This is the first time that I have read a Debbie Mason book and it won't be the last. I liked the story for the most part although at first I did not care too much for the character of Arianna. This story is a heartfelt Christmas story with romance, humor, sexy characters and some intrigue thrown in as well. I thought the ghost part of it really didn't fit in that well but it could be the author was trying to make it like the ghost of Christmas past.
Overall I think this is an easy read and I give it a 3 star rating.

During the holidays I stop reading sporadically and completely immerse myself in Christmas reading. Normally that means from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This year when there are Christmas trees up before the pumpkins are decorated I decided to go with the flow. This book is a great start. Some mystery, some deceit, some romance tug and pull and a puppy! Oh, and a matchmaking ghost. 😉🎄

The Corner of Holly and Ivy is the newest of the Harmony Harbor series. This wonderful Christmas story puts you right in the mood for the holidays.
Arianna is recovering from her injuries and the loss of her business to a fire. Through all of this she gets a second chance at love with her high school sweetheart, Conner. Misunderstanding and family secrets threaten to get in the way of that relationship .
I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for my honest review of this book.

I am absolutely loving this series. Debbie Mason's books in this series just seem to be getting better with each one. I liked the main characters and found myself cheering for them throughout the book, while at the same time I wanted to strangle Connor's mother!! I am still loving the touch of supernatural in the books as Colleen looks out for her family. The love/hate relationship between the main characters delights you throughout the book, however the background characters are also entertaining. I especially liked the way Ms. Mason touched on the dementia aspect that so many seniors are facing these days. Just keep the books coming in this series please!!

Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review

You will need to have read at least some of the Harmony Harbor books before diving into The Corner Of Holly and Ivy, as I feel that you will be confuzzled a bit if you don't.

I loved going back to Harmony Harbor, getting back to the nitty gritty with the Gallagher family - some good, some not so good.

Ms Mason creates characters that I just want to be friends with. She has created a wonderful world that makes me want to visit. I go from laughter to tears in the space of a few lines.

Arianna and Connor's story had me running the whole gamut of emotions. I wanted, no I needed them to find their way back to each other.

I hate, hate hated Arianna's mother, what a spoiled cow she was! I adored her grandmother Helen thought - what a feisty, wonderful old woman she is!

I mostly loved Connor, however there were moments when I wanted to hit him over the head with my kindle lol.

Second chances, Christmas - some of my favourite tropes. It is helping me get right int the spirit of the season.

I can't wait to see what Ms Mason brings us next.

I'm always in my happy place when I get to read a book by Debbie Mason. I'm not really sure why since when I read them my emotions run from happy to plain pissed off within the same chapter. But with even saying that I can tell you I just love her books.

She creates charcters that you want to yell at but still can't stop reading about. Crazy, I know, but that's how I feel reading her books. It's a roller coaster of feelings. And just when I think that she couldn't possibly give me a character that would make me love/hate again, she hits with a new one.

You meet Arianna in Sandpiper Shore and you really don't like her. See this is why it's always good to read a series in order. It helps build the character for you. As much as you didn't like her in that book you saw touches of a human being. I just wasn't sure if she could be human enough for her own story.

So here's a shocker for you, right from the beginning I liked her but wasn't a fan of Connor's. Okay, maybe that's a little harsh, he ended up pissing me off way more than her. First you have what happened in their past when you was her ex's lawyer, then the move to what him and his family do to her ...I'm sorry, I don't know if I'd have given into him so quickly. It would have taken a little longer for us to have our happy ending. So much begging on his part.

He was wrong and really only thought of himself even if he wanted to play it off as thinking about her. I'm telling you I spent a ton of time yelling at this book. IT WAS SO GOOD! Of course Arianna didn't help by being all whisy-washy and almost giving up on life.

This book is so good to read. All your emotions will be at play with it. Like the ups and downs in real life you'll feel that with this story. Like I mentioned above it's best to read this series in order. Each character becomes more real as they develop from book to book. Plus there is a ongoing plot that moves from book to book. Yes, each book has it's own ending but those who read series will understand how I feel.

