institution, and owner Ella has run a thriving business since it first opened its doors many decades ago.To honour all those happy years, she plans to host a major Christmas celebration to thank the community for its support and bring all her loyal customers and staff together. She's spent weeks preparing; baking the cafe’s all time-favourite treats, holiday classics like mince pies and mulled wine, and decorating the interior in twinkling, festive garb.Everything is set for it to be an amazing celebration of not just the cafe, but of life in Lakeview.But just before the party, Ella receives a devastating letter. Her landlord won’t be renewing her lease in the New Year, and her beloved business will have to close.What will she tell her loyal customers? Will she have to start anew? Is there any way to save it by harnessing support and convincing her landlord that the cafe holds a special place in Lakeview hearts and minds?Or could this be Ella's last Christmas by the lake...

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2014

About the author

Melissa Hill is a USA Today bestselling author living in Ireland’s beautiful County Wicklow. Her page-turning contemporary novels of family, friendship and romance are published worldwide and have been translated into twenty-six languages.

A Hollywood adaptation of her international bestseller Something from Tiffany's, by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios, was released worldwide in Dec 2022.

Other novels including A Gift to Remember and The Charm Bracelet have been adapted for screen by Hallmark Channel USA, with multiple other titles currently also in development for film and TV.

For more info, visit her website at www.melissahill.info

Facebook: facebook.com/melissahillbooks

Instagram: @melissahillbooks

Melissa also co-writes forensic thrillers with her husband under the pseudonym Casey Hill. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Reviews

[Mackey]

Christmas at the Heartbreak Café is a charming, albeit, short story of a small town and its love for one another.

When one of the bankers in town overextends himself, the Heartbreak Café finds itself with an eviction notice. Instead of celebrating its anniversary with a grand open house, it will have a goodbye party. The banker's wife, once part of the snobby mothers club, now finds herself on the flip-side of the coin as she loses her home and everything in it. She, now, becomes the target for the other mothers. But this book is about hope and restoration, not loss and sadness, as the town rallies together to save the Heartbreak café.

I found the book to be sweet, full of joy, realistic - I live in a very small town - and restorative. I highly recommend it for a short, uplifting read this holiday season. Note - this is part of an ongoing series but I read it as a stand-alone without any problems at all. I do, however, want to read the rest of the series now. ;)

[Myrt Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A feel good holiday season read. A nice way to relax and get into the holiday spirit and season. Characters were nicely written and so was the plot.

[Kristine J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story it was truly an enjoyable read.

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story of love and sharing

[Mary Stockwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pleasant

This is a very pleasant story. The setting is lovely and makes me want to be there for Christmas this year.

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories

I liked both stories, but both books seemed to have words missing from sentences. There were some obvious mistakes like when Jodi and Beth go for drinks after the Waldorf it says she ordered hot chocolate, but when the drinks came she took a drink of wine. Then she savored the "chocolatey goodness." I know UK and US English are different, but wine and hot chocolate are not interchangeable. Also, since the second book was set in the US it should've had the US coloquialisms. (i.e. curb instead of kerb)

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a warm hearted, “spirit of Christmas” story. While it started out, seemingly with that intent, the ending fell flat. The community didn’t really come together to support Ella. Instead, we see Heidi begging people to donate and getting met with irritation rather than kindness and generosity, seemingly only being successful when she badgered people enough. There were also some inconsistencies with the characters, and too short of a book to try to tell so many different stories. So, while I wanted to be touched by this book, I was instead glad it was not a full novel.

[Jeanne Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is actually a novella which is about the first 25% of the book. After the novella, there is a full length novel also set at Christmas time. I really enjoyed the full length novel. The author is from the UK and there are many things spelled in the manor of UK English. However, there are also many typos and places where words are misplaced or in the wrong order. The story would be better with a thorough editing.

[Cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and tender stories to start off the Holidays

I enjoyed both stories included in this ebook. They are both well written and thoughtful. I always look for someone new to read around the holidays and there is nothing better then a Holiday romance to fill that need.

