Guarded by the Hero by Mandi Blake

 

Guarded by the Hero - Mandi Blake

4 Stars 

Cute, quick Christmas read from Mandi! We are in Freedom Ridge with Heath Mitchell, who served in the Marines but now spends time as the head of security for the Freedom Ridge Resort. He meets a friend of his sister and she becomes a client who needs protection as he is the bodyguard like figure. Claire has some things from the past that resurfaces and he has to help protect her. They grow close together and the rest is history.

Enjoyed this one pretty well. As usual, Mandi has good faith elements and sweet clean romance.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6926059884

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3BzhfnQ

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Cabin Crush by Kasey Stockton

Cabin Crush by Kasey Stockton - 5 Stars 

Another new favorite Christmas read y'all! I loved this one so much. We have friends to move, brother's best friend, forced proximity, cabin at Christmas time, family elements, all the things you want in a cute romance for Christmas! We see Rachael, who has had a crush on her brother's best friend Max forever. The story starts from their past experience kissing under the mistletoe when she she was humiliated at a christmas party. Cut to many years later and Max has always had a girlfriend since then...until now at the family cabin this Christmas. He tells Rachael his secret he needs to tell his family this season and there are a lot of flirty moments between them as they start to get closer in a way they never have before as just friends....

Read if you love:

🎄Friends to More

🎄Childhood Crush

🎄Brother's Best Friend

🎄Cozy Christmas Vibes

🎄Family Bonding

🎄Festive Traditions

🎄Sweet Romances

🎄Heartwarming Ending

🎄The Grinch

Such a great one y'all! Highly recommend you check this out. The audio narration was great too.  Romance was clean with kisses only, no language.

 

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6926062943
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZMuNW5

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

 

Silent Night, Holy Night by Colleen Coble

 

Silent Night, Holy Night by Colleen Coble - 3 Stars

All is Calm, All is Bright was more of a fav for me here but this one had two novellas for the Rock Harbor series.

The first novella is Silent Night. Bree and her search and rescue dog Samson follow the trail of a troubling mystery into the snowy forests of Rock Harbor. We see her and her husband Kade preparing for Christmas guests when word arrives that a parachuter has disappeared in the North Woods, along Lake Superior's icy shore. Bree and Samson plunge into the search. I really didn't connect with the characters in this one and it did not feel like a mystery - it was more so their infertility journey and adoption discussions etc. Very odd novella for me I would rate this one 2 star. Didn't feel Christmas to me at all either unfortunately but I liked the second one more.

The second novella is Holy Night. We see a phone call derail a Christmas wedding....Leia and Bane are looking forward to their Christmas wedding on the beach and everything is going to plan until Leia gets a phone call that turns everything upside down. Her sister, who has down syndrome and cannot take care of herself, is kidnapped and instructs her to cancel her wedding or risk her sister's life. The story takes off here.

I liked the suspense in this one but wasn't crazy about Bane's character and how he couldn't move on from what was going on in the suspense itself. Leia was just reacting in the only way she knew how with her sister's life on the line. Didn't feel christmas-y at all here either but I did like the sister and suspense part. I would give this 3 to 3.5. 

I don't plan to keep this one just because it wasn't a fav but if you want more short Christmas romantic suspense novellas, pick this up too. 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7066631285
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/21488

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4g77GeM

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

All is Calm, All is Bright by Colleen Coble

 

All is Calm, All is Bright by Colleen Coble - 3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 

I liked this overall but wish it was a bit more christmas-y. 

The first one, All is Calm was probably my favorite and most engaging one. In that one, we have Brendan and Lauren. We are at Bluebird Ranch, a place Brendan always considered a little piece of heaven. They have a ranch that pairs children with horses, run by one of his old Marine friends. He is recovering from a job injury and is back at the ranch to spend Christmas healing. Lauren was a 17 year old foster kid when she was at Bluebird Ranch years ago and it was the safest place she knew. Now she is on the run from a murder investigation where she was a witness - she takes her horse (who was going to be put down falsely accused) and runs to the ranch where she feels safe. She meets Brendan and he is very suspicious of her actions and past. Romance blooms when they start working together and the rest is history.

I liked this first one because of the family ranch vibes it gave with a little girl, horses and a bit of mystery. Romance was too instalove for me but I liked the characters and the narrator was good. Would recommend because it does end with Christmas time that I liked.