THE CORNER OF HOLLY AND IVY by Debbie Mason is a wonderful Christmas Story! It had me laughing out loud and smiling though the reading! It's ups and downs kept the book pages turning. I couldn't put it down, it's 4 am and I just finished the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

To start out, this was my first book by Debbie Mason. I found this story a delightful Christmas romance, heart-warming Harmony Harbor, with a bit of suspense. Arianna and Colin, teen-age sweethearts, get a second chance at love, but it doesn’t come easily. There are misunderstandings, secrets, and family drama making it difficult for Arianna and Colin to keep their relationship going. I loved every minute of it!

I loved the characters in this book! The story captured me from the very beginning! I haven't read any in this series but didn't have any trouble getting into this one but after this plan on reading the whole series. Very heartwarming story. Would highly recommend!

I give it 5 Stars

If you are familiar with Debbie Mason's Harmony Harbor, then this is another installment into that series. This book follows Arianna and Conner's love story.
This is a fun, lite romantic read. I really enjoyed returning to Harmony Harbor. The characters are not only likeable, but relatable. Arianna is struggling with having lost everything important to her in the fire that burned down her business. As well as a horrible injury to her arm. Conner finds himself being drawn back to her and wanting to help bring her back to her old self.
Throw in a political race and the the two become competitive.
I live Arianna's grandma Glamma, who is entertaining and sweet. I also love having the mix of Colleen Gallagher, the matriarch who is now a ghost in the manor she lived. Adds a little fun to the story.
I would highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a fun read with a little bit of drama mixed in, and a lot of laughter.

This was an enjoyable holiday read but I found it hard to follow along at times. I felt like I had to read the previous books - which I hadn't - especially to learn more about the incident that Arianna survived.

But all in all, it didn't detract from the story too much and I still enjoyed this sweet second chance romance.

I have read a lot of Christmas themed romances lately. I love reading these types of books. They get me in the mood for Christmas. Plus, they’re romances. And everyone knows how much I love romances. So when the publisher approached me to review The Corner of Holly and Ivy, I jumped at it. I was also excited to read a book by Debbie Mason. I have seen her books around the blogosphere but I never have had the chance to review one.

The Corner of Holly and Ivy is Arianna and Connor’s romance. Arianna was injured in a fire that destroyed half the businesses on Main Street, including her business. Harboring guilt over surviving the fire, she has sequestered herself in her house with her grandmother. Connor is an attorney who is back in Harmony Harbor after being blackballed by his ex-employer. Sparks fly when Arianna and Connor, who dated as teenagers, are forced to run opposite of each other in a mayoral race. Old feelings come back as they run against each other. But, Arianna has a secret. A secret that can threaten her and Connor’s love. Can they survive it?

I liked and pitied Arianna. She had been through so much before the book even started. The fire did a number not only on her body but on her self-confidence. She wasn’t able to do what she loved, designing wedding dresses. She was living in a state of depression until her grandmother forced her out of it by deciding to run for mayor. I loved her relationship with her grandmother. It was sweet and pure (as weird as that sounds). She would do anything for her Glamma. That includes stepping in for her when Glamma asked her. I also liked how she dealt with Connor and his being around more often. She didn’t want to fall back in love with him. She fought it. Her secret was heartbreaking too!!

I liked Connor. He was upfront with his feelings for Arianna right from the beginning. His distress at seeing her die and being brought back to life came off the pages. I also liked how loyal he was to his family. When Daniel had a “heart attack“, Connor was there to take over his mayoral campaign. I did think it was great that he was able to keep a sense of humor while running against Arianna. And he was in tune with his feelings for her.

I have to mention Glamma. I loved her. She was outspoken and she supported her granddaughter no matter what she did. I felt awful with what she was going through but I liked that she got a diagnosis. She was one of my favorite characters in the book. Her and Colleen. Colleen’s anger at Daniel and what she did to get back at him was hilarious. It was even funnier because she was a ghost and he had no flipping clue what was going on. Only Jasper and the cat.

I do have to mention Daniel. I didn’t like him. I thought he was a manipulator. What he did to his brother and his wife was unforgivable. But, he did get what was coming to him. I laughed that entire scene in the book. I might or might not have said: “You go Colleen“.

