Category: Winter Romance Wednesday

TITLE: Happily This Christmas
SERIES #: Happily Inc #6
CHARACTERS: Wynn & Garrick
AUTHOR: Susan Mallery
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/29/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Susan Mallery, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances, proves there’s no place like Happily Inc for the holidays…

There’s no place like Happily Inc for the holidays…

Wynn Beauchene has a thriving business, a great kid and a mildly embarrassing crush on the guy next door—local cop Garrick McCabe. She’s a strong, independent woman who can’t help dreaming what-if about a man she barely knows. Until he needs her help…

Garrick’s pregnant daughter will be home for Christmas, and his house needs a woman’s touch. Garrick and his little girl were tight once and he’s hoping a small-town Christmas will bring her back to him. But thawing his daughter’s frosty attitude will take more than a few twinkle lights. Maybe sharing the holiday with Wynn and her son will remind her of the joy of family.

As the season works its magic on these wounded souls, Wynn realizes it’s time to stop punishing herself for a painful secret, while Garrick remains haunted by the ghosts of past mistakes. Will he allow Wynn to open the only gift she truly wants—his heart?

REVIEW:
4.75 Hearts Happily, Inc (and Fool’s Gold) are my favorite places to visit. Susan Mallery is honestly one of my favorite authors. She pulls me in before I have finished the first page. And this book is no different. Especially for the holidays!

Ok so let’s say it out right. This is a holiday romance so we know with the magic of the holidays Mallery will give us a HEA. But this isn’t about the ending but about the getting there. In this novel Wynn has been secretly in love with Garrick for a while. And now he could use his help when his daughter comes to town.

I really like all the characters in the story. Wynn and Garrick are so sweet together They both need each other but have no idea how or why. And then they both have a child and they need Wynn and Garrick too. And of course the people of the town make visiting Happily, Inc a great place to spend the holidays.

There is no way to read a Susan Mallery book and not love it. I could go into all the wonderful things in this book but there are too many.

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

TITLE: A Heartfelt Christmas Promise
CHARACTERS: Vanessa & Mike
AUTHOR: Nancy Naigle
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/29/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A perfect gift that captures the spirit of the season, USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle’s A Heartfelt Christmas Promise celebrates the holidays, small-town traditions, and the generosity of love between two lost souls who find everything they ever wanted in each other.

Vanessa Larkin was supposed to be spending Christmas in Paris, France on a business trip she hoped to enjoy as a working vacation. Instead, she’s been assigned to Fraser Hills, North Carolina—home of the Best Fruitcake in the USA—to convert her company’s property into warehouse space and shut down Porter’s, the fruitcake factory. Offering retirement packages and selling locals on new job opportunities may not spread holiday cheer, but Vanessa believes she’s helping secure the town’s future.

Mike Marshall’s family founded Porter’s. For decades, the factory served as the lifeblood of the community until his grandfather sold the business to a Chicago corporation. The sale cost the town its independence—and the Marshalls their family ties. A horse farmer, Mike was never involved with his grandfather’s company, but still felt Fraser Hills lost part of its identity. And as a widower raising a teenage daughter, he’s suffered enough losses in one lifetime. News of the factory’s closing means losing another piece of the town’s legacy.

Far from the skyscrapers and rapid pace of the city, Vanessa finds herself enjoying the easygoing rhythms of rural living. With Mike as her guide, she learns to appreciate the simple pleasures found in shared holiday festivities among friends. Fraser Hills is a town she is growing to love—and Mike is someone she is falling in love with. Now all Vanessa needs is a Christmas miracle to give her newfound friends and home a gift they’ll cherish for many New Years to come.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I mean who wouldn’t pick up this book with that adorable puppy on the front? But I honestly can’t remember reading a book by Naigle before I am glad that puppy sucked me in. This is a Hallmark movie in the making!

Set about a fruitcake factory in Fraser Hills, NC (I live in NC and love my small town!). Vanessa comes back to help with her grandfather’s company not realizing she was going to fall in love not only with a man but with the small town.

This is a wonderfully written Christmas/Holiday romance. It has everything a person needs to get into the spirit. Hallmark…. Are you listening????

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

TITLE: The Twelve Dogs Of Christmas
SERIES #: Pine Hollow #1
CHARACTERS: Ally & Ben
AUTHOR: Lizzie Shane
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/29/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A delightful holiday romance about a small-town single dad and an animal rescue owner as they try to find forever homes for a dozen lovable pups before Christmas.

Pine Hollow has everything Ally Gilmore could wish for in a holiday break: gently falling snow in a charming small town and time with her family. Then she learns some Grinch has pulled the funding for her family’s rescue shelter, and now she has only four weeks to find new homes for a dozen dogs! But when she confronts her Scroogey councilman nemesis, Ally finds he’s far more reasonable — and handsome — than she ever expected.

