The unthinkable has happened to news journalist Emery Bliss: a sex tape has been leaked online. She loses her job as a result of this and retreats across the country to give the gossip and news time to die down a little bit. She ends up staying in Dallas Turner's childhood home at the invitation of his mother, and since he has come home for Christmas, the two are thrown into close proximity. Neither are looking for a relationship, but the more they help each other through baggage they're carrying around, the more they fall in love.

Normally I like to read series books in order, but I saw a lot of reviews that say the Silver Springs novels can stand alone and any one is a good starting point. So I began this series with the 7th book because it is a Christmas story.

This is a good story. I have really enjoyed some other books by Ms. Novak-especially her non-series title One Perfect Summer from early 2020. I like the way she gives the story depth by including issues. This book had some fairly heavy issues like murder, found family, and revenge porn.

I loved that most of the characters are all a part of this one huge family. When I looked back at the synopses of the previous book in this series, it looks like many of the other family members have been highlighted in previous installments. This was really obvious to me while I was reading. The story reads okay as an entry point into the series, but if I'd have known the origin stories for Dallas' siblings before reading this one, it would have been better. I'd have probably been more able to keep up with who is who (there are so many siblings!), but it would also have helped me understand the ages of the siblings. They range from young, to middle/high school, to adults who are married with their own families. There was so much that was alluded to from the siblings' pasts that made me feel like I was missing out on a lot.

One little thing: It wasn't as Christmas-y as I had hoped. I wish there had been holiday things that made me feel surrounded by the holiday while I read. Snow, meals, decorations-things like that. Mostly, Christmas is the time setting of the story and is happening in the background of everything else rather than being a large part of the narrative. That's totally okay; I'll just adjust my expectations when I read this one again in the future.

I feel like I will connect more with this installment when I go back to the beginning of this series and start over from there.

Thank you to Harlequin MIRA for sending me a free early digital copy of this book for review via Netgalley! ( )

I think we are all ready for Christmas to come this year, and I have been trying to read more books with a Christmas setting to get me in the mood. While I don't normally think California when I think of Christmas, Brenda Novak's A California Christmas intrigued me, so I picked it up.

When Los Angeles TV news anchor Emery Bliss breaks up with her co-anchor with whom she had been romantically involved, he posts a sexually explicit video of them online and Emery is not only mortified, she is fired.

Traumatized, she runs away to the home of her mother's friend Aiyana who runs a school for children who have had difficulties in their young lives in the small town of Silver Springs. Aiyana adopted several of the young boys herself, including Dallas, a young man who lost his mother and sister to violence when he was a child.

Dallas is making a name for himself as a free rock climber, traveling the world, with no ties to anyone. He had a crush on Emery in high school and is saddened to discover what happened to her. Emery is in a fragile state, and Aiyana warns Dallas to be careful with her.

Emery and Dallas are attracted to each other, and Dallas becomes protective of her. He offers her a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen. His concern for her is very sweet, and his gentle manner gives men a good name.

While she ponders suing the news station for firing her, Emery takes a job at a local ice cream parlor, worrying the entire time that someone will recognize her. More than once Dallas comes to her rescue in that regard.

Eventually Emery and Dallas can't fight their attraction, and the resulting sexual relationship is very steamy indeed. But with Dallas traveling the world and Emery possibly moving to Boston with her mother and sick grandmother, a long term relationship seems impossible, no matter how much either wants one.

I think Dallas is good character, a very evolved young man in the way he respects Emery's feelings, not wanting to do anything that would make her uncomfortable, but he also has an old-fashioned chivalry about him. I also liked Aiyana and her soon-to-be husband's relationship. She had been single for so long, and finally is ready to take the marital plunge. It's nice to read about a mature, loving relationship.

A California Christmas is the seventh book in Brenda Novak's Silver Springs series, I just may have to dip into the others to get more background on these characters. ( )

A California Christmas by Brenda Novak is a 2020 MIRA publication.

An engaging romance!

Emery, a news anchor in Los Angeles, and her colleague, Ethan, embark on a relationship, defying the contract they signed, stating co-workers were not allowed to date.

When Emery decides to break things off, Ethan, obsesses and angry uploads a sex video online, one Emery had no idea even existed.

Due to her public persona, his 'revenge porn' quickly goes viral. Both she and Ethan are fired for breaking the dating rules, but it’s not long before Ethan gets his job back, while Emery is hiding out in Silver Springs with Aiyana, the woman who runs Horizon’s Ranch, too mortified to be seen in public.

