Set in the fragile calm after the First World War, this story captures the ache of return—those who came home changed forever, and those who never came home at all. While deeply moving and rich in period detail, reading this as my first book in the series left me wishing I’d started at the beginning to fully appreciate the long-running character arcs.Celebrations at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi
Series: The Beach Hotel #6
Genres: 20th Century Historical Romance

Sisters Alice and Annie have always been close but will a man come between them?

Annie and Alice love their life working at the Beach Hotel together and each is thrilled to have finally found a sweetheart. Yet the path of true love never did run smooth, and they soon find themselves facing conflict and strife. Could love come between them and the bond they share?

Meanwhile, as men start to come home from the war, the women have to work out how to keep their jobs, although they are delighted to be back with their beaus. Soon, wedding bells ring out in Littlehampton.

Will everything be made right in time for Christmas?

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Review

This was my first time stepping into this series, and while I found the story poignant and emotionally resonant, I do wish I had read the earlier books first. There is a helpful character list at the beginning, but without the full series context, some relationships and ongoing plot threads felt slightly out of reach.

Set during the fragile peace at the end of the First World War, the novel focuses on the emotional aftermath of conflict—those returning from the Front, those living with grief, and those trying to rebuild lives forever altered by war. The handling of shell shock is particularly empathetic, offering a quiet but powerful look at the invisible wounds many carried home.

At the heart of the story are sisters Alice and Annie, both anxious about their futures and fearful of being left behind as marriage prospects dwindle. Their romantic entanglements are layered and complicated: Alice becomes involved with a man she meets unexpectedly, while Annie grows close to Jasper, a hotel porter who quietly longs for Alice instead. Annie herself is drawn to Lorcan, another porter recently returned from the war. These overlapping affections create tension, misunderstandings, and moments of genuine heartbreak.

The book weaves in multiple weddings, unresolved feelings, and one particularly painful storyline involving racism—disturbing to read now, but sadly reflective of the period. There is also a sense of long-running threads being tied off, particularly involving the local police station and a group of villains mentioned in earlier installments, which longtime readers will likely appreciate more than newcomers.

My main reservation lies with the pacing at the end. The emotional conflicts between Alice and Annie feel unresolved, only for the narrative to leap forward rapidly—from Armistice Day in November 1919 straight through to Christmas, with both sisters suddenly engaged. While it’s believable given their shared history before the war, the resolution felt rushed compared to the careful buildup earlier in the book.

Overall, this is a thoughtful, sometimes moving conclusion that clearly aims to close doors rather than open new ones. While I enjoyed it, I would have loved more time spent exploring the characters’ lives as they step into the Roaring Twenties. I’ll definitely consider going back to the beginning of the series to experience the full journey as intended.

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