A Newport Christmess by Jess Heileman is such a delightful Christmas read. I have only ever known Heileman to be an author of Historical Romances, so when I heard she had a Christmas Contemporary Romance I was intrigued. Personally, I enjoyed every second of this sweet and endearing romance. The setting is fantastic. Being from Southern California, our Christmases hardly ever illustrate a stereotypical winter wonderland, so I love reading Christmas stories set in actual wintery landscapes. It helps me get into the holiday spirit a tad more. A Newport Christmess definitely has the hallmark Christmas setting of actual snow and the type of cold that makes you want to cuddle under a blanket by a crackling, warm fire. This story also has a strong hero and heroine who are complex and deep. This is not your typical Christmas-fluff kind of tale. Both Landon and Quinn have baggage they are working thorough during the course of this story. And it is all relatable baggage. Landon is skittish, and rightfully so, of matchmaking and romantic relationships. He also has a healthy dose of dislike for social media. What I like about Landon is his innate sense of chivalry, how respectful he is, and how he pays attention to details. I also really love how well he takes care of Quinn. He sees she has a need and swoops in to save the day. Landon is one swoony hero and it really has very little to do with his looks, although those are pretty good. Quinn’s baggage is also tremendously relatable. First, and it drove me insane for most of the novel, she has a mother who is super judgmental and always up in her business. I can totally relate to how wishy-washy Quinn is with her mother. Yes, it’s annoying that Quinn doesn’t set the correct adult boundaries with her mama, but it’s understandably hard to do so when one’s mother is the Queen Bee. Sure, she loves you — and you know that — but she’s gonna love you her way. There is a moment in the story where Quinn stands up to her mother and self-advocates for herself and her needs, and I cheered hard! I also love how Quinn is damaged from her recent shocking divorce and knows she is damaged. She doesn’t try to hide that fact. She is honest and up front with Landon from the very first second she feels a spark of interest. I really respect that attribute in people. I wish more people were as open and honest with themselves and with others as Quinn is. She’s just so authentically Quinn and I really loved that. Honestly, for me, it is the characters that make this story SO, SO good! I could go on and on about Landon and Quinn, and all the fantastic secondary characters, but I won’t I don’t want to accidently spoil anything.

A Newport Christmess is such a fun read. I am super stoked I had the opportunity to read this delightful book, and highly recommend it. If you are in the mood to get into the holiday spirit and if you love a good Contemporary Romance filled with awesome characters and a storyline with depth, then this is definitely the book for you.