ALL IS BRIGHT (Hope’s Crossing Book #8) by RaeAnne Thayne is an emotional holiday contemporary romance featuring a young female architect who returns home to Hope’s Crossing for the holidays to oversee the completion of her most ambitious project to date. This story is a complete romance plot and can be read as a standalone, but so many people from town are pulled in for the community holiday theme from previous books in this series, I feel I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books first.
Sage McKnight is making a name for herself in the world of architecture with her unique designs for inclusiveness and accessibility for everyone. Her largest and most challenging project to date was completely redesigning Wolf Ridge in Hope’s Crossing to meet the needs and wishes of her current client, Mason Tucker and his daughter.
Mason Tucker was a famous professional baseball player until the helicopter crash which killed his wife and unborn son as well as leaving him partially paralyzed. He has become bitter and reclusive since the accident and feels the smaller community of Hope’s Crossing can give him and his daughter a new start, but his property needs extensive work to make it appropriate for his needs.
Sage is excited about the project, but Mason makes the project difficult with his attitude and constant interference. Slowly Mason becomes more involved with the community through his daughter and Sage, but Sage is only in town through the holidays and Mason believes no woman would want him with his disabilities. It will take some holiday magic and friendly interference to make Mason realize what he has before he loses it.
This is a wonderfully heartwarming holiday romance with memorable main characters. Sage is such a loving and caring person, and she makes Mason face his anger and bitterness head on. The discussions of inclusive design are very interesting. There are several minor plot threads with Sage’s previous pregnancy, Mason’s mother, and the secondary romance between Taryn and Charlie which kept me turning the pages and were all tied up satisfactorily in the end. I did get slightly irritated when there were occasionally to many names and relationships discussed which I felt were not necessary and at those times I wished I had read the previous books in the series. This is a cozy romance with no sex scenes, but lots of love, family, and romance.
This is an enjoyable contemporary romance that will fill you with holiday warmth, love and cheer.
***
About the Author
#1 Publishers Weekly, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including seven RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews magazine. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers.
Grab your mug of hot chocolate, your favorite fuzzy blanket, and get ready for a dose of holiday spirit! Here are three connected, sweet holiday romances set in charming Christmas Town where local legend has it that a kiss beneath the gazebo on the town square during the holiday season means a wedding in the new year.
Book Description
Welcome to Christmas Town, Maine!
The Banning siblings are in need of a little magic this holiday season, the kind that brings love and happy-ever-afters. There’s Jack, a trauma surgeon who would prefer working to dealing with memories of his time in service. Then there’s Callie, a grade school teacher who’s trying to fill the void left by her mother and volunteering too much around town. And finally, there’s Nick, one of the town’s handymen. He’s got an unrequited crush on the owner of The Tea Pot and is going to great lengths to get a date with her this Christmas.
This set kicks off the Heartwarming Christmas Town series which has over 60 connected sweet romances, all written by Harlequin Heartwarming authors (past & present). Be sure to check out our companion series – The Christmas Carousel (The 12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas) – featuring one novella and 12 full-length holiday romances. These books, also set in Christmas Town, feature the restoration of a carousel and preparation for a Christmas wedding.
CHRISTMAS, ACTUALLY (Christmas Town, Maine series) by Anna Adams, Melinda Curtis, and Anna J. Stewart is a trio of sweet holiday romance novellas featuring three siblings living in Christmas Town, Maine. This Christmas may be the one where they will finally meet the person they want to kiss beneath the mistletoe in the gazebo and fulfill the local legend.
The Banning siblings have all grown up in Christmas Town, but they all have led very different lives.
In the first novella, The Christmas Gift by Anna Adams, Dr. Jack Banning has come home to work as a trauma surgeon in the local hospital after years of service in Afghanistan. Since he has been home, he has buried himself in his work rather than deal with his memories. Sophie Palmer is on her way to Bangor to try to reconnect with her mother and work in a less stressful job than the ER since she is going to be a single mom. After she is hit by on oncoming car, her reflexes kick in and she saves the other driver’s life until Jack and the hospital’s Life Flight arrive. Jack is instantly attracted to Sophie and recognizes her PTSD symptoms. Will Sophie be able to share with Jack and take a chance on an instant attraction or will Jack’s own reticence to share keep them apart.
