A couple of years ago, I received these lovely books from Tule Publishing. I didn’t read them in time and delayed publishing the reviews. Since I read them through this year, I decided to put them together in a big post! So here’s presenting 12 Books of Christmas! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
- Jingle Bells and Wedding Vows by Barbara Dunlop
- Under The Mistletoe by Eve Gaddy
- A Texas Christmas Wish by Alissa Callen
- Christmas Flowers by Sasha Summers
- The Christmas Contest by Scarlet Wilson
- Christmas at the Edge of the World by Kate Hewitt
- Holidays in Manhattan by Jennifer Gracen
- A Lone Star Christmas by Justine Davis
- Christmas with the Firefighter by Clare Connelly
- Every Time a Bell Rings by Barbara Ankrum
- Cupid Claus by Kelsey McKnight & Sarah Fischer
- Long Lost Christmas by Joan Kilby
12 Books Of Christmas From Tule Publishing
#1 Jingle Bells and Wedding Vows by Barbara Dunlop
Can ten-year-old fraternal twins work some Christmas magic to bring their mom and dad back together?
When her ex-husband, ambitious pediatric surgeon Brock Andrews announces he’s remarrying on Christmas Eve at a winter wonderland resort Mountain Mystic Village in Colorado, quirky cooking show host Kate Andrews can’t imagine Christmas without her twins. Worse, his wedding to the dazzling daughter of the chairman of the hospital board has Kate wondering what might have been
Ten-year-old Scarlett and Sam don’t want a stepmother. They definitely don’t want a mean one who monopolizes their father and only pretends to want them around. She’s changed their dad from a fun-loving man into a serious, elegant stranger. Certain the marriage will ruin their lives, the twins conceive a daring plan to derail the wedding and bring their mom and dad back together just in time for Christmas.
A Parent-Trap kind of read, the twins were absolutely precocious and funny.
#2 Under the Mistletoe by Eve Gaddy
Can a kiss under the mistletoe be the beginning of a beautiful relationship?
Firefighter and paramedic Spencer McBride has never been tempted to change his happy-go-lucky bachelor status – until he literally runs into cute newcomer Georgie under the mistletoe.
Wounded after giving her heart to a man who wouldn’t commit, paramedic Georgie Durant has come to Last Stand, Texas, for a fresh start. Though tempted by the handsome Spencer, she’s too leery of his easy charm and the pitfalls of a workplace relationship to risk one with him.
But as they spend more time together amid the Christmas gaiety and Georgie sees Spencer’s dedication and devotion to the people he helps, she begins to wonder if this beguiling co-worker could be different.
Spencer has always been a man who knows what he wants – and he wants Georgie. But when the man from her past comes to town, determined to win her back, can Spencer convince Georgie to take another chance – with him?
A sweet romance with Spencer determinedly, yet respectfully pursues the reluctant-to-fall-in-love Georgie.
#3 A Texas Christmas Wish
To Aggie Harper every day is Christmas. Even if that means late nights and a non-existent love life to keep her beloved mother’s knitting store that specializes in ugly Christmas sweaters afloat. She loves her small Texas town life and believes she is living her dream until a big city stranger strides through the front door of her store and has her question what she really wants from life.
Since the death of his mother, corporate lawyer Mason Firth lives to work, especially when tinsel adorns storefronts and he can’t escape the aroma of gingerbread. A mysterious unpaid family loan sends him to Last Stand, but instead of discovering any answers he finds himself risking a sugar coma from Christmas baked goods, making barbed wire Christmas wreaths and losing focus whenever around warm hearted Aggie.
Can a woman determined to spread Christmas joy and a man resistant to emotion and all things mistletoe, create their own Christmas miracle?
A sweet, emotional Christmas read with Aggie and Mason finding healing and love in each other.
#4 Christmas Flowers by Sasha Summers
The first and only wish on his Christmas List – the One Who Got Away
Macon Draeger has loved Charlotte for as long as he can remember. While he’s thrilled that she’s back in Last Stand, Texas, he suspects she won’t stay long. Charlotte has always had a wandering spirit, with dreams that carry her far from their hometown.
