Category: Christmas Romance

TITLE: Christmas At Lilac Cottage
SERIES #: White Cliff Bay #1
CHARACTERS: Penny & Henry
AUTHOR: Holly Martin
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/20/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…

Penny Meadows loves her home – a cozy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.

When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.

As Penny gets to know Henry, she realizes there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore…

While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?

Like a creamy hot chocolate with marshmallows, you won’t want to put this deliciously heartwarming novel down.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I think I read these stories out of order and while mostly that was not a problem I think it put me at a small disadvantage. However that being said the story is very sweet and certainly has the Christmas feel. I didn’t realize it was brit-lit which is not one of my favorites.

What I did enjoy was the humor of the story. The ice sculpting is just too funny in some scenes.

This is a great holiday book to curl under a warm blanket, by a fire with a warm beverage and it will put you into the Christmas spirit.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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TITLE: The Christmas Cake Cafe
CHARACTERS: Jen & Jon
AUTHOR: Sue Watson
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/14/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Heart-warming and hilarious, a story that will make you laugh, cry and bring a smile to your face. Get ready for another deliciously amazing Christmas treat from Sue Watson….

As the Prosecco chills and Bing Crosby croons, Jen Barker just knows that her long-term boyfriend is about to propose. But instead of a diamond ring nestled in her champagne flute, Jen finds cold flat rejection. Her once perfect life and dreams of a husband and family seem even further from reach.

A working holiday to the Swiss Alps with her younger sister Jody might not be the Christmas Jen had it mind, but it offers her the chance to recharge her batteries and recover from heartbreak.

When Jen meets handsome ski instructor Jon Zutter her hopes for a happy-ever-after seem within her grasp again. Jon is kind and gorgeous and as they bond over Sachetorte at the picturesque Cake Café, Jen thinks he might just be her perfect man. But a relationship with him comes with a catch – and there are some things even cake can’t fix.

As the snow falls and Christmas approaches, could this be the place that restores Jen Barker’s faith in love?

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts So the good part. I enjoyed this was an older couple. Jen is in her 40’s and it gave hope for us old folks’.

Not the not so good. I just didn’t feel it with the characters. The sisters are drastically different and Jen is a bit whiney to me. I also thought the romance was too quick and in a snap they were head of heels. Jen also spent a lot of time obsessing over her ex which seemed like a jerk to me so when she finds the new love it almost seemed desperate.

Now with that being said the story is an ok holiday romance.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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TITLE: Miracle On 5th Avenue
SERIES #: From Manhattan With Love #3
CHARACTERS: Eva & Lucas
AUTHOR: Sarah Morgan
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/29/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It will take a Christmas miracle for two very different souls to find each other in this perfectly festive fairytale of New York!

Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she’s given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn’t expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner.

Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife’s death looming, he’s isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn’t appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

REVIEW:
I enjoyed this story a lot. I believe a woman in a book can be 1) Someone you want to be 2) Someone you want to be friends with or 3) Someone you can’t stand. Eva is certainly one that falls into the second category. Eva would be a great friend. Always happy and there for her friends but she is sad on the inside. Always there for someone else but they do not see into her sad soul.

Lucas is a bit of a nightmare at first. I am not a fan of one of the main characters spending their time mourning for a lost love and then bam! they are in love with someone new. And that is a bit of what Lucas does. But once he has fallen the couple really do fit together.

I enjoyed the background characters as well. This is a sweet holiday romance that any fan will enjoy.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Three Christmas Wishes
CHARACTERS: Riley, Jo & Noel
AUTHOR: Sheila Roberts
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/18/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Three friends, three wishes—one Christmas!

Riley Erickson, her pregnant sister, Jo, and their friend Noel are all wishing for the same thing: the perfect man. Or at least men who are perfect for them. Riley’s hasn’t turned out to be too impressive, dumping her for her bridesmaid three weeks before the wedding. Jo’s husband is being perfectly stubborn. And Noel has given up completely.

