First I love the Montgomery's. Carter and Emery went to school together and they competed with each other over the years. Emery always felt she had to work twice as hard as everyone else. Carter's mom Eliza brought them together as adults to work on charity cookbook. Emery was coming off a horrible engagement. What made it worse is her parents did not stand by her. Carter's mom gives Emery a life line when she asks her to help with the cook book. Emery is comfort food while Carter is fine dining. They both have self doubt issues. Carter has issues due to his past with his Dad. They push each other in good way and have great chemistry. Emery challenges Carter. Carter feels like he has found his other half in Emery. Carter makes Emery feel safe and secure. Carter gives her courage to stand up to her parents. I truly loved the ending to this book. I really hope Eliza gets her own story very soon.

I've read many, many books by this author (including earlier books in this series), and this book certainly did not disappoint! Fun characters, interesting dilemma, and a fantastic HEA- and at Christmas! ❤️ Enjoy this book for what it is- a feel good, relaxing read!

Much thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a pleasure!

This was a fun holiday romance. I didn’t realize that this was part of a series, however the book stood alone just fine. I am interested in reading some more in the series after enjoying this book. Carter Montgomery, a successful chef and restaurant owner, arrives at his mother’s condo to find his arch rival from school Emery Monaghan. She is hiding out there because of press coverage of a terrible breakup. As they spend some time together they realize their shared history might not be as negative as they once thought.

First, I love the Montgomery family and all the matchmaking parents, aunts and uncles! It is finally Carter’s time to find his HEA with a little help from his mother and extended family. Add into the mix sweet Emery whose life is really upside down right now. Carter’s Mom, Eliza, is offering her time away from the awful spotlight her ex has put her in. Include her relationship with Carter as high school rivals and you have a fantastic Montgomery romance.

The way Emery and Carter banter, witty and otherwise, it’s a surprise they get together, but as one of their relatives, Gabriella, pointed out, they have had decades of foreplay before finally getting together. Both are a bit cautious about committing at first, but you see how they really do care about the other. Even their disagreements have a ‘real’ feel to them.

The Montgomery’s do get upset with each other, but more than anything else, they support and advise each other. One of Ms. Chase’s gifts is writing realistic families and situations. As a reader, you are drawn into to real life situations and disagreements. She does not sugarcoat her heroes, heroines, or their families. They have issues just like you or me. So, when their love works out, it’s believable.

I really liked this book. I enjoyed that it was a Christmas love story because anything can happen around that time. I enjoyed everything about this book.

A Dash of Christmas was a fun, sweet romance that puts you in the holiday spirit. Carter is focused on opening his new restaurant and doesn't have time to work on the cookbook his mother wants to do for charity. Emery's life is falling about between her cheating boyfriend and the lack of support from her family. When Carter's mother reaches out and offers her a place to stay and a project to work on she is happy for the break...too bad Carter wasn't aware of these plans. Carter and Emery have known each other for years and was and it was so nice to see their feelings grow for each other. I loved Carter's loving and protective side when it came to Emery. This book is full of love and holiday spirit and probably one of my favorites in this series.

My heart broke for Emery when she had to not only put up with the publicity from her now ex-fiance’s horrible behavior, but her parents sided with him and did not support her. Carter Montgomery was shocked when he found out he would be collaborating with Emery on a cookbook that his mother was passionate about making. Carter and Emery were rivals all through school, but now as they are thrown together, their relationship changes. I loved this book due to the way Samantha Chase handled the angst and relationship between Carter and Emery on every level.

In true Samantha Chase style, once again the tales of the Montgomery Family are a joy to read. No better time of year than Christmas to bring two enemies together and male them fall in love. Carter and Emery's story had so many levels of love that the reader never gets bored and add in the Christmas traditions and decorations and you have a holiday story that meets all expectations. The Christmas letters at the end were a fantastic way to encompass all of the characters we have fallen in love with throughout the series. Awesome read!!

A Dash Of Christmas
Montgomery Brothers #9
Samantha Chase
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Outstanding. Absolutely beautiful. A five star romance. Samantha has cooked a up a masterpiece in this Montgomery story. It’s been a while since we’ve e heard from the Montgomery’s, but Carter and Emery has cemented themselves as favourites in my eyes… ♥️

Carter Montgomery is a famous chef, owner of 2 very successful restaurants, with a third on its way. He lives a very busy, chaotic life, between running kitchens, restaurants and his mother’s meddling for help with a new Holiday cookbook for her charity work. As he heads to Manhattan before heading out to his new restaurant life for Carter is about to be very different.

