Wonderful Collection! 'The Last Noel' - by Sarah Hamaker, Jayna Breigh & Kimberley Woodhouse

 

About the book:

Christmas novellas from three award-winning suspense authors

The Last Noel is a riveting Christmas novella collection with suspense, intrigue, and second-chance romance.


"Do You See What I See?" by Sarah Hamaker

Oakleigh Wright's estranged foster sister reappears late one night desperate to hand off her children. Oakleigh agrees to bring them to their aunt out of state, but her travels are intercepted by a ruthless gang. She turns to her ex, Joseph, for help. Will they rekindle their love as they uncover what the gang seeks?


"Do You Hear What I Hear?" by Jayna Breigh

Trial lawyer Elise Sinclair resigns herself to a lonely Christmas reviewing legal documents—until her renegade fiancé, Jack, reappears. He is jobless, broken, and seeking forgiveness. Can two battered hearts overcome secrets and restore their love?


"Do You Know What I Know?" by Kimberley Woodhouse

When Faith Thibodeaux returns to her Cajun-style food truck in Alaska after an accident, the last thing she expects is to find out that her ex-boyfriend is the executive chef of a new restaurant. When they return to their hometown over the holidays to fundraise, will the "friendly" competition restore their love or rip them apart forever?

My review:

This was a great romantic suspense collection about second chances at Christmas.  The action and suspense were plentiful along with some sweet romance.  There were also good faith-filled conversations as the characters were believers but might need some help forgiving or trusting God for the future.  I also liked that there was a wise person who gave great advice, whether a relative or friend.  There were some fun and festive Christmas traditions that really made the stories Christmasy and as a foodie, I loved the last story about Cajun-style food.  Now I need some!  I also enjoyed the tie-in to Woodhouse's Alaskan Cyber Hunter series, though you don't need to have read those to enjoy the story.  I liked that the stories ended with hope and that even though the characters went through hard things, they knew that God was in charge and that He would never leave them.  I highly recommend adding it to your Christmas collection!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the authors.  I was not compensated for my review.  All opinions are my own.

Cute Rom-Com! 'One Wild Chance' - Chance Brothers Ranch 1 - by Grace Worthington

 

About the book:

She isn't supposed to care about the ranch.
She definitely isn't supposed to fall for the oldest Chance brother.
And she's absolutely not supposed to trust him with her heart a second time.

Summer Daniels built her life on land she doesn't own, for a family that could take it back the second Jaxon Chance decides he wants it. Even though she works for Lucky Chance Ranch, Wildflower Farms is hers—the one thing she's built entirely on her own. She's got no interest in reliving the past, and even less interest in the infuriating hockey player who broke her heart on his way out the door after high school.

Jaxon Chance built his whole identity on hockey. A career-ending injury just took that away, and it's sent him back to the last place he ever wanted to be—his family's horse farm, now failing under a mountain of debt. The only way to save it is to run the place alongside his three brothers, under the terms of a will that gives them no choice.

What he didn't plan on was Summer Daniels, running her business on his family's land, making him remember exactly what he walked away from.

But somewhere between their first fight and long days working the horses side by side, something shifts. Summer stops bracing for the day he leaves again. And Jaxon stops pretending he wants to go.

The farm is what brought him home. But she might be the reason he finally stays.

TROPES:
Rivals to lovers
Cowboy romance
Closed door romance
Grumpy sunshine
Second chance
Small town

ONE WILD CHANCE is book one in the Chance Brothers Ranch series—a sweet, closed-door, second-chance, rivals-to-lovers cowboy romance with grumpy/sunshine chemistry and forced proximity.

My review:

This was a fun rom-com about rivals Jaxon and Summer who compete over everything and have since they were teens.  He doesn't want to be back home and starts out cocky thinking he knows what the ranch needs but there are some amusing incidents where he finds out he needs to learn a thing or two.  It was also cute how they were drawn to each other like when they were younger but both try to resist, her more than him as she's sure he'll leave again.  Her father left when she was little so has a hard time believing a man will stay, especially one who's left once.  I enjoyed the laugh-out-loud banter between them and the swoony kisses.  It was sweet to see him helping a kid's hockey team and also how supportive he was of Summer's dream of turning the barn into a wedding venue.  It's not all fun and games as Summer's mom has Alzheimer's and she pays for her care plus sees her mom slip away more all the time.  This was a clean read and I don't believe it's faith based as I don't remember faith being mentioned.  I would recommend it if you like rom-com's.

I received a complimentary ebook from the author.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.