The second novella, The Christmas Wish by Anna J. Stewart, has Callie Banning trying to fill everyone’s expectations and requests for help over the Christmas season, since her mother is away. Callie is a second-grade teacher and has duties of her own, but she just cannot say “no”. When Callie calls in single father, Dean Galloway about his daughter Eliza’s problems with all things Christmas, she wants to help get to the reason rather than punish her. Dean is a free-lance photographer who is constantly on the move with Eliza in their RV home since his wife’s death three years ago. They have their work cut out for them because Eliza no longer believes in Christmas wishes.
In the third novella, The Christmas Date by Melinda Curtis, Nick Banning is a divorced father of one young son and the town handyman. He has never felt as accomplished as his siblings who all have college degrees, but he has a dream of getting his contractor’s license and restoring historic homes. He has had a crush on Gina Vernay, the owner of The Tea Pot since they were young. Gina had an accident that left a scar on her face and has eroded her confidence around people. When Nick discovers Gina has gone on a dating website, he replies, and they share things they haven’t in person. Nick is learning that people believe in him more than he does himself and he wants Gina to realize she is more than her scar that he just considers a part of her. Nick and Gina have the same dreams if they are willing to rely on each other and bravely face the future together.
I enjoyed this trio of novellas so much! I do not normally give novellas five stars, but these three stories have beautifully fully drawn characters and realistic scenarios all leading to heartfelt HEAs. They are the perfect sweet quick reads to get you in the mood for holiday romance.
***
About the Author
Anna Adams was in the US Navy, also working on a business degree full-time, when her first child was born. That little guy changed her life–created priorities. She wanted her children to grow up, believing they could do the most unlikely things.
Like writing–which she’d done since she was old enough to force someone to listen to stories and then old enough to pick up a pencil and a piece of paper.
She switched to an English degree–and ignored her husband when he asked if she planned to “open an English store,” and eventually found jobs doing any kind of writing. And she learned to write books.
Twenty-something books later, she’s a USA Today Bestseller, and she’s still believes in unlikely things. Like true love that everyone can believe in.
###
About the Author
Prior to writing romance, award-winning, USA Today Bestseller Melinda Curtis was a junior manager for a Fortune 500 company, which meant when she flew on the private jet she was relegated to the jump seat—otherwise known as the potty. After grabbing her pen (and a parachute) she made the jump to full-time writer. Between writing sweet romance and sweet romantic comedy, Melinda finds time to bond with her husband over home remodeling projects. She recently came to grips with the fact that she’s an empty nester and a grandma, concepts easier to grasp than jet-setting on a potty.
###
About the Author
A geek at heart, USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes “refreshingly unique, quietly humorous, and profoundly moving romance.” (RT Book Reviews) Her books include The Butterfly Harbor series for Harlequin Heartwarming, along with the Blackwell continuity series. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and has written in the ongoing Colton family saga. As her first love is paranormal romance, she’s published a number of novellas, including the Tome Wardens trilogy collection. EXPOSED, her first book of The Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series with CAEZIK Romance will be released in November of 2022. Readers can get a taste for what’s to come with her Nemesis Files Trilogy (light romantic suspense), available on audio through Scribd.
Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Jason Momoa addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates two devious cats named Sherlock and Rosie.
Wyoming Christmas Reunion and A Cowboy Thanksgiving by Melinda Curtis are the last in two different series, the Blackwells and the Monroes. What makes a Melinda Curtis book special is the different emotions the readers take along with the characters, making the story very realistic.