Emery Monaghan is really on the outs, her politician ex fiancé cheated in her ( not just once), her parents are siding with him, and she’s running from everything. After a brief call with Eliza Montgomery, she’s now hiding out in a Manhattan building from the press, her family, her whole life. It consists of reading and frozen pizza… so while she’s asleep she leaps at the sound of the front door the unit opening… Coming face to face with a man, she didn’t think she’d ever see again has a squeal of murder, she didn’t anticipate him. Trying to strangle her either… Carter Freaking Montgomery!

So these two have known each other since fifth grade, and let’s say weren’t best friends, frenemies would be a better word. But years after school finished, these two are about to work together even if it is one sided…. Steamrolled by his mother, Carter will work with Emery to fulfil this new cookbook, and hopefully find another part of his life to fulfil ( hint, hint, nudge, nudge), Eliza isn’t quiet in her plans for Carter and Emery. Carter sees Emery as a colossal pain in his butt, she’s closed minded, big opinionated but she’s sexy and the banter is always fun… his favourite time of day I’d making her mad. Emery is blindsided by Carter, not just his “everything must be perfect” to EVERYTHING, but his sexiness and her want to fight with him…

It’s not long before hate, curse words and attitude turns to glances, caught breaths and kisses…. Carter has found the easiest way to shut Emery up – kiss her, and he’s more than happy to oblige. Emery seems more than happy to take those kisses, because hey Carter kisses like he cooks, strong take no prisoners. As they find a niche that has them working on the book, but more importantly their lives, that both come with walls to climb and conquer. But while Carter has a clear view in his future, Emery is a ball of nervous energy, with no clear path ahead. Never fear with a man like Carter, or anyone of the hot Montgomery men, she’ll be just fine…. If she lets him help. As fierce as Emery is, she’s been cut open by those closest to her, and to move forward she must take control of her past. It any feat with parents like hers…. Will Carter stand up for her? You bet he will. Nothing sexier then a Montgomery man with a plan.

Samantha Chase adds another enjoyable title to her list with this delicious holiday tale. Emery's politican boyfriend turns out to be a cheater and harrasser, and then her (awful) family inexplicably pressures her to stand by her man. When a family friend offers her a chance to escape to their family condo in New York, Emery grabs at the lifeline. She soons finds herself sharing the space with her childhood rival, who is now a famous chef. Carter doesn't want anytying to do with this woman that drove him crazy all through school...until they start to get to know each other. Emery is trying to make her own way, while Carter is trying to start a new restaurant of his dreams, which are clouded by the disapproval of his late father. Appealing characters with a ripped from the headlines plot make this a fun read for Chase fans or anyone that likes a seasonal tale,

I love the Montgomery series and Emery and Carter's book was amazing!

Hopefully you have been able to read the other books in the series because I highly recommend, but you do not need to have that background to enjoy and love A Dash of Christmas. Samantha Chase wrote an amazing book that transports you into Christmas nostalgia. While Carter is dealing with the opening of a new restaurant and struggling to please his mother and a new book venture, Emery has her own terrible issues that she is dealing with yet takes on the project of managing the Christmas cookbook for Eliza.

Carter and Emery are childhood frenemies- always having competed on most every level - and they still are fiercely passionate people both headstrong and full of the need to one up the other. In other words, their chemistry is amazing and off the charts.SC's writing makes you feel a part of the story emotionally and physically. The push and pull of the relationship between Carter and Emery is definitely something you FEEL!

This was a greatly written book and I assume the conclusion of the Montgomery series. I am truly appreciative to NetGalley, Samantha Chase and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC.

Great read, the latest in the series. I have only read one other book in the series, and whilst I don't think this matters, I do want to go back and read them all.

