ARC REVIEW Deck the Halls by Donna Alward

A little bit of Christmas Romance for your ever growing TBR list...

Back to Darling, VT for a novella length Christmas Romance. No one in Darling deserves a HEA more than George. This was an emotional and sweet romance. George was until recently homeless, until he was given a chance by Aidan and Laurel now he has a job and a place to stay. George's homelessness was sort of self imposed after coming home from service he had so much guilt he couldn't deal with it and his life started on a downward spiral. He finally feels like he can move on and rebuild his life but the sudden appearance of his best friend's twin sister in Darling has him all confused and even more guilty. Amy and her family were given only the barest of details when it came to her brother's death and she has spent the last couple of years waiting for George to show up and give them some answers. Amy finally tracked him down and now she wants answers. She never expected how hard it would be for George to relive what happened that day. 

George and Amy have a long way to go before everything is alright but together they can do it. George is so sweet and Amy when she realizes the severity of things with George understand completely and is willing to stand with him while he deals with it. Overall, it was a good read a great emotional and heartwarming read with a good bit of Christmas cheer.      

ARC REVIEW Darling VT series books 2 & 3 by Donna Alward

Donna Alward's Darling VT series books 2 and 3 are out and very entertaining.

Someone to Love book two in the Darling VT series is just as it seems Darling. I normally have a hard time with widow(er) novels where the spouse was a wonderful person. It's so easier to believe someone falling in love so soon (less than a decade) after the loss of their spouse if the spouse was a horrible person. In instances like this where it's just a couple of years afterwards and he was hopelessly in love with his wife it hard for me to accept he could fall in love with another so soon ( I know it happens IRL) but Ethan, the main character, and the widower also thinks the same thing; and that's where this becomes believable and good. Ethan is struggling internally with himself about his love for his deceased wife and Willow. Ethan isn't the only one struggling internally, Willow has her own issues that is keeping her from fully admitting to herself that she loves Ethan and is worthy of his love and accepting that love. Willow works hard to maintain the cool and carefree zen like appearance and the introduction to Ethan and his two adorable sons has her all up in a twist.    

Somebody's Baby runs almost parallel with  Someone to Love. When Ethan and Willow are dealing with their problem's Ethan's brother Rory is dealing with his own. Rory has hidden part of his past from his family and it isn't until he reconnects with his best friends little sister that he feels the need to finally tell someone and finally let go of the past. Oaklee has had a crush on her big brother's best friend for as long as she can remember but Rory has always been just out of reach, it isn't until she hit a dog with her car that the goal of Rory's love doesn't seem to far away. Oaklee has some baggage to deal with also the outgoing social media guru of Darling VT closes herself off so much she really doesn't have many friends and doesn't like to let people in close to her. But when Rory guilt trips her into fostering the dog she hit with her car it all changes. The little lost dog changes Oaklee's perspective on thing and let's Rory in to her heart. Despite just trying to be friends the sexual energy between the two is too strong to resist. But can the two deal with their pasts and move on or is the heartache to strong for either of them.


Overall, Darling, really the name of the series says it all. I love the easy flow of the books and just enough angst to make you tear up and want to smack them up side the head Gibbs style and say, "What's wrong with you!", and appropriately funny in all the right places.