The secondary character in the book fleshed it out. They all had individual personality and quirks. I loved that these characters were so relatable (both secondary and main).

There were 3 major plotlines in The Corner of Holly and Ivy. What I enjoyed about the plotlines is that they went seamlessly from one to another. There is usually some choppiness when transitioning from plotline to plotline. Not here.

The first plotline was Arianna and Connor’s relationship, both past and present. I liked that while acknowledged, Arianna and Connor’s past relationship was kept in the past. I liked that the author had Connor work to be with Arianna. He had to show her that he wasn’t the jerk she remembered from her divorce. Just reading his escapades trying to win her over. I’ve gotta say that the puppy was perfect!!

The second plotline was Arianna’s relationship with her Glamma. I liked that Glamma was there for Arianna. She loved her unconditionally. She stepped up when Arianna’s mother didn’t. I sympathized with Arianna with Glamma’s issues with memory. I did laugh when Glamma asked Arianna to take over her campaign and her “help“. I loved it.

The third plotline was Arianna and Connor’s run for mayor. I wasn’t too sure how it was going to work out with them running against each other. I also wasn’t sure how much Daniel was going to be involved in Connor’s campaign. I thought the result of the election was hilarious and loved what the old mayor came up with. Then it was watching Arianna and Connor trying to one-up each other. I was a little surprised by the result.

The secondary storylines brought extra depth to the book. I loved the secret admirer one. I figured out who it was before it was revealed in the book. Arianna’s secret was another memorable one. I do wish that it had been introduced earlier in the book. I also didn’t like how her secret came out. It was heartbreaking and I don’t blame Connor for reacting the way he did. But still. She should have told him on her own terms.

There is no Instalove in The Corner of Holly and Ivy. While the main part of the story took place over a couple of months, Arianna and Connor’s relationship began when they were teenagers. I had no issue believing that they could fall back in love within a couple of months.

The romance in The Corner of Holly and Ivy was great. I liked seeing Connor work to win Arianna over. I liked seeing him admit that he screwed up. It made the romance so much sweeter.

There was chemistry between Connor and Arianna was there. I liked that it didn’t overwhelm the book. I understood that they wanted each other. Instead of being in your face, it was subtle. Sometimes you need subtle. Which brings me to the sex scenes. They were not graphic. Actually, I didn’t quite grasp that Arianna and Connor had sex until the end of the book. Then I was like “WHEN. When did you have sex?”

The end of The Corner of Holly and Ivy seemed rushed. I was confused at how certain events went down and certain characters reactions. But, I did like it. The author did a great job of wrapping everything up. She did leave a couple of storylines unended. I am hoping that will be a sequel to this book.

I gave The Corner of Holly and Ivy a 4-star rating. This was a cute read that got me into the Christmas spirit. I was a little confused at the ending. I felt that it was rushed. But overall, it was a great book that I enjoyed reading.

I would give The Corner of Holly and Ivy an Adult rating. There is sex but it is not graphic. There is mild violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Corner of Holly and Ivy. I would also recommend to family and friends.

I would like to thank Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Corner of Holly and Ivy.

All opinions stated in this review of The Corner of Holly and Ivy are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read The Corner of Holly and Ivy?
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Debbie Mason's The Corner Holly and Ivy begins with Arianna recuperating from her business being burned to the ground during the previous book in the series, Sandpiper Shore. Once again the Gallagher men are involved in trying to expand the business and social network in Harmony Harbor. With Glammy pushing to run against Daniel for the mayor's position, Arianna is forced to get out of her bed and try to get back amongst her family and help keep Glammy under control. Conner is back in town and he would like to get back together with Arianna. It has been years since the two have been a couple, she married and divorced, he never married but also never settled on any woman.
I found the book a good carry on to the Sandpiper story however they both were difficult to pull myself into the beginning of the books. Once I was about a forth of the way into the book it held my interest and was a fun read. As the title implies, this part of the series kicks off the holiday season beginning with a Gallagher wedding. Great Grandma Colleen and the cat, Simon are the ghostly duo who work together to pull this story together,

Arianna has just lost everything in a fire, her dreams, and her business. Connor is her childhood sweetheart. He has just come back to Harmony Harbor, and just when Arianna thinks that everything is going to be ok, Connor decides to run against her in the race for mayor. This book was a lighthearted read. I love the town of Harmony Harbor.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

To start out, this was my first book by Debbie Mason. It was hard for me to get into this story, and I had to put it down, quite a few times.

