Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a heartwarming holiday romance between the a small-town florist and the handsome chief of police. Includes a bonus novel by Miranda Liasson!

Last Christmas was tough for Halona Locklear and her seven-year-old son Theo, who hasn’t spoken a word since his father’s death. This year, Halona wants nothing more than to give him a good holiday and to hear his sweet voice again. Enrolling him in the Mentor Match program might help, but when Theo gets matched with Sweetwater Springs Chief of Police, Alex Baker, Halona realizes that the handsome hero might know secrets about her past that she is determined to keep buried.

Chief of Police, Alex Baker, re-opens his father’s hit-and-run cold case every December, hoping to finally solve it. This year, his plate is full with being a Mentor Match to a young seven-year-old boy as well. His biggest obstacle, however, is fighting his attraction to the boy’s mother, Halona. As Alex gets close to solving his father’s cold case, he learns that those closest to him may be in danger — including Halona. Alex has already lost one of the most important people in his life; he isn’t about to lose her too, even if it means walking away to keep her safe.

First Line:

Something crashed in the kitchen
Snowfall on Cedar Trails by Annie Rains

My Review:

I love romance novels set around Thanksgiving/Christmas. I always get in the holiday mood while reading them. So, when I saw the Annie Rains had another book set around Thanksgiving/Christmas, I knew that I had to read it. I am glad that I did!! Because of this book, I was in the holiday mood for days.

The plotline for Snowfall on Cedar Trail was medium paced. The medium pace of the plotline worked for me. If the book had been faster-paced, an essential part of the plotline would have been glossed over.

I liked Halona. She was doing everything she could to run her business and get her son the help he needed. There was no place in her life for romance, which I understand. I thought her crush on Alex was cute. But she was wary of getting involved with him. I thought it was because of Theo’s issues, but then there was another reason why. That reason broke my heart when it was revealed. It also reinforced, in my eyes, how strong she was and had to be.

I loved Alex. He took his job as police chief seriously. When the book started, he was trying to help a battered woman leave her husband. He had also reopened his father’s cold case, trying to see if there were any new clues about his death. Then, while checking on the battered woman, he takes an abused puppy from her husband. On top of that, he had agreed to become a mentor to a child in need. It was a lot. His interactions with Halona, Theo, the town folk, and Officer Chew (the puppy and I LOVED the name!!) made the book.

Halona and Alex’s romance was a slow burn. I loved that they had been crushing on each other since, well, forever. They did have their ups and down, though. A significant down with their relationship was Halona’s ex-husband and how he treated her. But, they did get past it. When they did, their romance went into high gear.

Theo’s selective mutism was a significant part of the storyline. It was the reason that Theo was placed in the mentor program and in turn, got paired with Alex. I did feel bad for Theo. He saw his father doing something horrible to his mother. It affected him so much that he stopped talking. It broke my heart. But, I was glad to see that Alex was able to help Theo. But, I didn’t buy the end of that storyline. It seemed to me almost too perfect.

Another storyline that ended almost too perfectly was Alex’s father’s cold case and the battered woman’s storyline. I wasn’t a fan of Halona giving Tony advice about how to win his wife BACK. I mean, he beat his wife and a puppy. I also didn’t like how the cold case ended up. It left me with more questions, which drove me nuts.

The end of Snowfall of Cedar Trail was cute but seemed a little rushed. I couldn’t figure out who the next book will be about.

I would give Snowfall on Cedar Trail an Adult rating. There is sex. There is mild language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Snowfall on Cedar Trail. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Weekly Wrap Up: October 13th through October 19th 2019

2019-10-19 Jolie1 Comment

Books I’ve Read:

Christmas Angels

Followers

My Best Friend’s Sister

Ice Hard

The Widow of Rose House

Books with Pending Reviews:

Sweet Retribution—review coming September 17th

Books with Published Reviews:

Christmas in Harmony Harbor—Review Here

Sweet Retribution—Review Here

The Widow of Rose House—Review Here

Cilka’s Journey—Review Here

Lethal Nights—Review Here

NetGalley Requests:

Author/Publisher Requests:

Releasing Keanu (Instant ARC from author)

Jesse and The Return of Antheia (author request/not on Goodreads)

Jesse & The Thinkers (author request)

The Angel of Evil (author request)

The Wrongful Death (author request)

The Die of Death (author request)

Blog Tours/Excerpts/Book Blitz/Cover Reveal:

Winter’s Captive—Book Blitz

Sweet Retribution—Blog Tour

Kingdom of Thorns and Dreams Boxed Set—Book Blitz

Dark Faerie-–Cover Reveal

The Alchemist and an Amaretto—Book Blitz

Samba—Book Blitz

Grayton Beach Dreams—Book Blitz

The Ghost on Firefly Lane—Cover Reveal

Rhodes—Cover Reveal

Kingdom of Darkness and Light boxed set—Cover Reveal

Scorpion Blood—Excerpt

The Widow of Rose House—Blog Tour

Magic Harbor—Excerpt

Alfheim Academy—Book Blitz

To Kill a Fae—Book Blitz

Drowning Lessons—Book Blitz

Winter King—Book Blitz

Seven Letters—Excerpt

Tesoro—Book Blitz

Weekly Posts:

Weekly Wrap Up

Top Ten Tuesday

WWW Wednesday

Christmas in Harmony Harbor (Harmony Harbor: Book 9) by Debbie Mason

2019-10-17 Jolie3 Comments

Christmas in Harmony Harbor: Includes a bonus story by [Mason, Debbie]

4 Stars

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever

Date of publication: October 1st 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Harmony Harbor

Mistletoe Cottage—Book 1

Christmas with an Angel—Book 1.5

Starlight Bridge-–Book 2

Primrose Lane—Book 3

Sugarplum Way—Book 4

Driftwood Cove—Book 5

Sandpiper Shore—Book 6

The Corner of Holly and Ivy-–Book 7 (review here)

Barefoot Beach—Book 8

Christmas in Harmony Harbor—Book 9

Where you can find Christmas in Harmony Harbor: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Evangeline Christmas will do anything to save her year-round Christmas store, Holiday House, when high-powered real-estate developer Caine Elliot uses his money and influence to push through his competing property next door. When her last desperate attempt to stop him fails, she gambles everything on a proposition she prays the handsome, blue-eyed player can’t refuse.

Caine agrees to Evie’s bargain because how hard can it be to fulfill three wishes on the Angel Tree at Holiday House? The wishes have him reliving the Christmases of his past and taking part in the holiday festivities of Christmas present. But just when he begins to believe Evie might be his Christmas future, dark secrets from his past are revealed.

Will the last wish on the Angel Tree be enough to give Caine and Evie the happy ending they deserve?

First Line:

A power outage on Black Friday was the last thing Evangeline Christmas needed.
Christmas in Harmony Harbor by Debbie Mason

My Review:

I haven’t read a Christmas based romance that I didn’t like. Reading about two people falling in love during the most magical time of the year always gets me misty-eyed. So, when I saw that Debbie Mason had written another book in her Harmony Harbor series, I couldn’t wait to read it!!

I loved the plotline of Christmas in Harmony Harbor. It was fast-paced and well written. There was a spot in the book where it lagged. But the author was able to get the book back on track.

The storyline of Christmas in Harmony Harbor was interesting. It was a mixture of A Christmas Carol and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It reminded me of A Christmas Carol because of the journey that Caine took during the time he was with Evie. Each task he had to complete had him reflecting on his past, present, and future. It reminded me of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas because Caine’s heart grew three sizes too large towards the end of the book.

I was surprised to find out that Christmas in Harmony Harbor was going to be the last book in the Harmony Harbor series. That upset me because I didn’t want the series to end. Hopefully, the author will start a new series that features a least some of the unattached characters (thinking Clio here). That way, I can catch up on what the characters in this series have been doing.

Christmas in Harmony Harbor can be read as a standalone book. But, considering the intertwining storylines, I would read the previous books. I wish I did because some plotlines were mentioned that had me going, “Huh?”

I loved Evie, but she was a hot mess. She was trying to save her family business and disrupt Caine’s plans for her house. But, she did make me laugh during the book. I thought her idea to win Caine over by using the Angel Tree was perfect. I also liked how she saw the best in everyone/thing. Like her shop. It was a rat, and mice-infested mess, yet she loved it.

I didn’t like Caine for the first half of the book. He was hellbent on getting revenge on the Gallaghers on behalf of his grandmother. But then he met Evie, and he started to thaw. He agreed to 3 wishes from the Angel Tree. It was after that scene that I began to like him. But, I wish that he stood up to his grandmother sooner.

Caine and Evie’s romance was cute. They weren’t expecting to develop feelings for each other. Caine viewed Evie as a PITA, and Evie thought Caine was the second coming of Satan. But I saw that spark. The minute that Caine went into the basement and faced down rats, I knew it. I loved it, even though it was Instalove.

I thought that the secondary characters made this book. Caine’s grandmother, GG, Seamus, Evie’s mother, and all of the characters from the previous book added depth to the story. My favorite was Seamus. I had this mental picture of this barrel-chested, handsome Irishman helping his nephew. My least favorite was Caine’s grandmother. Up until the end, she insisted on doing things that harmed everyone. I also couldn’t get past what she told and do to Caine. I did a mental “WTF” when that came out.

The end of Christmas in Harmony Harbor was bittersweet. I liked it because I got to see Caine and Evie’s HEA. But I was sad because the author is ending the series.

I would give Christmas in Harmony Harbor an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is very mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Christmas in Harmony Harbor. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

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