An Heirloom Christmas by Megan Squires – Book Review

What It Is About

“A candle could represent so many things… They provided light when things seemed dark, and they twinkled during long, endless storms.”

Heirloom Point is what you envision when you think perfect small Christmas town. Picturesque little place, friendly neighbors, cozy little shops, heartfelt traditions… And a high school sweethearts romance that is just about to get a second chance.

Nick McHenry left Heirloom Point 10 years ago to try and pursue his dream of becoming a professional hockey player. But after a substantial injury he is back in his hometown. And when the only girl he’s ever been in love with keeps popping up, he can’t help but feeling leaving her all those years ago was the biggest mistake of his life.

Chrissy Davenport owns a small candle shop and is working hard on creating this year’s Christmas scent. But how can she give it 100 percent when she keeps getting distracted by her ex fiancé who’s just got back to town?

And who is leaving those mysterious notes that keep appearing tucked in a wreath on the doors of her shop?

An Heirloom Christmas by Megan Squires – My Review

She still felt that swirling disorientation, the not knowing which way was up or which way was down. She had expected everything to settle over time, but with Nick back in Heirloom Point, she felt in a constantly shaken up state.

I read this book last July. It was almost 100 °F outside. I was upset and tired and all over the place and craving something cozy, comforting, festive and with a lot of snow.

This one hit all the marks. It gave me all the vibes I was craving and I loved it for it.

Don’t get me wrong – this book wasn’t perfect. It did have its fair share of clichés, from plot twists and cardboard cutout characters to jokes and lines of dialogue you can see coming from miles away. It just didn’t bother me. I enjoyed it too much to care.

Rose and honeysuckle and almond with just the smallest hint of cherry blossom.

An Heirloom Christmas is perfect for when you are in the mood for some small town vibes, charming, lovable characters, and a Christmas time setting to give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings.

The wreath auctions, charity programs, secret notes, sleigh ride contest, Christmas dance, family and friends, nosy neighbors that have to mingle in everyone’s business but love each other to death and mean only the best… This book had it all.

An Heirloom Christmas felt a bit like reading a Hallmark movie. I’ve even been picturing some actors as the main characters in my head the whole time.

(Al right, since you asked – I think Chrissy would look almost exactly like Jen Lilley. And Sam Heughan is probably the closest to how I envisioned Nick. (Which – ok, it’s a bit of a cheating, but he did star in that one Hallmark movie, and it was a Christmas themed one.)

Today’s goal was to create the annual Christmas candle. She’d gathered her favorite festive oils from the shelf: clove, pine, cedar wood, and sugar. She wanted both the warm, welcoming smell of Grandma’s Christmas kitchen, coupled with the nostalgic aroma of freshly cut evergreen trees.

The MC, Chrissy, is a candle maker. And I loved her cozy little Christmas-decorated candle shop. Scented candles are amongst my favorite things in the world and I enjoyed imagining spending December days there.

I could almost smell the scents. But it was more than that. The way she makes candles is kind of intuitive. Her scents are meaningful. She puts a lot of heart and a lot of emotion into it, and people unconsciously recognize that.

She knew she couldn’t force it. She’d done that before and even though no one knew, those candles never sold quite as well as the ones she poured all of her heart and soul into, right along with the fragrance and wax.

This book was a second chance romance, which is not exactly my favorite type of romance, but oh well. As far as cozy Christmas romances go, this was one of the better ones I’ve ever read.

Although, even though the book started strong, it kind of started losing me towards the end. The unnecessary drama got even more unnecessary and some tropes I don’t like (plus one I absolutely hate) started to gain more and more space.

I also thought the story could have used a bit more of a climax.

Still, since I really enjoyed most of the book, it didn’t feel fair to lower my rating by more than one star.

I think if you love something, there’s always a way to work it into your life. You don’t have to give up your dream completely, just start dreaming it in a different way.

This book wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly what I needed at the moment. It managed to comfort me and to make me feel better. And to put me into the Christmas spirit in the middle of July.

Spending time in a small Christmas-perfect town surrounded by a bunch of kind, openhearted, generous characters always resets me from all the problems we are facing every single day. I know it’s fiction, but reading this kind of books helps me rewarm towards humanity. It has a great impact on my mental health.

An Heirloom Christmas was the cutest Christmas romance ever. Didn’t have much else going for it other than being cute, but oh well – that’s cozy romances for you. If you’ve picked to read this one, you’re probably counting on the comfort of blown-out-of-proportions problems and light silliness of it all. So you’ll be fine.