"Christmas at Two Love Lane" by Kieran Kramer
You really do need to read this book. A story filled with believably real characters. Characters whose lives are shaped by their hopes, dreams, fears, and events from their pasts. I loved this story.. or should I say stories... Everyone had a part to play, and something to say and share. Now I really want to go visit Charleston, SC. Can you guess, I fell in love with all the characters... and I will be watching for other books by this author.
I requested the ARC for this story via NetGalley....AND.... I was one of the lucky ones awarded the opportunity for the pre-release read. I try to only request books I think that I will like, because I promise to write an honest review. And, I do like to be able to say good things about the books I read.

2.5 stars. Hmmm - I just didn't feel the Christmas love with this one. I felt Macy was at times childish and yet trying too hard to be perfect. For me, the story could have been shorter, too often it seemed to repeat itself. I also didn't buy into it that Charleston is so small that everyone knows each other, like in a village. The writing is fine in itself, but I don't think that I would read another modern love story by Ms. Kramer.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

'Christmas at Two Love Lane' is perfect! It is charming, delightful, fun and heartwarming. The dialogue is crisp and the characters are so well drawn you feel as if you know them. The story progresses and there are resolutions that offer opportunities for more stories to come. I loved it and would give it a dozen stars if I could!

Macy Frost along with a couple of her friends have opened up at matchmaking service at Two Love Lane and the ladies take their job seriously. Vowing that there is someone out there for everyone Macy is proud of her track record at the agency so far with many successful pairings. When Deacon Banks walks into Two Love Lane and Macy’s office she’s a bit taken aback when he insists he’s not looking for love but only a few dates while he’s in town to pass the time.

Macy is a bit curious about Deacon and as much as she doesn’t want to admit even a bit attracted to him and his Yankee accent. However Macy doesn’t mix her business and pleasure and even though Deacon says he isn’t looking seriously she thinks she can still find the perfect woman for Deacon and change his mind. The more Macy insists she can help Deacon the more interested he becomes in her himself so he takes her up on her offer to find his mate just to spend more time with the matchmaker herself.

Christmas at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer is of course a contemporary romance read that takes place during the Christmas holidays and seems to be opening up a new series featuring the ladies of Two Love Lane with more books upcoming in the future. This story seemed to be one that really has a very slow build and pace to it which isn’t necessarily bad but I tend to prefer a bit quicker myself. There’s a bit of added angst that didn’t really seem necessary since the controversy is set from the start with Macy not wanting to allow herself to fall for a client.

Overall though I did like the characters and set up in this one enough to enjoy the book even with the slower pacing. It could have possibly used a bit of a little extra unique Christmassy spark to make it stand out a bit too but there was enough celebrating along the way to give it that bit of feel good holiday vibe though. In the end I’d probably rate this one at 3.5 stars but those that enjoy a slower pace will probably rate higher than I have for this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Love this story of Macy and Tow Love Lane!!!! First I have ever read from this author but I am going to look her up and get more books. I loved it!!!!!!!!!! The characters were so well written . Cant wait to see if the other ladies find love as well. I wanted to hit Deacon over the head more than once as I read the book..why are men so dense sometimes! Love, Love Love!!!!!

Christmas at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer was on my list of books to read for a special holiday blog post for St Martin's Press. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, Kramer provides us with an incredibly visual and detailled description of the town's harbour and ambience. What I do get from the story is the laid-back atmosphere of the area.

The book had an interesting premise but unfortunately I wasn't taken with the pace of the book, and struggled with this aspect of it. The pace seemed very slow to me and I found myself wanting to skip parts, but for the purpose of doing my blog post afterwards, I persevered with the book hoping the pace would pick up, but it didn't really in my eyes. The dialogue was very "he said/she said," and there wasn't variety in this.

The parts I loved were the dates, as I felt this was where we got to know the characters, and I found they both had an interesting backstory. Macy Frost works at a dating agency and is a hard worker and serious about her work. I liked how her love of French food was woven into the story, and how she went to lunch at the French restaurant despite initially declining the invitation from Deacon Banks, who she literally met on the same day when he entered the dating agency.