Wyoming Christmas Reunion is book five of a compilation of stories by five different authors, Anna J. Stewart, Amy Vastine, Carol Ross, Cari Lynn Webb, and Melinda Curtis. Everything comes to a head in this book along with the mystery settled. The Blackwells of Eagle Springs must thwart those who want to turn the ranch and town into a developed area with a lake.
This story has Helen and Nash Blackwell divorced because of his alcohol problems. She realizes that she has never stopped loving Nash. He is dealing with trying to help his family save the ranch and legacy that his grandmother built by training cutting horses to sell for top dollar. He is also fighting his feelings for Helen who he believes deserves better than him.
After Nash makes a wild bet that Helen can win the cutting competition, they are forced to spend a lot of time together considering Helen hasn’t ridden since a childhood incident caused her injuries. She reluctantly agrees to train if Nash is willing to work on the issues that caused the breakup of their marriage. Communication is their biggest obstacle because Helen wants to discuss her feelings about their past and Nash would rather keep his feelings to himself. A welcome character is their son Luke who brought humor and sweetness to the story.
A Cowboy Thanksgiving is book twelve in the “Mountain Monroe Family series.” This story has both the hero and heroine needing to overcome childhood issues and finding a family. Maxine was orphaned at a young age and passed around to family members, never feeling like she was wanted. Her insecurities are enforced after her marriage implodes where she once again feels abandoned. She accepts an invitation for her and her four-year-old daughter Luna to come for Thanksgiving in Second Chance Idaho. There she meets Bo Monroe.
He always feels no one is taking him seriously because of his good looks. To make matters worse one of his cousins is reviving the Monroe Holiday Challenge, a weeklong event of fun and games, something Bo has never won. One of the teams will be Bo, Max, and Luna. To her surprise, Max finds herself warmly embraced by the huge Monroe family who has gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving and compete in the Monroe Holiday Challenge. While competing Max and Bo get to know each other and realize there is a strong attraction.
Both these books are about family helping family. The theme is overcoming obstacles and working together to achieve a goal. What makes the stories even more enjoyable is the banter between characters.
***
Author Interview
Elise Cooper: You wrote the finale in this Blackwell series titled Wyoming Christmas Reunion?
Melinda Curtis: In talking about the Blackwell series, I decided to write a story based on the Kevin Costner series Yellowstone and his character but turning it into a sweet romance. I thought what a normal person would do if they were in an accident and had to kill their favorite horse because it was so injured. This would probably ruin their life. I took Kevin Costner’s character in a different direction. I had to tie all the threads together.
EC: How would you describe Helen?
MC: Boisterous, diplomatic, timid at times, blunt, and can be calming. She was brash and confident but found it safer to retreat from hardship so at times she was timid. The old Helen was pushier and more assertive, while the new Helen was withdrawn after the divorce. Then she came to realize if she wanted to have that life again, reuniting with her ex-husband Nash, she had to bring back some of the old Helen.
EC: How would you describe Nash?
MC: He carries a lot of weight on his shoulders from his past. He needed to find a way to forgive himself and move forward for all his past mistakes. He is proud, caring, troubled, impulsive, protective, and stubborn. I have this book quote about Nash, “All the Blackwells rolled into one. Stubborn like Denny (grandma). Kind like Adele (sister). Driven like Levi (brother). Clever like Wyatt (youngest brother). And bossy like Corliss (older sister).”
EC: How about the relationship?
MC: She ended her engagement to Phil because he treated her like an accessory and wanted to shove it in Nash’s face, “I have your woman.” He never loved her but used her to flaunt his power to the Blackwells. Just as she had to face her fear of riding a horse, she had to face her fears with Nash. They are funny, both are driven with a lot of pride. Nash’s accident affected both. He feels he is damaged goods, not good enough for her with regret, guilt, and helplessness. She feels frustrated, shut out, and alone because of the accident.
EC: What is the role of Christmas?
MC: It is a great time of year to embrace family and have forgiveness with peace.
EC: What about the other book, A Cowboy Thanksgiving?
