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.

Review: The Way We Weren't by Phoebe Fox

An unlikely friendship between a septuagenarian and a younger woman becomes a story of broken trust, lost love, and the unexpected blooming of hope against the longest odds.

You trying to kill yourself, or are you just stupid?

Marcie Malone didn't think she was either, but when she drives from Georgia to the southwestern shore of Florida without a plan and wakes up in a stranger's home, she doesn't seem to know anymore. Despondent and heartbroken over an unexpected loss and the man she thought she could count on, Marcie leaves him behind, along with her job and her whole life, and finds she has nowhere to go.

Herman Flint has seen just about everything in his seventy years living in a fading, blue-collar Florida town, but the body collapsed on the beach outside his window is something new. The woman is clearly in some kind of trouble and Flint wants no part of it--he's learned to live on his own just fine, without the hassle of worrying about others. But against his better judgment he takes Marcie in and lets her stay until she's on her feet on the condition she keeps out of his way.

As the unlikely pair slowly copes with the damages life has wrought, Marcie and Flint have to decide whether to face up to the past they're each running from, and find a way to move forward with the people they care about most.

 

My Review:

An incredible story about letting go and starting over.

Have you ever thought about moving away and starting your life over where no one knows you?  That’s what Marcie, in this book, does after she has a miscarriage.  She started questioning her life and marriage to husband, Will.  One day she was on her way to work and she decided to just keep on driving.  Her drive took her from Georgia all the way to Palmetto Key, Florida, where she finally stopped. 

Flint, a long-time resident of Palmetto Key, was a cranky old man who seemed to be annoyed by everything in life.  But when he found a woman asleep on the beach, he couldn’t just leave her there.  He had to help her.  He took her back to his house until she felt well enough to leave.  But Marcie didn’t leave.  She stayed, and she and Flint became friends.  It was an unusual friendship, but it turned out to be a good friendship.  In the end, they were able to help heal a loss in each of their lives that no one else could.

This story is full of hope and inspiration, set on a tropical island with fun and quirky characters.  I just wish the book was longer as I wasn’t ready to let go of these characters so soon.  

 

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

Phoebe Fox is the author of the Breakup Doctor series (The Breakup Doctor, Bedside Manners, Heart Conditions, Out of Practice) and has been a contributor or regular columnist for a number of national, regional, and local publications, including the Huffington Post, Elite Daily, and SheKnows. A former actor on stage and screen, Phoebe has been dangled from wires as a mall fairy; was accidentally concussed by a blank gun; and hosted a short-lived game show. She has been a relationship columnist; a movie, theater, and book reviewer; and a radio personality, and currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two excellent dogs.

Review: A Santa Fe Christmas by Cecelia Guzman

With him, are her dreams more out of reach than ever?

Evie Hernandez gave up her dream job to help with Mama Irene’s, the family business. Balancing her modernization plans while respecting generations of traditions isn’t easy, especially with her nosy, loving family offering unsolicited advice. That’s never more true than when she meets Alex—Mr. Tall, Dark and Far Too Handsome. He makes her wonder if she’s given up on her dreams too quickly, and soon she imagines a much different future for herself.

Alejandro "Alex" Ortiz is in Santa Fe to do business with Mama Irene’s, but when he meets the beautiful Evie, he realizes he’ll need a different approach. Soon he’s playing bartender, serving up horchatas, and sampling tamales, reminding him of his childhood and beloved Abuelita. Charmed by Evie and her family, Alex drops his guard and lets himself enjoy Santa Fe’s Christmas traditions. But he has a deadline to keep and a business to get back to—plus, Evie will hate him when she learns why he’s really there.

Can the magic of a Santa Fe Christmas help these two find their way?

 

My Review:

The best Christmas gift is love.

Months after Evie returned to Santa Fe taking control of Mama Irene’s, her family’s tortilla and tamale factory, Evie finds out her grandmother wants to sell the company.  Evie can’t let that happen as the business has been in their family for over 100 years.  But the kicker is, Alex, the man Evie just met, is the one planning on buying Mama Irene’s.  Even though her heart flutters and she starts to think about dating again when she is around Alex, she just can’t let herself fall for him.  But Alex has different plans.  He is totally smitten with Evie and after spending time with her and her family, he knows how much Evie and her family love their business.  They will drop everything to help out when a big order comes in.  Alex just might have to come up with a different plan if he wants Evie and to save Mama Irene’s. 

This book had everything I was looking for in a Christmas romance.  Of course, there was the magic of the holiday, but the big, close-knit Hernandez family was what really made this book special.  I look forward to reading more from this author. 

Review: My Christmas Wish (Compass Cove #4) by Jeannie Moon

 It’s Christmastime in Compass Cove and love is in the air…

With her well-connected Long Island family, an exciting job as a London art dealer, and a brilliant, attentive boyfriend, Natalie Miller’s life was golden. Until it wasn't. No one knows about the anxiety that drives her, the loyalty forcing her to make impossible choices, or the secrets consuming her. Now back in Compass Cove, Natalie is fielding questions from her family about what brought her home and longs for the life—and the love—she left behind.

University professor and aristocrat James Phillips prides himself on understanding people, so it mystifies him when the love of his life leaves London—and him—without explanation. When an opportunity to work at a small college in Natalie’s backyard arises, James jumps at the chance to move across the pond, willing to do whatever it takes to win back the heart of the woman he loves.

Can the magic of Compass Cove at the most wonderful time of the year help James and Natalie find their way back to each other?

 

My Review:

Christmas is the perfect time to fall back in love.

When Natalie broke up with James and left London, to move back to New York, James was left wondering what happened.  When he was offered a temporary job on Long Island, he jumped didn’t think twice about it. He took the job hoping he would be able to see Natalie again.

After an incident at the art gallery that Natalie worked at, she had no choice but to go back home.  She wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about what really happened that night at the gallery, not even James. Natalie was now starting her life over in her home town of Compass Cove.  The day she sees James, she couldn’t believe her eyes.  What was he doing there?  Even though her feelings for him were still strong, she knew they couldn’t be together.  But James still loves Natalie and he will do whatever it takes to get her back.

I enjoyed returning to the Compass Cove series.  As always, it’s fun to see what the characters from past books are up to, but learning about new love interests is always the best.  I really enjoyed Compass Cove at Christmas.  It seemed like such a magical place.