The Christmas Wedding Swap by Allyson Charles

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the review copy in exchange for my honest review. I requested this book because I'm a huge fan of Christmas stories that take place in a small town.

There were a lot of things to love about this book, but first of all... the protagonist. Allison rocks! She's the owner of a successful diner in her small town, but she still feels pressure from her family because while her other sisters are happily married/happily married with kids, she's single. Her sisters are a lawyer and a doctor and she worries about things like her famous meatloaf recipe and catering her best friend's wedding. To be frank, she wouldn't mind to have true love and a family like her sisters do.

Allison and her new cook, Luke, have great chemistry. She hires him quickly when he offers his help at the diner while almost forgetting that she's sworn off bad boys. I liked this story a lot and now that I know it's part of a series called Pineville (the name of the town) I hope to read the other books as well.

I Recommend for Readers that Like:

Christmas, Romance, Small Towns, Feisty Heroines

Allison Stuart has always been the odd-woman-out of her family. She wears her jeans a little too tight, colors her hair a little too blonde, and instead of going into medicine and law like her sisters, she runs a diner. She’s also the only single sibling left. And while she won’t change her style, and her meatloaf is to die for, thank you very much, she wouldn’t mind her share of wedded bliss. So she makes an early New Year’s resolution: No more meaningless flings. Drop-dead sexy Luke Hamilton is everything Allison has sworn off. His only serious relationship has been with his five-star restaurant, Le Cygne Noir, in Chicago. When he’s threatened by a lawsuit, Luke decides to hide out in Pineville, Michigan, until the statute of limitations runs out. The small town is filled with Christmas charm, but he can’t imagine living there. Heating things up with the hottie who owns the local diner would make his exile bearable—if he can convince her to give up her ridiculous resolution.
This was a story that felt like it should be a holiday movie you can catch on the Hallmark channel. It was a very cute and quick read. I liked both characters and how they deal with everything. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Really sweet storyline - easy read and full of Christmas fun. ..........."......................................

After appearing in the other Pineville books, it is Allison's turn to find love.

Allison owns a diner, The Pantry, in the small town of Pineville. Luke, a chef from Chicago, is hiding out so he can avoid being served in a lawsuit.

Their sparring and bickering over recipes, coffee, and even chef's clothes was amusing. They are both strong personalities, but good people and great cooks. All their talk about the different meals they make made me hungry every time I read this book.

This is a standalone, but I definitely recommend reading the whole series.

This is the first book I have read by Allyson Charles and I loved it! Witty banter, humor and a sweet romance - this was everything I was looking for! Highly recommend!

Luke Hamilton is a prominent chef in Chicago when his motorcycle breaks down in Pineville, Michigan. Realizing his bike wont be ready for at least a week, Luke finds himself drawn to quirky chef and owner of The Diner Allison Stuart.

Allison remember Luke all too well when she inadvertently crashed into him after a chaotic Christmas Shopping day. Making a deal with her sister she tried to flirt and get a date but was shot down quicker than a disc in skeet practice. Allison hires Luke as a temporary chef, not knowing his background or who he is. The attraction is building but Luke's stay is temporary and Allison is looking long term. Can two people who are perfect together make it work?

Charming, utterly charming. This was a laugh out loud holiday treat. New to me author and I cannot wait to pick up more in this series. Loved the characters and had a smile on my face reading each and every page.

The Christmas Wedding Swap is the quintessential holiday romance. In fact, I've described it as a Hallmark movie, only sexier. This book had everything I love in a fun holiday romance. Hilarious initial meeting between the hero and heroine? Check! Instant attraction? Check! Hysterical banter turned foreplay? Check! Fun-loving cast of secondary characters? Check! Honestly, there is not much more I want in a Christmas romance. I flippin' adored this book. Allyson's writing style is fun, witty, and sexy. Her characters are so damn lovable. I loved the banter between Allison and Luke. The one-liners in their banter had me cracking up at all hours of the night. I just had such a fun time reading this book and I could easily see Allyson landing herself a spot on my favorite authors list. I need to pick up the other books in this series.