MC: I wanted a light and breezy story with some emotional undertones, an easy, fun read. Since this is the last book in the series, I wanted to highlight many of the past characters, including my favorites like Shane and Franny.
EC: How would you describe Bo?
MC: Just like my husband, very competitive. He is the good-looking one whom people thought that is all to him. He has a chip on his shoulder because of his pride. He can be protective, a charmer, presumptuous, and a planner.
EC: How about Maxine (Max)
MC: She always felt she is the one no one ever wanted since she was abandoned by so many family members and her husband divorced her. Max felt she never belonged. She is very guarded, very bright, shy, and wants to be a part of things, but from a distance. She is also tough, vulnerable, determined, and a spitfire.
EC: What about the relationship?
MC: She thinks he is too pretty for her and does not care what he thinks about her. This attracts his attention because he is feeling there is more to me than just my good looks. They sparred a lot. Max wants to be friends and sets boundaries to protect herself. Max saw Bo’s large family as a way to experience unconditional love, emotional security, and a sense of belonging.
EC: Why the Holiday Challenge?
MC: Because ranch was a theme. I put in scarecrow stuffing, the roping, the sleigh decoration, gingerbread house making, and being in winter, skiing.
EC: What about the role of children and dogs?
MC: I love them. They make me laugh. Hopefully, the readers saw them as comic relief. I enjoy putting them in my stories just as dogs and children are in real life. They have so much personality and can be inconsistent. They show loyalty.
EC: What about your next book?
MC:A Cowboy Worth Waiting For comes out in February. It is about a woman who is starting a matchmaking business for ranchers and rodeo riders. Her first client is a rodeo star and her best friend’s widower. This will be the first in my “Rodeo Academy Series” with six books. All the heroes have been fostered.
In April, It Happened One Night comes out where a man and a woman spend the night together years ago. Now they bump into each other years later.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Holly Hayward is shocked when she learns that her great-uncle is planning to marry Jonah Drake’s grandmother. Have they forgotten about the bitter generations-old Hayward-Drake feud? Now Holly is determined to thwart the disastrous Christmas wedding—even if it means teaming up with her nemesis, handsome and way-too-perfect Jonah. But crashing one forbidden romance might just be the beginning of a completely new one…
From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.
***
Elise’s Thoughts
The Christmas Wedding Crashers by Amy Vastine is a great holiday read. People should refererence to the McCoy-Hatfield feud that involved two rural families.
In this story two elderly people, Randall Hayward and Clarissa Drake announce their intention to get married. The problem is that the Haywards and Drakes have a major family feud. The Drakes come off as superior, the haves, while the Haywards are the have nots who have struggled to succeed. When the families hear about the Christmas wedding, they decide to do all in their power to break up the couple.
Great niece Holly Hayward is enlisted along with grandson Jonah Drake to have the wedding canceled. They first try to show the elders how incompatible they are with each other. After all, Randall likes rodeo stuff, being rough and tumble, while Clarissa likes to volunteer at all the Christmas trimmings. But, instead of seeing each other as mismatched they realize each is willing to do a give and take.
Instead of succeeding at their plan, Holly and Jonah realize that they also have a lot in common and their assumptions from the high school years are unfounded. Holly begins to see that Jonah is caring, kind, and funny, while Jonah sees that Holly is spirited, intelligent, and daring.
Although there are some scenes that are heartbreaking, most of the story will put a smile on readers’ faces. The banter is fabulous, allowing people to take the journey with the characters.
***
Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Did the McCoys and Hatfields influence the story?
Amy Vastine: Right. I like the idea of family rivals. This is the second to last book in the “Stop the Wedding series.”This one had an older generation getting married, somebody’s grandma with the family not happy about it. The rival family had an elder who was an uncle.
EC: The rivalry?