Deacon seems well-meaning and romantic. An important person in his lfe is his aunt who is a retired talk-show host. The other dates they went on were just as interesting.
Apart from a small mention of a Christmas tree and gifts, there wasn't really a Christmas feel in this book for me. Except at the end. From the title, I suppose I did expect it to be more Christmassy throughout.

What I did like about this book were the connections between Deacon and Macy and I was drawn in by wanting to know which path these would take.
3.5 stars.
Thanks to Kieran Kramer and St Martin's Press for my ARC.

This was such a good book. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next book in this series. The characters were colorful and fun and spending time with them was like spending time with real friends. I highly recommend this book.

Christmas at Two Love Lane is a romantic and entertaining read that left me feeling tingly inside! I loved the vibes this book threw off and could certainly see myself visiting these characters and their lovely town.

This book is perfect for two reasons. First, it's a love story that hones in on the unexpected. Neither of the characters thought they would find love- especially with one another- and this unexpected surprise was a delight to follow. Secondly, I felt the magic of Christmas AND Cupid. The author does a stellar job at mixing these two things and making pure magic out of them.

Overall, this is a wonderful read and I has a great time when reading.

Great story about finding love when your not even looking for it. Loved this book.

Full review will appear on Reader's Edyn on 9/13/17 at http://bit.ly/2xqSZkc

Macy Frost entertains the idea that she is a distant descendant of Cupid. The story has passed through the family and she is quite a matchmaker – so much so that she owns a matchmaking business with a few of her friends. They even developed an algorithm for compatibility. So when a client who wants dates, but not an HEA walks in, she brushes him off. But something about him makes her want to take the job – the matchmaker within is intrigued and maybe she can find Mrs. Right for the resistant client. Sparks fly and the attraction between the two continues to ignite at every interaction. Macy believes she isn’t cut out for a match, but the algorithm says otherwise. Problem is, a bad situation in childhood has given her a sour taste towards love and even though she matches people for a living, she might not be able to break down her own walls enough to see that her chance is right in front of her. Even if she could, Deacon has a much better reinforced wall than she does.

Deacon Banks – super rich, super hot, super unavailable for a long-term relationship. His Aunt is on his case to settle down, so he agrees – as a Christmas gift to her – to go on several blind dates. Enter Macy’s matching service. Deacon makes it perfectly clear that he likes his lifestyle as is. Except Macy stirs something in him and before too long, all of the “blind-dates” have conspired with him to get Macy to stand in for them each time. Deacon knows he’s feeling something unexplained, more than he’s ever felt for anyone before when it comes to Macy – but admitting just what that is, beyond s couple of phenomenal hookups, is going to be quite a feat. The ramifications of deep feelings are not something either of them are prepared to face.

What a seriously cute book! Set around Christmas time, you could definitely make use of it to help get you in the holiday mood – but I think it would be enjoyable any time of year. I enjoyed all of the excuses and ploys used to force Macy to stand in as Deacon’s date. And Macy and her friends add such an extraordinary amount of Southern charm to this story, you can’t help but wish they were your friends too. I was sucked in to their world quickly and found myself liking all the characters – even the bratty Celia. Aunt Fran was a hoot and George was the kind of friend I’d like to have hanging around. What was funny to me was that Miss Thing emulated the Queen of England, while Aunt Fran had all of the Corgis. My only complaint is that the characters were all introduced so fast with their own little snippets of information, that I almost stopped reading because I was having trouble keeping up in the first couple of chapters. But I stuck it out a couple of more chapters and by then, had switched from confusion in assimilation to necessity in seeing where these characters were headed next. This book contains some sexual content, but nothing graphic or explicit. I would still call it a sweet romance. I’ll tell you what – if any of the restaurants were based on actual places, Charleston just got added to my bucket list. I was hungry the whole time I was reading! If you are looking for a sweet. Romantic HEA, full of Southern charm, quirky characters, and a bunch of holiday cheer sprinkled throughout, you have absolutely found the right book! There might even be a small mystery solved. Ms. Kramer is a mastermind world-builder and this community is one I would love to be able to be a part of!

