Review: Finding the Truth in Christmas Falls by Danielle Stewart

Book Seven in the Return to Christmas Falls series

Seven fabulous authors bring you this holiday romance series about a group of special friends returning to their hometown at the request of their high school mentor. Each book is a standalone, but read them all to fully enjoy the journey of these remarkable women and their emotional reunion with their mentor, an incredible woman who changes their lives and helps save a small town community forever.

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Olivia Mackey spent her whole life hearing how she was destined for bigger and better places than Christmas Falls, Tennessee. A regular on the beauty queen scene from a very young age, she learned from her stage mom, that appearances mean everything. Having spent the years after high school traveling the world and failing at the dream everyone told her she should have, she's back home and wondering what she's to do next. 

Nothing is where she left it. Friends have scattered, her mentor is ill, and Olivia is fumbling her way through a big life in a small town.
 
Tim Avondale and his young daughter showed up in Christmas Falls one evening looking for a fresh start. Buying the Sleepy Hound Bookstore seemed the perfect opportunity. Life had gone so wrong and now here in this quiet town he could keep anything bad from happening to his daughter again.
When the two cross paths Olivia and Tim find an instant connection. A tug toward each other they don't want to ignore. The problem is, in the process they are being tugged away from all the things they thought were important in their lives. He can't hide out from real life forever. She is more than just what people see on the surface. But when they're forced to decide will they choose to be better together or safer apart?

My Review

This one was so-so for me. A pleasant story, but I never felt a connection to the characters or the connection Tim and Olivia had. I felt like there wasn't enough leading up to their romance, especially with their boss/employee relationship. Olivia is trying to reinvent herself since giving up on modeling and acting, and there is a lot of humble pie being served up in Christmas Falls. Her mom comes off as quite the villain, so the dynamics there aren't very complicated. Tim's daughter is the bright spot in the story, as well as the setting of the small town bookstore and Olivia bringing it back to life. I was happy to see all the friends from each book reuniting, and a resolution for both Miss Anna Cate and the community center. Overall, a fun series of contemporary romance!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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The rest of the books in the Return to Christmas Falls series

Review: The Captivating Lady Charlotte by Carolyn Miller

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Her heart is her own--but her hand in marriage is another matter

Lady Charlotte Featherington is destined for great things on the marriage market. After all, as the beautiful daughter of a marquess, she should have her pick of the eligible nobility when she debuts. She, however, has love at the top of her list of marriageable attributes. And her romantic heart falls hard for one particularly dashing, attentive suitor. Sadly for Charlotte, her noble father intends her betrothed to be someone far more dull.

William Hartwell may be a duke, but he knows he was Charlotte's father's pick, not the young lady's own choice. And the captivating Lady Charlotte does not strike him as a woman who will be wooed by his wealth or title. While she has captured his heart, he has no idea how to win hers in return--and the betrayal and scandal his first wife put him through makes it difficult for him to believe that love can ever be trusted. His only hope is that Charlotte's sense of responsibility will win out over her romantic notions.

Can a widowed duke and a romantically inclined lady negotiate a future and discover love beyond duty? Will they be able to find healing and hope from the legacy of grace?

My Review

The opulence of high society Regency England is well-described in the beginning of this story, with Charlotte's life seeming perfect and ideal. She has several suitors to choose from, yet wants more from her marriage than a title- she wants the affection and lasting love she witnesses in a few couples around her. She's a bit naive and judgmental, but I grew to like her more as she matured and learned to look beyond shallow appearances. William is in a vulnerable position- being attracted to Charlotte but not allowing himself to fall in love with her for fear of being hurt again. A sweet Regency romance with some angst and drama.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Don't miss the first book in the Regency Brides series . . .

Read my 4 star review here

Synopsis

Pride, prejudice and forgiveness...

Hampton Hall's new owner has the villagers of St. Hampton Heath all aflutter--all except Lavinia Ellison. The reverend's daughter cares for those who are poor and sick, and the seventh Earl of Hawkesbury definitely does not meet that criteria. His refusal to take his responsibilities seriously, or even darken the door of the church, leave her convinced he is as arrogant and reckless as his brother--his brother who stole the most important person in Lavinia's world.

Nicholas Stamford is shadowed by guilt: his own, his brother's, the legacy of war. A perfunctory visit to this dreary part of Gloucestershire wasn't supposed to engage his heart, or his mind. Challenged by Miss Ellison's fascinating blend of Bluestocking opinions, hoydenish behavior, and angelic voice, he finds the impossible becoming possible--he begins to care. But Lavinia's aloof manner, society's opposition and his ancestral obligations prove most frustrating, until scandal forces them to get along.

Can Lavinia and Nicholas look beyond painful pasts and present prejudice to see their future? And what will happen when Lavinia learns a family secret that alters everything she's ever known?