I am so glad to have found stories by Allyson Charles and her Pineville series. If you want a heartwarming small-town romance set at Christmastime, you will want to add this story to your holiday reading list.
Allison is a tough talking woman who owns a diner and she is also planning her best friend Sadie's wedding. Sadie and Colt's story was featured last year. Luke is stranded in Pineville for a while and becomes the sexy thorn in Allison's side when he begins to cook for her. At first they are like oil and water, but soon the magic of Pineville helps them discover a happy new future. I loved the sizzle between Allison and Luke and I also loved revisiting characters from previous stories like the judge. I highly recommend this holiday treat!

Allison Stuart is the black sheep of her family, but it's never worried her. She's not interested in changing anything, but she would like to find a man and enter a relationship that hopefully will lead to wedded bliss. However, when she begins to spend more and more time with Luke and she finds her resolve of no more meaningless flings start to slip, will she give him a chance or will she let the man she's falling in love with get away?

Ms. Charles is a new-to-me author, and she's an author who I'm looking forward to reading more from. Since this is a story that had an absolutely captivating storyline, two incredible main characters with unbelievable chemistry; and compelling dialogue due to the hero and heroine's back stories and their interactions as they do their best to work together while ignoring their chemistry. The way this story started had me sympathizing with the heroine, as she's the black sheep of her family; the one that her family seem to want to fix because she's not married and doesn't have a career as fancy as her two sisters in law or medicine.

Both the main characters have very interesting back stories, and I loved the moment they met, as the heroine embarrasses herself with her attempt at flirting. Moreover, the heroine is resilient and courageous when it comes to handling her mother's judgment of her life. I could also understand why she was so determined to resist Luke, as he's only in town temporarily because of what's going on in his life at the moment that has sent him into hiding. Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was her kindness and that she would do anything for her friends and family, even though she seemed to be exhausting herself between running her restaurant and what she was doing for her best friend.

While the hero, he's going through a tough time at the moment with what's happening with his restaurant and I liked how determined he was to help the heroine when she needs someone to step in and help her. I also liked how determined the hero was to win the heroine over, even knowing that he wasn't going to be staying in town once everything had been righted in his life. Will everything in his life return to normal? Yet, there were moments where I felt sorry for the hero when it came to a woman from his past that was determined to make him suffer. Will the woman's blackmail efforts work?

Overall, Ms. Charles has delivered a remarkable read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was piquant and alluring; and the ending had me absolutely thrilled by the hero's decision. How could he ever be truly happy without Allison in his life? However, it was the last chapter that wrapped this story up wonderfully, as no couple is more deserving of getting a Christmas miracle. Really, there's no time to waste and why should they wait to get what they want most in their lives -- to be together forever. I would recommend The Christmas Wedding Swap by Allyson Charles, if you enjoy Christmas themed stories, the opposites attract trope, or books by authors Jill Shalvis, Roxanne St. Claire, Cat Johnson and Kimberly Kincaid.

I don't know what it is about small-town romance that makes my heart sing but it does. Add in Christmas and you've got me.

It doesn't hurt that I've already been into this series and love it. The Christmas Wedding Swap is book number 4 in Allyson Charles' Pineville series. I enjoy this series so much I was so happy to read this one.

You meet Allison in the prior books so you already think you know her, after reading her story you learn that you had no clue about her. Poor Allison needed to learn that with her family she needed a back bone. Everyone else dealt with her sharp tongue, those who should have gotten it, didn't.

Love Luke, he's a little bit pushy, but on him it works. He's avoiding something that he really needs to deal with but doesn't know how...yet.

As you read the story you'll learn that these two are each halves of one whole. They fit perfectly even if they don't know it right away.

I'm so happy that you get to visit with Colt and Sadie! I really liked them as a couple and they are perfect friends for Allison and Luke. Not only are Colt and Sadie in the story but you also see the Judge and the Christmas tree twins.

The Christmas Wedding Swap is tons of fun with holiday cheer thrown in. The only negative I could say if I was hard pressed to come up with something is that the title which is great, gives away to much.

This story is part of a series and I really think you should read them in order. I think you'll love each of the stories more and the grow and bloom.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end! Allison is a strong(ish) woman running her own diner, while worrying about being the last single woman in her family and running her life in a way that seems to be opposite from what her mother and sisters expect. There were times I really wanted to tell her family to back off as they seemed to always nag her about settling down or that her chosen career is not good enough. Luke is a big city chef who is avoiding a legal situation he blames on an ex (but he's the one who signed the contracts without reading them!). It bothered me that he is running away from the issue, but he does mature while living in quaint Pineville and he realizes he needs to address the things he's messed up in his own life. I loved the relationships with the town's citizens including a special dog. I loved the back and forth between these two strong personalities, and seeing them realize that what started as a short term fling, was turning into a need for forever.