AV: The Haywards are considered vandals and thieves, while the Drakes were arrogant, liars, and rescinded a land plot. The Drakes are the wealthy rancher family, and the Haywards are the workers. It stemmed from the Drake great-great-grandfather who promised land for work to the Haywards. After he died the family did not follow through to give the land, making the Haywards feeling cheated. This created hard feelings throughout generations. Oliver Drake is the epitome of the arrogance who had a cushy upbringing.
EC: How would you describe the grandson, Jonah Drake?
AV: Scholarly, book smart, but not totally relationship smart. He is not aware of how he came across. He is very black and white. If someone said something incorrect, he would correct them. He did not think about how that person called out would feel. He is a rule follower, compassionate, protective, honest, and patient.
EC: How would you describe Holly?
AV: She is street smart, sassy, and sarcastic. She is loyal to her family to a fault. She is funny, interesting, a hard worker, creative, and savvy. Holly is also direct, competitive, tough, and confident.
EC: What about the relationship?
AV: In high school, Holly felt Jonah intentionally made her feel stupid. She assumed it was because Jonah always felt superior. The family feud gets in the way. Initially, they think they are so different, but when they spend time together their assumptions go out the door. Both think oil and water will never mix but end up as a delicious salad dressing. They realize they have more in common than they thought. As they work together, they drop their guard. The older couple noticed that there was a connection between Holly and Jonah, before the younger couple did.
EC: What about the older couple Clarissa and Randall?
AV: They met at the little local diner. Both lived long lives and found someone who made them happy. They realize it is causing some drama, but they do not let it get in the way of something good. Clarissa is very kind, gentle, and accepting. Randall makes her feel like a Queen. He is a charmer. They enjoyed the fact that they were not the only crossovers who could see that there does not have to be this forever long family feud.
EC: What about Holly’s sister Maisey?
AV: She did not even know what the family drama was, living her own life. She did not realize who is mad at who and why. She is not burdened by other people’s old hang-ups. She was left out of the nonsense. Maisey does not live in the past and only cares about what is happening in her world.
EC: Why those events?
AV: I spent one whole day brainstorming as many Christmas activities as I could, writing my own Hallmark Christmas movie. There had to be a Christmas Tree Lighting, a gingerbread contest, an ice-skating rink, and the Frontier Freeze based on the Polar Bear Plunge in Chicago. I thought of events that strongly represented Randall and other events that strongly represented Clarissa.
EC: Next book?
AV: It is the last one in my “Stop the Wedding series,” titled Texas Runaway Bride coming out in August. The heroine is a people pleaser. After canceling her wedding day, she decides to visit this little town in Texas that her grandmother talked about. She runs into a widowed Sherriff with a four-year-old boy. She is offered the job of live-in nanny.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review for A WINGMAN FOR CHRISTMAS: A Sweet Water Novella by Barbara Barth on this WOW (Women on Writing) Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Summary
The annual Sweet Water, Georgia, Christmas parade is nearing but relationships are fractured on Wild Rose Lane. Antique dealer Cheryl Calloway’s holiday spirit has tanked. It’s been a horrible year with her divorce, her ex marrying younger and perkier Miriam across the street, and Mama moving into Cheryl’s Victorian cottage with her Amazon parrot right before Thanksgiving. A party girl in her eighties, Mama smokes up a storm, likes her nightly vodka, has a hankering for men, and now a wingman named Nigel. If that isn’t enough, the Historical Society wants Cheryl to clean up all the projects on her porch waiting to go to Spivey’s Antique Mall for their Christmas Open House. Her desire to work her booth is as dead as her marriage. Miriam, President of the Historical Society, chastises her, “If it ain’t pretty don’t put it on the porch.” Then there’s Alice, her strange neighbor with the six-foot fluorescent light bulb cross nailed to the huge Magnolia tree in the middle of her rose garden. Alice watches all the neighbors too closely. Just when Cheryl thinks things can’t get worse, an incident shakes her to the core, and a mystery follows revealing family secrets long forgotten. Cheryl wants to believe in miracles and love again, and Dr. James may just be the man of her dreams as he helps her and Mama sort things out.
