Christmas is coming to the island of Mure, and everyone is ... absolutely miserable. Flora is miserable. Joel is miserable. Fintan is miserable. Colten is miserable. Lorna is miserable. Said is miserable. Ibrahim is miserable.

And the new character, the American, Tripp, who comes from either Delaware or Texas, is loud, overweight, and an insufferable boor. (Sigh).

By far my least favorite book in the set.

That was a cute “good feels” + happy ending story with a delicious narrator. Basically the book form of a Christmas Lifetime movie.

EDIT:
I didn't realize this was a book in a series and am kinda sad I didn't read #1 and #2 first.

2.5⭐ stars. Up until now, I've quite enjoyed this series by Jenny Colgan. I didn't think that they were great, but I liked them - the atmosphere, the food, nature, the ability to turn off your mind and just read something light.

I was disappointed by this third instalment, however. For me, it didn't include the things that I liked about the first two books - I think Jenny Colgan can describe things perfectly and makes you think you're actually there on the beach or as if you can taste all the yummy stuff Flora bakes, but there was almost none of that in this book. I thought it was a bit boring at times and got sick of all the unnecessary added drama. Some things and decisions that didn't even make sense to me in the first two books, made even less sense now including some other events.

But does winter on Mure mean I can sleep as long as I want so long it's dark outside?

I usually adore every book Jenny Colgan writes, but this one falls a little short for me. Perhaps it is that I felt like Flora and Joel were still going through the same problems they did before. Or that waiting for Lorna and Saif to come together and be happy has gone on for so long, it's getting painful. Or even more so, how sick Colton is and watching him and Fintan suffer. All of these things are fine, and a book needs trials to overcome, but man this was just a lot of struggles and very little triumph in one book. I think I've seen on social media that Jenny Colgan has a 4th book in the works and I really hope she does so that things can be tied up better with these beloved characters than they were in this book.
However, I still enjoyed a quick trip to Mure and the wonderful residents that live there. Maybe part of my problem was that Jenny Colgan writes such vivid and wonderful characters that are so easy to love, that this book made my heart feel like it was breaking over and over again. Although the last 30 pages were stellar and I bawled like a baby. Bring on the next one!

A lovely four-day visit to a fictional island off the northern coast of Scotland, though a little cold and windy at Christmas. This is the third book in the Mure series, and as some others have complained, one major plot point from the first book was changed to work the heartstrings in a different way in this book--rather feels like cheating, dear author. Flora is the center still, though Colton's dying and Saif's unique position are given almost equal time.

The second Colgan book I’ve read. It’s easy to read/listen to but also substantive and relates to real issues and includes interesting cultural details. The book dealt with the theme of alienation from family, romantic relationships that are good but painful, and the refugee crisis in Europe and the UK.

Chirp Audiobook

Lovely book about a small island community that loves to gossip, but looks out for their own. I read the one about the hotel first, so a lot of this was already spoiled, but going through Flora’s pregnancy & Saif’s attempts to stay away from Lorna was just heartbreaking. Some laughs, some tears.