This is a Christmas romance book, about high school sweethearts, Arianna and Colin. They get a second chance at love, but it doesn't come easy for them. They are both thrown into the race for mayor, in Harmony Harbor, when two of their family members, want to bow out, and have to take their place. Now they are running against eachother for mayor. There were many secrets and family drama in this book. I did like the ending, but overall, it was hard for me to finish this book.

I have heard Debbie Mason is a great writer, so I will have to give one of her previous works, a try.

This book is a delightful Christmas romance, a heart-warming return to Harmony Harbor, with a bit of suspense. Arianna and Colin, teen-age sweethearts, get a second chance at love, but it doesn’t come easily. There are misunderstandings, secrets, and family drama making it difficult. I laughed and I cried, and I loved every minute of it!

So I enjoy this authors writing and she has a gift writing characters I love but for me she is a hit or miss. Her characters do things that mystify me and I almost quit reading many times. But I always come back because I do like the characters even if I do not like what they do. This is how this book was for me.

The story runs in the Fall through Christmas. It stars Ariana who was almost killed ten weeks before. Her first love was Connor Gallagher and as she almost dies he decides he has never loved anyone else but her. Except well he has a girlfriend, and even after he decides he loves her, he still has a girlfriend, in fact he even decides to introduce her to his family. Luckily this crazy does not last long but that was the first time I wanted to quit reading.

Ariana survived a fire, her many being shot and burns to her body that have crippled her hands and destroyed her business. She lives with her grandmother, Glamma and is beyond depressed. Until her grandma decides to run for Mayor against Daniel gallgher, Connor's uncle and the many trying to break up Connor's parents marriage.

When Glamma cannot run anymore, she convinces Ariana to run, and Connor and his dad want Daniel to lose so they join Ariana's campaign. This was the best part of the story. Then it all goes crazy and this again made me ready to quit reading. Connor decides he wants to get into politics and him and his father dump Glamma and Ariana to run against her.

If all that sound crazy it absolutely is and in not the funny hahaha way but in the betrayal of the one you claim to love to the highest degree. To be honest I wanted Ariana to find another guy who would love her and not treat her like Connor did. This was it for me and Connor I hated him from this point and I do not believe he loved Ariana.

But I did keep reading because I wanted to know who won, and I wanted to know Ariana's secret. And who wins....well I am not spoiling but it was disapointing. And I was disapointed in how fast Ariana folds with Connor when he betrayed her in the worst way.

It was well written and I liked the characters (except Connor) but I kinda felt he had no clue what real love is and I hated that Ariana forgave him so easily.

My guilty pleasure in the weeks leading up to Christmas is reading as many holiday books as possible. (All the feels, you know, and nothing too heavy during the busy season) . I was disappointed with this book. The lead female character seems likable, but she's recovering from an accident which is referred to in bits and pieces throughout the opening chapters. I assume this accident has been written about in a previous book by the author set in the same little town. Libraries don't always have the financial ability to purchase an entire series of books, and patrons looking for holiday themes pick up books expecting a complete storyline. Unfortunately, I gave up on this book because it was frustrating and confusing-I imagined I felt a bit like the forgetful grandmother character or the nosey neighbor who knew something was going on but didn't have enough "clues" to put it all together. I know Debbie Mason writes far better than I could ever hope to, but I felt like I had arrived late to the party.

Thus is an awesome story. Interesting characters with real life problems. You'll love and hate them at the same time. Forever love will win and the mysteries will come out.

The Corner Of Holly and Ivy by Debbie Mason. I love Christmas stories. There is so much love between everyone in this story. Connor and Arianna have a second chance at love. If you love Christmas stories this one is for you.