If you love cozy books about family's reuniting and solving family secrets, dream of owning a coffee shop, and love stories of people coming together for their family and friends, then this book is for you. While some situations are highly stretched and you will see all the little twists coming from afar, this is a fun world to step into. This book was captivating, the characters were all lovely, and I was swept into their world!

As with my other reads this month, this would make a precious Hallmark Christmas movie, which is the style of book I've been loving lately!

Story
Tis the season for my favorite holiday author! I always wait until it’s VERY close to Christmas to embark on my Jenny Hale book of the year, because they’re usually the most atmospheric. This one was a little different, which I’ll get into later.

Noelle takes on a new job helping an elderly man in a local mansion while trying to fix up her family’s bakery to improve business. She falls for Alex, the man’s grandson, while staying there with her son. She has mixed feelings because Alex is the landlord for the bakery and is the one “pushing them out” with higher rent. Noelle has close friends, Phoebe and Jo, and a tight-knit family between her parents, grandfather, and sister. It was a really well-rounded story, even if some of the plot pieces were kind of annoying. There was a whole side thing that I predicted earlier with the grandfather’s lost ~first love~ and the fact that Noelle was thinking of moving to LA with Phoebe. The second thing there wasn’t needed in the story and took up an unnecessary amount of her headspace. The first one made sense even if it was predictable.

Wintery Setting & Holiday Feels
I feel like this is the first time I’ve given a Jenny Hale book less than “full-on holiday cheer” on my cheer-o-meter. The book takes place in the month or two leading up to Christmas, so there were bits of the holiday sprinkled throughout. The cozy bakery setting and Christmas-decorated mansion were helpful there too. However, her other books usually have the MC decorating for Christmas in the bland mansion, so I always feel super holiday-like throughout the book. I think the less-grumpy love interest allowed for the MC to spend less time on doing Christmas decorations. I’m bummed because I finished the book on Christmas Eve Eve and didn’t feel super Christmassy.

Overall
From a general story perspective, I enjoyed the premise. I liked Noelle and Alex, plus her son Lucas was adorable. The friend group and family members were well-developed and the bakery elements were super fun. For all those reasons, this could have been my favorite Hale book. However, the minimal Christmas feelings that I was hoping for and expecting did not make me as happy as I hoped 🙁

Lovely feel good story! Such a sweet Christmas tale. I loved the characters and the love shared between them.

This is a five star brilliant Christmas story. Noelle tries desperately to save her family bakery. It's not been making any profit for a while. The building is now going to be rented out to another company. Noelle and her son Lucas grow close to, Alexander, the owner of the bakery building and Noelle gets a job looking after his grandfather William. As sparks fly between Noelle and Alexander. Read on!

A beautiful story about Christmas, family, love, romance, and lots of hot chocolate. This is fun to keep you warm over the holidays.

This book was rather cute and fluffy, of course what you can expect from a seasonal book. I did enjoy it quite a lot and liked most of the characters. However, I felt like some of the wording did not flow very well. I'm no editor, but I feel like it is something easily fixed by a good eye.

I was in the mood for a fluffy Christmas story, and that's what I got. You know what you're getting when you read stories like this-as an editor, I get frustrated with some of the sentence structure, but it was a sweet read for the holiday season.

This is a perfect book to read in order to feel Christmas spirit!

This book was cute and the Christmas element was fun. The characters were lovable, and the plot moved forward at an adequate pace that held my interest. Of course, parts of it were a little bit too much and I saw a few things coming, but I don't mind that in this kind of book (the feel-good Christmas romance kind). The kid was adorable in it and the bakery idea and other aspects were really fun.

I absolutely adored this book!! Perfect for a Hallmark Christmas story I'm sure! Noelle has lifelong dreams of taking over the family bakery, but she's devastated when she hears it has to close. When she takes a new (well paid job) her intention is to raise some money and provide for her son, but she didn't realise it would have such a big impact on her life. Can she save Christmas for everyone...?

Beautifully written, lovely story and gives you all the Christmas feels you could possibly need. As well as a big craving for Christmas cookies! I'll be looking out for the next Jenny Hale story too!

A very sweet story of a single mom down on her luck who meets the perfect man. The story is pure fairytale with the rich and handsome man, the magical settings and everything falling into place.

this was a wonderful story. I really liked it. Every characters story line fit so well with the others it kept the flow moving smoothly.The joy of Christmas really came out. She is such a great writer.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. I am just not interested in this book anymore. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I really loved the look and description of this book plus I was given the chance to review it on Netgalley so I gave this new author a go for the very first time.....
It took a good amount of chapters to get 'into' it, so it was somewhat slow to begin with, by the time the story begins to unwind were 3/4 way through it so it wasn't my usual speed for a book but nevertheless I enjoyed it.... It's not a book you simply can't put down its one you read a hit here and there.....
I loved the setting, I loved the character San done whole of the family with Noelles family, she has bad luck and is old enough not to be moving back home but she has to raise money to save the family bakery...... I'm not telling you the plot because you must read it....
Pull a blanket on, put the fire on, make a hot cocoa and enjoy this lovely festive read,.

