Two exes, one snowy cabin and a whole lot of festive drama. Five years after being left at the altar, Charlotte is doing just fine. New York, her string quartet, and zero ex-drama—until Christmas. A holiday retreat in Colorado seems perfect, until Charlotte realises her ex-fiancée, Brighton, is crashing, too. With Christmas dating events, cookie decorating, and some unwelcome nostalgia, old sparks start flying. Can these exes survive Christmas without rekindling what they lost?
Happy holigays, indeed!
I’m a sucker for an atmospheric read and in Make the Season Bright—as with the Bright Falls series— Ashley Herring Blake delivers on all fronts. The holiday setting with all the staples you’d expect (cookie baking and decorating, snowy outdoor activities, and snow also being an extra character that causes trouble…and magic) brought all the cosy holiday vibes and added a magical layer to this second chance romance.
I quite enjoyed the pairing of a very Hallmark-esque setting with the realistic fallouts that come from a romantic relationship that ended in tears.
Trust that I personally would hold a grudge for the rest of my life if someone left me at the altar, but somehow, the author made this second chance romance work and, more importantly, convinced me that Charlotte and Brighton should give this thing another go. Second chance romances are notoriously hard to get right because you have to show both why the characters belonged to each other in the past even if it didn’t work out as well as why they should now, after hearts were broken and years of distance, try to reconcile. Blake excels at showing the unresolved emotions between Brighton and Charlotte that work particularly well with how opposite they both are. Charlotte’s more reserved and closed-off nature paired quite well with Brighton’s more extroverted, light-hearted personality.
What makes a great romance for me is when I can see the characters grow individually and this book delivers that as well. Brighton, who is determined to make things right and Charlotte, who is struggling with her anxiety and the way it impacts her life on a daily basis, undergo a lot of necessary growth before they can truly reconnect, which makes it so easy to root for them.
What I will say though is that I occasionally felt like conversations and characterisations cut off right before they could get deep enough and truly reveal something to the reader. That was especially the case with Charlotte for me. While we do learn that she is more closed off and scared of getting hurt again, I wanted the story to dive deeper into those feelings and what inspired them even before the whole leaving someone at the altar situation. Similarly, Brighton and Charlotte getting back together felt somewhat unresolved – instead of talking everything out, they give in to their desires which was definitely a good time (the spice was spicing, if you catch my drift) but left me wanting a little bit more relationship work.
Lastly, another highlight and as is a common pleasure with books by this author, Make the Season Bright features a diverse cast of kooky secondary characters that brings the found family trope to life. I always marvel at how Blake makes every character stand out so clearly even with limited page-time, but from band members to Sloane’s relatives, everyone just added a little something to the story that made it feel so much more well-rounded.
Cosy up this festive season with Make the Season Bright, a refreshing second chance sapphic romance that blends humour with heart and delivers all the festive shenanigans your heart could ever desire!
Make the Season Bright is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Two exes find themselves stuck at the same house for Christmas in this holiday romance by Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date.
It’s been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancée, and she’s doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Colorado—it is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartet’s upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloane’s sister Adele also brought a friend home—and that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton.
All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmas—and try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, she’s stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangers—which proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adele’s mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still won’t talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did.
After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play together—Brighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violin—and it all feels painfully familiar. But it’s all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts…right?