For the second novella, All is Bright, we have Delilah who is a manager of Tidewater Inn. She has been planning a Christmas wedding for her friends at the grand hotel overlooking the ocean. A truck runs her off the road one night and she barely escapes death. Then she starts getting threatening phone calls and  Sheriff Tom stops by the inn and volunteers to help. Tom has always had a soft spot for Delilah and wants to protect her but things get crazy and they get separated. 

I enjoyed this one too, while not as much as the first one, it had a solid suspense element. I just wanted to more Christmas vibes here. 

Overall, would recommend if you want a quick audiobook listen for christmas romantic suspense.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7066565851

Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/21818
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fdke2M

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Who are you following? Sadie Robertonson Huff

 

Who Are You Following? Sadie Robertson Huff - 4 Stars

This book was a timely and thought-provoking one that explores faith and social media in today’s digital age. Sadie challenges readers to evaluate their relationship with social media and redirect their focus toward following Jesus wholeheartedly. Sadie explained much of her own personal experiences related to social media, faith, relationships, work etc. She went through different pressures we experience, pitfalls and offered advice and spiritual wisdom for navigating a world obsessed with likes, followers and perfection. It was relatable and honest for me personally, especially as somewhat of a bookish influencer online. This was packed with scriptures and practical tips for shifting focus away from worldly influences and toward God. Such a great reminder to stop looking to social media for validation and to instead find purpose and identity in Christ. Would recommend as a quick audiobook since she narrates it. 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7072245883
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fgseAd

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

A Year of Flowers by Suzanne Woods Fisher

  A Year of Flowers by Suzanne Woods Fisher - 4 Novellas 
3 Stars Overall

This is a novella collection of 4 different novellas - three former friends have found success in the floral industry - but have not found true happiness and love. Out of these 4 novellas, I feel like these would have been best as a full story of friends together instead of novellas. Each novella leading up to the end was ended very abruptly, probably intentionally so the ending novella made sense where it tied everything together, but it felt very disjointed to me.

I liked her writing and faith content in the novellas in general, but didn't really connect to the character's because of the shortness of each possibly. The stories connect 3 friends who worked at a flower shop as teens. They went their separate ways and these novellas show how they come back together in the end. You see some romance stories with each throughout the story too. 

I did love the flower details in each story, learned quite a bit and the situations they got themselves in were interesting. It just wasn't a novella collection for me personally but I do have some of her full length novels on my shelves to try sometime.

Thank you to Revell for a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6761039532
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/579827
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4iusazx

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

Home for Christmas by Courtney Cole

 

Home for Christmas by Courtney Cole - 5 Stars

Home for Christmas is an absolutely delightful read and has earned a special spot among my favorite holiday reads. his heartwarming story has everything I love—family, romance, and even a touch of time travel! I could easily imagine this becoming a Christmas movie.

We are in Alaska during the Christmas season and we see our main character of Piper navigating the grief she feels from the loss of her Grandmother and trying to understand the legacy she left behind. When a mysterious event sends Piper back in time to 1944, she’s given the rare chance to experience life through her grandmother’s eyes—a simpler, slower-paced time when people cherished the things that truly mattered. She is in the original home her ancestors built and starts to enjoy the joy of getting to know her grandmother in a whole new way. Piper goes on a journey and finds the real meaning of love, home and how a family legacy can connect one another forever.

The blend of time travel, family bonds, and a touch of romance made this story so memorable for me. It’s the kind of book that fills you with warmth while also encouraging you to reflect on your own family and legacy. Seeing Piper embrace the lessons of the past and carry them into her present was incredibly moving.

If you’re looking for a beautiful, meaningful Christmas read with a bit of holiday magic and romance, Home for Christmas is the perfect choice. It beautifully captures the spirit of the season and reminds us of the timeless value of family and love.

Content: This is a secular Christmas read but no content that really bothered me. The romance was clean with kisses only. I wish the time travel was explained more but I can forgive that in the sense of how it happened and loved the storyline in general. There were 2-3 small curse words but very minimal in the beginning of the story. While our main character doesn't exhibit any faith elements herself, they did read the bible in the historical timeline at Christmas time, which I appreciated seeing.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7051253152
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Bfj8G4

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.