I did not realize that this book was part of a series, but it did not need the previous books to make sense. A great stand-alone and a fun read. Highly recommended for fun Christmas romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

You cannot avoid a lawsuit by hiding out for three months. The whole time I was reading this book that's all I could focus on. If you set that glaring error aside, the superstar chef cooking diner food and falling in love with small town life (and the small town diner girl) was perfect.

This book. When I wasn’t giggling, I was swooning. Sadie and Luke were some of the funniest, endearing, likable and relatable characters that I have read in a long time. No, seriously. Relatable. Sadie is in her 30’s and dealing with the somewhat disapproval of her life choices by her family. I admit that her family isn’t all that likable at all. I didn’t hate them but for me I could have liked a little less from them. I married when I was 38 and never did I get any kind of disapproval. I waited for the right man and didn’t settle. Neither did Sadie. Of course, it took her the course of the book to FINALLY figure out that Luke is it for her.

Luke is just one of those heroes that you just instantly like. Forget the looks and money. The man can cook and isn’t afraid to admit it. Plus, I really don’t think to wait out for the lawsuit to go away was all that bad. True, he signed the documents but once you read the story, you will see that someone else is at fault and good Lord, that woman. Grrr… I liked how Luke finally took care of her but I really thought going through it, that it wouldn’t work out that way. But I digress. Yes, I’m one of those readers that people to do bad things to get their comeuppance.

I really liked how Sadie and Luke built a friendship first. Sure it was hell on them but in the end, it’s what made them the couple that you really wanted together. Luke had a bit of thinking to do when the bacon hit the frying pan. I know, I made a pun. A food pun. And with this couple, everything was backward. The dialogue between them made me giggle and then swoon. Luke is a romantic whether he wants to admit it or not. Sadie just wanted to finally settle down.

The diner scenes were hilarious. Between the cooking, Delilah and how Luke managed to charm two older ladies. It was like the hub of the town. Speaking of which, the two older ladies are a HOOT!!!

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I won’t mention the wedding stuff. You just need to read it to find out how that whole secondary plot is woven into the romance of Sadie and Luke. *major swoon* for both couples…

The Christmas Wedding Swap is such a good book. Well written with a good storyline. If you enjoy a good romance I recommend this book.

Nice chic lit. Enjoyable cute read. When your sisters are happily married with kids and you are single, everyone thinks you can’t be happy unless you are married. Allison takes on being her best friend’s maid of honor, wedding planner and caterer who has met her Mr. Right. Sassy Allison decides to give up flings, to be seriously looking for stable Mr. Right to marry and have future kids to make her happy. Running into sexy hunk Luke who is stuck in town until his motorcycle is repaired then happens to walk into her diner, should she rethink flings?

I have not followed all the stories in the Pineville series, although I plan to correct that – I did read the previous Christmas story The Christmas Tree I don’t feel that you “have” to have read them all for anything that is important from the previous couples’ stories are explained in either the narrative or dialogue quite naturally. So don’t let “jumping into the middle of a series” stop you from enjoying a touching, enjoyable Christmas Romance that perfectly describes The Christmas Wedding Swap.

Luke made a colossal mistake, one that busy, swamped business owners so often do… he let one piece of paper be slipped into a pile of others to be signed sight unseen and unread. Not a smart move, which is why he’s now waiting out the consequences in this small town where he’s bored to tears and angry as a wet hornet. When he steps in to help an attractive small diner owner, Luke saw it as something to do, maybe flirt a bit with an attractive woman and make his time in this charming town fly by faster. He certainly didn’t expect to be caught up in the charm of Pineville… or to want more than he thought was enough with Allison. Now he’s looking at a way to make forever a reality for two people with such different needs and goals.