Review: Rumor Has It in Christmas Falls by Melinda Curtis

Book Four in the Return to Christmas Falls series

Seven fabulous authors bring you this holiday romance series about a group of special friends returning to their hometown at the request of their high school mentor. Each book is a standalone, but read them all to fully enjoy the journey of these remarkable women and their emotional reunion with their mentor, an incredible woman who changes their lives and helps save a small town community forever.

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Twelve unlucky years ago, rumors flew about Lexi and Kevin. And now? Well, not much has changed, except this time neither can run away. Not from Christmas Falls. And maybe... not from each other.

As a political strategist at Dunlop Bennet & Associates, Lexi Townsend's career is going nowhere. She's a cubical dweller writing speeches for freshmen senators in DC. But if she can hitch her career wagon to a rising political star, she’ll be on her way to a corner office in no time. When she’s offered a plum holiday assignment–an ideal candidate with deep pockets, someone who could make the leap from local to national politics–she starts to dream about that corner office.

Until she realizes her candidate is Kevin O’Malley, aka Kevin the Hottie, Kevin the Snob, Kevin the Liar, the same guy who shattered her high school reputation back home in Christmas Falls with a rumor. Assignment in hand, Lexi braces herself for the most difficult political race of her career--because this time it’s personal.

My Review

I enjoyed the parts of the story where Lexi reunites with her childhood friends and realizes how much they mean to her. My not-so-favorite parts involved the dysfunctional relationship between Lexi and Kevin. Even though he comes from an emotionally abusive background, it doesn't excuse the way he treated her in the past and the way he behaves in the present- mixing charm with indifference, depending on what will get him what he wants. I had a difficult time understanding their connection and thought she could do better. The romance in this one is turbulent but of course ends with a happily ever after.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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The rest of the books in the Return to Christmas Falls series

Review: Homecoming in Christmas Falls by Ciara Knight

Book One in the Return to Christmas Falls series

Seven fabulous authors bring you this holiday romance series about a group of special friends returning to their hometown at the request of their high school mentor. Each book is a standalone, but read them all to fully enjoy the journey of these remarkable women and their emotional reunion with their mentor, an incredible woman who changes their lives and helps save a small town community forever.

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Eight years after fleeing Christmas Falls because of a high school prank gone wrong, Ashley Brooks receives a mysterious letter from her mentor asking her to come home. She arrives to face all she left behind—her family, her friends, and the rich boy she’d loved who would never date the girl from the wrong side of town.

Brent Donnelly, high school jock, brainiac, and dutiful son did everything right until the day Ashley returns to Christmas Falls. With one look at the girl who got away he questions all his life choices, including following in his father’s footsteps in the family business.

Faced with a potentially devastating decline of tourism in their hometown, Brent and Ashley must work together to save the magic of their town, but when Ashley discovers he still has feelings for her best friend she must finally face the real reason she left Christmas Falls—to try to heal her broken heart.


My Review

This book introduces readers to Christmas Falls and the girls who were friends there but have drifted apart. It focuses on Ashley and her relationship with Brent- which is sweet, but the miscommunication to create conflict was a little too melodramatic for me. It was interesting how much Ashley loved her friends but was afraid to reconnect with them. The author's writing style also wasn't my favorite- including run-on sentences and missing commas which would have made more natural pauses in the rhythm of the words. Overall it was a decent story and because the rest of the books in the series are by other authors, I kept on reading.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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The rest of the books in the Return to Christmas Falls series

Review: Saving Shadow by Laura Beers (and Goodreads Giveaway!)

My rating: 3 stars / I liked it

Synopsis

Born with a perfect memory, Lady Elizabeth Beckett has become one of the world's most notorious spies, despite being the daughter of a duke. She is shielded only by her code name: Shadow. When young ladies of High Society begin disappearing from London, Eliza has no doubt who is orchestrating these crimes; a heinous man she has been investigating for years. Vowing to save them before they are sold to the highest bidder, she must risk everything to stop him.

Lord Sinclair was perfectly content being the second son of a marquess, but when his brother is murdered, he is thrust into a position he has not been prepared for and does not desire. As an agent for the Crown, he is expected to retire now that he is the heir, but he's been granted special permission for one more mission... to obtain justice for his murdered brother.

Used to keeping secrets, Lady Eliza and Lord Sinclair must learn to open up to each other when they are assigned as partners to bring down the same ruthless man and his brutal empire of abduction and slavery. As Eliza's tainted past becomes too much for her to bear alone, can she learn to trust her new partner with her secrets, her life, and possibly her heart?

My Review

This book is definitely not your usual Regency romance! The heroine is one of the elite justice seekers, and because of this the dynamics of her relationship with partner spy Benedict have a different give and take. I enjoyed their passionate romance as they worked together to complete his final mission. The voice and tone of the book was more contemporary than I'm used to in a historical novel, and the purpose of their mission- to stop human trafficking among the lower classes- was surprising since I assumed the purpose of spies were to ensure national security from foreign threats. Much of the story is told in the narration rather than shown, and I felt like a lot of things were being explained to me which prevented me from feeling immersed in the action and characters. Overall this is an entertaining read if the reader is able to suspend belief a bit ;)

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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