Review: You Had Me at Chocolate (Marietta Chocolate Wars, #2) by Amy Andrews

This Christmas, a childhood promise comes calling…

Clementine Hardy always wanted to be a librarian in her Marietta hometown. But at thirty, she fears she’s become too predictable—so she quits, books a European vacation, and accepts a research job in New York. Then on her birthday, a hunky piece of her past arrives, drops to bended knee, and proposes in front of half the town.

Bad boy celebrity chef Jude Harlow is done with the bright lights and late nights. He sells his Manhattan restaurant and volunteers in Africa to clear his head. A year later, he’s a new man with a new goal: find the girl from summer camp—the most practical woman he knows—and collect on the pinky promise they made when they were twelve.

Clem won’t marry a guy she hasn’t seen in nearly two decades, no matter how attractive or how talented he is in and out of her kitchen. But why does he have to look more delicious than the chocolate creations he concocts for the Graff Hotel? More delicious than anything in New York? 

 

My Review:

A pinkie swear promise leads to happily ever after.

When Clem and Jude were twelve years old, they made a pinkie promise that they would marry at thirty, if they were both still single.  Now Jude is ready to settle down but it’s bad timing for Clem.  She is just about to start living her dreams.  Clem plans to start a job in New York and wants to travel.  At the last minute, Clem’s plans change, due to a family emergency, and Jude is there to help her through it and their friendship becomes more intimate.  But is it enough for a lasting love? 

This book took me through a wide range of emotions and it was hard to put down.  I was so glad to see how Clem and Jude finally found their happiness together.  There was also a fun chocolate display competition in the book which led to several late-night cravings. 

Review: Hannah's Hope (Silver Bay Book 4) by Lara Van Hulzen

This Christmas, will they finally receive the miracle they’ve been yearning for?

Hannah and Paul Wagner both grew up in Silver Bay, California. They love everything about the small town they call home, especially at Christmas when the air turns crisp and the residents’ joy is more contagious than usual.

After waiting years to adopt their precious daughter, Abby, and with a successful real estate business, Hannah and Paul can’t think of anything more they want in life or for Christmas. They finally have everything they've wished for. And yet…will their ongoing hope for more children become their Christmas miracle? 

 

My Review:

A beautiful Christmas miracle.

This was a very quick read, but it was such a good story filled with hope for Hannah and Paul, a married couple who spent all their time either working or caring for their adopted daughter.  They didn’t have time for each other anymore.  When friends suggested they take a few days away alone, they jumped on it.  It was the perfect way to recharge their marriage.  That’s when their lives changed and come Christmas morning, both Hannah and Paul had big surprises in store. 

Review: Montana Cowboy Miracle (Wyatt Brothers of Montana #4) by Jane Porter

 

This Christmas he’s confronting the past…

Wyoming rancher Cade Hunt rents a room in Marietta for the month of December for one purpose—to unravel the mysteries of his past. He’s not interested in the local Christmas festivities, even though his pretty landlord Merri Bradley is more appealing than any woman he can remember.

After losing her husband far too early, hospice nurse Merri has dedicated her life to caring for the grief-stricken during their final goodbyes. She loves her busy and fulfilling life and has no time for a brooding cowboy during her favorite time of year. Yet Cade is tempting, and she’s technically his hostess.

But Marietta is full of Christmas magic and miracles. Soon Cade is embraced by the family he didn't know he had—a grandfather and four Wyatt cowboy cousins. For the first time in his life, Cade has a sense of belonging and the desire to set down roots if only he can convince Merri that second chances are the best chance for their own happily ever after.

 

My Review:

If you read one Christmas book this year, make it this one.

Cade was in Montana looking for his biological family when he was referred to MerriBee to rent a room.  Cade disliked Christmas and MerriBee’s place was heavily decorated, so Cade decided to go someplace else.  But when MerriBee got injured and needed help, Cade was right there for her, even staying with her to help her.  As Cade started to fall for MerriBee, his dislike for Christmas started to change, especially when he found out why MerriBee loved Christmas so much and decorated like she did.  Neither, Cade or MerriBee wanted a relationship and they fought it as long as they could, but in the end, they realized they were meant to be together. 

This is a book I won’t soon forget.  It is full of hope, inspiration and wonderful characters.  I can easily picture this book as a movie with the backdrops of the small Montana town of Marietta and the impressive Sundowner Ranch in Wyoming, where Cade works for Dot, the ranch owner and another unforgettable character in the book.  This is a perfect addition to the Wyatt Brothers of Montana series and I recommend it to anyone who loves cowboys and small towns and is looking for a heartwarming Christmas story.