Category: book review

In Deck the Halls, one man must face his past to find his future this Christmas.

About Deck the Halls

In the last year, George’s life has drastically changed. The formerly homeless veteran now has a job he likes, a family in the residents of Darling, VT, and for the first time in years, a home. But while his present is good, he’s still haunted by the past, a past that appears shortly before Christmas when the older sister of his brother-in-arms hunts him down and finds him in Darling, working at the Ladybug Garden Center.

Amy’s looking for closure for her family after her brother’s death in the Middle East, but the serious man she finds working in Vermont doesn’t resemble the soldier she remembers from years before. This man is hardened and yet somehow fragile, too, and in her desire to find out what really happened to her brother, she learns more about George than she ever expected.

With a little Christmas magic and the whole town supporting them, can these two bruised hearts make a future together?

My Thoughts

Deck the Halls while a Christmas novel and a romance, it has some powerful moments throughout the story as it tells the story of George.

George is a veteran who suffers greatly with PTSD after he returns to America. He is haunted by his past and the death of his best friend. It forces him to turn to alcohol and he had eventually became homeless. Now living in Darling, he is given a second chance but at times he is still haunted by his past.

When Amy shows up, he is forced to deal with the past and her brother’s death. Amy can barely recognize the man in front of her. Gone is his light heartiness and in his place is a man who is hard on the outside but has this gentle core that could be broken at any time. It was interesting to note that there was some attraction between these two before George went away with the army.

As Amy helps him confront his path while giving her some closure, these two work through some very difficult moments. They both have had difficult pasts but in order to move forward, they need to confront their past, make peace with it and decide to move into the future with hope.

I loved every moment of this powerful and beautiful story. I cried, I laughed and I wanted nothing more than the best for these two. I am sure this is a story that so many individuals can relate to on some level. It is difficult to let go of our past, especially when it haunts us and we wonder if there is anything we could have done differently to change the outcome. This can lead to self hate which is just as destructive. This novel while full of raw, honest emotion gives hope and an important message of forgiveness, faith and love.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and SMP Romance.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

A busy wife and mother of three (two daughters plus the family dog), Donna Alward believes hers
is the best job in the world: a combination of stay-at- home mom and romance novelist. Donna loves being back on the East Coast of Canada after nearly twelve years in Alberta where her romance career began, writing about cowboys and the west. She is the author of Somebody Like
You, Somebody’s Baby, and Someone to Love.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In Christmas at Two Love Lane, the best gift of all is the one you share with someone else.

About Christmas at Two Love Lane

From the moment he strode through the iron gate and into the offices of Two Love Lane on a crisp December day, it was obvious that Deacon Banks was something different. He wasn’t a Charleston native, not with that adorable Yankee accent. And unlike the usual client at the elegant matchmaking agency, he had no interest in finding a woman to marry―just a few no-strings dates while he was in town.

Macy Frost takes her professional services very seriously―how could she not, when she’s rumored to be a direct descendant of Cupid? Tech entrepreneur Deacon says he’s just trying to make his social-climbing aunt happy by being seen out and about with a few prominent beauties, but Macy insists she can make her client fall in love…for real. And Deacon can’t help but think she might be right. As charming as the palmetto trees and magnificent harbor may be, it’s the beautiful, breath-of-fresh-air Macy who’s become Deacon’s favorite part of the scenery. But can the hopelessly romantic Southern belle stop trying to fix him up and just let Cupid do his work on her own heart?

My Thoughts

Christmas at Two Love Lane follows the story of Macy (our legendary match maker) and the ultra sexy tech guy Deacon. These two are polar opposites in so many ways but sparks fly when these two meet!

Macy is a Southern Belle. She is in love with the concept of love and has this ultimate fairytale romance played out in her mind, which means that she has a hard time settling for anything else. She is also the town matchmaker (with a rough family history of being related to Cupid?!). She is one of the owners of the local matchmaking agency. I love her confidence, her strength and her desire to wait for the love of her life.

Deacon on the other hand seems to be running from love. To make his Aunt happy, he has agreed to go on a few staged dates (although his Aunt has no idea they are staged). He is happy being single and wants to keep it that way. He feels the strong attraction to Macy but is terrified of his feelings. We watch him struggle with his attraction throughout the novel.