When Charlotte Kraus returns to run her grandmother’s flower shop for the holidays, she never expected to feel so at home and inspired. On a whim, she decides to transform the simple flower shop into a flower cafe. The project quickly spirals out of her control, but Macon, her high school sweet heart – a skilled and in demand handy man – steps in to help. Was he this tall, dark, handsome and tempting when they were teens? Charlotte is wondering about a lot of things by the time they ring in the New Year.
Spending time with Charlotte reminds Macon of what he truly wants in life – love and a family of his own. Can he gain his heart’s desire this Christmas?
A lovely second chance romance.
#5 The Christmas Contest
When Ben Winters and Lara Cottridge hear that a Vermont radio station is hosting a Christmas contest with a $10,000 prize for a charitable project of the winner’s choice, they seize the challenge. Although strangers, they both are obsessed with all things Christmas and each has their own worthy pet project in mind.
News of the contest creates a lot of buzz, but most participants fall at the first hurdle – a timed online quirky Christmas quiz. The second, a stressful on-air quiz whittles the field down to two – Briarhill Falls residents Lara and Ben who are surprised that they have never met.
As the contest heats up with five further Christmas-themed challenges, the town and state become enthralled by the battle of wits and skill. Soon Lara and Ben realize they have far more in common than a love of Christmas. And far more at stake. Will their competition stand in the way of falling in love?
A cute Christmas story of hope and community and two characters trying to contest to help the charity of their choice by contest.
#6 Christmas at the Edge of the World by Kate Hewitt
When Laurel West discovers her estranged sister Abby has checked herself into rehab and wants her to take care of her fourteen-year-old son, she doesnt hesitate to step in. Abby was there for Laurel a long time ago, and she longs to be able to offer the same. However, as a single woman who still dreams of the fairy tale, Laurel isnt prepared for teenaged Zacs sullen moods or silent rage. When hes expelled from school, she decides to take drastic measures and temporarily relocate them to her great aunts cottage on the windswept hills of the Orkney islands north of Scotland about as far as she can run from their problems, but will it be far enough?
From the moment they step onto the island’s shores, everything seems to go wrong including a run-in with eccentric sheep farmer Archie MacDougall. When Zac gets in trouble at the village pub and is rescued by Archie, Laurel thinks things are only getting worse. But Archies suggestion of putting Zac to work on his farm might be the change he needs, and Laurel strikes up a surprising friendship with a man who is about as far from the fairy tale as she can imagine. Can such an unlikely and impractical love bloom in such a brief moment out of reality? And will two lost and lonely souls find each other at the edge of the world?
A heartwarming read about family and second chances. It’s as much a romantic story as it is a story of healing and family.
#7 Holidays in Manhattan
Anna McKinnon is a free spirit. As a bartender in New York City, she answers to no one, keeps what she calls “vampire hours” – and likes it that way. She secretly wishes to find real love, the forever kind her brothers have all found. But love has not only eluded her, it’s burned her badly. Keeping things light is how Anna copes.
David Beren is a high-powered, intense investment banker in the heart of Manhattan. His 80-hour work weeks took over his life long ago, but now, at 35, he’s ready for something more. But what? And then he meets Anna. She’s unexpected – full of light, color, and laughter. Anna knocks him off his game and his feet, and he’s never been happier.
Can total opposites – a feisty, bold girl from Ireland and a quiet, straight-laced Jewish guy from New Jersey – find love at the holidays? With the double whammy of a Hanukkah miracle and some Christmas magic, they just might.
I enjoyed this read with opposites attracting – a quirky bartender, Anna and an organized and meticulous David, an investment banker. Besides, he’s Jewish and she’s Catholic. How love conquers differences is always my favourite theme.
#8 A Lone Star Christmas
A Christmas in Last Stand brings unexpected gifts to two very different people…
Detective Sean Highwater may be one of the famous Highwaters, but he has always felt a half-step off because of the way his agile mind works. Only learning to focus has enabled him to not just survive, but thrive.
Elena de la Cova is from a respected and highly regarded founding family, brought up with rather stringent expectations, but right now she is a widow trying to raise a son she doesn’t understand.
If Last Stand had royalty, in Sean’s book it would be elegant Elena. He’s willing to help her son as he had been helped, but being that close to Elena scares him to death since he’s been in awe of her for years. Elena is impressed both with the way Sean gets through to her son, and with his appreciation for the Christmas customs of her culture as much as his own.