When Aiyana’s family begins to trickle in for Christmas and Aiyana's wedding, Emery gets reacquainted with Dallas, one of Aiyana's adopted sons.

Dallas is a rock climber, haunted by his tragic past. Although the pair were classmates, they never got to know each other- but now, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them.

Obviously, neither of them is in a place to even think about relationships. That doesn’t mean they can’t help one another through some difficult times, though, right?

Southern California at Christmas – okay, not the cold, snowy climate, we often expect in holiday themed novels, but the Christmas spirit is just as strong, and important no matter where you live or what the weather is like. In fact, I thought the idea of setting a holiday story in sunny California was a great idea!

The characters each have heavy issues to face. Emery is almost paralyzed by her predicament, her ex is making her life miserable, and her parents are going through a contentious divorce. Dallas is coping with a guilt so consuming he can’t live life to its fullest, much less entertain the idea of falling in love and being happy with Emery.

I enjoyed watching the two face their fears, accept the path their lives have taken, seeing them give themselves permission to open their hearts to hope and love.

While the book does take place during the holidays, and Christmas is mentioned periodically, as with other Christmas books I’ve read this year, it is definitely not a prominent theme.

As I’ve said before, the bright side of that is that the book can be read anytime of the year, but I’m still on the hunt for that emotional, warm, fuzzy, heartwarming tale fully centered about the holiday featured in the title and cover. I think I may have to hunt down some older books to find what I’m craving.

Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and liked the premise, location, and the characters, and of course the touching love story. For those who noticed this is a part of a series, I have not read the previous installments and it didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the book at all- but did make me want to catch up with series someday.

Another lovely effort by Ms. Novak!

4 stars ( )

Good book that takes place at the New Horizons ranch in Silver Springs. Aiyanna started the ranch many years before to help at-risk young men. Some of those boys she adopted, and they have grown into fine adults. Aiyanna is about to marry her long-time love, and her adoptive sons have returned to Silver Springs for the celebration. One of those men is Dallas Turner.

Dallas witnessed his father murder his mother and sister when he was a boy. After years in the foster system, he ended up at New Horizons. Even after all these years, Dallas bears a tremendous amount of guilt, feeling that he should have saved them. He prefers to spend his time on his solo mountain climbing career, where he can hide from his memories, than around people he has to talk to. The last person he expects to encounter when he comes home for his mother's wedding is his high school crush, Emery.

Emery left Silver Springs after college and moved to LA, where she became a television news anchor. Her career was going well until her secret relationship with her co-anchor ended. When she wouldn't get back with him, Ethan posted a revenge-porn video on the internet, causing an end to her career and a hit to her self-esteem. Sinking under the weight of despair and depression, Emery ends up at New Horizons, staying with her mom's friend, Aiyanna. Silver Springs is the perfect place for her to lick her wounds and decide what to do about her future. The last thing she wants is to get involved with another man.

I liked the development of the relationship between Emery and Dallas. His protective instincts are aroused when he hears what happened to Emery. I loved that he immediately believed her story and that he wanted to do something about it. It was sweet to see how Dallas made a point of helping Emery overcome her embarrassment and fear of appearing in public. Though there were sparks between them from the first, they tried to stick to being friends. Neither felt they were in a place for more than that. Emery questions her judgment when it comes to men after being so wrong about Ethan. Dallas is too haunted by his past to believe that he can give Emery the stability she needs. I loved the support Dallas gave Emery as she made decisions about her future. There were some fun scenes where that support was a bit more involved than I expected. The more time they spent together, the stronger their attraction grew until they couldn't help but give in to it. As they grew closer, I liked seeing Emery chip away at Dallas's walls and help him work through his guilt, but there are still obstacles that face them. An unexpected visitor from his past brought back his pain but also helped him confront it. I liked the effect it had on him and his hopes for a future with Emery. I liked his big moment at the end, and the epilogue was terrific. ( )

This book started out as a romance, so I wasn’t expecting much. But I should have known better – after all, it is a Brenda Novak story. When I realized there was a mystery involved in the story, my interest was piqued. I was much more interested in the mystery than the romance.

The story was inspiring as Emery and Dallas both had tragic things happen in their lives, but they navigate their way through it and come out better in the end. I loved Cal, Aiyana, and all the troubled boys Aiyana adopted.

I was not aware that the book was part of a series. But I did not feel I missed anything by not reading the earlier books. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. ( )