Christmas at Two Love Lane is a fun, steamy novel that has a slow build but well worth it in the end. We watch our two main characters struggle to understand and deal with their attraction. Sometimes this lands them in the funniest of situations! You will find yourself laughing, shaking your head and wishing for more. I really hope there is a second installment as I would love to see what happens with this couple in the future (and all of our other amazing characters in this story).

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and SMP Romance.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Kieran Kramer, author of the Impossible Bachelors series, was born in Washington, D.C. to an Air
Force pilot father and actress/singer mother. She grew up mainly on Johns Island, a rural sea island near Charleston, South Carolina, where she helped build her family’s log home. Having worked for the CIA and as journalist for The Charlotte Observer, Kieran is now a stay-at- home mom. She once won $34,000 on Wheel of Fortune, and also won on Family Feud. She’s been married to her naval officer husband, Chuck, for twenty-one years, and they have three children.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In No Place Like You, can Zach find a way to convince Leah that they can make more than just great music together—and that she’s the one that he wants for all time?

About No Place Like You

In Cloud Bay, home is where the heart is.

Leah Santelli always knew that Zach Harper, son of a rock legend and her best friend’s brother, was painfully out of reach. Then, on the night of her eighteenth birthday, Leah shocked herself by asking for—and receiving—the gift she wanted: one night of passion with Zach before he left town to pursue his rock star dreams. Now, years later, Zach is back in Cloud Bay to record his first solo album. His return could also be Leah’s big chance to step up her own music career. But getting the producing credit she needs means spending long hours with Zach in the recording studio…and falling back into the habit of longing for him, for better or worse.

Zach used to believe that a man must put his past behind him. But coming back home for Cloud Bay’s famed music festival has allowed him to finally make amends with his family and, much to his surprise, reunite with Leah. He might have left her once but now it seems he can’t stay away. Trouble is, even though the heat between them burns hotter than ever, Leah has old wounds in need of healing before she can give Zach a real chance. Can he find a way to convince her that they can make more than just great music together—and that she’s the one that he wants for all time?

My Thoughts

I fell in love with this crazy, loving and very real family – the Harper’s. They are children of a legendary rock star and this has shaped the way they think, feel and act. This is very much true for Zach Harper. He is an emotional person but is not very good at showing those emotions. While he has tried his hardest to run from his Dad’s legacy and not be like his Father, he is finding himself more and more like him. This tends to scare him and sometimes cause him to ignore his actions out of fear. He does not want to be anything like his Father (and when you read the story you understand fully why!). He loved his children but wasn’t there for them in the way a child needs.

Leah is a kind, strong, independent young woman who has just recovered from a divorce. Although it was a divorce they both agreed on, it still caused her pain that she hasn’t quite worked through. She works in the music industry as a producer and is trying to make a name for herself. She not only wants to use Zach for breaking out in the industry but she also has strong feelings for him – something that she continually tries to deny to him, herself and her best friend Faith. It was very interesting to find out about their secret past that they kept hidden from everyone!

As Zach works on his relationship with his family, his relationship steams up with Leah. You can see the two falling in love but holding so much of themselves back from each other. They both seem too afraid to just let go. You are constantly on the edge of your seat guessing if they will take that leap of faith or continue to hold back.

No Place Like You is a well written story of hope, finding oneself, taking that second chance and trust. Our main characters have to work past their own fears and past history in order to move into the future – one that may just hold a lifetime of happiness and love. It is in their hands to have a happy future but they struggle with putting the past where it belongs – in the past.

I loved every moment of this novel and could not put it down! While it is book three in the Cloud Bay series, you don’t have to read the other ones first but I highly recommend you do (look out for another review of a book in this series, A Season of You, coming October 17th). This book is set to release December 5th, 2017.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Emma Douglas has read like a wild thing since she was small. She discovered romance novels at an age that way probably way too young but she survived unscathed. When she realized you could make up stories as well as read them, she started taking notes about what the characters wandering through her head were telling her and then, eventually, books happened. Before the books happened she did the usual things (was a band geek (and a geek generally), had crushes on rock stars and fictional characters, spent chunks of her summers on an island beach, got a degree in something sensible that doesn’t involve writing about kissing, became a black belt in internet procrastination, fell down the rabbit-hole of craft, traveled a bit, indulged her love of baked goods, got bossed around by cats, began a quest for the perfect margarita, and napped to recover from all of the above. She still does most of that plus the writing thing from a tiny house in Melbourne Australia which her feline overlords have kindly agreed to share with her.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.