Poor Delilah! A sweet lady with a tragic past, Delilah loves to take care of others and couldn't possibly have any enemies. Or could she? Someone seems to be out to get her.
This was a quick, fun, read. If you are looking for a bit of mystery and romance with your Christmas cheer this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy for review ( )

Delilah Carter, manager of the Tidewater Inn, has been busy planning a Christmas wedding for her friends, but someone runs her off the road and into the ocean one night. She tries to downplay it as a mere accident afterwards, but she isn't really buying it, and neither is Sheriff Tom Bourne, the man who's been harboring feelings for Delilah in All is Bright: A Hope Beach Christmas Novella by author Colleen Coble.

I've not read any of the Hope Beach novels, and this book includes a lot of characters whose stories I'm sure have already been told. While I figured the brief mentions and appearances of those characters would have been meaningful to me if I'd read the other books, I was only interested in Delilah and Tom's story here.

Even with the darker thread of suspense running through this, much of the story was an easy read for me. Because it's clear that Delilah and Tom have got some background together, the development of their relationship doesn't come off as rushed or as if their strengthening emotions are popping out of nowhere.

Now, the critical point of danger in the story is a rather obvious setup, more convenient than believable. But the best part of the story for me concerns an awesome Christmas gift that warmed my heart along with the characters.

And, yes, the Christmas lights and the homey feel captured on a softly bright evening on the book cover got me to read this novella. ( )

I love stories that involve Inns and have been to the North Carolina's north shore so was able to imagine myself there. A quick little mystery. ( )