Welcome to the small town of Holiday, Alabama, population 765. In Holiday everyone knows their neighbors—and their business . . .
Caroline Whittaker has loving, supportive parents, she’s embarking on a promising career as a cardiac surgeon—her lifelong dream—and her boyfriend is about to propose. Nothing could be farther from her radar than a visit to Holiday, Alabama, population 767.
Tired of living in his father and brother’s shadows, Charlie Armstrong has moved from his hometown and is living the bachelor life, indulging in his love of sports and putting all of his resources and passion into his “boys,” the high school football team he coaches. He doesn’t see a reason to ever move home again—until a stranger beats him to it and an odd series of events leads him straight there, to his father’s house in the heart of Holiday, with some of the town’s quirkiest residents settled in for an extended stay as well.
Charlie has long since given up figuring any of them out, but the new woman in town is another matter. She’s a mystery worth solving, and he’ll do whatever it takes to unravel Carol’s secrets, help her heal, and prove that he’s as good at love as the rest of his family.
The Heart of Holiday is the third novel in the Holiday Harbor series and it starts out quite differently than the others in the series so far. There is some heavy subject matter tackled quite quickly that culminates in Caroline, the heroine of the story, having to quickly leave everything she knows and going into the Witness Protection Program. Caroline goes from being a specialized surgeon in a major city to a librarian in small town Holiday.
The story has such a strong start but when Caroline gets to Holiday, just like most small towns, the pace of the novel slowed way down, and I found it a struggle to stay interested. It was nice to get reacquainted with the inhabitants of Holiday, as well as get to know Caroline and Charlie better, but I felt like there was so much that both Caroline and Charlie are dealing with internally that it bogged things down quite a bit.
In saying that, it’s hard not to be charmed by Holiday. The Southern small town vibe and quirky inhabitants is always a treat, and Caroline’s more seriousness nature pairs well with this array of characters, making her the perfect addition. She definitely keeps the story grounded as she adjusts to a new world while also grieving the loss of her past life and family. Caroline’s strength is shown time and time again, and that alone is inspiring, but when you see how astute Charlie is, and how much he wants to know more about the incredibly secretive librarian, the more you find yourself falling deeper in love.
One of my favorite aspects was the theme of the sunflower. The symbolism and what the sunflower represents spoke to me on a spiritual level, whispering to my own soul, reminding me to “simply follow the light” in my own current spiritual darkness, something that was desperately needed in my life right now. For that I am truly grateful to the author for having this seemingly inconsequential piece be part of the narrative as it awakened something within me that it hard to put into words.
Though the middle section of the novel was rough for me to get through, the pace did pick back up in the last quarter of the book and I seriously couldn’t put it down until I reached the end. I finished reading with a goofy, contented grin on my face, something I always love to do. I did feel like it was a little too good to be true, but at the same time, it felt perfect and right.
Overall, The Heart of Holiday a good story and is very character driven with quite a bit of suspense and malice that pairs perfect with the sweet small town of Holiday and all its inhabitants. This was not a quick read for me but touched me in ways I would’ve never imagined, and I am grateful that I had an opportunity to read it.
Michele Paige Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and Northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education and found it an excellent major in which to indulge her love of children's literature.
She is the author of fifteen published romance novels, including the HOLIDAY HARBOR contemporary series, HEARTHFIRE HISTORICALS, and the FOREVER AFTER series. She is also the author of four novellas in the TIMELESS ROMANCE and TIMELESS VICTORIAN COLLECTIONs.
You can find Michele on her website michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
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