Baking and snow are two of my favourite things in a cosy Christmas story - and this has plenty of both! I loved reading about the bakery and how it made Noelle feel connected to her late grandma. This also had an element of lost love mystery to it, which I really loved.

I did find the story a little bit slow to start, but once it got going I thought it was fantastic, and I felt quite swept up into Noelle's festive world.

This was my favourite of Jenny Hale's Christmas books so far, and I think it would make a great place to start if you're new to the world of festive romance.

I gave this one four sparkly stars!

LOVED this book! Jenny Hale has a way with words that just gets me so emotionally tied into a book. Especially her Christmas books. Another feel good story with romance, moving on, and warm fuzzies that will probably bring a few tears. It’s a big focus on family and what they mean and also about putting things in perspective and keeping the past where it belongs. Lovely festive atmosphere that will have you begging for holiday magic in your own life. Highly recommended holiday read!

*Many thanks to NetGalley, Jenny Hale, & Bookouture for an ARC to read and review*

Noelle has had a rough time lately she was devastated by the death of her beloved gran and comes home to live with her parents along with her young son Lucas. Needing a job she takes one to look after William Harrington, a wealthy man who is offering accommodation along with the job and so she jumps at the chance. William however does not get on with his grandson Alex..... can she bring them back together in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile her Gran's bakery is under threat, with rising rents and not making money will it have to close or can Noelle work her magic and turn it round?

A lovely warm Christmassy book....I always look forward to books by this author and this one doesn't disappoint

Was this England or Richmond, VA? The book could not decide. Plus no one falls in love over a course of five minutes and that somehow happened. I understand that Christmas was the feature but it was so over the top that it just kept going and going. It was a true Hallmark movie turned into a book.

Noelle has had a rough year: losing her beloved Gran, struggling to give her young son what he needs, and now: losing her job just weeks before Christmas. She’s moved back home with her parents, but having a struggle to decide what next. An opportunity to provide care for an elderly man, with living quarters included at a salary she can’t refuse opens up – and she jumps at the chance. This causes no little concern from her parents and grandfather – the Harrington family: rich, removed from the doings in town are the family she will be working for. But, this is what Noelle sees as a stop-gap move: she can earn good money, provide her son Lucas with the Christmas he deserves, and continue to plan for her dream: taking over the Hope and Sugar bakery: her family’s bakery started by her beloved Gran.

But, then the shoes start to drop: the bakery isn’t making money and with her grandfather aging and her father unable to turn it around, combined with the increase in rent – the family has decided to close the shop, leaving Noelle reeling and feeling like she’s lost her gran all over again. To make matters worse, the person who hired her: Alex, is wonderfully welcoming and Lucas has formed an instant attachment to him and she’s not far behind. When she meets William, Alex’s grandfather – more secrets and tensions start to unfold – and she’s finding herself at the center of an ages old estrangement and a story of lost love. Unwilling to just give up on mending fences between Alex and his grandfather, OR making her dreams come true by trying to turn the bakery’s custom around – she’s soon a mass of conflicting feelings, unanswered questions and struggling with Alex’s stated desire to leave Richmond for New York, never to return.

So many stories here – the mystery of William’s lost love and his estrangement from Alex, Alex’s refusal to consider staying in the family home, her own grief at the twofold loss of gran and bakery, and her own concerns for Lucas and his growing attachment to Alex. Through dogged determination and her belief that she can make a difference in the bakery, in William and Alex’s life and her growing feelings for Alex – Noelle moves forward using her own joy of Christmas and the ‘traditions’ she grew up with and has shared with Lucas to make those changes. Secondary characters: including her two best friends and her sister, her parents and her strong memories of her Gran and her optimistic outlook on life bring an emotional context to the wonderful atmosphere that Hale has created here.

Truly a story that brings hope and forgiveness to the forefront with Noelle’s gentle coaxing (and occasional stamp her feet and refuse to let an issue go) work on both Alex and William as she arranges moments for them to be together, despite their unwillingness to interact even as neither wants to disappoint her or Lucas. And Lucas, as a quiet and curious little soul is just marvelous – always reading, constantly watching and observing those around him: so enriched by Noelle’s obvious devotion and caring. While the issue that Alex hangs his hat on as reason for resenting his grandfather is actually pretty easy to puzzle out early on, the resolution of the many issues and the new starts that come because of Noelle brings this lovely read to a wonderful conclusion and makes it a perfect holiday read.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9sH/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>