In her family’s eyes, Allison has never lived up to her potential or their expectations. Never shy about telling her how to run her life, they’re stepping in once again with their barbs and comments that they believe are helpful but in reality wound her to the core. She’s happy doing exactly what she is doing right now. She doesn’t need wedded bliss to complete her, she needs to be left alone to live her life as she sees fit. When a handsome customer steps in to help out at the diner she never thought it would be the beginning of something life changing. While it seems Luke has his secrets, he also has a way in the kitchen, changing her recipes and making small improvements that take her diner up another level. She wants to trust in this man, but she’s been burned far too often. How can two people so different find something that will bring them together… forever together.

The Christmas Wedding Swap delivered a charming couple, some issues and a lovely Christmas feel to this small town romance. While there were many laugh out loud moments, some tender moments there were also times when I seriously wanted to smack members of her family upside the head and tell them to shut up, mind their own business. In short, I enjoyed myself immensely – and I believe you would as well. I’d definitely recommend this story to any reader who loves Romance, especially Christmas Romance, likable, believable main characters and a touch of mystery.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

This book was just the right mix of romance and snarky humor. Allison was such a great character and would not be a pushover for anyone! I felt so bad for her when she takes her sister’s challenge and kind of invites Luke out but he shoots her down. I could feel the hurt that she suffered every time that her family made comments about her life choices when she did not seem to measure up against her sisters.

At first, I did not like Luke as he kind of was dismissive of the whole small town feel of Pineville but as the book goes on, you can see that his big city persona is changing. He connects with the older ladies, dogs, you name it – which drives Allison crazy! I was glad that in the end, Luke made some really wise choices in his life which showed how much he cared about Allison and matured. I realized that the legal issues were not really his fault but running away seemed kind of immature.

There was so much to love about this book, but I guess I loved the ending because it was just so good and perfect for them. Colt was a brave man to put an end to the wedding drama which allowed Luke to step in for the wedding swap!

I did not realize that there was a series of books about Pineville but this was very easy to read as a stand-alone book and I actually want to read more about Colt and Sadie’s romance.

This is my first book by Allyson Charles.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
The humor
Part of a series: Pineville
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from this author.

How this keeps on happening to me, I don’t know. I’m very careful when choosing books to make sure they are either the first in a series or standalone unless I’ve read the other books in the series. Yet once again I chose a book that is 4th in a series! Fourth!!! Luckily, this really could stand on its own without the reader feeling lost or out of the loop. It was very apparent to me that the main character Allison’s best friend had her own story, but I didn’t feel like there were any holes in this story by missing Sadie’s story.

One of the things that drew me to this book is its location. I’m a Michigan girl and like when stories are set in my great state. I’m also a sucker for a holiday romance. It’s like my kryptonite. The concept of this story is great and many things about it worked for me.

Allison always feels like the black sheep of her family. Not that she’s the “bad” one, but she’s different and therefore the odd man out. She doesn’t feel her parents, or even her sisters, respect the career decisions she’s made in her life. They tend to treat her like “poor Allison” because she isn’t in a committed relationship. To be frank, they ticked me off. I’m happy to say Allison does speak up for herself at some point and that made me feel better.

Luke is a bit arrogant, but that’s okay. He’s not a jerk so somehow he makes that arrogance work for him. And although he found Allison to be a challenge when he first met her, once he got to know her his actions were thoughtful and sweet when it came to a physical relationship with her.

There’s a point where everything around Allison is going to you-know-what and I really assumed she’d be one of those characters that blows it all out of proportion without talking it out. I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. I love that the author didn’t feel it necessary to use that as a crutch and instead had all of the characters have some meaningful conversations and thoughts.

So there’s a lot of praise in the previous paragraphs. Why would I only give this story 2 stars? I never, ever, ever felt the chemistry between Luke and Allison. Usually I get a feeling for when a physical scene is coming because of the warm-fuzzies the dialogue is giving me. That didn’t happen here. It was like they’d be talking and – BAM – they’re making out. It’s not that the affection was out of character or inappropriate, it was that I just wasn’t feeling it at all. I was being told how they felt about each other a lot, but what I was being told wasn’t matching what was coming across the pages to me.

I really loved Luke and could feel his connection to others in the town, I understood his allure. Somehow I know he really did love Allison, but I got nothing…zip, zilch, nada. I’m tempted to try another book by this author to see if it was just this pairing (although it really should have worked) or if I just don’t mesh with her writing style. And I may some day. Not not when I have so many other books to read though. I’m not going to discount her over one book, but I’m also not going to run out for another immediately.