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A review by areadinggem
Christmas At Cedarwood Lodge by Rebecca Raisin
4.0
"I wanted to recreate that time, that feeling, when holidays were about relaxation, or being awed by the natural beauty of the elements. Having a place where you could do as much or as little as you liked."
Heart-warming. Festive. Enchanting. Dreamy.
[b:Christmas At Cedarwood Lodge|41442886|Christmas At Cedarwood Lodge|Rebecca Raisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535055301l/41442886._SY75_.jpg|58312741] is honestly the first holiday related book I ever read, and it did not disappoint. I found it at my bookstore only a week before the holidays and the blurb caught my attention, as well as the really dreamy cover. I actually never heard of [a:Rebecca Raisin|6915386|Rebecca Raisin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382789444p2/6915386.jpg] before so I was interested to see what she had in store for me.
Clio Winters has finally started the business of her dreams by purchasing Cedarwood Lodge and slowly renovating it into the most magical place for celebrations, weddings and holidays. Along the way, she received help from her childhood best friend Micah, the fiery hardworking gardener Isla, the blue-eyed Australian contractor Kai, and her fancy New York best friend Amory. They all work hand in hand to turn Cedarwood Lodge into the perfect destination for a holiday getaway, soon gaining the help of other people around. They surely face obstacles along the way, but with the help of the people Clio now calls family, any problem can be fixed.
Everything is coming into place at the lodge, but not so much with Clio and her mother. The latter has grown even more distant after Clio's return from New York and the reason seems to be related to the lodge itself. Clio has always dreamed of having this perfect mother-daughter relationship, but her mother seems too caught up in her past to be able to express her feelings and share the secret that has destroyed her life. What could it be?
"You know, not all of us are lucky in love. Some people find love but lose it, some only have an imitation of the real thing. Others search for it their whole lives, never quite catching it, but always believing it's there if only you try hard enough."
Clio has always loved playing Cupid, and at Cedarwood Lodge, she is definitely in her element. She always makes sure everyone around her is happy and in love. Cedarwood's magic definitely played a role in bringing everyone together, but why does it feel like something is still missing in her life? For someone who seems to know a lot about love, the woman still needs guidance when it comes to her own love life. Will she finally open her heart and give love a chance or will she always remain the single matchmaker of the group? Will she finally find her happy ending or will she always be the reason for other people's happy endings?
"Why don't you stop pretending? You're the biggest advocate for love, yet you spend your life waiting for it to happen to you when really you should be a big girl and help it along..."
I loved everything about this story, from the setting to the characters. Cedarwood Lodge is now the destination of my dreams. And I absolutely adored the relationships between the characters; the love, the care, the understanding... The reason I did not give the book 5 stars was due to it having more renovations than romance, especially between the two main characters, Clio and Kai. At times I felt like we barely got to know Kai at all. I also did feel like the romance was slightly rushed, especially in the last few chapters.
Overall, the book did put me in the festive spirit, not only because of the magical settings of Cedarwood Lodge, but also because of the amazing friendships and relationships that were built along the way.
Heart-warming. Festive. Enchanting. Dreamy.
[b:Christmas At Cedarwood Lodge|41442886|Christmas At Cedarwood Lodge|Rebecca Raisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535055301l/41442886._SY75_.jpg|58312741] is honestly the first holiday related book I ever read, and it did not disappoint. I found it at my bookstore only a week before the holidays and the blurb caught my attention, as well as the really dreamy cover. I actually never heard of [a:Rebecca Raisin|6915386|Rebecca Raisin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382789444p2/6915386.jpg] before so I was interested to see what she had in store for me.
Clio Winters has finally started the business of her dreams by purchasing Cedarwood Lodge and slowly renovating it into the most magical place for celebrations, weddings and holidays. Along the way, she received help from her childhood best friend Micah, the fiery hardworking gardener Isla, the blue-eyed Australian contractor Kai, and her fancy New York best friend Amory. They all work hand in hand to turn Cedarwood Lodge into the perfect destination for a holiday getaway, soon gaining the help of other people around. They surely face obstacles along the way, but with the help of the people Clio now calls family, any problem can be fixed.
Everything is coming into place at the lodge, but not so much with Clio and her mother. The latter has grown even more distant after Clio's return from New York and the reason seems to be related to the lodge itself. Clio has always dreamed of having this perfect mother-daughter relationship, but her mother seems too caught up in her past to be able to express her feelings and share the secret that has destroyed her life. What could it be?
"You know, not all of us are lucky in love. Some people find love but lose it, some only have an imitation of the real thing. Others search for it their whole lives, never quite catching it, but always believing it's there if only you try hard enough."
Clio has always loved playing Cupid, and at Cedarwood Lodge, she is definitely in her element. She always makes sure everyone around her is happy and in love. Cedarwood's magic definitely played a role in bringing everyone together, but why does it feel like something is still missing in her life? For someone who seems to know a lot about love, the woman still needs guidance when it comes to her own love life. Will she finally open her heart and give love a chance or will she always remain the single matchmaker of the group? Will she finally find her happy ending or will she always be the reason for other people's happy endings?
"Why don't you stop pretending? You're the biggest advocate for love, yet you spend your life waiting for it to happen to you when really you should be a big girl and help it along..."
I loved everything about this story, from the setting to the characters. Cedarwood Lodge is now the destination of my dreams. And I absolutely adored the relationships between the characters; the love, the care, the understanding... The reason I did not give the book 5 stars was due to it having more renovations than romance, especially between the two main characters, Clio and Kai. At times I felt like we barely got to know Kai at all. I also did feel like the romance was slightly rushed, especially in the last few chapters.
Overall, the book did put me in the festive spirit, not only because of the magical settings of Cedarwood Lodge, but also because of the amazing friendships and relationships that were built along the way.