Publication Date: October 26, 2021

Publisher: HQN Books

The holidays have never been her thing. But Christmas in Rose Bend has more than one surprise in store…

Grieving ER nurse Nessa Hunt is on a road trip with her sullen teen half-sister, Ivy, and still reeling from her mother’s deathbed confession: Nessa’s dad wasn’t really her dad. Seeking answers, they arrive in Rose Bend to find a small town teeming with the kind of Christmas cheer Nessa usually avoids. But then she meets the innkeeper’s ruggedly sexy son, Wolfgang Dennison.

 

Wolf’s big, boisterous family is like a picture-perfect holiday card. Nessa has too much weighing on her to feel like she fits—even though the heat between her and Wolf is undeniable. And the merriment bringing an overdue smile to Ivy’s face is almost enough to make Nessa believe in the Christmas spirit. But with all her parental baggage, including lingering questions about her birth father, is there room in Nessa’s life for happy holidays and happily-ever-after?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

And to answer your question, yes, we do take Christmas seriously. Because it’s serious business. Peace on earth and goodwill toward men is not something you half-ass, Nessa Hunt. You use your whole ass.

 

A dull ache started at the back of Nessa’s head, one that usually coincided with Ivy’s tone. The tone that warned, I’m about to go into a full-out preteen hellish mood that all the berserkers and centurions in Fortnite won’t be able to save you from.

 

The other woman smiled widely, showing all her teeth, and even if the rest of the group hadn’t reacted as if this woman carried the strain for the next zombie plague, that smile would’ve had Nessa leery. Shark smiles— from people who grinned so huge you could count every tooth in their mouth— could rarely be trusted.

 

God, only a dinner party with Kanye West and Taylor Swift could possibly have been more awkward.

 

A couple of years ago, some enterprising soul replaced the ex-mayor’s box of decorations with penis-and-ball-shaped ornaments. Hilarious! We’ve all been secretly waiting for Penisgate to happen again. You can’t make this up, my friend.

 

She can throw a verbal smackdown that would leave a person crying and sucking his thumb.

 

My Review:

 

Shame on me, this prolific storyteller has one-hundred-and-one books listed on Goodreads and this is my first time reading her clever craft. The characters were likable and realistically flawed, yet resilient while struggling with individual issues. The story hit all the feels with the angst well tempered with amusing humor and volcanic and gasp producing sensual steam, although the latter came much later in the tale. The storylines were relatable and easy to follow with generous servings of family drama, wry humor, a supposedly no-strings holiday romance with a short shelf life, and small-town community holiday festivities – and this little berg was really into Christmas. Ms. Simone’s Christmas tale provides a bit of tasty spice and is a higher octane alternative to the more chaste and commercially packaged seasonal eggnog out of the carton Hallmark moments broadcasting nonstop this month.