Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn

by Michelle Stimpson, Cary Hite (Narrator), Wesleigh Siobhan (Narrator)

Two lonely hearts find healing and hope this Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn....

Ever since his mother passed away two years ago, Caleb Pine has been stuck while the rest of his family seem to have moved on. Alone at Christmas, he finds himself drawn back to Martha’s Vineyard and the Gingerbread Inn, where his family spent a wonderful Christmas holiday when he was a teen. To his surprise, the local girl he almost kissed under the mistletoe all those years ago is now grown up and running the Inn.

This is Eden Edgar’s first year in charge at the Gingerbread Inn since her parents’ retirement, and it’s been a little bumpy especially since her heart yearns to pursue her music. When the other guests cancel at the last minute, Caleb and Eden find themselves alone at the Inn. Christmas magic is afoot as Eden helps Caleb grieve and Caleb helps Eden envision a brighter future than she could ever imagine.

When a tragic house fire leaves a local family homeless for the holidays, Caleb and Eden work together to make a merry Christmas for the single mom and her children at the B&B. As the community joins in, Caleb and Eden are reminded the true meaning of Christmas is sharing and caring for others. And best of all, they dare to hope of a new love that will last the whole year long.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Christmas, Holiday, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

8 pages, Audiobook

Published November 16, 2023

About the author

Hello, Goodreads community! I'm Michelle Stimpson, and storytelling is my heartbeat. I've found my calling in penning heartwarming women's fiction that offers a seat at the table of family, humor, and hope. As an author, my greatest joy comes from crafting narratives that resonate with anyone seeking to find laughter and light in the pages of a good book. My tagline, 'Read. Love. Repeat.', is a promise of the emotional journey I aim to provide—engaging stories you’ll love and yearn to revisit.

Happy Reading

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Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a cute holiday romance that's a great option if you wants something with Hallmark movie vibes that isn't at all steamy. Caleb and Eden are meeting for the first time since they were teenagers, but he is grieving the loss of his mother and she is trying to run the inn that her parents have just retired from on Martha's Vineyard. The inn he has booked for the holidays...

This was sweet though I wanted a little more time spent on the development of their relationship rather than all the other things happening in their lives and around them. I did like how it felt grounded in a sense of place and got into the history of Black communities on Martha's Vineyard. Worth a read!

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Caleb & Eden’s story. A sweet second chance romance at the very heart of Christmas.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Rekindle love, being brave, and healing stars!

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn by Michelle Stimpson
8h 5m narrated by Cary Hite and Wesleigh Siobhan

Genre: Holiday > Christmas, Clean Romance, African-American Romance

Featuring: Innkeeper, Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts; Second Chance Trope, Alone at Christmas Trope, Small-Town Coming Together Trope, Boundaries With Parents Trope

Rating as a movie: PG-13

Songs for the soundtrack: "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway, "A Kiss for Christmas" by Luther Vandross, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy, "What Have You Done for Me Lately" by Janet Jackson, "The Christmas Song" by Mary J. Blige, "Silver Bells" by A Few Good Men, "Do You Hear What I Hear? by Whitney Houston, "Be Grateful" by Walter Hawkins, "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley, "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano, "Deck the Halls" by Nat King Cole, "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½🛎 🏝🎄

My thoughts: 📱7% 15:14 Ch. 2 Caleb - I don't know if it's the narrator, my brain rejecting this book, if I'm distracted, missing my paperback, or if my ears are out of practice, but I had to restart this chapter 5 times and it was the 5th time I noticed it's set in Oak Bluffs. I'm probably going to have to start it again because I still don't not much other than she's decorating the inn her parents gave her and I still feel like I missed something. Back to my other book.
📱31% 2:28:35 Chapter 8: Caleb 10:12 from Chapter 9: Eden - I forgot to start Chapter 1 over but I was immediately able to see the movie so I think my issue before was due to my headspace. It's good except they are overdoing the puns.
📱70% 5:41:03 Chapter 16: Eden 15:11 from Chapter 17: Caleb - This woman said feliz Navid and I don't know if she doesn't know how to pronounce Navidad or if the author doesn't know how to spell Navidad.

I wanted to like this more but the romance portion was so flat the other townies' storylines outshine the main 3 storylines involving the MCs.

Recommend to others: Maybe. It's included on Audible and has several comforting moments.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, feel good, second chance holiday romance featuring an African American owned Inn that's been newly taken over by the former owners' daughter after she lost her job as a music teacher. I really enjoyed this as an audiobook (it's an audible audio exclusive) and LOVED that the MMC was a Librarian/Archivist for the Smithsonian.

Eden and Edgar met before when his parents stayed at the Gingerbread Inn for a vacation but had their first kiss interrupted by his sister. Grieving his recently deceased mother, Edgar returns to the Inn to remember better times and is delighted to discover Eden is now running it. Full of the Christmas spirit and lots of feels as the community bands together to help a family who loses their home in a fire.

Definitely an audio standout for me and perfect for fans of authors like Beverly Jenkins or Belle Calhoune.

