A Town Called Christmas (Juniper Island, #2)

by Holly Martin

[Leah]

Christmas Under A Starlit Sky is Holly Martin’s second novel set on the FANTASTIC island of Christmas, where I want to go and live immediately. It picks up right where Christmas Under A Cranberry Sky ends, with Oakley Rey finally making his appearance, and this story is all about Oakley and Neve. Unfortunately for me, it’s vastly different to the first book where, in the first book, truth was the watchword. Everyone was honest, there was no pandering, no lies, no frustrating break ups for break ups sake. In book two? That’s ALL there is, and it just made me sigh, because what Neve says to Oakley is unforgivable.

All things considered, I liked this book, but this book will be tainted for me, just a little bit, because Neve’s confession to Oakley. There’s no reason in the world to ever say that, and what made it worse was her absolute inability to put things right. There was always an excuse, and it tainted my like of Neve. Maybe I’m being harsh, but that’s just my opinion.

What I did love about the book was the story between Adam and Ivy. That was the kind of romance I wanted for Oakley and Neve, and it was lovely. I loved how they simply clicked, right from the off, when Adam found her stuck under a pony, and from there it just escalated and it was lovely to see two people who were clearly scared of love give love a chance. I loved them both and they were just so cute.

It was a shame that I wasn’t a fan of the way Neve and Oakley’s romance went, it was all a bit calamitous and could have been avoided so, so easily. Funnily enough, it Neve had just been honest (properly honest) in the beginning, absolutely none of the following issues would have occurred, and it’s strange to me that someone so feisty and capable suddenly become a wobbly mess, unable to own her truths. However, Adam and Ivy saved the book. It’s not even that I didn’t like Neve or Oakley, Oakley was fantastic, going above and beyond to win Neve back, I just can’t get past what Neve said and did. Otherwise this was another warm, delightful read.