Susan's Review of Home for the Holly Days by Cindy Kirk-Holly Pointe Series

A model who lost the limelight. A hockey star benched from the game. Will a small-town Christmas celebration reveal a most unexpected gift?

Going “Holly” Wood isn’t what America’s sweetheart, Krista Ankrom, had in mind when she made her annual Christmas trip to Holly Pointe, Vermont. Frustrated after losing another job to a younger rival, and fearing she’s walked her last runway, she’s hoping the happy site of her childhood Christmas pasts will be the perfect hideaway. But when asked to team up with NHL superstar Dustin Bellamy to save the town’s weeklong holiday celebration, how could she say no?

Dustin Bellamy is devastated that his days on the ice could be over. Needing distraction after suffering a career-ending injury, he agrees to be the celebrity host for his hometown’s Christmas celebration. But when his beautiful co-star—and former high school sweetheart, Krista Ankrom--shines a light into his bleak world, he worries his jingling emotions will distract him from his next professional move.

Beneath a sky of softly falling show and twinkling lights aglow, will Krista and Dustin share a yuletide fling? Or will the magic of the season bring them the real thing?

Cindy Kirk’s Home for the Holly Days is a heartfelt novel of second chances. Dustin Bellamy and Krista Ankrom’s families next door to rented cabins each other during the Holly Point holiday season for many years. Dustin and Krista are given a second chance to explore their feelings towards each other. Their story takes place during the town’s annual Holly Days festival where all things Christmas are celebrated!

After losing an important account, Krista and her friend Desz Presley decide to escape the glitz and glamour of New Your City to spend Christmas in Holly Pointe, Vermont. Krista describes Holly Pointe to Desz as “A picture postcard of how life can be.” Krista understands that she needs to make a career pivot and a visit to Holly Pointe will give her the time and space to plan her next step.

Dustin Bellamy has spent 20 years pursuing an NHL career. He lives and breathes hockey; he can’t imagine life without competing. An injury has forced him to sit out the season and may have ended his career. He’s returned to Holly Pointe to regroup and come up with a plan.

Loved that Dustin and Krista decided to work together to help promote the Happy Holly Days festival. Loved the interaction between the fans and Dustin and Krista and that the couple enjoyed working together. They realized that their presence drew people to the festival and that helped the crafters and artisans sells their work. Loved that the couple embraced the holiday spirit and enjoyed the winter activities.

The romance between Krista and Dustin is perfectly paced. Cindy Kirk creates characters that engage and intrigue me. As the Holly Days ambassadors, Krista and Dustin are trending on social media. But, that’s on the surface; as behind the scenes they are falling in love while dealing with huge career path decision. Krista and Dustin approach their career pivot differently; Krista thought process is logical while Dustin’s approach is emotional. Dustin offered support to Krista when he was having a hard time deciding on his future; he was torn and is being influenced by others. Cindy Kirk does not shy away from conflict between her characters—this added a lot of emotion to the story line. Loved the secondary character of Desz as she immersed herself in the Holly Days celebration and offered friendship and support to Krista. I hope to read her story soon!

The town of Holly Pointe embodies the true Christmas spirit- the sense of a community coming together to bring joy and the Christmas spirit to all. I adored this novel and can’t wait for the next Holly Pointe book from Cindy Kirk.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

Book purchased on Amazn


Check out my reviews the Holly Pointe series:

Holly Pointe and Mistletoe 

Holly Pointe and Candy Canes

Susan's Review of Holly Pointe and Candy Canes by Cindy Kirk

Quirky Faith Pierson loves her life in rural Vermont. Especially in December when she throws herself into the local holiday festivities.

Widower Graham Westfall doesn’t have time for Christmas. After missing the mark on his last ad campaign by a New York mile, his job now hangs in the balance. He has one month to come up with a new campaign or he’s out. He arrives in Holly Pointe planning to work the month away while his twin daughters spend time with their grandmother.

When he discovers there’s no room at Gramma Ginny’s Inn, his only choice of lodging is the one place in Holly Pointe he doesn’t want to be…the Candy Cane Christmas House.

Holiday Party Central accurately describes the home where Faith and her Grandmother live. Under this roof there are cookies to bake, lessons to learn and love to embrace. If a romance between an artist and an ad executive can’t bloom at this time of year…then when?

Faith Pierson was my favorite character in Cindy Kirk’s first Holly Pointe holiday story. A kind, generous person, Faith personified the true spirt and meaning of Christmas. She loves all of the holiday events in her town and immerses herself in the town’s holiday activities.

Graham Westfall and his twin daughters travel to Holly Pointe to spend time with his late wife’s family. They arrive to find a houseful of people and end up renting an apartment in Faith’s family home. Graham is all business. His plan of rewriting an ad campaign falls apart when he realizes that he will have to spend Family time with his daughters.

I love the characters in this series. Faith stepped up to care for her grandmother, Mary, when she became ill. Faith stayed in Holly Pointe and opened a store which features and handmade inspirational sayings painted on boards. The store, her employees and the inspirational messages are important to Faith. Graham’s mother-in-law Ginny is a fabulous character-her conversations with Graham are fabulous-she encourages him to talk about his wife, to consider dating and to go after what he really wants.

Two characters that surprised me were Dustin and Krista. Faith and her store were featured on their tv show last season. The episode got high ratings and the couple have made Faith an offer to feature her work in their new store. The couple is also connected to Graham as he is being offered a second chance to create an ad campaign for the power couple. I liked that Cindy Kirk depicted Dustin as an aggressive business man-I was not thrilled with his actions and his underhanded way of getting what he wanted. The conflict between these characters adds a lot of spice to the story. Faith and Graham’s relationship is tested and Faith’s determination to take her time making her decision makes Dustin realize that he cannot push Faith into a commitment.

I love that the characters are not perfect; they are relatable. Trust, faith and love are the cornerstones of this holiday novel. I love the small town setting and the sense of community-people coming together to share traditions in this series. Loved that Cindy Kirk presented “an opportunity of a lifetime” to Faith and Graham and how it drove the storyline. Grab a cup of tea and your favorite blanket or corgi—and settle in for a fabulous afternoon read. This book is a holiday treasure.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author

Check out my review of Book One of this series-Holly Pointe and Mistletoe by Cindy Kirk