Review: Texas Christmas Magic (The Rossis of Whiskey River #3) by Katherine Garbera

Sometimes a fresh start requires a Christmas miracle…

Angelica Rossi moved to Whiskey River, Texas, for a true second chance. As Christmas approaches, she’s ready to rebuild her reputation and help her community by launching a nonprofit aimed at providing resources to the town’s underserved residents. To pull off this miracle, she’ll need to grab the attention of billionaire Max Parrish who’s offering business grants. How? By crashing his holiday party.

Max Parrish is a successful entrepreneur who prides himself on seeing through people’s characters and ulterior motives. When Angelica approaches him during his business Christmas party, he knows she’s not on his carefully curated guest list. Still, he lets her make her pitch. Her beauty and confidence intrigue him, and her proposal is nearly as tempting as she is. Max knows firsthand how important second chances are, so he agrees to fund Angelica’s grant with strings…him.

Max and Angelica find themselves collaborating over her business plan during the town’s festive holiday traditions. But Max has been fooled before. Will Angelica’s good intentions last beyond the holiday?

 

My Review:

A beautiful Christmas miracle.

When Angelica and her cousin crashed Max Parish’s party, she never expected more than gaining his help backing her charity project in The Barrels, Whiskey River’s low-income area.  She never expected to start dating Max; much less, fall in love with him.

Max is a business man.  His work was all over the country.  He didn’t plan on staying in Texas, but he never met anyone like Angelica.  His plan was to set up his next project and then head back to New York after Christmas.  But he couldn’t get Angelica out of his mind.  Will the magic of the season lead Angelica and Max to their happiness they both deserve? 

It was easy to get caught up in this story.  I enjoyed seeing how Angelica and Max we’re about to move past their painful pasts and learn to trust each other so they could fall in love.

Review: The Christmas Clues (Christmas Wishes Book 5) by Scarlet Wilson

What is Christmas without some healthy competition?

When successful Chicago sports journalist Dawson McLeod and botanist Piper Davis receive a mysterious summons to an attorney’s office, they learn they are the potential benefactors to a famous and reclusive author's historic estate—including her mansion, famous gardens, greenhouses, and more. Neither of them has had any contact with the author of their favorite Christmas book since they were both scheduled to interview her as children. But only Piper, who arrived early, succeeded, much to Dawson’s envy.

Both Piper and Dawson have ideas for how they plan to benefit the community with their potential winnings, but the legacy has strings. The author has left them a series of clues to be solved around the city starting twenty days before Christmas. Once childhood rivals and now strangers, Dawson and Piper must work together to uncover the clues by Christmas if they want either of their dreams to come true.

Will working together during the most magical time of year open their hearts, or will their lingering feud get in the way?

 

My Review:

A fun Christmas story.

Twenty-six years ago, when Piper and Dawson were just kids, they both planned to interview Margaret Smith, a famous children’s author.  Only, Piper got to Margaret’s house ahead of Dawson and she did the interview on her own.  Dawson never forgave Piper for stealing the interview away from him.  Piper and Dawson are reunited when they are both named in Margaret’s will.  They have been given the task of solving some clues before they can receive their inheritance.  But there is more to it than just an inheritance; a little mischief has been thrown into the mix as well.  And it is all in the name of love.

This is the kind of book where the characters are easy to love.  I only wanted the best for them.  As they searched for answers to the clues they were given, the locations that they went to were easy to visualize through the author’s words.  I was drawn into the story from the start and had a hard time putting it down.  It is the perfect Christmas story. 

 

Review: A Cowboy for Merry (Three Sisters Ranch #6) by Jamie K. Schmidt

Ten years turned her into a champion and him into a cowboy looking for a fresh start.

Roped in by her sisters, Merry Grayson is home in Last Stand, Texas, for Christmas and a charity event at the Three Sisters Ranch. She’s shocked to run into her bad boy ex-boyfriend. She thought he was still in prison, and if he’d ratted her out all those years ago, she would’ve done time too. Instead, Merry had seized her second chance and made a career in rodeo—trying to forget her rebel past and the boy who stole her heart.

Simon Reynolds is determined to move on. He never regretted protecting Merry when his Robin Hood heist failed. After his father had hung him out to dry, the thought of her warmth and beauty kept him going. Simon knows he needs to let go of his past, but the sparks and chemistry are as volatile as ever and he feels himself being pulled back in.

Christmas is a time for miracles. Is asking Santa for a second chance at love too much?

 

My Review: 

An amazing second chance story.

Ten years ago, Merry Grayson and Simon Reynolds were forced apart.  Simon did time in prison, while Merry went on to make a name for herself on the rodeo circuit.  Simon is finally a free man and working at Three Sisters Ranch when he sees Merry again.  Will they be able to pick up where they left off?  Or, has too much time passed for a second chance?

I loved visiting the Grayson sisters again.  When I picked up this book, it was like reconnecting with old friends.  I couldn’t wait to see what everyone had been up to and I was really curious to see how Merry would finally find happiness.  I highly recommend this series, but I would read the books in order of release.

 

 

 

Review: Flowers From The Past by Deanna Martinez-Bey

 

 

I have a question for all the single ladies out there.

Have you ever received flowers at work with a card that was signed, "Love, your husband"?

No? I'm the only one? I figured as much. This doesn't seem like an everyday occurrence.

My name is Kennie, and I'm single and ready to mingle. Who am I kidding? The closest thing to a date I've had in months is my frequent trips to the local candy store. Nonetheless, the single life changed for me in the blink of an eye.
I was minding my business at work, sitting at my desk, glaring out the windows, when a delivery guy strolled in from the local florist. He carried the biggest bouquet of flowers I had ever seen, and to my surprise, they were for me.

I thought maybe I had a secret admirer until I read the card, "I finally found you! Can we meet for coffee or dinner? Love your husband, Kevin."

From that moment forward, I instantly became a married woman, and my life spun out of control.

 

My Review:

A heartfelt second chance.

Three years ago, Kennie had a seizure that caused amnesia.  It left Kennie with no memory except her mother and sister. But Kennie was about to discover the last three years had been a lie.  She had a whole life she was about to discover.

This is a quick read, but so fulfilling.  I loved seeing Kennie learn about her past and reuniting with her family. 

Throughout the book, I learned how much of a sweet tooth Kennie had, so I was happy to see a bunch of delicious sounding recipes at the back of the book.