CHRISTMAS ARC REVIEW The Highlander's Christmas Bride by Vanessa Kelly

Clan Kendrick #2, This series is a spin-off of Vanessa Kelly's Improper Princesses series which was a spin-off of her Renegade Royals series this can be read as a stand alone, all the pertinent information is given in a way that works as a nice reminder for those of us who have read it. Donella was first introduced in book 4 of the Renegade Royals book, again you don't have to read it in fact if you haven't read it it gives it a bit more mystery.

After the events of her broken engagement three years ago Donella converted to Catholic and joined a convent but now, days away from taking her vows Reverend Mother is kicking her out. Logan trying to gain favor with the Earl of Riddick agrees to escort his grandniece home. Donella was nothing that he expected he was delighted with her sense of humor and her courage especially when faced with an attempted kidnapping and roughing it in the wild to escape. Even after the parted and Donella was safely home with her family Logan couldn't stop thinking about her, even with the surprise of his son showing up in Scotland with his Grandfather Angus when he should still be in Canada. Donella wants to go right back and join another convent but Riddick gets her to agree to wait six months and try to have fun before she makes any decisions. She even agrees to plan a Christmas party for Alec and Eden at their Glasgow townhouse. Eden and Alec send her down first until they can join her in the meantime she is to stay at the Kendrick home bringing her in close proximity to Logan. The threat to Donella hasn't quite gone away they just change tactics and start horrible rumors despite how she is feeling for Logan and his son she feels it best to become a nun. It's Logan's job to convince her otherwise. 

Overall, it was a great read. One thing I love about Vanessa Kelly's writing, not just her great storyline and fantastic characters, she's able to convey the feel of the time period and it's not just all the typical brogue (I'd be disappointed if a book took place in Scotland and didn't have any) but everything in general, celebrating both Christmas and Hogmanay. I enjoyed Logan and Donella story especially what they did at the end. I love all the Kendricks I look forward to the next one.   

CHRISTMAS ARC REVIEW Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle

Christmas Angels is a sweet Hallmark-esk Christmas Romance it's an easy romance and it I read through it in no time, I thought it was a lot shorter than 300ish pages. I really enjoyed this one it really leaves you with a Christmasy feeling. The main characters both love Christmas and have so much in common. Liz Westmoreland grew up in the city but she's a small town girl at heart all she has ever wanted was to run the Inn her Grandparents owned. Matt Hardy loves his hometown of Antler Creek he's never wanted to leave it he came back after college and lost his fiancee because she didn't want to live in such a small town she wanted the big city and all it's perks.

By sheer chance Liz finds her grandparents Inn up for auction and bids on it sight unseen, well recently unseen. Liz is the winning bid she takes a leave of absence from work, it helps that her best friend is her boss. It seems like every other person thinks Liz is crazy for doing this but Liz is determined this is the life she wants. Liz's heart drops when she walks into the Inn to find it gutted the previous owners ripped just about everything out and turned it into an art gallery. Matt recognizes Liz almost immediately and since he didn't get the winning bid for the Inn he's glad it went to her. When they were younger and she would come to visit her Grandparents he had such a crush on her and now she's back hopefully to stay; to help with that he puts in a bid to fix the Inn and the connected cabins. All of Antler Creek is happy to have Liz there and that she's bringing back the Inn. When ever Liz is in doubt about her choice she seems to find one of her Grandmother's angels laying around and it gives her hope that this is what she's supposed to be doing, until disaster strikes and Liz really begins to doubt herself it's up to all her new friends and Matt to show her she's exactly where she needs to be.

Overall, it's such a sweet read. I really hope Hallmark picks this one up. I can just imagine how beautiful Lights at the Lodge would look. It's a great heartwarming story with great characters and I hope we aren't done with Antler Creek yet it's place I'd love to visit again.

CHRISTMAS ARC REVIEW Cowboy Christmas Homecoming by June Faver

Dark Horse Cowboys #4, I am so glad the series didn't end with the Garrett Brothers it has now expanded to Zach Garrett their cousin who has been away in the Army. Like with his cousins when Zach meets the woman that was meant for him he's practically 100% all in from the start. It is an easy romance with very few bumps. Zach spent two tours in the military and during his second his dad died and his mom wasn't able to maintain the ranch so when Zach came home he came to his uncle's house not his mother's new home in Ft. Worth. Big Jim welcomed his nephew with open arms. Zach is dealing with a bit of PTSD and feeling like he doesn't fit in with the family any more, but then there is Stephanie.

