What do you think?
Rate this book
Misty Harbor #4
A Berry Merry Christmas
Seasons Greetings from Misty Harbor, Maine! The snowy coastal village is as pretty as a postcard, decked out for the holidays in its winter finery. It's the ideal place to celebrate a picture-perfect Christmas, as its hometown warmth melts the coldest of hearts.
Recently widowed Amber McAllister has left the hustle and bustle of Boston to help run her aunt's berry shop on Main Street. But the new ad campaign by Ian McNeal, her late husband's business partner, has made the store's jams and jellies the hottest gift in town. Amber is frazzled. Visions of unfulfilled orders dance in her head, until Ian comes to town to buy her out of the ad agency. He falls instantly in love with Misty Harbor's quiet charm—and his long-time crush on Amber is rekindled. Ice skating and sledding together puts a twinkle in his eye—and makes Amber see the quiet, creative man in a whole new light. Though wrapped up in kisses, their fragile love is tainted by memories of her husband. Will ghosts of Christmas past haunt her Christmas present—and future?
Recently widowed Amber McAllister has left the hustle and bustle of Boston to help run her aunt's berry shop on Main Street. But the new ad campaign by Ian McNeal, her late husband's business partner, has made the store's jams and jellies the hottest gift in town. Amber is frazzled. Visions of unfulfilled orders dance in her head, until Ian comes to town to buy her out of the ad agency. He falls instantly in love with Misty Harbor's quiet charm—and his long-time crush on Amber is rekindled. Ice skating and sledding together puts a twinkle in his eye—and makes Amber see the quiet, creative man in a whole new light. Though wrapped up in kisses, their fragile love is tainted by memories of her husband. Will ghosts of Christmas past haunt her Christmas present—and future?
301 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 4, 2022
I have enjoyed reading Marcia Evanick’s books but it’s been a long time since she published one. This Christmas romance was cute and left me wishing the Holidays lasted longer.
December 9, 2022
Outro romance "cor de rosa" ou "romance de banca", não sei como é conhecido nos tempos atuais.
Um Romance possível e sem tantas diferenças da nossa realidade: mulheres independentes que convidam seus parceiros para um passeio ou tomam iniciativa para fazer amor.
É um alento depois de ler história de época
Vale a leitura.
Desafio de Advento
Advent Challenge
****
RESUMO:
Graças à campanha publicitária de Ian McNeal, a doceria da tia de Amber se transformou na sensação do momento, em Misty Harbor, e a poucos dias do Natal, o movimento é tão intenso que Amber tem dificuldade para dar conta dos pedidos. Até que Ian resolve fechar por uns dias a agência para ir ajudar. Fascinado com a pitoresca cidadezinha, que parece um cartão de Natal, Ian sente renascer a antiga paixão pela jovem viúva de seu amigo. O brilho que Amber vê nos olhos de Ian toda vez que patinam no gelo ao som de canções natalinas é mais intenso que o das luzinhas refletidas na neve. Ao descobrir a personalidade cativante daquele homem atraente e sedutor, ela se entrega ao calor
Um Romance possível e sem tantas diferenças da nossa realidade: mulheres independentes que convidam seus parceiros para um passeio ou tomam iniciativa para fazer amor.
É um alento depois de ler história de época
Vale a leitura.
Desafio de Advento
Advent Challenge
****
RESUMO:
Graças à campanha publicitária de Ian McNeal, a doceria da tia de Amber se transformou na sensação do momento, em Misty Harbor, e a poucos dias do Natal, o movimento é tão intenso que Amber tem dificuldade para dar conta dos pedidos. Até que Ian resolve fechar por uns dias a agência para ir ajudar. Fascinado com a pitoresca cidadezinha, que parece um cartão de Natal, Ian sente renascer a antiga paixão pela jovem viúva de seu amigo. O brilho que Amber vê nos olhos de Ian toda vez que patinam no gelo ao som de canções natalinas é mais intenso que o das luzinhas refletidas na neve. Ao descobrir a personalidade cativante daquele homem atraente e sedutor, ela se entrega ao calor
February 21, 2023
2023 bk 72. When the author finished finding spouses for the three sisters, she turned to others within the wide Misty Harbor community. Amber has moved back to Misty Harbor to live with her recently widowed aunt. The two have a lot in common - both husbands deceased, a love of life, and a love of Misty Harbor. Running a business in a small town is hard, but when her husband's business partner takes over the ad campaign for the Berries business - the orders explode. Little does Amber realize that he has had a crush since college and is just biding his time to see if he has a chance. A good love story that wrapped around the everyday things that people can enjoy together.
May 25, 2018
I loved this book!! Great story!! 1st time reading this author!! will read more of her books!!
December 4, 2018
I’m not usually a romance reader, but I needed a light-hearted holiday read, and this book delivered. It was cute, and the atmosphere was well-done. Good, fluffy read for the holidays.
December 27, 2010
Well, I'm a sucker for Christmas romances, so I'll buy just about any book that fits the profile, whether I'm familiar with the author or not. And this was an author I'd tried only once before, when her Christmas novella A MISTY HARBOR CHRISTMAS was included in the LET IT SNOW anthology with Fern Michaels, amoung others. (you can see a pattern here about the Christmas-themed books, can't you? :) I hadn't been exactly in love with her work then, and A BERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS did nothing to change my mind.
