The blurb for this book caught by eye and honestly who can resist a story about a little boy who wants a Mom for Christmas, not me and I did enjoy Wanted: A Mom for Christmas even though it was a bit too easy considering all the circumstances surrounding this couple and the hero’s two children.

Seven years ago Hawk Savage’s life was turned upside down when his wife died leaving him the single parent to a 3 year old daughter and an infant son. He managed with help of family and friends, but with his children growing older he’s beginning to doubt his ability to get through a teenage girl’s puberty and a young boy who desperately wants a mother. When laid out by the flu, a woman appears from Rent-A-Mom and nurses him back to life while delighting his son with holiday decorating and bit by bit getting his shy and unsure daughter to interact.

Olympic Medalist Nora Joy’s life implodes when she finds out the injury to her shoulder might keep her off the National Team, she walks in to find her boyfriend screwing her sand volleyball partner, and her mother/agent confesses she’s not only blown all of Nora’s money but she’s actually in debt over her head. Determined to take a hold of her life Nora applies for every job and lands one in her old hometown of Climax, North Carolina and turns up on the doorstep of her old high school boyfriend and his adorable two children.

It was easy to like both Hawk and Nora from the start of this book and feel for both of their situations although honestly, Nora’s felt a little bit over the top. Scene stealer 7 year old Henry Lee (HL) had an infectious personality and was impossible not to love from the start. Stoic, shy, and extremely intelligent 10 year old Heather, internalized everything and despite her mom being gone for seven years she still feels the loss deeply which broke my heart for her. From the minute Nora arrived on their doorstep, HL was immediately drawn to Nora and their outgoing personalities made it fun to watch them bond from the start. While Heather sat back and watched, it was easy to see that she was interested in the loud, strange, woman who came into their lives but she wasn’t ready to go “all in.” Once Hawk was up and around, their prior relationship made it easy for them to fall easily into each other’s lives.

The Christmas spirit and a bit of competitiveness has these four working together and building a family relationship before they even realize it.

Sweet, sentimental, with a bit of sexy heat, and a Christmas backdrop to boot made Wanted: Mom for Christmas a cute and entertaining holiday story.

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an adorable, quick holiday read. Nora takes a job as a rent-a-mom while she licks her wounds after back-to-back losses. She ends up helping Hawk, her high school sweetheart, and his two adorable kids at Christmas time.

Kilraine wrote such a sweet story with a little bit of heat...but really I just enjoyed watching this family adapt to the new woman in their lives and bring Christmas back.

A sweet and romantic addition to the Cates brothers series.

I have been looking forward to reading this as we got peaks at Hawk and his adorable son Henry Lee in the other books. My heart broke for the little boy who just wanted to find a mom.

While I would have loved for this story to be a full length book, it worked well as a novella. It was the perfect choice to set it at the holidays, too.

Well written and an enjoyable story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

Awww...Wanted: Mom for Christmas is a sweet holiday read. HL (Henry Lee) really wants a mom for Christmas, REALLY, REALLY wants one. So when Nora shows up on his doorstep, claiming she's from the Rent-A-Mom company to be their "mom" for awhile, he's all for it. Now, if only his dad, Hawk Savage, would agree, then HL's day, life, would be made.

Seriously, who the heck could resist such a sweet premise?! Thank God Hawk realized that having his high school girlfriend back in his life was a good thing, and decided not to send her away after he recovered from his bout with the flu. And that he didn't fight his feelings for her. Nora did, for about a second, but in the spirit of the holidays, it was all resolved with a minimum of angst, and Nora, Hawk, HL and Heather got their sweet HEA.

If you like your holiday reads on the sweet side with a touch of sexy, 1-click Wanted: Mom for Christmas today. You won't regret it and you'll fall in love with the Savage family just as I did.

Great book about finding love again. The little boy has one wish a mother for Christmas but when the ex-girlfriend from high school shows up it is not what the father was expecting.

This is one of those holiday stories with just the tiniest of supernatural twists.  It reminds me so much of those Hallmark Channel Christmas movies where Santa or an angel or a ghost helps to get the couple together for their HEA.  I love those movies so that made it even more fun!

Nora is at loose ends and thanks to a little holiday magic she finds herself on Hawk’s doorstop just when he needs her.  While she’s definitely not Mary Poppins she does have a HUGE heart and finds herself quickly drawn into their lives.  It’s definitely hard stepping into a role that hasn’t been filled since Hawk’s wife passed away but if anyone can win over the little family it will be her. 

Hawk is doing everything he can for his kids but he’s definitely finding himself stretched a little thin as his daughter approaches her teenage years and his son is desperate for a mom.  When he finds himself face to face with an old girlfriend he starts thinking things he hasn’t for a very long time.  He’s dedicated himself to being the best dad he can but maybe it is time to start thinking as a man too …

Short and cute and full of holiday fun, Wanted: Mom for Christmas is perfect for those (like me) who just love those feel-good, candy-sweet, made-for-tv movies :)

I seriously loved Nora's sense of humor, especially when she's doing something with HL. Those two together cracked me up. This was a sweet second-chance romance that was pretty much perfect. I need to read more book set in Climax.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Review by Leah for Love Romance Books Blog

I was asked by the author for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

H.L. wants a mom more than anything else for Christmas this year, and Heather just wants to stop being sad. Now a Rent-a-Mom is at the front door and she seems to already know their dad. Just when he's about to send her packing, work circumstances change and he's all but begging her to stay. This is the story of Hawk and Nora's romance.

My first read of Kilraine's, I was very excited about this book, but there were a couple of parts that didn't quite jive for me. Nora's reaction to her mother's choices was extremely understated, and that followed by her volleyball partner's news were not true to how an actual person would react, in my opinion. But, the fun and love of Christmas shown through. I loved her interactions with Hawk's kiddos, and with him. With them she was open, loving, and understanding. The glimpses of her competitive spirit popped up every once in a while, which galvanized the rest of the family. And, the epilogue is not to be missed! I love another look at the characters a bit later in their lives. This book has is about love, Christmas, and second chances. It's a cute read with a splash of sexy heat and great to curl up with either a glass of wine of a cup of hot chocolate.

This was a great book! First book a read from this author I can’t want to read more!!

Absolutely loved this story! I love second chance romance books, it definitely put you in the mood for the holidays. Nora and Jackson reconnected when Nora came back for a job offer in the town she is from. This is a cute little story. It’s a quick read but definitely would recommend it. I received this ARC from Netgallet for an honest review.

This was a very fun story to read. I enjoyed every page of it.
Nora was an Olympic volleyball player who had been betrayed by her partner in volleyball, her boyfriend and her mother. She is recovering from an injury and takes a job as a rent-a-mom for a police chief's 2 children. It turns out she used to date Hawk when she was a junior in HS. Hawk's kids were a hoot. HL was a mischievous little boy who really wanted a mom. Heather was a young girl just growing into a young lady and needed some guidance.
This story had so much going for it. Fun, romance, bad cooking (Nora couldn't cook to save her life) and Christmas spirit. I highly recommend. I was given this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

3.5 stars - I ❤️ second chance, childhood sweethearts, romances and this one had just the right amount of Christmas magic. While I didn't feel a strong chemistry between the two main characters (hence the 3.5 stars) the story is light, fun and a quick read. There is a sex scene, but it's not explicit, in case that matters to you.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a cute romance. I love the dynamics that children add to the plot. I couldn’t put this book down.

Wanted: Mom For Christmas is part of the Cates Brothers series. At one of the lowest points of her life, Nora gets a job offer in her hometown for a rent-a-mom. When she arrives, Hawk is taken aback that his high school girlfriend is on his front porch claiming to be the rent-a-mom. The sparks are still there. Will more than one wish come true this Christmas? I really enjoyed this story, and I highly recommend this book.