I liked how it is told from both the points of view of Carter and Emery. They went to high school together and were rivals, always arguing.
Now they are adults, and spending time together after being pushed together by his mother. They start off arguing as usual, but soon that leads to them falling for each other.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Samantha Chase really knows how to tell a great romance and they never disappoint. The characters were engaging and so right for each other

If you’ve been reading Samantha Chase’s Montgomery Brothers series, you will recognize Carter Montgomery in A Dash of Christmas. Carter is a chef and restaurant owner which is departure from the family business. Carter is trying to open his fourth restaurant in Montauk, New York but he is having trouble developing a new concept for the restaurant. His mother wants his help with a charity cookbook. He is overwhelmed and retreats to his family’s place in New York only to discover his childhood nemesis, Emery Monaghan in residence.
Emery is in hiding from the press over her fiancée’s cheating scandal. Mrs. Montgomery was kind enough to offer her a place to stay with a little matchmaking in mind. In exchange for a place to hide, Emery is helping with the charity cookbook project. Carter and Emery butt heads often until they start seeing eye-to-eye on things. All the arguing leads to a little romance.
I really enjoyed reading about Emery and Carter in this book. It put me in a holiday mood and I had thoughts of baking cookies. I choose to read more instead! I highly recommend reading the other books in the series first, but this is still a great stand-alone holiday book.

A Dash of Christmas by Samantha Chase 4 stars

I will confess that I am more familiar with Ms. Chase's Shaughnessy Brothers and Band on the Run series. I love those books. I did read Tangled Up in You which is Megan's story. This novel focuses on Carter Montgomery, the brother of Christian from Suddenly Mine and Megan from Tangled Up in You. Eliza Montgomery their mom has one single child left and uses circumstances and a little planning to put Carter and his past school rival,, Emery Monaghan together in one place. There were some things I loved about this book - the banter between Emery and Carter when it came to food choices. Her habit of calling him out on his food snobbery was funny. Carter is a high end chef , so her comments on "fancy" food was funny. I also liked the fact that Carter worked out his motivations on his decisions. (Part of that was paternal influence) The food and cooking in this book made up for some things I didn't like about this book. I didn't like how Carter initially dismissed Emery opinions on certain subjects. I didn't like how Emery decision on how to handle a certain situation was to go into hiding. But I did end up enjoying this book, bonus fir the updates on the lives of various Montgomery's at the end of the book.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC.

Emery is reeling from a very public betrayal by her fiancé and from her parents’ ongoing support of the cheat. The media won’t give her any peace, so she is thrilled when Eliza Montgomery offers her a safe place to land for a time, and a short-term job to keep her mind off her troubles.

Carter is a successful restauranteur, but he has hit an impasse when it comes to the new restaurant he plans to open. He feels like he wants to do something different, but just can’t come up with an idea that feels right. He decides to take a break from it all by visiting a family-owned property. What he doesn’t expect is to find Emily, his childhood nemesis, already staying there. Fortunately, they find some common ground that leads to friendship and maybe more...

It sounds like those pesky matchmaking Montgomery parents are at it again!

Such a cute book. Kinda of a predictable plot but told in a new voice. Loved it! Definitely one to check out.

I really enjoyed this Christmas themed story. Fast read, flowed very well. Tha is Netgalley and the publisher for this book!

This was a very sweet Christmas themed story. I really liked Carter. Emery was a little harder for me to get a handle on. Carter remembers her as being super sweet with everyone but him and that is the case when they meet up again. However there were some scenes where it felt a little off. For example the scene where she tries to push him in to making pizza by taunting him that it probably wouldn't be any good. He's a chef, this seems to be unnecessarily mean as it cuts to who he is at the core.

I felt Emery was not always consistent in her characterization. One minute super sweet and the next caustic. Who she was with Carter didn't always make sense to me in comparison to who she was with everyone else as it seemed a little too contradictory.

However these moments didn't distract from the charming frenemies to forever story. I loved the epilogue.

Emery just wants to escape the reporters who hound her day and night to talk to her about her prominent ex-fiancé being accused of abusing women. She knew he cheated on her once but had no idea of who he really was and all she wants to do is hide. When given the chance to work on a project for Eliza, a family friend, and a place to stay, she's thrilled. Of course, Emery will have to live and work with Eliza's son, Carter, who has been a thorn in her side since childhood. Carter can't believe he has to put up with his arch nemesis Emery but pretty soon he realizes his feelings have changed. Sweet holiday romance.