Melissa Hill is a new author for me and I will definitely read more of her stories when I am in the need for a light-hearted romantic read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick, easy read about Ella, the proprietress of the local cafe. She has been a lifelong staple to her community for thirty years. When something goes awry, the townspeople rally around her. It's a wonderful story of love, friendship and redemption. I just wish I had read it rather than listened to it because it was narrated by AI and sounded very flat. Please bring back human narrators!!!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cafe owner Ella injures her ankle just before Christmas, and her plans for a townwide Christmas bash might have to be scuttled. Friends offer to pitch in, but then a letter is delivered that announces the end of her lease after 30 years. The solution is more than a little farfetched, but it's an enjoyable holiday read.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Christmas at The Heartbreak Cafe" was beautiful. The way the community came together to save the cafe from closing was very touching. I especially enjoyed Ella and Joseph's story. He was in love with her for twenty years, and she didn't have a clue. Wow! It makes me realize that love knows no age or number.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel would sometimes describe a film as a guilty pleasure. That applies to this book. Near the end, I thought this was like a Hallmark movie. Turns out the author has written Hallmark movies. Obviously, a quick novel to read. While it is not War and Peace, it is an enjoyable story, set in Ireland in the Christmas season.

A few proofreading notes are in my highlights.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, shocking ending

I really enjoyed this story and Jodi, Beth, and Danny. A little long on descriptions in places for me but kept me engaged and wow what a shocking ending!

[Dorothy Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard read

First, there are a lot of errors in this book. Typo, grammar, words out of place, etc. The mystery drug on with a lot of repeated actions. The final reveal did not come off well.

[Sonja Onderko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

So many twists and turns! The book was written lovely! I felt at the beginning I was right there in Venice. It was so well written I could visualize being right there in New York at Christmas! On my bucket list!

[Deb Shank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Good read, e joyed the charge . Yes that life throws you curves, things usually work out for the best I the end. The second book, was full of my so, suspense, clues to find the answers.

[LaDawn Maerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is all you need.

Loved the New York movie references as well as the hunt, and learned a bit about NY and movie lingo. And the ending was not what I expected either (so far off!). This story was well developed and I can understand why her books are made into movies. Loved it.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another story about a small town and how people come together to help each other out. There is a twist to this story with a good human interest element. This book will renew your faith in your fellow man.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is the first book I ever read by Melissa Hill and it was fantastic. I even cried toward the end when Beth found out about Danny. Everyone needs to read this one. Great 👍 job Miss Hill.

[Heather L Matulevich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Romance, compassion, forgiveness and overall turning a bad thing into something good. Great book. Great characters each with their own story line that came together wit a positive message.

[Deb Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story with mostly likable characters set in a small village in Ireland, that could easily be any location. There's a variety of problems different characters face throughout the story, with a nice resolution for most. It's a quick read, perfect for getting into the holiday spirit.

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas at the Heartbreak Cafe

I was hooked after the first few pages. Well developed characters and storyline. This is a community of blessing and uplifting moments, supportive friends that go beyond friendship. A feel good story of love and friendship. Happy holidays

[Guy's Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Christmas Story

The community really comes together to showcase the true meaning of Christmas. This storyline shows problems and solutions from all angles and that anything is possible when you work together.

[Fran · Rating 2 out of 5]

My tab was running out of juice which was why I had the patience to read this book till over 3/4 -- there was nothing else to read. This book would fit right into sappy Hallmark channel.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, perfect for the season.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun Christmas story about community and helping others.

[Shelly Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, warm Christmas story. Aside from some editing issues it was a great read! Will look into the other books in this cute series.

[Delia Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

ireland, a good read , love ms. hills books.

[Stephanie Mansfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Emotionally Manipulative

I did not appreciate the plot twists. I thought they were emotionally manipulative. I won’t read any other Melissa Hill books again.