The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore is a contemporary romance novel by Laurie Gilmore and the third book in the Dream Harbor series.
The story follows Kira North, a reluctant Christmas tree farm owner, and Bennett Ellis, a vacationing Californian, as their paths cross in the small town of Dream Harbor.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.
Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates.
After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing.
Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cosy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it.
But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an axe at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questioning why she refused help in the first place…
The Christmas Farm Book Review
I usually love a feel-good festive romance, but The Christmas Tree Farm didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While it had its moments of festive charm, the story lacked the depth and connection I was hoping for.
The romance felt rushed and underdeveloped so Kira and Bennett’s relationship didn’t have much time to build naturally. She liked him because he was nice to her and she was lonely and then suddenly bam!They’re in love. I just didn’t buy it and didn’t feel invested in them as a couple.
I think part of this was becasuse the characters were newcomers to Dream Harbor. This made it harder to feel invested in their journey since much of the series’ charm lies in the close-knit, established community. I found myself wishing for a story about Annie instead.
Kira’s initial prickliness was understandable, given her situation, but her constant harshness made her a little irritating. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make her edgy. I like a prickly female main character but she was just plain unlikeable a lot of the time.
On the other hand, Bennett was sweet and likeable, but their connection felt more like convenience than genuine love. The reason’s Kira fabricated not to be with him just seemed silly so when the relationship did start to develop I just wasn’t particularly interested.
What I will say is the book did deliver on the festive vibes, so that’s one positive! The snowy tree farm and holiday preparations brought the seasonal spirit to life, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, the predictable plot and “insta-love” dynamic just didn’t keep me engaged.
I’d definitely say this was my least favourite of the three Dream Harbor books so far which is a shame because I’m usually such a big fan of festive romances.
