290 pages Kensington Books September 24, 2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
The first in a new cozy Christmas series where the 12 annual Competitions of Christmas in the, close-knit town of Noel, North Carolina are underway! This year horse breeder, and newcomer, Jordyn Banks decides to take on the resident Christmas tree decorating champion, who happens to be her handsome next door neighbor.
Barrel racer Jordyn Banks is thrilled to discover affordable land for sale in charming Noel, perfect for breeding her horses. But that’s not all. A nomad with no family—other than her beloved Quarter Horse, Star—she also hopes to find a home within the close-knit Appalachian Mountain community. Yet Jordyn didn’t bargain on inheriting a controversial Fraser Fir—or falling for a handsome single dad whose adorable little girl tempts her to dream of being far more than a property owner . . .
Since losing his wife in childbirth six years ago, Nate Reed has devoted himself to their daughter, Roxanna, and built up their thriving Frosted Firs Ranch. For nine years straight he’s won Noel’s contest for the most perfect Christmas tree for the Town Square. It’s a tradition he began with his late wife. But this year, Jordyn Banks is determined to harvest her Fraser Fir and compete—meaning Nate will finally be challenged—in more ways than one . . .
Throughout the event, Nate can’t help noticing that Roxanna is dazzled by Jordyn’s strength, beauty, and quirky sense of humor. Soon enough, Nate is falling for her, too. But can a feisty wanderer ever really settle down? Is Nate ready to open his heart to someone new? And is it possible that sometimes love does grow on (Christmas) trees? . . .
MY THOUGHTS
Jordyn buys sight unseen a home for herself and her horse, she’s a former barrel racer, now retired. She has a beautiful white horse, and she just wants Noel to be the first place she can relax and call home. Growing up going through the system she has never had that.
I loved the Nana’s, four women, the grandma type who run the Noel Christmas festival and contest every year. They swoop in and give her loving advice on how to win as the same person has won many years in a row.
Nate is a widower of six years and still desperately grieving his wife’s death. His six-year-old daughter is smart as a whip and precocious.
The Nana’s are trying to matchmake between Jordyn and Nate but he’s not ready to move on.
There was an insta attraction between our two main characters, but I thought Nate was too slow and stubborn to move on. The book would have been enriched so much more if our MC’S had had a sweet Christmas romance right from the start.
I liked a lot about the book, the descriptions of decorations, the relationship Jordyn has with Roxie, Nate’s daughter, she’s so sweet and kind to her, the small-town vibes, the Christmas contest.
There were also some things I wasn’t crazy about, I didn’t particularly like Jordyn, she was too sugar sweet and didn’t seem to have a backbone and the book despite being in full gear with so much going on with the Christmas contests It dragged for me a good bit and I had trouble keeping my attention on it.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
About the Author
Janet Dailey was born and raised in the small farming town of Storm Lake, Iowa and attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband and settling in southern Missouri. After publishing her first novel in 1976, she went on to become one of the top-selling female authors in the world, with more than 325 million copies of her books sold in nineteen languages in ninety-eight countries. Dubbed “America’s First Lady of Romance” because her groundbreaking novels celebrate the triumphs and struggles of working class women with American values and themes, she is known for her strong, decisive characters, her extraordinary ability to re-create a time and a place, and her unerring courage to confront important, controversial issues in her stories. To learn more about Janet Dailey and her novels, please visit JanetDailey.com or find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/JanetDaileyAuthor.
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