As the guardian of his dog-obsessed ten-year-old niece, Ben West doesn’t have time to build a cuddly reputation. But he does feel guilty about the shelter closing. So he proposes a truce with Ally, agreeing to help her adopt out the pups. As the two spend more time together, the town’s gossip is spreading faster than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. And soon Ben is hoping he can convince Ally that Pine Hollow is her home for the holidays. . . and the whole year through.

REVIEW:
Ally comes back to Pine Hollow to help her grandparents with their animal shelter but finds that the shelter is having funding taken away and given to the community center. Now she has to find homes for all the animals in a month.

And as always, there is a devil in the details and in this case it is Ben who was the deciding vote on being defunded and since he is already on her list she is not a happy camper. So off she goes to confront Ben.

But there is more to Ben then being the Grinch. He is raising his niece who happens to love dogs. So Ben says he will help Ally find homes for all of the dogs. And as expected romance begins to bloom.

Ally, Ben, Astrid and the pups make this story worth the read. Living in a very small town I could see this exact thing happening here.

By the end of this book I kept thinking how Hallmark HAS to make this book into a Christmas movie. Great way to start getting into the holiday spirit.

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

TITLE: Snowball’s Christmas
CHARACTERS: Emily & Lukas
AUTHOR: Kristen McKanagh
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/29/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Snowball–an aptly named bundle of feline fluff–is thankful to be spending her first Christmas in the comfort of Weber Haus, the Victorian B&B run by Miss Tilly. Emily Diemer, who cooks for the guests, dotes on Snowball, but she’s not thrilled about another new arrival at the B&B: Miss Tilly’s nephew, Lukas. Which is odd, because Snowball’s animal instincts tell her that Lukas and Emily should definitely be friends.

Everything Emily needs is in this quaint community–including, she hopes, the chance to open her own bakery one day. She doesn’t think much of Lukas for leaving his aging aunt to struggle while he jets around the world taking photographs. But now that he’s here, helping to spruce up the property and getting mixed up in Snowball’s antics, she begins to soften a little. Until she learns what he has planned . . .

Lukas is going to sell Weber Haus so that Miss Tilly can retire. But Snowball is certain that this B&B, and these people, are supposed to be her forever home. Somehow she has to get these stubborn humans to see things through the wisdom of a cat’s eye and a kitten’s loyal, loving heart . . .

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This was a quick read that had me read to start the holidays. I will admit it was the cover that dragged me in and then I read the synopsis and thought “Why not?” and I am glad I did. This is a sweet holiday romance set about by a kitten who’s animal instinct tells her Emily and Lukas are supposed to be together.

Having had kittens throughout my life I could imagine every scene of this little furball… I mean Snowball… as it happens.

The story is perfect to start off the season of holiday romances.

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

TITLE: A Mrs Miracle Christmas
CHARACTERS: Mrs Miracle, Laurel, Zach and Helen
AUTHOR: Debbie Macomber
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/01/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Mrs. Miracle shows an ordinary family that they are blessed beyond belief in this uplifting holiday tale from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

As the holiday season begins, Laurel McCullough could use some good news. She and her husband, Zach, have been praying for a baby that seems more and more like an impossible dream, and they’ve had to move in with her beloved grandmother, Helen, who’s having trouble taking care of herself. But when Laurel contacts a local home-care organization for help, there are no caregivers available.

Then Mrs. Miracle appears at her door. No stranger to lending a helping hand to a family in need, Mrs. Miracle reveals herself to be nothing short of a godsend. Helen’s even convinced she’s an angel! Still, Laurel has to admit that Helen has become noticeably happier and more engaged, decorating the family Christmas tree and setting up the nativity with Mrs. Miracle’s companionship. In the meantime, Laurel and Zach begin to encounter curious signs, all pointing toward the arrival of a special baby.

With Christmas approaching, there appears to be even more to Mrs. Miracle than meets the eye. In a classic turn of Debbie Macomber’s signature seasonal magic, Laurel, Zach, and Helen experience a holiday of heavenly proportions.

REVIEW:
The perfect Christmas story!

I have not read all of the Mrs Miracle series. I have seen some of the movies and have read a story here or there but of course the stories can be stand alones. These stories are not only about romance but about the faith of Christmas, God and yourself.

When Laurel and Zach are coming to their wit’s end in walks Mrs Merkel/Miracle who is an angel, literally. And she makes no qualms about it where Helen (Laurel’s unhealthy mother) is concerned. Mrs Miracle is there whenever Laurel needs her.

Mrs Miracle reminds us of what Christmas is supposed to be about. It is about helping, loving and faith. This is a perfect book to remind ourselves who we should be and remind us there are always angels on our shoulders.

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