Stephanie Gale, we met in one of the previous books, is a firefighter/EMT who specializes in confined space retrieval. She recently was called on to a scene where two young children witnessed their step father murder their mother. She was first on the scene and was the one who took the kids to the hospital. Stephanie and the kids formed an attachment and if the social worker wasn't such a *clears throat* wasn't so old fashion Stephanie would have adopted them weeks ago. Unfortunately right before Christmas the step father managed to escape police custody with help of his two brothers. Stephanie worries about the kids but she should be worried about herself too. After her first official date with Zach he bring her home to a destroyed apartment and a couple hours later she's attacked by one of the brothers. Zach's protectiveness amps up he may not have a lot to offer Stephanie but he can protect her until she's no longer in danger.

Stephanie falls for Zach quickly she wants to help him even if that means tracking down Jewel and bringing her here. Trying to track down Zach's dog from overseas took many phone calls being put on hold and transferred a bunch of times, but being a bit sneaky but it payed off. Big Jim has such a big heart he wants what's best for those poor kids so he offers to bring them to his home for Christmas and since Stephanie will be spending the holiday at his house too, well, two birds one stone everyone is happy. That is until Stephanie goes missing.

Overall, great book. It can be read as a standalone even though Leah (from book one of the series) and her pregnancy have a big chunk of this book just about her. It did distract a little from the other storyline but it was nice to see Tyler, Leah and Gracie I just wish it didn't take up so much of the book. I don't want the series to end I kind of want to see Dex, the deputy, get a book. 

CHRISTMAS ARC REVIEW Snowfall on Cedar Trail by Annie Rains

Sweetwater Springs #3, Holona and Alex have been dancing around their attraction for years, since they were both young, but because Alex was best friends with her brother he never wanted to cross that line. Holona ended up getting married and having a son, her husband was a big football star who died in a skiing accident shortly after divorcing her. Holona loved her husband but their was a side of him she never wanted anyone to know about unfortunately Alex was witness to that once but Alex still only knows half the story.

Alex thinks that Holona doesn't want anything to do with him because that one time he arrested her husband, but fate keeps putting them together and finally when Alex gets picked to be her son's mentor

they finally give in to the attraction. Holona's son, Theo, stopped talking after his father died. Holona always doing what she thinks is best for her son she enters him the new mentor program hoping he can find a good male role model.

Alex is tormented by the unsolved murder of his father. Ever year he reopens the case and questions the witness again and tries to find who killed his father. This year is different this year he was given a clue, and now he's worried that going after this person might put Holona and Theo in jeopardy.

Overall, this was a really great read. It's just over 300 pages and it goes by so quickly. The cuteness factor is really high with both Theo and Officer Chew the foster puppy Alex takes in. The romantic build up between Alex and Holona doesn't take long and their chemistry is great. Even as book three this works as a stand alone but all three books and the novella are wonderful reads.

SEASON'S READINGS The Corner of Holly and Ivy by Debbie Mason

Harmony Harbour #8, Each book of the Harmony Harbour series is a standalone, each focus on a different family member of the Greystone legacy. The only continuing theme throughout the series is that someone is trying to get the Gallaghers to sell Greystone Manor by any means necessary and that the former matriarch of the family Colleen "GG" still haunts the Manor and that all the secrets she kept keep coming out and sometimes for the best.

Arianna and Connor were high school sweethearts but Connor hasn't quite let go even after all these years he still cares about her. Arianna lost everything in a fire it not only burned down her bridal boutique but also damaged her arm so she may never draw again and designing wedding dress is what she always dreamed of doing now that dream is gone. Arianna's self isolation comes to an end when her grandmother throws in her hat for the mayoral race against Connor's uncle.When it comes out that her grandma's health isn't well enough Arianna takes her place. Soon she finds herself not in the running with Connor's uncle but Connor himself and just when the romance between them was starting to rekindle.