Steam level: kissing only

[Anita White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story from when they first meet up till the end when they leave together. However Caleb trying to make his family grieve like him annoyed me the most 😩.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sloooooow.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hit a little close to home as Caleb is facing his second Christmas without his Mum after she died suddenly of an aneurysm and his family is still trying to find a new normal.

Being in exactly the same position myself I thought the author dealt with his grief well & I enjoyed his romance with Eden.

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 “feely” stars!

“What is it about this man? He down as warm and easy as a peppermint mocha with extra whipped cream.”

Caleb and Eden were adorable!! This story was pretty perfect and hit all those Holiday notes I look for in a romance. This was full of healing, hope and love.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a hallmark movie in book format. Sweet and wholesome but quite predictable. I enjoyed the very real topics that were addressed along the storyline.

[tre be · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had pretty much wrapped up my Christmas reads but I was scrolling through booksta Sunday and saw @coolnkind post this book. Ugh, I couldn’t not read it!!

Gingerbread was a super sweet little story! Albeit it did start off slowly, but it picked up with all the things that I look for in a Christmas story. I loved the yummy foods, togetherness, wintry setting, community rallying to help a family in need, working through the grief of those missed most during the holidays, and accepting new normals.

The romance was very lite and was more of the mistletoe on top of everything else. No steam, just a few interrupted kisses. Caleb was such a sweet, charming, helpful and thoughtful guy! I really loved him, but felt like he should’ve taken a page from his sister and father’s book and lived his life, without focusing so much on them. Eden was a great character, the entire cast was!

Stimpson does a great job of bringing wonderful holiday reads that are quick and entertaining. Coming together and spreading love through acts of service is what we can always find in her novels, which I always find endearing!! I enjoyed the story, even the slow parts; it was full of the Christmas spirit and cheer that I crave most at this time of year. 🎄

[Maaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrators do a wonderful job at bringing this world to life but unfortunately the book was too long for me and it took too long for the main characters to get to their first kiss (a kiss 14 years in the making) and I didn’t feel the slow burn tension in there.

An okay read but nothing too special.

[Kerry Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too cozy and beautiful for words.
so much happiness, all the festive vibes and wow to the narrators who make you feel like you've been wrapped in a blanket in front of the fireplace.
Just amazing to listen to and so heartfelt ❤️
True compassion, friendships, trust and family.
This was the perfect audiobook to kick off my Christmas ones.
Kerry Kennedy Author

[Noona [ON theStoryGraph] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good no/low angst holiday romance! Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn gave me the feels and I even shed a happy tear or two. I wish I could visit this inn. I could feel the town and residents and enjoyed the historical aspects as well. There were so many great themes in this story, like family, community, second chances, and living your truth to name a few! The narration was great also.

Story AND Narration: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corny as they come and perfect for a holiday listen/read. Entertaining and very predictable but cute/charming.

[S. Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be a hallmark Christmas movie.

[sweetconnectionswithtoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story between Eden and Caleb. 🩷

5🌟

[Jaime Oeffinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute holiday romance!!

[Julia Ghiorse · Rating 2 out of 5]

The perfect Christmas read for April because it has nothing to with Christmas.

[Dawn Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story. I was here for every minute of it. I was super excited when I saw Wesleigh Siobhan was one of the narrators. She is a go to favorite of mine. Michelle Stimpson wrote relatable characters. Her story had the right amount of humor, angst, insight and self reflection. This is definitely a story I will revisit.

[Sara Sargent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheesy and slow - but hey… I finished it. Clean

[TheLITZone · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book to begin the Holidays. This book was so full of love that it was hard to remember the grief/self-doubt the characters were going through. I’d recommend this to everyone looking to get into the Holiday Spirit or is in need of a little Holiday Cheer. Michelle Stimpson has not missed with the Holiday books!

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really sweet and Christmasy

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caleb is struggling with the loss of his mother. In an effort to feel connected to her, he decides to spend Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn where they spent one of the best Christmases in memory. He’s surprised to see the innkeeper’s daughter, a girl he almost kissed as a teenager, is now in charge.

Audiobook version note: I loved that this book was read by a couple of fantastic narrators, and I’m so glad they used Black actors for the main (Black) characters. They added the perfect inflections and humor to their lines, and made everything so much more authentic.

The story itself was okay. Nothing too exciting, but it was a sweet second chance story. It lulled for me because both characters who seemed a bit too flawless to really add much drama to the story. The whole angst was whether to disappoint her parents by following her dreams so… Yeah. Not too dramatic.

[BrittanyReadThat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story and the lack of spice did not bother me. Be warned, there is a kissing scene, but that’s as spicy as it gets. Because of how the story is told, I don’t think the spice is necessarily missing either.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tw: Death of a Parent

Eden runs the Gingerbread Inn after she got fired from her music teaching job leaving her parents to retire the Inn. Eden thinks she’s doing a bad job running the Inn when families that always come to the Inn during Christmas cancel their reservations that was until Caleb comes trying to have a relaxing time after the death of his mother who died unexpectedly. His family who were always so tight knit were now apart which he doesn’t like. But he also has another reason for coming to the Gingerbread Inn and that is the girl who ran the Inn with her parents, Eden. But things are preventing them from being together even 14 years later.

