Sierra Donovan

This is one of those stories that would make a perfect Hallmark movie. There is a small town, a beloved if not eccentric main character, someone new to town, a situation that needs to be overcome and of course romance. The plot in the story was very well paced and I was pulled in right from the start.

Mandy Reese loves all things Christmas. As a child, she saw Santa Claus, the real one, and has been in love with the season ever since. She is jokingly called "Mandy Claus" in the small town of Tall Pine in the mountains of southern California. She works in the local Christmas Shop called The North Pole. Her mother has died so she is all alone. She wants to find a man to fall in love with, but her claim to fame seems to have prevented that from happening. When Jake Wyndham comes to Tall Pine to see if this is a place where the hotel chain he works for might want to locate, he meets Mandy. He feels an instant attraction to her and wants to get to know her better. Mandy wants to get to know Jake without him finding out about her Santa sighting. She and Jake really hit it off and date for the short time he is there. When the town council balks at the thought of a chain hotel moving in, Mandy and Jake work together to make it possible. They have just met, they do not want to lose each other already. What will Jake think when Mandy reveals the truth about herself? This is an imaginative, romantic, sweet, touching story about love, belief and of course Christmas. The characters feel real, they made me root for them. This is a clean romantic read. I enjoyed it and I am sure you will too.… (altro)

Sweet small town romance, with a kiss or two, that has Liv questioning just what she really needs in life when she is called home to help her mother deal with her grandmother’s death. Liv is picked up from the airport by a classmate when her sister and mother have an issue to deal with and cannot come themselves. She and Scott reminisce, feel a spark but also realize that with limited time together before Liv returns to Texas there is not much sense in starting anything. The story deals with the funeral of Liv’s grandmother, sorting through Nammy’s possessions, an injury, Braxton Hicks contractions, memories and other issues before the book concludes.

The interest between Liv and Scott is there but it is not as electric as it is in many other books. I have to say I was drawn more to Scott than I was to Liv. Why? Well, Scott was happy with who he was, enjoyed his chosen profession and was a good man. Liv, on the other hand, had huge self-expectations, worried about looking stupid more than being happy and was afraid…of more than one thing. I am not sure why they were attracted to one another unless there is some sort of magic in town that assists couples in finding one another.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.… (altro)

Wonderful story of a journey through sadness & into a life of love. After being gone four years, Liv has come home for her Nammy's funeral. She plans on staying for a month to be there for her mother & sister & to help them pack up Nammy's things. She feels guilty for not coming home after college or in the years between to see them. Between a breakup and a time consuming business, she can't afford the time but is determined to take it. Scott does a favor for Liv's mother & sister & picks her up at the airport. From this moment, you feel pulled into the story. The author has a way with her narrative that brings you into the characters live & makes you feel the emotions they feel - the pain, depression, love, laughter & sorrow. The characters are very realistic and easy to love. Scott is struggling with finding a relationship, trying to get people from the home town to see him as a grown up business owner not Scotty, the kid. Liv is practical, organized & dependable. That's what makes it so hard on her as she looses control of her emotions & business. There are twists in the story that keep you involved & entertained. Several things happen in Nammy's house that make you wonder about them. This was a great book & I really enjoyed it. It runs you through the entire gamut of emotions. Grab a Kleenex & start reading!… (altro)

I was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That in no way changes my opinion or review.

I absolutely love Christmas books, and even though it is July, and hotter than heck outside, I can still enjoy a feel-good Christmas story. “No Christmas like the Present” can be considered a modern-day twist on “A Christmas Carol”, with a super handsome Angel (if you want to consider him that?).

Lindsey is always so busy during the holidays- writing and sending out countless Christmas cards to friends and family she doesn’t keep in touch with often enough throughout the year, making her popular fudge, and sort-of decorating her apartment to get in the Christmas mood. She has a hard time during the holidays, and a lot of that has to do with what happened 10 years ago during her college Christmas break with her then-boyfriend, Steven. She has not let the guilt and pain of that go, and cannot really enjoy the season like she should.

One cold night she is watching Dickens “Christmas Carol” on t.v. (you know the story- about Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas past), when someone knocks on her door. She really thinks she is losing it when a man, much like the on t.v., is standing before her very eyes. He tells Lindsey he has been sent from Headquarters (what and where this Headquarters is still remains a mystery), to help her this Christmas season. The stress must really be getting to her.

When this mysterious man is seen hanging around Lindsey, her co-workers question who he is, and where he is from. Thinking fast, she says his name is Fred (you know, from the movie), and names a random place of residence.

Fred only has until Christmas Eve to help her overcome her past, and re-discover the real reason for the season, or else… well, he is not really sure what will happen if his mission is not successful, but he does not want to fail either. There is just one problem- the more time he spends with Lindsey, the more time he wants to spend with her. Christmas is not so far away, will he be able to say goodbye when the time comes? And can he get her to believe him when he tells her about the mission? Or will she think she has lost it for good?

I absolutely loved “No Christmas like the Present”!
… (altro)