I was looking forward to reading about a grieving widow finding love again (with her late husband's best friend and business partner, no less). What really captured me in the beginning was how the heroine had had a good marriage with her late husband, how she had truly loved him. Very few authors seem willing to tackle this theme in this way. Most of the time, they make the deceased spouse secretly a horrible person. I was looking forward to a break from this tradition.
But the author started to let me down after the halfway mark. The heroine began to realize that maybe her marriage hadn't been so great after all. Sigh. I've read this theme over and over. Why did the author had to change directions midstream? Why couldn't the heroine have loved her husband, but put him in the past and just moved on? Why did she have to suddenly no longer cherish his memory anymore, because she realized that he wasn't all that great? I felt that the author was afraid to have the heroine move on any other way, so she had to muddy up the heroine's first marriage in order to make that happen, and I felt very let-down.
I understood Ian's reluctance to "move in" on what he saw as his best friend's territory, even if it had been almost two years since his death. But it didn't fit with the way he almost instantly pursued the heroine, or with the way he was willing to fall into bed with her. So he can sleep with her all he wants, but a serious relationship is out of the question? Okay....
Once these two fell into bed, I pretty much lost interest in the story. I kind of felt like the characters were just spinning their wheels without really getting anywhere. I want characters to grow and change over the course of the story, and that just wasn't happening here.
Also, this book is part of Marcia Evanick's "Misty Harbor" series, and I hadn't read any of the other linked books. So while the "small town" thing was pretty well done, I didn't know any of the characters that I probably would have recognized from previous books, and that might have something to do with my not really enjoying the book all that much.
I was looking forward to reading about a grieving widow finding love again (with her late husband's best friend and business partner, no less). What really captured me in the beginning was how the heroine had had a good marriage with her late husband, how she had truly loved him. Very few authors seem willing to tackle this theme in this way. Most of the time, they make the deceased spouse secretly a horrible person. I was looking forward to a break from this tradition.
But the author started to let me down after the halfway mark. The heroine began to realize that maybe her marriage hadn't been so great after all. Sigh. I've read this theme over and over. Why did the author had to change directions midstream? Why couldn't the heroine have loved her husband, but put him in the past and just moved on? Why did she have to suddenly no longer cherish his memory anymore, because she realized that he wasn't all that great? I felt that the author was afraid to have the heroine move on any other way, so she had to muddy up the heroine's first marriage in order to make that happen, and I felt very let-down.
I understood Ian's reluctance to "move in" on what he saw as his best friend's territory, even if it had been almost two years since his death. But it didn't fit with the way he almost instantly pursued the heroine, or with the way he was willing to fall into bed with her. So he can sleep with her all he wants, but a serious relationship is out of the question? Okay....
Once these two fell into bed, I pretty much lost interest in the story. I kind of felt like the characters were just spinning their wheels without really getting anywhere. I want characters to grow and change over the course of the story, and that just wasn't happening here.
Also, this book is part of Marcia Evanick's "Misty Harbor" series, and I hadn't read any of the other linked books. So while the "small town" thing was pretty well done, I didn't know any of the characters that I probably would have recognized from previous books, and that might have something to do with my not really enjoying the book all that much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2022
Amber spent her childhood summers in Misty Harbor with her aunt Grace. Now, she is back to live there, run her aunt's business and grieve the loss of her husband. The business "It's the Berries" is thriving. Amber is ready to get on with her life and find a man. One day while frazzled by the business, Ian shows up with a check for her half of her husband's business. Ian see's how out of sorts Amber is and jumps in to save the day by helping her organize things. He didn't have to drive 5 hours to deliver her a check, she realizes he is there to check up on "the little widow". She is wrong. Ian has loved Amber since college. He has stood by and watched his best friend date and then marry her. He can't stand on the sidelines any longer. After getting to know Amber, he realizes she is not the woman he thought she was, she is better. As their relationship grows, Ian has an attack of consciousness and steps back. He is haunted by guilt and his best friend's (her dead husband's) ghost.
December 28, 2011
A young woman moves to Maine to take over running her aunt's shop (It's The Berries). The woman has been widowed and she wants to start over doing what she really seems to love the most. The romance comes about when her late husband's partner comes up to see how she is doing. He helps out in the most unusual way. It's fun to read about the time they spend together. Also it amazing how much merchandise you can get from using just the berries grown in Maine. There's work and play involved and the main characters do find themselves growing closer but what is holding them back. You'll have to read the story to find out.
December 27, 2008
I enjoyed this book very much. It wasn't too mushy. Had just the right amount of romance to keep you tingeling. Charming and warmhearted.
October 21, 2010
cute story, but it's not a book I would keep and read again.
March 1, 2017
I liked this book but it had too many love scenes for my taste. I think that they could have been left out and it would have still been good.
July 29, 2012
Probably my favorite of Evanick's books. A feel good story. Love that the location is in Maine, I think that adds to the romantic feel. Her stories don't ramble and aren't drawn out.
December 10, 2013
Light, funny romance. I have enjoyed the Misty Harbor series. Was saddened over Marcia Evanicks death.
April 19, 2018
I love all the stories in this series, they are so sweet that it puts a smile on my face. I always read this series when I have had enough of real life.
March 26, 2017
Ian didn't think he could compete with his former roommate and ad partner James memory. Amber doesn't want to be manipulated again. It takes a while but both realize their attraction is good and decide to stay in Misty Harbor. Some sex, but fun story - setting for more books about Misty Harbor.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews