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Evergreen Christmas–a place to call home
Evergreen Christmas
by Janet Dailey
Tucked away in the Appalachians is Noel, North Carolina, known as “America’s Christmas Tree Capital.” In Evergreen Christmas, Jordyn moves to Noel looking for a home in a small town with big community feels. She spent most of her life bouncing from one home to another in foster care—no real home, no love, and certainly no Christmas trees. Jordyn establishes herself as a winning barrel racer and earns enough to buy a small house with acreage. Her goal is to breed horses and teach barrel racing.
A group of four women, known affectionately in the community as “The Nanas” immediately take her under their collective wing to help her get established and fit in. They also encourage her and mentor her with the goal of defeating her neighbor Nate in Noel’s annual Christmas Competition. He has won the Christmas Crown nine years in a row, but the Nanas think Jordyn could change that by entering “Fabio Fraser,” a fir tree on her property in the contest. There are actually 12 Christmas themed contests involved in winning the crown.
Nate is a handsome tree farmer who sells Christmas trees and has a gift and decorations shop on his property with his brother Tucker, a bull rider. Together they are raising Nate’s daughter Roxie. She is an adorable, polite, and kind six year old. Her mother died in childbirth and Nate has made himself “unavailable” to local women to protect his own heart and Roxie’s.
The story is a delightful adventure through many of the Christmas contests. Jordyn and little Roxie develop a friendship. Jordyn and Nate struggle with their attraction for each other, both wanting to do what is best for Roxie. The Nanas are in charge of the Christmas Competition which they champion to encourage town spirit. Except for one family who only appears in a few of the contests, all of the characters are people you would want to know making this a fun, clean Christmas romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: #1 in the Frosted Firs Ranch series. Evergreen Christmas gives a hint at the end of the book that the next book in the series will probably feature Nate’s charming, handsome brother, Tucker.
Publication: September 24, 2024—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
She smiled full blast, her worries melting away like a mini marshmallow tossed into a blazing bonfire.
Life can be scary and painful—but the unexpected gifts it gives us along the way, especially when we’re not looking for them, make it all worth it in the end.
“The Nanas care about people. They help them when they’re in need, look for ways to make other people’s lives better. They fuss over you, bring welcome baskets if you’re new to town and”—she winked—“knit wool caps for your head so your ears don’t get cold.”
This Time Around–second chance romances
This Time Around
by Denise Hunter, Melissa Ferguson, and Kathleen Fuller
This Time Around is a collation of three second chance romances by three popular romance authors. I am posting my notes on each one. If you are interested in novella length romances to mix up your reading from some other genre, this would be the perfect book for you.
Denise Hunter has written a sweet second chance romance entitled A Summer Detour. Allie is free spirited and in her late twenties. She is painfully aware that her parents view her as irresponsible. Sadly, her boyfriend Luke ditched her right before the senior prom in her high school days, and the two have not connected since. When Allie makes a commitment to drive her grandparents’ 50th anniversary gift, a refurbished classic car to their party, she encounters a major hurdle and doesn’t know anyone to call on except Luke. It looks like a reconciliation could be in their future when a totally unpredicted hurdle throws everything off course. This is a short, enjoyable read with all the loose ends tied up nicely.
Told in the third person, Pining for You by Melissa Ferguson varies its focus from chapter to chapter between the two main characters, childhood friends Theo and Skye. When Theo went off to college, it was hard to maintain their blossoming romance. Fourteen years and a few misunderstandings later, can the successful financial advisor and established artist find their way back to each other?
In Kathleen Fuller’s He Loves Me; He Loves Me Not, Sophie Morgan at age 35 finally has her floral business well established and is ready to start dating. There are only two bachelors in Maple Falls. What are the chances they would both show up on her doorstep on the same afternoon inviting her on a date? Landon is a good looking lawyer, but seems a little slick. She has known Joe since Kindergarten, but has never really noticed those football coach biceps. Is it too late for Sophie to find love?
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance
Notes: Includes discussion questions
Publication: July 13, 2021—Thomas Nelson
Memorable Lines:
Who would choose to cocoon themselves into sleeping bags like saucy enchiladas for every Lyme-disease bearing tick, leg-amputating brown recluse, rattlesnake, mountain lion, bear, or serial killing maniac to discover? Someone needed to write that condition in the book of psychological disorders.
“I once left you unattended in Dad’s toolshed and came back to find you’d reorganized the whole thing alphabetically.” “So? I like organization. Everybody like organization.” “Yeah, well, we were six,” Skye replied.
The man deathly afraid of snakes had stepped into striking distance to save her. Was willing to put himself in front of his greatest fear in order to help her escape. It was touching. Absolutely crazy and ridiculous and paranoid, but also…touching.
education pathways 