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Making Spirits Bright: A Festive, Feel-Good Second-Chance Romance
A heartwarming Christmas romance about healing, hope, and second chances.Gigi Holmes has spent a decade perfecting the art of avoidance.
A self-made New Yorker with a thriving event-planning business, she knows exactly how to keep her heart safe. But when a late-night phone call drags her back to the seaside village she once called home, she finds more than a beloved family friend in a hospital bed.
She finds him.
Christian Jordan—the boy who shattered her heart senior year—is now the interim youth pastor at her father’s church. And thanks to a hasty promise, Gigi is stuck planning the town’s Centennial Festival of Light alongside the very man she swore she’d never lay eyes on again.
What Pelham Cove’s gossip mill—and official Facebook page—doesn’t know is just how deep their heartbreak runs.
When a local teen’s crisis hits too close to home, old wounds resurface forcing Gigi and Christian to finally face the truth—and each other.
As twinkle lights go up and the town prepares to celebrate a century of faith and miracles, Gigi must decide whether to keep running from the past and pain—or risk everything on the possibility of forgiveness, faith, and perhaps even a second chance at love.
Perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies, this cozy, snow-dusted romance delivers hope and redemption, a lovingly meddling small-town community, and a heartfelt journey of healing and second chances.
If you love faith-filled holiday stories, swoony clean romance, and the kind of Christmas magic only a small town can deliver—Pelham Cove is waiting.
A self-made New Yorker with a thriving event-planning business, she knows exactly how to keep her heart safe. But when a late-night phone call drags her back to the seaside village she once called home, she finds more than a beloved family friend in a hospital bed.
She finds him.
Christian Jordan—the boy who shattered her heart senior year—is now the interim youth pastor at her father’s church. And thanks to a hasty promise, Gigi is stuck planning the town’s Centennial Festival of Light alongside the very man she swore she’d never lay eyes on again.
What Pelham Cove’s gossip mill—and official Facebook page—doesn’t know is just how deep their heartbreak runs.
When a local teen’s crisis hits too close to home, old wounds resurface forcing Gigi and Christian to finally face the truth—and each other.
As twinkle lights go up and the town prepares to celebrate a century of faith and miracles, Gigi must decide whether to keep running from the past and pain—or risk everything on the possibility of forgiveness, faith, and perhaps even a second chance at love.
Perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies, this cozy, snow-dusted romance delivers hope and redemption, a lovingly meddling small-town community, and a heartfelt journey of healing and second chances.
If you love faith-filled holiday stories, swoony clean romance, and the kind of Christmas magic only a small town can deliver—Pelham Cove is waiting.
- GenresChristmas
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2025
17 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 23, 2025
Making Spirits Bright by Kelsey Lawson Rogers is exactly the kind of warm, sweet holiday read I look for every year. The small-town charm, the festive atmosphere, and the chemistry between the characters pull you in from the very first chapter. Rogers writes with so much heart that it genuinely feels like you’re stepping into a Hallmark-movie-meets-real-life story—full of twinkling lights, second chances, and all the comforting emotions of the season.
The pacing is quick, the dialogue is fun, and the romance is the perfect mix of wholesome and swoony. If you love cozy Christmas books that make you smile, Making Spirits Bright absolutely delivers. Highly recommend for your winter TBR or anyone wanting a feel-good escape!
The pacing is quick, the dialogue is fun, and the romance is the perfect mix of wholesome and swoony. If you love cozy Christmas books that make you smile, Making Spirits Bright absolutely delivers. Highly recommend for your winter TBR or anyone wanting a feel-good escape!
December 19, 2025
Full disclosure: I know the author personally.
Making Spirits Bright is a cozy Christmas romance that goes deeper than its familiar setup suggests. While the premise—being pulled back to a small town and facing an old love—has Hallmark roots, this story feels more grounded and emotionally adult than the average holiday romance.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is the writing itself. The small-town setting feels fully lived-in, with vivid sensory details that instantly place you there—you can feel the cold air, the warmth inside, and the quiet intimacy of familiar spaces. The nostalgia is tender without being idealized, and the emotional tension is woven seamlessly into everyday moments.