Their perceptions of each other shift, but will the passion that strikes between them be enough to overcome their perceptions of themselves?
Absolutely loved this moving story. Such a tale of respect and love that it will stay with me for a long time.
#9 Christmas with the Firefighter
Christmas is a time for family…
A mystery brings Ally Monroe to the idyllic seaside town of Cape Hope, North Carolina. On the quest to find out more about the father who abandoned her, Ally has no intention of getting too involved in the community. Only Cape Hope has a way of drawing people in and, before Ally knows it, she’s falling hard and fast in love with the whole town and its old-fashioned, charming ways – and particularly local single-dad Luke Miller and his adorable daughter Stella.
Volunteer firefighter Luke has been single since his wife died in childbirth six years earlier, making Stella his sole priority. But there’s something compelling about the beautiful out-of-towner and, before long, both Luke and his daughter are welcoming Ally into their home.
She came to Cape Hope looking for family and instead Ally found her way to Luke and Stella– but will they still want her when they realize she’s been lying to them about who she really is and what she’s doing in town?
A sweet story of love, forgiveness and healing.
#10 Every Time a Bell Rings
Once upon a time, he was everything to her, except for one thing: her future
Christmas sparkles from every bough and window at the cozy Four Winds Ski Resort, where single mother Eden Kendall and her eight-year-old son are spending the holiday. A surprise marriage proposal from her boss’s son wasn’t on her Christmas list, but it’s the perfect excuse to get away and weigh her options. She never imagined her son’s ski instructor/Santa impersonator would be the gorgeous, charismatic dreamer she left behind years ago, the one who still owns a piece of her heart.
Cole Hagan has never stopped loving Eden and he’s spent the last eight years proving her wrong on every count about his potential. While he fights to save the resort that he helped to build by organizing a holiday concert, he decides it’s about time that Eden puts aside her list-making pragmatism so that she and her skeptical son can experience the true magic of Christmas.
Can this unlikely pair get a second chance at happily ever after?
A lovely second romance that made me smile because of the presence of a guardian angel that brought Eden and Cole together in the most interesting way!
#11 Cupid Claus
When mistletoe is not enough…
With her only son still single, Mrs. Claus is rolling up her red sleeves and playing matchmaker. With a little advice from Cupid and a list of potential brides, she’s convinced a dash of magic will get the snowball rolling. There’s just one problem, Nick isn’t looking for love. All he wants to do is fill his father’s boots as he prepares to take over as Santa Claus.
While Mrs. Claus is scheming away, Nick meets Heather, a charming artist with a giving heart and a loving smile. Preparing for her first Christmas alone, Heather is looking for adventure. Nick becomes a kindred spirit as they both remember what it’s like to live in the moment. Just as they think they found a fairytale romance, Nick discovers his mother’s magical meddling.
With Christmas Eve quickly approaching, Nick must decide if his love for Heather was the real magic all along or if it was just the work of Cupid Claus?
A fun holiday read with Mrs Claus playing matchmaker to her son!
#12 Long Lost Christmas
With Christmas and a family showdown looming, can she find a miracle?
Hoping to reunite her mother with her long-lost brother for Christmas, interior designer Hayley Stevens travels to Montana to hand-deliver a Christmas card to the uncle she’s never met. Finding her uncle is easier than getting him alone to explain her mission. Reluctantly, Hayley hides her identity to learn more about her uncle and his family, but it’s his handsome and enigmatic partner who captures her heart and imagination.
Architect and builder Blake Dennison is attracted instantly to the beautiful Hayley, but he’s suspicious of her curiosity. Can she be a spy for a rival builder? He’s been burned by deceit before, but as he spends time with Hayley, he falls hard.
Hayley knows she has much more at stake than fulfilling her mother’s Christmas dream, and when she confesses to Blake the real reason for her visit, his reaction is what she feared. He wants her gone. But Hayley knows how to fight for what she wants.
Another heart-warming story set in Sweetheart, Montana, home to The Starr Brothers of Montana series.
A heartwarming and emotional tale of learning to trust and look beyond the obvious.
Have a wonderful Christmas season!