  Connor's not going to let the election get in the way of his feelings for Arianna and as the elections spill over into the holidays everyone in town is willing to help the two love birds that they are a perfect match. But not everything is perfect as yet again someone is out to mess things up with the Gallaghers and Greystone Manor but now the fate of Main Street hangs in the balance too. It's quite the emotional journey for Arianna not only is she dealing with the lost of her dream and maybe the use of her arm but also the health of her Grandmother and the complications that go with that and the fact that Connor has come back into her life and wants to be apart of it confuses her she's happy and she loves him but she has a secret she's been hiding for so long and now it's about to come out.

Overall it was a good read. The election and everything else overshadows the holiday feel of the book, which only comes up toward the end of the book but otherwise I love the characters and I love the town. I can't wait for more.   

SEASON'S READINGS Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale

A captivating and delightful holiday romance. Jenny Hale hit the spot with this book the loving warmth of the holiday spirit, finding true love and finding out what's most important in life. It has the right amount of holiday cheese ( I love the cheesiness of Christmas movies) without it getting too cliched. Nick Sinclair was an obvious Scrooge but showed signs early on of being redeemable. Abby Fuller's pregnancy put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold but now her son is older and her grandfather's Parkinson's getting worse any extra money would be great, so when one of her in-home nursing patients recommends decorating her grandson's house Abby would be foolish to turn it down.

Nick's father died young and left the company to Nick. Nick feels a sense of obligation to make sure the company is successful, as a result Nick becomes an even worse workaholic than his father to the point it ruined his first marriage and his relationship with his mother. Nick has an instant attraction to Abby and he's patient and kind to Max, her son, he finds himself constantly distracted by them and spending as much time as he can just being with them. Nick feels like he's being pulled in two directions his want to be with Abby and his obligation to work. Nick needs to figure out what's more important to him before he loses his chance with Abby for good. Abby didn't intend to fall in love with Nick but when he makes time for her and Max in his busy day and takes time to text and call her it's hard not to see the wonderful man he is but he keeps running hot and cold with her pushing her away and than holding her close and to top it all off Nick is in the process of moving away and she doesn't think his feelings for her are strong enough to keep him in a house he hates.

Overall, it's a great story to get you in the Christmassy mood and appreciate your family and what you have. I loved the characters and the writing it's my first Jenny Hale book and it won't be my last.   

SEASON'S READINGS Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler

Christmas Camp #1, This is a quintessential lighthearted Christmas romance where someone learns to appreciate the spirit of Christmas. Haley Hanson isn't really a Grinch, she really just indifferent to Christmas. She grew up poor and never really celebrated it, as an adult now she'd rather take her parents to the Bahamas then stick around all the Holiday craziness. Haley is in marketing and her next promotion depends on her next big client. Unfortunately the big client Haley brought in was given to a co-worker why, because it was a Christmas campaign for a Big old fashioned toy manufacturer. Haley's boss is willing to let her present her idea but she has to go to Christmas Camp.

Christmas Camp was founded by Ben Jacoby and his wife. They hold it every year at their inn the Holly Peak Inn and even now after the her death Ben continues to do it in her honor. What they wanted was a way to rejuvenate someone's holiday spirit, remind the of the magic of Christmas and that the most important thing during the season is family and friends, and a way of learning some new traditions. Haley goes figuring she came breeze  through the week work on her presentation at the same time get her certificate land the client and get her promotion. What really happens is that Haley finds her Christmas spirit and discovers what she really wants to do and falls in love with the innkeeper's son.

Jeff Jacoby loves Christmas, he loves his job as an architect, and he loves his father but after the death of his mother Jeff has put his personal life on hold to take care of Ben. Jeff wants Ben to sell the inn and move to Boston closer to him. Ben's getting older Christmas Camp is getting harder to do with only the housekeeper, Laura, to help and he's not making as much money as he needs to keep the place going. Jeff thinks his way is the best thing to do but Ben loves Christmas Camp to much to stop doing it but doesn't see another option that is until Haley discovers the problem and comes up with a brilliant idea. As Jeff helps Haley discover Christmas magic they start to fall in love but Jeff is an idiot and gets mad at her for wanting to help his father save Christmas Camp.