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/St.Martin’s in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks once again to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advance copy of this book. Nice to read a story ser in a completely different setting. Made me go and google the location after I'd finished the book. Infuriating but very likeable heroine and other characters interesting, and funny at times. A good story line to keep the readers attention. Would recommend this book.

Everything in Macy Frost's life revolves around love, with the exception of her personal life of course, she is a well known matchmaker with ties to Cupid and she helps people find the person that they are meant to be with. She has yet to find a client that she couldn't help find love... but she has never met a man quite like Deacon Banks. When he strolls into her office looking for a mate to take on a few platonic dates, Macy informs him that she can help him find true love... but he ensures her that he isn't in the market for love. Or is he?

The moment Deacon Banks meets Macy he senses there is a little chemistry there, but she seems oblivious to it, and starts the process to find him a mate to date. She tells him that she is a master at matchmaking and helping folks find love, but he informs her that he is only using her services to appease his meddling aunt. But the process get underway, he starts to think she maybe right about helping bring love to his life...now he just has to find a way to tell her she is the one he wants!

Christmas at Two Love Lane is a sweet and delightful read that is sure to put readers in the holiday spirit and make their hearts nice and toasty! It was a lot of fun to watch these two dance around one another, neither wanting to admit they belonged together, and having fate constantly keep throwing them together in hopes they would finally give in and embrace it! This is one of my favorites from Ms. Kramer, her beautifully crafted story warmed my heart, and her endearing characters welcomed me into their world and left me in awe... loved this one, definitely a can't miss holiday read!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

This is the first of Kieran Kramer's books that I've read and I read it because as soon as I read the blurb I thought it sounded very promising, I quite like matchmaker stories, specially when the other person is at first very opposed to ideas of love but then it all starts to change and they begin to fall in love; so of course I wanted to read this story.

The characters were rounded, likable. As for the writing, Christmas at Two Love Lane, is a very light and easy to read book, it's funny and romantic, there's a bit of drama too. I do wish the Christmas element would have played a more prominent role or that it had been more noticeable but overall this is a very nice book for romance fans out there.

Christmas At Two Love Lane is my first book by Kieran Kramer. Ms Kramer has gifted us with a well-written book. I enjoyed her style of writing and the characters in this book are phenomenal. Matchmaker Macy meets her match with stubborn bachelor Deacon. Mix the hijinks that ensue with the amazing cast of characters and you have a book that is fun to read. There's plenty of drama, humor, spice and and holiday happenings in this book to hold readers' attention to their books. I enjoyed reading Christmas At Two Love Lane and look forward to reading more from Kieran Kramer in the future. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book that I received from NetGalley.

This was a very humorous and light-hearted story, with a lovely feeling throughout. I love books with a Southern theme to them, and this book had that genteel, laid-back vibe.

Macy runs a matchmaking company, along with two of her friends, and has a great success rate as supposedly she is a direct descendant of Cupid. Deacon turns up at her company looking for her help, but he only wants a few high-society dates in the run-up to Christmas to keep his aunt happy as she wants to see him settled down. His aunt is a famous outspoken retired chat-show host who has recently bought an old property in the area (next door to Macy as it turns out) and wants to settle into high-profile Charleston life.

Macy initially refuses to help Deacon though, as that's not what their business is about, but then suddenly changes her mind, on the proviso that she can also try and find his soulmate whilst he's on these dates, which Deacon agrees to just to get her to agree to his request.

I really liked all the characters in this book. Macy had a lovely personality, very straight speaking but also quite a gentle person, and Deacon, whilst a high-powered businessman, was also very fond of his aunt who had raised him and was trying to keep her happy. But he found he wasn't really interested in the dates he was supposed to be going on and was much more interested in Macy, although she was trying to resist him as he was a client. But with a little meddling from others they eventually sorted everything out, even though Macy found out about the meddling and things went off track for a while as she was very hurt.

I wouldn't say it had a particularly Christmassy feeling for me though, even though it was set at Christmas, probably because of the lack of cold and snow(!), although it did feel more festive right at the end which was really lovely. I felt it could be read at any time of the year. Very easy-reading, fun book, with great characters, which I look forward to finding more about in the rest of the series.