My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing
Pick up this collection of four sweet contemporary romances based in the small town of Echo Ridge in Upstate New York from award-winning author Lucy McConnell and escape into the fun, flirting, and happy ever afters.
Mia Davis’s new job in guest relations at Ruby Mountain Ski Resort gets complicated when the gorgeous Ryder Montgomery falls off the ski lift, tells everyone they are engaged, and then loses consciousness.
Worried about a head injury, Mia plays along, making him lunch, kissing in the front entryway and planning a future together; a future Mia wants with all of her heart.
Things become all the more complicated when Ryder’s estranged family gets involved. Caught up in the fantasy and romance, Mia has to tell the truth or risk losing a part of herself and the man she loves forever.
With a broken heart and an unsure future, Abigail Martin moves home to Echo Ridge to capture the parts of her teenage years she missed out on because she'd had a steady boyfriend. Kissing a random guy, flirting with strangers, hanging out at Fay's after a football game - all of it.
Carter Montgomery offers his help, because he's a helpful kind of guy, and she quickly falls for his quiet humor, kindness, and heated kisses. Fearing that she hasn't lived enough of life to settle down, Abigail must decide if she's going to break Carter's heart or give love a new second chance.
Jennifer Solomon's birthday wish is for the one thing she's been too shy to go after: Kirke Staples, Echo Ridge’s resident playwright, an avid mountain biker, and her best friend.
Friend, as in don’t kiss, don’t covet, and don’t under any circumstances fall in love with the man.
But it’s too late—she’s already fallen in love. Hoping for a birthday kiss that will change everything, she arranges an "accidental" meeting with the handsomest man on the library board. Her carefully laid plans are thrown off track when the beautiful Bay Barington sweeps into town and casts a spell over Kirke. In her efforts to win Kirke’s heart, Jennifer is forced to take a look at her inner self and decide what type of woman she wants to be, a lion or witch.
Someday Reese Gates will own The Candy Counter at Kenworth's Department Store; but someday can't come fast enough when Kenworth's manager threatens to bring in a national candy provider. With her ailing grandmother stressing her parents, Reese secretly takes matters into her own hands hoping to save her family from additional worry and prove herself capable of running the company.
Her deception deepens as she ropes the handsome computer guru, Andy Edwards, into helping her expand the business through an online retail site. Reese wanted to shake things up, but she wasn't planning on her heart getting caught in the mix by Andy's stolen kisses. If she can hold it all together until after the Christmas orders are filled, then she can reveal her successful online company to her family and finally act on her feelings for Andy.
Unfortunately for Reese, she can't mold life like she can a chocolate Santa. Between a fire in the department store that destroys their stock and Andy discovering her deception, Reese stands to lose everything she's been working for. With a prayer in her heart, she reaches for her own Christmas miracle.
My Review
This is the first time I've read any books from the Echo Ridge series, which I discovered is actually four separate anthologies with stories by several different authors. This collection that I read contains the four stories that were author Lucy McConnell's contribution to the anthologies. They are connected in that the characters are from the same community and know each other as friends or acquaintances, so the stories can be read in any order. (The only exception is that I think While You Were Skiing should be read before Brand New Second Chance, since the male lead in each are brothers and there is a bit of an inside joke from the older brother's story that makes an appearance in the next story. It's explained, but would be more meaningful having read the first story already).
I loved reading each of these novellas. They actually seemed a bit longer than novellas, but are short enough to be read in 1-2 sittings. They each have a full story arc, great characters, and a lovely small town setting in the mountains. The plots were interesting and entertaining, and I loved the sweet romance each couple found. There was enough depth to satisfy me and prevent them from being fluffy or too chick-lit. I connected with the emotions of the characters and it was so great to have one happy ending after another as I read through the collection. I'm looking forward to checking out the stories of the other authors in the Echo Ridge series, and definitely plan to read more from this author!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
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