Overall, this was a good read.  I really think it would be better as a movie. I watched The Christmas Prince and this year's sequel and wasn't that impressed with either and compared to Christmas Camp I preferred Christmas Camp and of course like with The Christmas Prince this book is getting a sequel, Christmas Camp Wedding. It was easy to read, heartfelt and funny; it has an adorable dog, and has side characters that really bring it all together. This is a good Holiday read and when NetFlix makes it into a movie I will watch it.       

SEASON'S READINGS A True Cowboy Christmas by Caitlyn Crews

Cold Creek Ranch #1, I love when new series start off with Christmas books. Cold Creek Ranch is in Colorado up high in the Rocky Mountains, a hard place to live. I really enjoyed this book I loved the characters; Gray, Abby, and Becca were well written and easy to connect with. Gray is a hard man being raised by a man who was hateful, ungrateful, and just plain ornery Gray was determined never to be like his father. The biggest way to do that was to not repeat his mistakes he's already done it once and payed the price for it, marrying a flaky girl who couldn't keep her pants on, had no interest in staying at Cold Creek Ranch and died leaving with her lover. One good thing did come out of the marriage his daughter Becca. With his old man dead and buried and his brothers, Ty and Brody, wanting to sell of the land the brothers start to argue. Brody and Ty worry about Gray and they are afraid he will end up like their father, all alone and mean. So Gray comes up with the idea that he needs a wife, one that he knows is steadfast, loves Longhorn Valley and Cold Creek, someone with roots just as deep as his.

Abby Douglas has always loved Gray Everett and now he's proposing to her, something she's always dreamed of but not for the right reasons. Ever since Gray came up with the idea of marrying Abby he's looked at her in a new light more as a woman than just his neighbor and he likes what he sees. The more time he spends with her the more the attraction grows but Gray has spent to long with the main focus of his life as the ranch he's already more like his father than he thinks. All Gray needs is Abby's steadfastness, her unassuming beauty, and her honesty to knock some sense into him but is she willing to risk her heart for something that may never be reciprocated? 

Overall, this was a heartfelt and emotional read. The Everett boys aren't 100% mended but they are off to a great start.Abby and Becca have so much in common they form a quick bond and they are good for each other just as much as Abby is good for Gray. This story was addictive I didn't want it to end I look forward to the rest of the series.     

SEASONS READINGS Santa's On His Way anthology

Santa's On His Way anthology

By Lisa Jackson, Maisey Yates, Stacy Finz, Nicole Helm

What the Cowboy Wants for Christmas: Maisey YatesMeg, Charlie, and Noah all met as teens living in the same foster home. Meg fell instantly in love with Charlie for the last thirteen years she's waited for him, waited to be old enough, waited for him to get a good job, waited for him to come home from New York but this year she decided to stop waiting especially after finding him in bed with another woman. Noah has been a constant in Meg's life and has been in love with her for just as long and finally this year is the year he has his chance to finally show Meg how he feels.

Overall, it was a really nice and steamy read with lots of emotion. Meg looks back on her life and sees things differently than she use too and once she gets all that figured out everything falls into place.

Snowed In: Stacy Finz
My favorite of the book! I absolutely love Glory Junction. As soon as I read in the last Glory Junction book the animosity between Rachel and Boden I knew this was going to be great. Rachel Johnson left her big city corporate lawyer job to pursue her dream of being a baker. Now she owns a fantastic bakery and is looking to expand and she knows just the place. Boden Farmer turned the tired old bar into a gastro pub and he has plans to expand himself but in the meantime he's working the bar for parties which brings him in close proximity to Rachel. They are both prepping for the Christmas Day wedding when they get snowed in. With no distractions standing in their way they finally drop their walls low enough to let each other in but their is still the matter that they both want the same location for their business.

Overall, I loved this one. It's a quick and easy read with funny situations and loveable characters. Rachel has been burned once before so she's hesitant to let anyone else in it takes a grand gesture from Boden to show her he's worth the risk.

A Cowboy Wedding for Christmas: Nicole Helm
Lindsay Tyler dreamed of leaving her hometown behind and she did she left after high school and vowed never to come back. Cal Barton thought he was enough for Lindsay, that she would stay for him and when she left town she broke his heart. After six years of living life on her own Lindsay is homesick she's had her time to grow up and discover who she really is and that person belongs with her family. When her brother gets engaged and she comes home for the wedding she's staying home for good. Now she just has to make it through the wedding at Cal's Christmas Tree Ranch without falling back in love with him.