Warm hearted, moving story

I really loved how Lee Kiltraine handled this Christmas story. The second chance at love story between Nora and Hawk felt fresh. They along with Hawk's 2 hchildren, Heather and H.L. were wonderfully realistic characters. I loved how as the time drew closer to Christmas each of them were growing and healing. I highly recommend this story for anyone interested in reading a thoughtful warm family love story.
I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley.

Wanted Mom For Christmas is a charming, sweet and fun holiday romance with characters I fell in love with. Although this is book 5.5 in the series it can be read as a stand alone (I did) and it's still very enjoyable. I can only imagine how much more I would have loved it if I had read the previous books.

This book centers around Hawk and his two children who's mom died several years ago a week before Christmas. Hawk and his kids really haven't been big on celebrating Christmas since then and Hawk is starting to worry a bit about how he'll manage his teen daughter as she is starting a time period where having a mother would be so helpful. His youngest son, H.L. wants a mom and is constantly asking his dad for one but Hawk isn't sure he's ready for a relationship and even if he is he needs to find a woman who will love his kids.

Enter Nora, Hawk's high school girlfriend and first love. She's going through a rough patch with her career as an Olympic tennis player and other personal issues. She finds a job as a rent-a-mom for Hawk's family.

I loved the dynamics between Nora and Hawk's kids and between Nora and Hawk. The Savage family was adorable and I especially loved the relationship that grew between Nora and H.L. There were some very amusing and sweet scenes and I loved that the competitive spirit in Nora came alive in her interactions with the family and in her wanting to be the best rent-a-mom possible. I found myself smiling through this whole book and finished it in one setting.

If you are looking for a sweet and fun Christmas story that will leave you with a smile on your face then I highly recommend Wanted: Mom For Christmas. I enjoyed it so much I'm going to go back and read the earlier books in the series!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I enjoy second chance romances and this was a great one! I loved that Hawk and Nora were each other's "firsts"! Due to threats, Nora could not contact Hawk again, and later heard how he became a manwhore so she left him in the past. Fast forward to years down the road, they meet again.

It was great that Nora became a Rent-a-mom, and went to the client's house only to find her old love, Hawk (she knew him as Jackson) and his two children. There is a bit of a mystery about who requested the rent-a-mom, and so Hawk had a friend investigate. The answer is a cute holiday magic which is repeated in the epilogue with a different wish!

Nora and Hawk's son, HL, really conncected and it was so funny their competitive spirit! The holiday decoration contest and the later competition showed how much they were alike and really wanted to win! It was cute that the sister, Heather, finally felt comfortable enough to join in and actually helped out in the decorating and later in keeping Nora from running away.

I about cried when Nora had the kids plant a garden for their deceased mother, Holly, and Hawk caught her talking to Holly and keeping her updated on the kids lives. Heather seemed like smaller version of Holly, and it was such a loving thing for her to wish for someone for her father (another moment that I needed a tissue!).

This was a wonderful romance and it was enhanced by all the holiday influences added and really gives the reader a feeling of holiday magic. It was also great that saw into the future that Nora was able to realize her dream, and kind of got a bit of revenge against her former volleyball partner!!

This is my first book by Lee Kilraine and I found it a sweet read. I liked the characters, the kids were great, but I just felt that it was glossed over or hurried. The premise was cute and I enjoyed the book but I felt it didn't have the depth it needed to be awesome.

Lovely Sweet Story.
Wow, poor Nora. She loses her boyfriend; her best friend and volleyball partner; her mother as her manager; all her savings and gains $20,000 in debt all in one day! However her luck changes when she receives a job offer in her hometown of Climax, North Carolina. Not with her parents that she knows anything about parenting but the Rent-a-Mom offer is the only job she can find; the big surprise is that she finds herself working for her first love, now a widower with two children. Delightful story, recommended Christmas read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.