Filled with quirky characters, mystery, family secrets, and sweet love, all set in a hot Georgia small town.
A WINGMAN FOR CHRISTMAS: A Sweet Water Novella by Barbara Barth is a perfect holiday quick read novella from a new to me author. I almost never give a novella five stars, but this story is a heartfelt, charming, quirky, and funny mash-up of small-town holiday fiction/Southern women’s fiction/cozy mystery and romance with memorable characters all packed beautifully into a small package.
Cheryl has had a very rough year and is in no mood for Christmas. She caught her husband having phone sex with the younger woman across the street, divorced him and he immediately married the neighbor, and she must see them every day. Her elderly mother is having problems, so Mama moves in with Cheryl rather than her brothers of sister because Mama has become the proud owner of an Amazon parrot named Nigel and they do not want that bird in their homes.
When Mama’s boyfriend, Franklin passes out in Cheryl’s family room, the ambulance is called. When Cheryl and Mama rush to the Emergency Room, Cheryl is introduced to the handsome Dr. James. The holiday may be looking up for Cheryl, but then her home is broken into and Nigel is stolen.
With help from unlikely sources, a suspicious neighbor next door, and a handsome doctor, Cheryl just might find the holiday spirit and Nigel.
This is such a fun holiday novella, and I did not put it down until the end. The characters are believable and lovable. Cheryl is full of love even as she is exasperated with Mama and depressed about her failed marriage, but she learns forgiveness leads to unexpected friendships and romance. The small-town setting is perfect for all these quirky characters and the short, but sweet cozy mystery plot thread of Nigel’s theft.
This is a must read holiday mash-up novella that I highly recommend!
***
About the Author
Barbara Barth turned to writing and adopting dogs to heal after her husband died fourteen years ago. Known as ‘Writer With Dogs’, Barth currently lives with four Chihuahuas in a charming town forty miles outside of Atlanta. She is Literary Arts Chair at a small art center where she promotes writing activities, author events, book launches, and hosts an online group Walton Writers. Inspired by the wonderful artists around her, Barth started painting and has won several awards with her whimsical art.
CHRISTMAS AT THE AMISH MARKET by Shelley Shepard Gray is a charming Christmas Amish romance which has a young Amish couple who have been courting for years finding love where they least expect it. This is a standalone sweet holiday story and women’s fiction with believable life twists that while predictable is an enjoyable read.
Wesley Raber’s father has had a heart attack and with his mother go to their eldest son’s home to rest and recuperate. Wesley has been running the family Amish market under his father’s watchful eye, but now at the busiest time of the year, he is in charge. He has always put the family market first in his life and now with the added time necessary to run the market his longtime girlfriend, Liesl feels abandoned. Liesl decides to help Wesley by asking her aunt to come to stay and help at the market during December.
Jenny Kurtz is nothing that Wesley was expecting. She is only twenty-six years old and attractive, but Jenny is recovering from a broken heart. Wesley soon discovers Jenny is hard working and very attentive to the customers who all adore her. With long hours working together, they both begin to be attracted to each other, but Wesley is supposed to be Liesl’s boyfriend and Jenny would never hurt her favorite niece for the world, but Liesl has been finding happiness and attention from another and has some major life decisions to make of her own.
I found this Christmas story to be part romance and part women’s fiction due to the realistic problems all the main characters face in this Amish setting. It is not a straight-line romance plot, but has plenty of romance, family traditions, love, and surprises that still leave you with a warm holiday feeling.
I really enjoyed this Amish holiday book!
***
About the Author
Shelley Shepard Gray is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author. She’s published over a hundred novels and has over a million books in print. She currently lives in northern Ohio and writes full time.
Shelley lives just an hour from Holmes County, where many of her Amish-themed novels are set. She currently writes contemporary romance and Amish fiction for a variety of publishers. When not spending time with her family or writing, she can usually be found walking her two dachshunds on one of the many trails in the Cleveland area.
She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.
