Christmas at the Waratah Inn

By: Lilly Mirren

Narrated by: Brigid Lohrey

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Christmas is a time for second chances...and for love.

Elizabeth Cranwell's children left home, her husband divorced her and dissolved their shared business, and she's set to spend Christmas alone.

Without her husband or the thriving business she spent years of her life building, Elizabeth doesn't know who she is or what to do with her days. She's dreading spending her first Christmas alone when her friends convince her to book a holiday at the Waratah Inn.

Robert Patch thought things couldn't get any worse when his only daughter married a controlling and angry man. That was until his grandchildren arrived. When his son-in-law won't allow Robert to stay with them over the holidays, Robert does the next best thing and books into a nearby inn so he can see the children. He is pleasantly surprised when he meets a woman who reminds him of the love he lost so many years ago, in a way that reawakens a heart he'd long thought dormant.

Filled with memorable characters, from a cheeky possum to a cook who moonlights as an amateur counsellor, this sweet, small-town Christmas story celebrates the camaraderie of a life lived in community and second chances at life and love.

A stand-alone, heartwarming Christmas romance for fans of Sheila Roberts, Debbie Macomber, and Debbie Mason.

©2019 Black Lab Press (P)2020 Black Lab Press

absolutely Captivating

Where is she getting such realistic stories n characters.... brilliantly written that keeps your interest peaked and tuned trying to go right along to do your own investigation of what happened. the plot, the twists, the suspense is captivating.

Christmas at the Waratah Inn

This fit right in with the holiday season for me and revisiting the Inn with a guest this time was absolutely fantastic. I love holiday books around their holiday. This was a sweet romance with an older couple and I just loved that. I also love that it’s in Australia and its so different from our traditions. Fantastic narration that brought the story to life.

Bits and Pieces

Christmas at the Waratah Inn by Lilly Mirren pulled me in immediately. I loved how the author wrote this story focusing on some guests instead of Inn staff. (The cameo appearances of characters from Waratah Inn series was a plus). The romance in this book was so sweet, and the characters tugged at your heart. I liked the idea of middle aged people finding relationships. The storyline was very realistic in the empty-nest feeling especially around the holidays. The way they could adapt was wonderful. Brigid Lohrey performed this book wonderfully. She added the right emotions to the characters, and I loved her Australian accent.

Loved every bit of this story!

The 4th book in the Waratah Inn Series takes a slight deviation from the first three books that mixed current and historical events to tell the story. This story focuses on Liz, a recent divorcee and empty nester. Despite her desire to see her family for Christmas, her kids have other plans, so she decides to spend the week at Waratah Inn. Rob is a widower who has family who live near Waratah Inn and decides to stay there over the holidays to be close to family.
Jen is Rob's daughter. While she is a secondary character, her story grabbed me. She is in an abusive relationship, trying to make her husband happy and suffering the consequences when she can't. In the glimpses we see of Jen, her inner struggle to leave, her decision making process and her strained relationship with her dad, all are very realistic and true of people in her same situation.
Liz and Rob end up doing many things together at the Inn during the week and slowly realize that there could be more to their budding relationship. But Rob must first come to terms with Jen's family life and Liz must do some inner soul searching to come to terms with being alone and letting her grown children find their wings.
I don't think I have ever read a book in which I have identified so strongly with all three characters: Liz the empty nester, Rob the protective parent and Jen the abused wife. Great addition to the series. Highly recommended!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Spectacular Christmas!

The Waratah Inn is the place to go! After the sisters have restored this beautiful resort, we get to stay with Liz and Robert for Christmas. Liz is a divorced with grown children and is spending her first holiday alone. Rather than stay home, she makes reservations at the Inn. Robert is a widower, staying at the Inn and hoping to spend some quality time with his daughter and grandchildren who live nearby. As luck would have it, the path of these two cross and a new romance begins to blossom. But things never go smoothly, and with family and friends, life is unpredictable. Will these two have more than just a vacation romance? This book is a standalone in the Waratah Inn series with brief cameos by previous characters. What I find refreshing about the book is it is not their first love, they aren't young adults, but mature people who have been forced to restart their lives. Lilly Mirren includes relevant issues that make the story current and realistic. I really enjoyed their holiday away and would love to join them at the inn!

Brigid Lohrey continues narrating this series with her fantastic voices. I love her and will be watching for her next chapter at the inn!

Sweet Women's Fiction!

This is the fourth book in The Waratah Inn Series, a women's fiction. I love this Series! You can listen to this story as a standalone. This is a great addition to the Series. Elizabeth and Robert's story is sweet and beautiful. They are both great and interesting characters. The supporting characters are also great. I love the ending. Brigid Lohrey did a great job with the narration.

Christmas Love

This is another enjoyable light, sweet romance set at the beautiful Waratah Inn. Liz Cranwell is still reeling from her recent divorce and dreads the Holidays. But, she is looking forward to her two children coming home for Christmas. When they both call to tell her that they will be spending Christmas with friends instead, she is shattered. Her best friends, Ivy and Margo, suggest that she take a holiday. Liz doesn't really embrace that idea, but once she arrives at the beautiful Waratah Inn, along Australia's coast, she finds that it isn't so bad.

Robert Patch is a widower and just wants to spend Christmas with his daughter, Jennifer, and his two grandkids. However, his son-in-law is less than happy about the visit. So, Rob books a room at the Waratah so that he can be close to his family but still far enough away to avoid conflict.

The developing relationship between Rob and Liz is sweet and romantic and will satisfy any lover of the romance genre. The addition of Jen and her domestic problems added a deeper layer to this story and the author handled it very well.

If you love Hallmark movies, especially those set at Christmas time, you will enjoy this book. The narrator does a great job and added a lot to my listening enjoyment. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by the author and chose to review it.

stand alone

the book was okay but wouldn't have bought it if I'd have known it wasn't about the sisters and family! It should have been a stand alone book.