Review: Love Always by Carol Marinelli

After a tumultuous year, Kate Madison is hoping for an uneventful Christmas alone. When her family offers to change their plans to join her, she impulsively declares she’s headed to her family’s little cottage on the rugged Irish coast. Baile Dóch holds many cherished memories and will be an ideal Christmas retreat.

Kate is stunned to learn that her first love Liam O’Farrell has moved back to Baile Dóch. Sparks fly when they meet again and though Kate tries hard to attain her planned peaceful Christmas, Liam has other ideas that include a scorching reunion.

This time Liam’s older, wiser and sexier too.

And not inclined to lose her twice.


My Review:

A second chance with a first love, beautiful Ireland, and a Christmas story all rolled into one.  It doesn’t get much better.

Kate Madison never forgot Liam O’Farrell, the boy she met while in Ireland one summer with her family.  He was her first love.  When Kate discovers her fiancé cheating and calls off the wedding, she decides to spend her Christmas holiday alone in Ireland.  But Kate doesn’t spend the holiday alone when she finds out Liam is also single.  Catching up couldn’t get much better and Kate soon finds herself falling in love all over again.  And, that was the last thing Kate planned.  Liam told Kate from the start, he doesn’t have time for a relationship.  He’s too busy with his career.  Being a doctor in a small town doesn’t leave much free time for anything.  Will Kate and Liam be able to turn their temporary reunion into the happily ever after that they both deserve? 

I was hooked on this story from the very start and when Kate landed in Ireland and saw Liam, I knew it would only get better from there.  Second chance love stories are some of my favorites, so I really enjoyed this book.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series with Kate’s sisters too.  They played an important part in this book and I want to know more about them and learn their stories as well.  The author did a fantastic job with all of the details.  I felt like I really knew the characters when the book was over and even had great visuals of the Ireland scenery.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance in a beautiful location.    

Review: Wedding at Mistletoe Chalet by Dani Collins

Eager for a home-style Christmas while she considers a career shift, Kristen Benz leaps on the temporary job at Mistletoe Chalet. Soon she’s wrapping presents, trimming the tree, and helping her new boss’s tween daughter plan a Christmas Eve vow renewal for her parents. The holiday is imbued with a magical glow—especially when Kristen’s high school sweetheart appears on the doorstep.

After years of medical school, Finn Garrett has promised his parents he’ll be home for the holidays. His detour to see his first love is supposed to provide closure, not rekindle their long-ago romance.

Can a matchmaking tween and the magic of Mistletoe Chalet spark the happily ever after that eluded them in the past? 

My Review: 

A sweet second chance at romance set during Christmas time.  

When Kristen Benz decides on a career change, she takes a temporary job at Mistletoe Chalet to see if it was what she wanted to do.  The last thing she expected was to run into her old boyfriend, Finn Garrett.  Finn found out where Kristen was working and he set out to win her back.  A little bit of Christmas magic goes a long way in this story and gives Kristen and Finn the happily ever after they deserve.  

I enjoyed this book a lot.  The characters were very likable and the story flowed easily along.  The descriptions made it believable.  If you are looking for a good holiday romance, you will really enjoy this one. 

 

Review: A Marvell Country Christmas by Jeannie Watt

Murphy Anderson is coming home for Christmas…

And as soon as she arrives, she’s putting the family ranch on the market. Her plan is to get in, get out, and head back to the city, where she belongs. Growing up on the hardscrabble property next door to the prosperous Marvell Ranch, and being constantly reminded of everything she didn’t have, left her with no love for ranching, or her handsome neighbors—especially Cody Marvell, who always rubbed her the wrong way. And maybe that’s why, when Cody shows an interest in the ranch, she hesitates to sell.


Cody Marvell has a way with people...unless that person is Murphy Anderson. Cody never understood what she was dealing with when they were younger. Murphy had a hard time while growing up, with no mom and a cold-hearted father. He made some mistakes, which he now regrets. He wants her ranch, and more than that, he wants her.

When a Christmas flood makes Murphy's home uninhabitable, he invites her to stay at the Marvell Ranch. With the help of country Christmas magic, Cody hopes she'll start to see him with new eyes.

My Review:

This is a fun holiday romance about Murphy Anderson and Cody Marvell who were neighbors when they were younger.  Cody was the rich boy who lived at the ranch next to Murphy.  Murphy and her father struggled to survive and often ended up working at Marvell Ranch to make ends meet.  Murphy secretly had a crush on Cody, but he never seemed to notice her.  When Murphy’s father passes away and leaves the house to her, she plans to spend her Christmas holiday cleaning everything up and getting it ready to sell.  But, when the river rises and threatens Murphy’s safety, the only person she can call for help is Cody.  They spend Christmas together at Marvell Ranch and get to know each other better.  Could it be holiday magic that breaks down the walls between them and leads them to each other’s arms? 

I really enjoyed Murphy and Cody’s story.  They were both tough people and set in their ways.  But once they got to know each other, things quickly changed.  The story was very believable and easy to follow.  This is an all-around good book with a lot of Christmas spirit. 