The faith element, in particular, has real depth. Rather than feeling performative or overly tidy, it wrestles honestly with grace, fairness, and doubt. Lines like “life is never going to be fair—because grace isn’t about what we deserve; it’s about what He gives us despite what we deserve” stood out to me, along with reflections on recognizing God not only in the ocean waves, the rising and setting of the sun, and the changing seasons, but in the quiet, seemingly coincidental moments where He shows up unexpectedly. Those passages felt thoughtful, relatable, and deeply human.
I also appreciated the main character's self-awareness. She knows when she’s being difficult—at one point even calling herself a “petulant princess”—and while some of her choices may feel frustrating at times, they feel honest rather than contrived. She’s outwardly successful and convinced she’s built a happy life for herself, yet still shaped by old wounds that have quietly kept her from fully opening her heart or returning home.
The overarching theme of healing—of what it costs to avoid old wounds for years, and what it takes to finally confront them—adds real emotional weight and makes the ending feel earned. The dialogue feels natural and emotionally honest, capturing both the avoidance and vulnerability that come with unresolved hurt. The story also moves at a fast, engaging pace, making it an easy, immersive read without sacrificing emotional weight.
If you’re looking for a faith-filled Christmas romance that balances coziness with emotional honesty and leaves you with a quiet, hard-won sense of hope—Making Spirits Bright is a lovely choice.
Making Spirits Bright is a cozy Christmas romance that goes deeper than its familiar setup suggests. While the premise—being pulled back to a small town and facing an old love—has Hallmark roots, this story feels more grounded and emotionally adult than the average holiday romance.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is the writing itself. The small-town setting feels fully lived-in, with vivid sensory details that instantly place you there—you can feel the cold air, the warmth inside, and the quiet intimacy of familiar spaces. The nostalgia is tender without being idealized, and the emotional tension is woven seamlessly into everyday moments.
The faith element, in particular, has real depth. Rather than feeling performative or overly tidy, it wrestles honestly with grace, fairness, and doubt. Lines like “life is never going to be fair—because grace isn’t about what we deserve; it’s about what He gives us despite what we deserve” stood out to me, along with reflections on recognizing God not only in the ocean waves, the rising and setting of the sun, and the changing seasons, but in the quiet, seemingly coincidental moments where He shows up unexpectedly. Those passages felt thoughtful, relatable, and deeply human.
I also appreciated the main character's self-awareness. She knows when she’s being difficult—at one point even calling herself a “petulant princess”—and while some of her choices may feel frustrating at times, they feel honest rather than contrived. She’s outwardly successful and convinced she’s built a happy life for herself, yet still shaped by old wounds that have quietly kept her from fully opening her heart or returning home.
The overarching theme of healing—of what it costs to avoid old wounds for years, and what it takes to finally confront them—adds real emotional weight and makes the ending feel earned. The dialogue feels natural and emotionally honest, capturing both the avoidance and vulnerability that come with unresolved hurt. The story also moves at a fast, engaging pace, making it an easy, immersive read without sacrificing emotional weight.
If you’re looking for a faith-filled Christmas romance that balances coziness with emotional honesty and leaves you with a quiet, hard-won sense of hope—Making Spirits Bright is a lovely choice.
November 28, 2025
Making Spirits Bright is the kind of holiday romance that wraps you in warmth from the very first chapter. Kelsey Lawson Rogers captures beautifully what it feels like to return home after many years of self-imposed exile — the mix of nostalgia, unresolved emotions, and the unexpected comfort of familiar places and people. Add a second-chance at love and the author’s gentle exploration of forgiveness: not just between two people rediscovering each other, but also the forgiveness we extend to ourselves when facing old wounds. The holiday setting adds sparkle to every page. Uplifting, tender, and full of seasonal charm, this is a story that leaves you hopeful and glowing — exactly the kind of book you want to curl up with during the holidays.
November 23, 2025
Small town story with all the feels.
Loved this book so much! Set in a small town, with real characters who are still figuring it out this thing we call life. You will laugh, cry, and feel all the things…all wrapped up with the spirit of Christmas!
Loved this book so much! Set in a small town, with real characters who are still figuring it out this thing we call life. You will laugh, cry, and feel all the things…all wrapped up with the spirit of Christmas!
December 8, 2025
I LOVED this book!! Not your average holiday love story! Making Spirits Bright is a wonderful story of God’s redemption and a reminder of how He never strays from us, even when we stray from Him. This is a great holiday read!
December 3, 2025
Absolutely beautiful, I'm crying happy, emotional tears.
December 24, 2025
I loved this book!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews