Review: Christmas at the Shelter Inn by RaeAnne Thayne

 

Christmas at the Shelter Inn by RaeAnne Thayne

Publication Date: October 3rd 2023 by Canary Street Press

Pages: 304

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Natalie has come back to her hometown of Shelter Springs, Idaho after her sister, McKenna, sent out an SOS when she's ordered on bedrest having a high-risk pregnancy. McKenna needs help with her two young daughters and the Shelter Springs Inn, the Inn her parents ran. Natalie has stayed away from Shelter Springs most of her adult life since it holds memories of grief and abandonment. Her mother died when she was just sixteen and her father took off soon after, just when she needed him most leaving her in the care of an aunt.

As soon as Natalie graduated, she took on jobs all over the world as a house sitter, feeding a drive to travel after growing up at the Shelter Springs Inn, watching others enjoy their vacations staying at the inn and while their family couldn't leave. Yet now coming back she realizes all she’s been missing. Family, friends, a sense of community.  Also, there’s Griffin Taylor, her best friend’s older, handsome brother who seems to be there every time she needs a helping hand. Her feelings for him grow the more time they spend together.

I related so much to Natalie, especially regarding her relationship with her father. Yes, he was grieving, but he really hurt Natalie with his abandonment. Still, I couldn’t help but feel for him, too, because he lost his wife. I loved how Natalie couldn't help but become attached to all these wonderful people, her sister and nieces and of course, Griffin! 

Christmas at the Shelter Inn was more than a romance, it was a story about healing, forgiveness, family, and community. I adored this uplifting story!

4 Stars

Book Description:

Come home to Shelter Springs this Christmas, where hearts are warm and hopes are bright…

Growing up at the Shelter Inn hotel, Natalie Shepherd envied guests who could come and go as they pleased. So when it was time to finally leave for college and put the lush green mountains around Shelter Springs—along with the cloud of loss that seemed to follow her family—behind her, she swore she’d never come back. But now her sister McKenna needs a favor. On pregnancy bed rest at doctor’s orders, McKenna needs a helping hand with her two young daughters and someone to take over the inn during the hectic holiday season, and Nat can’t refuse. And just when things can’t get worse, she runs into her late brother’s best friend, Griffin Taylor…

Griff has mixed feelings about Natalie’s return. She’s just as beautiful and full of life as he remembered, but there’s a secret he’s carried for years about her brother—and the guilt is eating away at him. Still, Christmas in this small town is filled with treasured traditions and new adventures that hold the promise of something sweet and lasting. From matchmaking seniors to rambunctious nieces, it seems everyone is hoping Nat and Griff will put loss behind them and find a happy new beginning…