RaeAnne Thayne was an author that I didn’t think I was going to like when I picked up one of her books for the very first time. The cover reminded me of something that my grandma might read…..a small town country romance with cliche characters.
After reading the first book by Thayne, I fell in love with her books and have read a number of them since the first one! I especially love her holiday romances. JOLLY. GOOD.
I have devoured them in single sittings and this book was no different. This one is a standalone so I was really really excited to check it out and I absolutely fell in love from the very first page.
Summary
In the town of Silver Bells, there’s always a feeling of Christmas in the air… Let love—and RaeAnne Thayne—melt your heart this holiday season!
This New Year will bring widowed nurse Abigail Powell a fresh start in a different city. Excited about the chance to create an unforgettable Christmas for her young son in picturesque Silver Bells, Colorado, Abby has been hired to take care of her dear friend’s recuperating grandmother. But sprightly senior Winnie insists she doesn’t need looking after. What she does need is help decorating her historic mansion, Holiday House, for a seasonal town fundraiser. Abby warms to the festive task, but she’ll have to contend with her own personal Grinch: Winnie’s prickly grandson, Ethan Lancaster.
Ethan Lancaster is good at a lot of things. Relationships surely aren’t one of them. His ex-fiancée convinced Ethan he was incapable of love, and he believes her…up until the moment he impulsively kisses Abby. What is it about this vibrant woman and her sweet son that knocks his world off-kilter? He knows they’re leaving town after Christmas. He just didn’t expect they’d be taking a little of his heart with them. But as he and Abby work together on the magical Holiday House through the record cold weather, visions of a different future dance in his head…one filled with warmth, love and a new beginning for them both. (summary from Goodreads)
Review
This book hit all the hight notes for me. It had a likable heroine, a sweet romance with just the right amount of sexual tension and chemistry without being raunchy, loads of Christmas feels, and fun side characters. I absolutely loved it. I sat down one morning with it and didn’t put it down until later in the evening when I was done. It was so good and such a fast read. It was everything I was looking for in a holiday romance.
I loved Ethan. He was likable but still had his own ‘baggage’ to deal with but it wasn’t so extreme that he was off-putting. The attraction he felt toward Abby was genuine and believable. I felt that he truly fell in love with her rather than in lust which is often the case with some romances. He was charming and romantic and the way he told Abby how he felt was pitch perfect. I adored him and was so excited to watch their romance unfold.
In this book there is also a little side romance happening between Ethan’s best friend and his sister which at first I thought was going to be a little annoying, but I found myself just as invested in their romance as I was in Ethan’s and Abby’s. Jose and Lucy were kind of miss matched when it came to what they wanted in their relationship but in the end I felt like it worked well for both of them and while I was mostly invested in Ethan and Abby, Jose and Lucy added a fun diverting romance for readers as well.
When it comes to Christmas romances there really is none better than RaeAnne Thayne. She is a solid romance writer and I haven’t been disappointed with any of her books. In fact I went out and bought more of her books after reading this one because it left such a smile on my face and I felt so satisfied with how things ended that I couldn’t get enough! Do yourself a favor and pick this one up! It was the perfect holiday romance!
Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 336 pages
Published October 6th 2020 by Hqn
ISBN1335080635 (ISBN13: 9781335080639)
Review copy provided by personal collection. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: romance, holiday romance
The Lit Bitch 