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Christmas at Sturcombe Bay by Susanne McCarthy is published on 13 October 2025 by ChocLit.

Discover more about this heartwarming series on Amazon , Goodreads and The StoryGraph. Each story can be enjoyed on its own, but reading them together really lets the charm of Sturcombe Bay shine.

I am excited to share my review as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours which is running 13 – 19 October 2025.
You can follow along with the Book Tour Schedule to see what other readers thought about this festive romance.

Thank you Susanne McCarthy, Joffe Books and Zooloo’s Book Tours for inviting me along and for providing a copy of the digital edition of this new novel (via NetGalley) to read and review. 

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about Susanne mCcarthy

I’m a Londoner, though I haven’t lived there for many years. But if you’re born a Londoner you’re always a Londoner. And what could be better than growing up in London in the 60s? The clubs, the live music, the shops – all now passed into legend.

I got fed up with school and left before taking my A levels. Over the next few years I had lots of jobs – measuring fabric in Jones and Higgins in Peckham, cleaning chalets at Butlins Bognor Regis, even a short stint in the Civil Service. Then I decided it was time to grow up, so I went to Liverpool to train as a teacher. I loved life at University, but I wasn’t so keen on teaching, so I switched to adult education, which suited me fine.

Shortly after I met my husband we moved to Shropshire, where we lived on the side of a hill with a series of rescued Afghan Hounds, a couple of small terriers, some cats, some birds, some fish, and an iguana called Spike.

A few years ago we decided to move to Devon. My husband is a Devonian, and had always wanted to come home. And me… I wanted to live near the sea. So now we are settled here in South Devon, a twenty minute stroll from the beach. And I love it!

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My Review

There’s something incredibly special about returning to a fictional place that already feels like home, and by the time I opened Christmas at Sturcombe Bay, that’s exactly what this beautiful seaside village had become for me.

From the very first chapter, I was completely swept back into the warmth of village life in South Devon — cosy cottages glowing with fairy lights, sea air mixed with the promise of Christmas, familiar faces popping up once again, and that comforting sense of community that Susanne McCarthy writes so wonderfully well.

This time we follow both Jess and Shelley as they each try to heal from heartbreak and rediscover hope in their own ways. I loved how differently their stories unfolded, yet both carried the same emotional warmth running through the heart of the novel. Jess arriving in Sturcombe Bay after calling off her wedding immediately pulled at my emotions, while Shelley’s quieter, more guarded storyline added another lovely layer of depth to the book.

And then there are Paul and Daniel… two very different romantic heroes, but both utterly easy to fall for. Daniel in particular completely melted my heart with his kindness and patience. The relationships in this series always feel believable and gently developed, which makes the emotional payoff all the more satisfying.

One thing I continue to adore about these books is how alive Sturcombe Bay feels. It’s never simply a backdrop to the romance – it feels like a real community full of interconnected lives, friendships and history. Returning characters weave naturally through the story, and having followed the series from the beginning made everything feel even richer and more rewarding.

I actually caught myself racing through the pages at first because I was enjoying it so much, before realising I needed to slow down and savour it. I didn’t want the story, or my time in Sturcombe Bay, to end too quickly.

Warm, uplifting, emotional and full of festive charm, Christmas at Sturcombe Bay felt like the literary equivalent of curling up under a blanket with twinkling lights glowing nearby while the winter sea crashes outside. I loved every moment of it, and once again found myself wishing Sturcombe Bay was a real place I could visit.

#ChristmasAtSturcombeBay #SusanneMcCarthy #SturcombeBay
#JoffeBooks #ZooloosBookTours #bookreview #booktour

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See About My Reviews and Review FAQ for full star rating explanations and review guidelines.

This review may also appear on my social media channels and selected book platforms. All links were correct at the time of publication.

DISCLOSURE: I received a review copy of this book via Zooloo’s Book Tours. As always, my thoughts are honest and my own.

© [2025] [MoMoBookDiary]. This review is original content. Please credit and link back if you wish to quote.

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