Gulf Coast Christmas

Blackbird Beach #8

by Maggie Miller

Escape to the Gulf Coast of Florida with Georgia Carpenter as she gets a second chance at life, love, and happiness.

The Christmas party at the Sea Glass Inn is a long-held tradition, one the townspeople of Blackbird Beach consider the kick-off of the Christmas season. Until, of course, the Inn closed, and the party stopped happening.
Now Georgia Carpenter has decided it’s time to restart that tradition, even though the party is a massive undertaking and one that will influence how people feel about the Inn for the rest of the year. With the help of her sister, Lilly, Georgia hopes to put on an event that will be merry and bright and spark new interest in the business.
She also wants to dedicate the event to her late, great Aunt Norma. She’s the woman responsible for the Inn’s existence and for the change of fortune in Georgia’s life, after all. It’s only fitting that such an amazing woman get an amazing tribute.
But pulling off such a party might require a Christmas miracle. Will the night go off without a hitch? ‘Tis the season to find out…

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

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2021

About the author

Time off is time best spent at the beach, don't you agree?

The beach is my happy place. The sound of the waves are my favorite background music. And the sand between my toes is the best massage I can think of.

When I'm not at the beach, I'm writing or reading or cooking for my family. You know, life.

I hope you enjoy my books. Drop me a line and let me know what you think of them! You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMiller... or at my website, https://www.maggiemillerauthor.com. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter!

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is Christmas time, and the inn is ready to open. Georgia, her family, and friends are celebrating with a Christmas party for the whole town. The inn is lovely with lights and a special coastal theme, great food, and warmth. The ends are all tied up nicely with surprises and hope for new beginnings. This has been a fun series to get immersed in and I will probably have withdrawals after spending a couple of weeks reading it. I recommend for those who enjoy a beach series about the ups and downs of life with the support of family and friends, with forgiveness, faith, and hope.

[Melinda Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the whole 8 book series! I would love to see a follow-up series to continue the stories of the characters, as there are so many just starting new chapters in their lives. After all we just met Amy, Denise is just coming out of her shell, Andre has just popped in to Blackbird Beach, who won the auction? 😉Lots of possibilities.
Great job, Maggie. Fingers crossed for the next book.

[Karen Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished book 8, Gulf Coast Christmas. This was such an amazing book, heck the whole series was absolutely AWESOME! Maggie Miller, you absolutely have outdone yourself on this series. It was wonderful to watch how all the characters lives evolved throughout the series. I loved all the reflections back to Norma and her life at the inn and the community. This series was so heart-warming. A reader couldn't help but fall in love with each and every character. Thank you for sharing this wonderful series with me. These characters will live on with me for quite some time.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute, and light series to read.

Who doesn't love a book with
* A cute inn on the beach to renovate.
* A handsome handy man.
* A rich aunt whom everyone (except Lavinia) loved who left her beloved Inn to her nice in her will.
* A fun cast of characters including a couple of ambitious 50something year olds, and their growing families.
* A charming small town with cute little stores.

And more

If your looking for hot sex scenes, this isn't that kinda book series.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

After months of restoring the Seaglass Inn to its former glory, new owner Georgia Carpenter plans to open it next week. After hearing that her Aunt Norma used to hold a huge Christmas party at the Inn each year to kick off the holiday season, Georgia decides they should keep up the tradition. With the help of her sister Lily and the rest of the family, Georgia works on putting together a Christmas party that no one will forget.

This is the 8th and final book in the series. As usual, details about the Christmas party are explained in minute detail, including the flower arrangements, food preparation, and decorating the inn for Christmas. While all of that is going on, two guests show up early, and Travis finally pops the question. Overall, an entertaining series that you don't have to worry about missing the details. My rating: 3.5 Stars.

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gulf Coast Christmas by Maggie Miller
5h 26m narrated by Lisa Flanagan, Pamela Almand, Ryan West, Charlie Thurston, Stephanie Einstein, and Stacia Newcomb 256 pages
Blackbird Beach #8

Genre: Holiday > Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction > Chick Lit, Family, Clean & Wholesome

Featuring: Divorcée, Florida, Multiple POVs, Mystery, Small Town, Bed & Breakfast Inn, Party Planning, Weight Conscious Characters, Decorating

Rating as a movie: PG-13

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

My thoughts: 📱8% 27:10 Ch. 3 - Well, this is going downhill. They have been talking about weight and dieting the entire series, but now it seems to be a personality trait. It doesn't look like she eats bread, really? That's not cute. It was a little boring, but now I'm annoyed.
📱22% 1:10:53 Ch. 7 - Blah and I'm sleepy.
📱34% 1:51:22 Ch. 10 - I was rooting for this series; it really is like a sitcom. The Christmas episode is often just filler.

This was probably the least eventful of the series. The plot was thin, but it had a good foundation, so I ignored it. A lot of Christmas editions are just fluff anyway.

Recommend to others?: Maybe. It's not skippable because it has the resolution you were seeking in book 1, but it most definitely gave me mixed feelings about reading a 9th book.

[FictionalFlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to give this 4 stars because it was the series last book. Although it felt like it ended abruptly so I took off 1 star. This whole series builds up to this final event and then ……….. is there another book? There should be. There could be 2-3 more books to this series just to wrap it up. There are so many things left unfinished I am a bit disappointed.
This book was good by itself.

[Jenny Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute series

[Kez 🤎 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww georgia and travis 🥹 this was such a sweet and hearty small town series.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read highly recommend all in the series.

Maggie Miller's write the best plot and she bring you full circle. I always feel like I'm part of the books and friends and part of the family. I'm so hoping this was not the last book in this series, I could read about this family for a very long-time. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES TO ANYONE WISHING TO FEEL LIKE YOUR PART OF THEVFAMILY. Maggie's a Great writer and the story line flows great.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened via Audible. I haven’t read the other books in this series, and after listening, I can tell that I definitely needed to have done that to understand the vast number of characters in this book and all their intertwined histories. It just seemed like NOTHING happened in this book at all. Tons of characters. Lots of conversations. But there was no problem. No obstacle at all.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series but I really wish it wasn't over 😔

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sad to see this series end, I truly have come to care for these people and the town. So many stories to still be told.
Still looking for the sticky toffee pudding recipe.

[Denise B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a truly wonderful series. I hope she writes more.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this entire series so much ❤️

[Biggest Little Book Talker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great conclusion to the book.
Ties everything up with a bow and everyone gets a happy ending.
Very cheesy book series but I enjoyed the reading.
Good for light reading and keeping up beat.

[Deborah Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books were such a light and uplifting read. I felt like I really got to know the characters. They made me want to visit the INN. Too bad this series has come to an end. I will have to check out other books by Maggie Miller.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have gotten more out of this had I read the previous books in the series rather than just picking it up as a Christmas read. The way that I read it meant it was just okay.

[Emma Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

It waz so good I love each book but if you want to read them who well love with the
People .am trying to get back to reading and am so good that I glay I reader all 8 book I wish it would keep. Going but like said I. Like these so much 😃

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulf Coast Christmas: Blackbird Beach Book 8 is by Maggie Miller. Sea Glass Inn is complete except for a few minor details. The long-held traditional Christmas Party is being planned as the opening of the Inn. The team is in place to decorate the Inn with only days until the party. As she is going over the list of things to be done, Georgia Carpenter is sitting in the breakfast nook drinking her cup of coffee and listening to Mia in the kitchen. Everyone has a part to play over the next few days and everyone is critical. As soon as everyone gets here, the action will begin.
When the family gathers, they head to the attic to get the decorations and see what is there and what is not. Only Travis has been present at the traditional party with Aunt Norma, so he is telling them where everything had gone and Lilly, Georgia’s sister, is deciding where it goes now. As they are looking through the boxes, it appears they will need more help. Georgia calls Summer who will start work when they open and Levi’s mother, Denise, to help. It looks like they will have few decorations to purchase than they thought. However, it also looks like a lot more work than they had figured on. Will they make it on time?

[Juliet]

If your idea of romance is your boyfriend making your big work event you’ve produced (which is the whole plot of the book) all about him and a proposal you already told him you didn’t want to announce…this book is for you. Add in a side of “desperate women do desperate things” as side characters only become friends so one can make sure her boyfriend doesn’t stray, and you’ve got a holiday story set against the background of reference to desserts the diet-obsessed characters only eat half of.

[Mary Nicole Rigot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all 8 books. Overall these were sweet and cute. It feels like nothing bad ever happens. It was predictable but the story was light and fluffy. Sometimes it fun to read a book with no real drama or stress.
I switched between reading and listening to this series. The best of the audible version was the variety of actors reading.
My only real complaint was the the behaviors of the 2 kids. Chloe seemed older than 4-5 months and Clayton seemed you much younger than 9.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

0 ⭐️
DNF. I couldn’t get past chapter 7 because it was SO boring. Paragraphs describing ornaments and the boxes they are stored in. 😬

[Toni Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about getting into the Christmas spirit a little early! It's been a crazy July, so it took me a bit longer to finish, but I finally wrapped up Gulf Coast Christmas, the eighth and final book in the Blackbird Beach series, and it was a delightful listen.
A Sweet End to a Charming Series
Georgia Carpenter's journey to a second chance at life, love, and happiness in Blackbird Beach has been such a joy to follow, and this book delivers a warm, satisfying conclusion. The premise of restarting the traditional Christmas party at the Sea Glass Inn is perfectly festive and provides a lovely backdrop for the story. It felt like a fitting way to bid farewell to these characters and this charming Florida setting.
The stakes feel just right for a cozy read: putting on a successful event to honor Aunt Norma and revitalize the Inn, all while navigating the usual holiday chaos. While it wasn't a nail-biter, the gentle challenges Georgia faces and her determination to make the party a success kept me engaged. The focus on family and community, particularly the bond between Georgia and Lilly, is a highlight, and it’s wonderful to see how far Georgia has come since the beginning of the series.
Overall, Gulf Coast Christmas is a sweet and heartwarming read that perfectly wraps up the Blackbird Beach series. It's a comforting escape, even if you're listening to it with the summer sun blazing outside!

[Thereadingbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gulf Coast Christmas by Maggie Miller

In this book the story starts with setting up for a Christmas Party. The Inn will be the location for the Christmas Party. Georgia Carpenter is going over her to do list while drinking coffee and listening to Mia in the kitchen. So much to do for the party and making sure everyone fulfills there part in helping getting the party together.
When the family gathers, they head to the attic to get the decorations and see what is there and what is not. Only Travis has been present at the traditional party with Aunt Norma, so he is telling them where everything had gone and Lilly, Georgia’s sister, is deciding where it goes now. As they are looking through the boxes, it appears they will need more help. Georgia calls Summer who will start work when they open and Levi’s mother, Denise, to help. It looks like they will have few decorations to purchase than they thought.

This was a clean fun read about Blackbird Beach opening their Inn and the annual Christmas Party. I see this is the end of this series and this is the first book I read from the series it was a good story and I plan on going back to read the other books in the series.

This series seems really good and I do recommend this series it is fun clean story to follow.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #30 for 2023

From February 18 - March 3, I read all 8 of the Gulf Coast (Blackbird Beach) series by Maggie Miller. They were all a continuation of the story of book 1,each picking up where the previous one left off. It begins with a woman scorned who goes through a difficult divorce after her husband cheats on her. Her daughter was engaged, planning her wedding when her fiancé cheated on her with her best friend. It’s sadly fortuitous that the woman’s great aunt leaves her an inheritance that she can use to start a family business since she’d just become homeless, without a job, and her entire family comes to live with her for various life changing personal situations. The Great Aunt’s handyman has his own family situations and that plays into the story. They all become supportive of each other and friends with many people in town. A great take me away story for a break. Lots of good advice for how to support family, treat people and how to put up boundaries with kindness.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and the series as a whole. It wasn’t the most amazing writing and it’s definitely more “clean” than I’m used to but I don’t regret reading it. I was very invested in the characters and their journeys. I do feel like some parts were a bit drawn out though. I feel like this could have easily been condensed to a trilogy by removing filler and nothing vital would have to be cut.

One of the big reasons I chose to read this series was because the entire thing was free in the Audible plus catalog and because I’m from near the Gulf Coast myself. I would not have paid a credit each for these books and for that reason alone, I don’t foresee myself reading Maggie Millers’ other series. None of them are on Libby and they are not free on Audible.

[Jeff Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book enough that I immediately jumped into listening to all 8 books in series. These are fun short Audiobooks that I got from Audible Plus catalog.

The plots developed characters and story lines with the ending of one book leading directly to the next book.

In book 1 Georgia inherits a Gulf coast cottage, just as she was needing a fresh start in middle of divorce from her cheating husband, nd we meet Travis the handyman. Then we meet her daughter Mia, who is also looking for a new start after her fiancé is caught cheating with her future bridesmaid.

With this book she brings the series to an end by reintroducing an Inn based Christmas party for all town members. I really hope it's not really the final book as I felt their were more plot lines to wrap up.

[Judy Meierhofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opening of The Inn

All works out bit a!most losing Travis and then bringing Andre there for Lilly almost s
made Georgia the happiest. But with Levi and Sam and Clayton and Levis mother
The a women who needed assistance and a home left Denise happy she had come out of her shyness along with new job she wasn't the same herself.. Georgia felt it was a new beginning for all. Now that they had comedy together as a community Georgia invited the reason for so many anxious moments
Lavinia was invited too. The Christmas party was big success and Travis decided to ask Georgia in the middle of the party to marry him and she said yes. So the Inn is officially open. I loved everyone of her books and the five star review is worth it!

[Barbara Marie Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulf Coast Christmas (Blackbird Beach Series Book 8)

Gulf Coast Christmas (Blackbird Beach Series Book 8) ~ The perfect ending to a beautiful series. Gulf Coast Christmas ties everything together with grace, love, and the spirit of the holidays. Seeing how far Georgia has come — from heartbreak to hope — made this book extra special.

It’s full of cozy Christmas charm, heartwarming reunions, and all the feels that make this series unforgettable. Maggie Miller couldn’t have ended it more perfectly.

 I would definitely recommend this book and series and can’t wait to start on the next book. If you want to know what happens next, you’ll just have to read this series yourself — you won’t regret it.