When the three women visit a shopping-mall Santa on a lark, the guy is full of predictions. Riley’s going to meet her perfect man in a memorable way. Noel is going to get a good man to go with that house she’s trying desperately to buy. And Jo, well, a new man is about to come into her life. What on earth does that mean? She already has her hands full with the one she’s got. As for Riley and Noel, they have some holiday challenges to meet…

But Christmas wishes can come true, as these three women are about to discover. Because in spite of romantic setbacks and derailed dreams, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

REVIEW:
4.25 Hearts I can’t ever remember reading a Sheila Roberts book (but I read a lot) but this will not be my last. This story had a little of everything. Happiness, heartbreak, sisterly love (biological and nonbiological), angst and Christmas spirit.

This story pulls you in from the beginning and it was hard to put down. The sisters each have their own issues going on. Riley is heartbroken from her finance’ duping her, Jo has angst about her Navy man re-enlisting and Noel just wants to keep her home.

Can their wishes come true? Well of course…. It’s Christmas time after all. This is a perfect story to curl up in front of the fire with hot cocoa and a warm blanket and enjoy.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Christmas Under a Starlit Sky
SERIES #: A Town Called Christmas #2
CHARACTERS: Neve and Oakley
AUTHOR: Holly Martin
PUBLICATION DATE: 1019/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Step inside a beautiful winter wonderland where love, laughter and cosy nights by the fire will make this Christmas one to remember.

Neve Whitaker loves managing the Stardust Lake hotel. She gets to work alongside her wonderful family and she’s spending Christmas on the most enchanting, snow-covered island in Scotland. So why is her heart so heavy this festive season?

It might have something to do with the gorgeous actor Oakley Rey, the man she finished with before he left for California and the man she loves more than anything. With Oakley’s career in Hollywood soaring, Neve is convinced she’d only hold him back. She had to end it with him – at least that’s what she keeps telling herself.

But now she has a secret she’s struggling to keep, and when Oakley arrives on Juniper Island determined to win her back, Neve is thrown off balance. Will Neve’s fear of having her heart broken again push Oakley away for good, or is it time for her to take a leap of faith?

Get swept away by this deliciously sweet and heartwarming tale, and spend an unforgettable Christmas on Juniper Island.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the second in the Town Called Christmas series. I read the first one and enjoyed it so I requested this one as soon as it came to NetGalley. And again I enjoyed the story very much.

There is a lot of drama in this story and I am glad they didn’t do the love triangle with Neve, Oakley and Adam as I thought they might. Neve and Oakley needed to be together.

This is a nice holiday romance.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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TITLE: A Christmas Bride
SERIES #: Chapel Of Love #1
CHARACTERS: Willow & David
AUTHOR: Hope Ramsay
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/27/16
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A season of hope . . .
‘Tis the season in Shenandoah Falls and the first time Willow Peterson has been home in years. But she’s determined to fulfill the wishes of her recently deceased best friend and restore Eagle Hill Manor to its former glory-all in time to host the perfect holiday wedding. She just has to get the owner of the historic inn to hire her. Unfortunately, that means dealing with Scrooge himself…

After the death of his wife, David Lyndon has a bah-humbug approach to Christmas. But as December counts down and the wedding planning is in full swing, it’s harder and harder to stay immune to the charms of Willow, especially when he sees how much joy she brings his eight-year-old daughter. After a simple kiss under the mistletoe turns into something more, David is hoping he can turn the magic of the holiday season into the love of a lifetime.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts I had a bit of a hard time with this book. First I never found myself liking any of the characters. Secondly there was a lot of repeating of thoughts and finally David is kind of a jerk who’s family is even worse.

Besides being a political jerk the first half of the book is all about how much he loved his deceased wife and even touched his wedding ring over and over and then BAM! he is all about Willow. Willow’s story never ended. There is a background story that never gets answered.

I can see how somebody else may enjoy the story but I am just not one of them.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.