Overall, this was a nice emotional read about how sometimes to need to be apart and discover who you are away from the comforts of home to really appreciate the place where you belong.

A Baby For Christmas: Lisa Jackson
1995 Annie McFarlane is newly divorced when her husband's girlfriend ends up pregnant. After discovering she may never be able to conceive and then her husband leaving Annie was having a horrible year. 1996 Liam O'Shaughnessy needs to find the real killer of his boss before he gets convicted of murder his only lead is the woman who claimed she saw him there but she's disappeared but he's found her sister. Annie found solace in a small house in the middle of nowhere looking after an older couple ranch. Her plan was to stay a few more days before going to visit her brother and his family but late one night she discovers a baby on her front step with a note "For you Annie". The next night Liam shows up at her door claiming the baby is his and demands to know where her sister, the baby's mother, is but Annie has no idea and with a blizzard blowing in they are stuck together to work it out.

Overall, this one fell short. I love Lisa Jackson's older stuff and this feels like it's only half a book. It feels like there is so much missing from this story. I love the idea of it and the plot and if there is a full version of this story out there I want to read it but this as is is lacking.   

ARC REVIEW The Inn at Blue Hollow Falls by Donna Kauffman

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

The Inn at Blue Hollow Falls is a novella for the Blue Hollow Falls series and as the name suggests it deals with the Inn and it's sexy Innkeeper Noah. Stevie is supposed to be in town just to help her best friend set up her new greenhouse. But a blizzard stands her at the inn helping Noah with the guests. It seems like nothing is going to go right from the almost disastrous kitchen fire and the sprinklers going off  and the absence of the actual chef. It's an instant attraction between Noah and Stevie and they are almost hesitant to start anything because one Stevie lives in the city and Noah is pretty much married to the inn and he lost one long term relationship because of it already. But Noah was told that he would know true love when he sese it and he sees it when he looks at Stevie and he is willing to risk a broken heart just to try.

Overall, it is a quick read, a very good read with great characters and a instalove romance. As short as it is it feels like a full story very engaging and fulfilling.

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 Dreaming of a White Wolf Christmas by Terry Spear

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

I'm dreaming of a white wolf Christmas
Just like the one Terry Spear wrote
Where the werewolves glisten and children howlin'
To see the full moon in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white wolf Christmas
With every word that she writes
May your nights be steamy and hot
And may all your Werewolves be white.

Okay enough of me butchering Irving Berlin's masterpiece. Terry Spear's newest Heart of the Wolf novel is the start to a new spinoff. It is also a good starting point for some, while there is a little bit of backstory it's only there so you get to know the characters, this book can be read as a standalone. For those new to Terry Spears this is a great book and a wonderful series. All the guys are strong loyal and devoted. The women are smart and strong, everybody has a bit of baggage they work to deal with and one of my favorite things they don't have sex until they are sure they want each other as mates, they can do other things so there is lots of fun sexual chemistry and tension going on before they make that choice. 

Candice Mayfair  use to go by a different name until one camping trip and a little nip on the finger by a werewolf pup turned her life upside down. Now Candice is a full time romance writer, writing about shifters. Owen Nottingham and his partners are private investigators who have all been bitten. They uprooted their lives and moved to a place where seeing an arctic wolf wouldn't be conspicuous and became a pack. Ever since moving out of Seattle the business has been internet based until now they finally have an office again and their first big gig is to track down an heiress. Owen tracks her down via an ex-coworker who told him she changed her name to her pen name and moved away. 

It's been two years since she first shifted, that first night she thought she dreamed seeing another white wolf. But when the P.I. looking for her shows up at her door she realizes that wolf wasn't a dream he's standing right in front of her. The pup that bit her is part of his pack and he wants her to join the pack and hopefully mate with him, he has been dreaming about her since that night they saw each other. Owen also wants to help her get her inheritance, she didn't even realize her parents left her anything considering she thought they disowned her. But when another P.I. claims he found the real Clara Hart and Owen and Candice need to rush down to Texas to prove otherwise despite the full moon and Candice isn't in full control over her shift yet. With a call to Dallas they get help from the panther shifter friends there. Once there Candice gets a big surprise about her uncle. 

Overall, this was another great shifter romance from Terry Spear.