Review: Christmas at First Creek Farm by Joss Wood

Closing in on thirty, Fia Price craves a new and more meaningful direction for her life. Walking away from her successful modeling career, she heads to Texas for the Christmas holidays to inspect a small ranch she and her brother's have recently inherited. Sorting through her great aunt’s bulging cottage gives Fia the time and space to consider a new career, but since her brothers want to sell the property, her time in Texas is limited. But when she meets Gib Donovan and his adorable young son, living in Texas suddenly becomes so much more attractive. And as they spend time together in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Fia discovers her new career but also finds herself wanting to say yes to so much more than a land sale—if she can find the courage to start a new, completely different life.

Sexy cowboy and rancher Gib Donovan wants to focus on his son and his ranch. Fia Price with her beauty, sparkle and sense of fun is making that near impossible. She’s waking up parts of him that he hoped would stay asleep forever. He doesn’t want to hope again. Or lust. Or trust. And he definitely thinks love is off the table, but with Fia, everything seems possible—a magical Christmas for his son, and a new future for them both.

My Review: 

A rich story with characters so realistic, you will feel you know them personally.  

When Fia Price quits modeling, she heads to Texas to the ranch she and her brothers inherited from their great-aunt.  She plans to spend time going through her aunt’s belongings and figuring out what she will do with the next chapter of her life.

Gib Donovan is a single father and ranch owner who is looking to acquire some more property.  That property just happens to be Fia’s Great-aunt’s.  Gib is content with his life and doesn’t want or need a woman in it.  But when he meets Fia, everything changes.  Or, was it the magic of the Christmas season working miracles on them both?

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Fia and Gib.  The story had everything I could ask for in a book, great characters, writing and the perfect romance.  I would recommend this book to anyone who loves small towns or cowboy romances.   

 

Review: A Small Town Christmas (Four Irish Brothers Winery Book 1) by Nan Reinhardt

Winemaker and single father Conor Flaherty is determined to make this Christmas holiday special for his daughter even though his family’s winery, Four Irish Brothers, is facing some challenges.

High-octane Chicago attorney Samantha Hayes is looking forward to some delicious food, fine wine, small town charm, and a break from her hectic big city life when she agrees to do a favor for her boss and help his younger brother with a lawsuit that’s been slapped on his family’s historic winery in River’s Edge. She’s not expecting that her sexy new client will have a smile that will melt her heart and remind her that there’s more to life than work.

Sam falls hard for Conor, his daughter and the small, friendly town, but can she trust her instincts and risk her heart? Sam hasn’t seen a lot of happy-ever-afters in her life, but Conor and the magic of Christmas make her want to believe.

My Review: 

The Four Irish Brothers Winery series starts off with Conor Flaherty’s story.  In this book, Conor and his brothers are fighting to save their family winery from their step-mother who is contesting their father’s will.  

Samantha Hayes is a Chicago lawyer and is representing the brothers.  Sparks fly from the minute Conor and Sam meet, but neither of them is interested in a relationship.  Conor is a widower raising his little girl, Ali, on his own and Sam is just interested in her career at the moment.  The more time Sam and Conor spend together, the more they realize they could be good together.  Sam is afraid she wouldn’t be the best mother for Conor’s daughter and this causes her to run when her job is over.  But once Sam is back at home, she can’t get Conor, Ali, the charming town and its people off her mind.  She soon finds herself heading back just in time for Christmas.  

If this book is any indication of how the rest of the series will go, I can’t wait to read more.  The author wrote characters that I was instantly drawn to and couldn’t wait to learn more about.  The description of the town made me want to be there.  The story was fun and interesting, though emotional in parts.  I will anxiously be waiting for the next book. 

Review: Cupcakes for Christmas (Return to Willoughby Close) by Kate Hewitt

Always the baker, never the bride…

Olivia James has always been happy running a tea shop and bakery in the Cotswold village of Wychwood-on-Lea, and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters, topped by the perfect wedding cake. But as Christmas approaches, Olivia is home alone and questioning her choices while eating too many of her own specialty confections.

When Simon Blacklock, a handsome, whimsical stranger, breezes into her shop and buys a cupcake and then returns the next day and the day after, Olivia begins to dream. Can romance blossom amidst the sugar and flour? And after a lifetime of living on the side lines, is she brave enough to star in her own story?

Simon may be hiding a painful secret, but Olivia harbors secrets of her own. If they can dare to risk their hearts, this Christmas might be the most magical yet!


My Review: 

I really enjoyed the previous Willoughby Close books, so I was excited to read a new addition to the series. 

Olivia James took over mother's bakery, Tea on the Lea, after her mother retired and moved into a retirement home.  Olivia has made a few friends in Wychwood, but still felt disconnected from the rest of the town.  She lives a quiet life working and then returning to her flat above the shop to the moody cat, Mr. Jekyll that her mother left behind when she moved.  With Christmas on the way and the new cupcake promotion at the bakery, things are starting to turn around for Olivia.  Then, Simon Blacklock, walks through the door and everything in Olivia’s life changes.

The author did a great job writing this book.  The story had a lot of different elements to it, but not so much that it was overwhelming.  This is a romance that borders on women’s fiction.  Part of the story touches on mental health issues and Alzheimer's, which made the story emotional and believable.  The book was a quick read and easy to follow.