It was great in the beginning I enjoyed listening to the story (even forgetting that the story isn’t in first pov) but after no actual progression between Caleb and Eden happened I contemplated dnf’ing but I was determined to read Christmas books for Christmas so I kept trekking but I got more interested in the relationship of the children because they were actually doing something unlike the adults. Then they kiss under the mistletoe which should be cute but I didn’t feel anything they kept kissing but no talk about what they are and then when Eden wanted to talk about her future and wanting to tell her parents how she doesn’t want to work at the Gingerbread Inn anymore, his sister calls him to tell him that her sports career was over so he goes back to his house for her which is understandable but Eden was upset about it. Then he comes back because Caleb’s sister gave him some sense and they say they’re together which again I felt nothing anymore.

The story was good but honestly it felt too long for what happened it should’ve been shorter. Honestly, for adults they suck at communicating with their crushes AND their own families it made the story feel extremely long all because they’re scared and it’s not like they murdered someone it was just feelings maybe it’s just a me thing but it annoyed me.

Book Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audiobook Rating: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eeeep!!! I think Michelle Stimpson has become my new favourite Christmas author (and I need to check out her backlist no matter the season!) Loved this story sooo much. And these characters!!!! It's a kind of second chance romance but Caleb and Eden were only teens when they almost had their first kiss...almost being the operative word. And now, circumstances find them in the same place at the same time all these years later and sparks fly. But so do complications.

Stimpson writes romance with grit and depth and honesty and I love it! Both our hero and heroine have very different, but equally difficult issues to navigate involving family. So many wonderful layers to each backstory and I so appreciate the way their relationship develops with honesty. There's not a whole lot of miscommunication or TSTL moments on the part of either Caleb or Eden. Just real life and family expectations (and/or expectations they place upon themselves.) So touching and heart felt.

And there are some amazing secondary characters that add zip to this story. A whole community of people gathering together to offer assistance in a time of need at the most magical time of the year. Love the threads of family and heritage and history that add even more depth and make this holiday read so inspiring.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#TheDiverseBaseline

I rate this 3.5 out of 5.

I listened to this book with Audible.

Brief Summary: Eden's family has owned the Gingerbread Inn for generations and many of her life's biggest moments have unfolded under its roof. After being laid off from teaching she decided it was time to take over the business so that her parents could retire. However, when she hears back about the music fellowship of her dreams she is unsure what to do with her life. Lucky for her a man from her past shows up to spend the holidays at the inn.

Thoughts: This book gave the holiday vibes you want from a book set at a bed and breakfast called the Gingerbread Inn. Although this book deals with some pretty heavy themes throughout it manages to keep the upbeat holiday vibes throughout the book. I particularly enjoyed how both Eden and Caleb helped bring together two teenagers in time for the holiday formal.

I struggled with processing Eden's and Caleb's (self-imposed) familial expectations. On certain levels, this part of the book made sense, but in other parts, it felt that it dragged on too long as central to the narrative.

Overall this was a cute second-chance romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of a parent, and Fire/Fire injury

[TrixieB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm all for soppy sweet books, but this was too much. Then 10 minutes of gratitude doctrine? Hell no.

There are things and people I'm grateful for, but that's a whole different thing than "you have no right to be upset. There are people who would love to have your problems. Be grateful for what you have " That's toxic and oppressive.

MC is very whiny. Just talk to your parents. Also, why would they just walk away from their inn, a job that took both of them, leaving her to figure it all out on her own? It made no sense.

I loved a lot about this book though. I loved the history. The straight talk about "this is what was done to Black people here." Yeah that's right. We need to not erase that history. We need to face it and make reparations.

I like the support they both get from their families. (Love his sister!!)

I liked how they both support each other, and ask how they can help. (Didn't love "I'm the man so I'll do the driving" though. 🙄)

Really enjoyed the various townsfolk and their businesses. Especially the bookstore!!

Even with the too sweetness, I would have liked this book if it hadn't been for the preaching about gratitude.

[Bailey Hollis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christmas at the Gingerbread Inn by Michelle Stimpson
If you love sweet, Hallmark-style holiday romances, this one feels like a warm mug of cocoa by the fire! Set at the charming Gingerbread Inn on Martha’s Vineyard, this second-chance romance follows Caleb and Eden—two lonely hearts carrying grief, unfinished dreams, and a what-could-have-been connection from years ago. When they unexpectedly reunite during a quiet Christmas season, healing begins in the most gentle, heartwarming way.
I loved the cozy inn setting, the small-town community feel, and the reminder that the true spirit of Christmas is found in giving, connection, and second chances. Watching Caleb process his loss and Eden rediscover her passion for music made this story both tender and uplifting.
This is the perfect read if you’re craving:
🎄 Cozy holiday vibes
❤️ Sweet, low-drama romance
✨ Second chances & healing
🤍 Community and kindness
A comforting innocent Christmas romance that wraps you up in warmth and hope.