Lovely festive read. It was a heart warming romance. It was a wonderful book to read. It was well written and flowed well.

Read this Christmas book merely for putting you in the holiday spirit.

This book is a nice Christmas read but do not expect any type of difficulty or challenge that the characters must overcome before they can be together. Joy owns a nail polish company that operates online. Her friends would move from Colorado if she chose to move, and her Nana’s will state that she must stay at and run the Heart and Hope bread and breakfast for six months.

Joy meets Will when he informs her of the contents in her Nana’s will. She is rude to him as the messenger. The next time she meets him she asks for forgiveness and it is granted. There is no obstacle to their relationship from then on.

The book has community contests and fun exchanges between the characters but lacks anything that keeps you reading to “see what happens.”


I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, Fern Michaels and the publisher for a copy of this book, for an honest review.

This book was a great Fern Michaels book....I loved the premise of the book, and while a death in a family is what caused the ultimate turmoil and issues, it all worked out in the end, as the majority of Fern Michaels books do.

Joy was a great main character, and reading the book and feeling the emotion of her falling in love, even though she didn't feel like that was something that was on her radar, was fun to read and feel. I didn't like that the Last Will and Testament of her grandmother was what ultimately kept her in her hometown for 6 months, but in the end she realized why her grandmother did what she did, and how it helped her family to become closer and bond tighter.

As always, I just love a Fern Michaels book, and it didn't disappoint!

Author Fern Michaels is a queen of spinning good yarns and this one is as delightful as they come. It's a perfect holiday read as it focuses on the time of All Saints' Day through Christmas Eve and incorporates the frenetic energy as well as the wonder and magic of the season. It's a charming and relaxing read as you put your feet up after a long day of holiday preparations. Grab a cup of cocoa, a soft blanket and settle in for a cozy evening of reading.

Although the book opens with a sorrowful loss it quickly eases into a story of hope. Anna Rose Huntley, the matriarch of the family and owner of the Heart & Soul Bed & Breakfast, is excited and busily making the holiday preparations for her beloved guests. But seeing her way to Christmas was not meant to be. In her will, she leaves the running of the B&B to her granddaughter, Joy - the strong, highly driven business owner of Simply Joy nail polish company. How is Joy supposed to run a North Carolina B&B while she's operating her international business back in Denver? Why didn't Nana leave it to her own daughter who already lives there? What was she thinking?

With the help of Anna's faithful employees and Joy's mother, somehow all the holiday preparations fall into place but not without their drama. Joy is on a steep learning curve for this B&B business. But her "Nana's" attractive and young attorney, Will, provides Joy with simple diversions which help Joy keep her balance. There's a spark between these two which is obvious to others yet which Joy denies. Will all the charms of Spruce City, NC be enough for Joy to keep Heart & Soul B&B in the family? Only time will tell...

Fern Michaels does a superb job of world building in her books. We feel the charm of small town Spruce City as its residents make evening strolls through its historic district eyeing the Christmas light wonderland. We also sense the small town claustrophobia as everyone appears to know everybody else's business. The character development is excellent and realistic. My only criticism is that the ending felt rather rushed. None the less, I certainly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading many more by this wonderful storyteller.

I am grateful to author Fern Michaels and Kensington Publishing Corp. for having provided a free e-copy of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

This was a great holiday read. The book was well written and the characters were developed well. I think I would have liked more information around why Joy was given the B & B. You could infer several different reasons but would have liked it to be a bit more defined. Enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Fern Michaels has outdone herself with her latest book. Spirit of the Season is well written with a great plot and setting. A wonderful Christmas romance. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

When I read one of Fern Michaels' Christmas collections last year, I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, that wasn't my experience this time round.
While I really loved the concept - such potential for family warmth, and great romance! - I found the actual execution of the plot to just not be my thing. The characters seemed to be wrangled in a certain direction, even when they clearly wanted to go elsewhere. Add in an ending that was slightly too abrupt, and I left the story wishing I'd spent my determination to finish this book on another.
More's the pity actually, because Fern Michaels does know how to create an exquisitely autumn and Christmassy atmosphere in and through her writing...

I look forward to Fern Michael’s Christmas stories and I enjoyed this one. I loved the setting of the small town B & B, and the family that runs it. This book celebrates the activities of the Christmas season, and I liked the “giving” aspect of the story. It was entertaining watching Joy cope with the stipulations of her grandmother’s will, and the author allowed her character to grow and mature all throughout the story. The only drawback to this book for me was the use of some moderate cursing in part of the story that I thought was unnecessary. But other than that, the story was sweet and clean.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for a sweet Christmas story, this will fulfil that desire. Joy is left with a family-run B&B when her Nana unexpectedly dies. A successful self-made businesswoman, now torn between honoring her Nana and pursuing her own dreams. I really enjoyed accompanying Joy as she returned to her roots and found that her perspective had matured with age. Of course, Will Drake had a hand in influencing her opinion, but that is part of the sweetness. A small-town tale sure to capture your own heart with delightful characters, family loyalty, expected tensions between gossip-prone widows, holiday creativity that knows no limits, and charities that serve those in need. Joy discovers the simple pleasures in life are more than enough to bring her the fulfilment she’s been seeking.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own. *

When her Grandmother dies Joy is summoned back to the B&B that her grandmother owns. She learns of the terms of the will she doesn't understand why her grandmother does this to her. She has her own business to run and a life to get back to. What she does learn though will change the way she looks at things, how she does things, and what she is missing. The spirit of the season is upon them and Joy is feeling it with her whole heart.

This was a story that makes you think about life. Take a breath and ponder to see if you are where you should be in life. It was a great read.

** I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review**

Anna who is less than 100 pounds and very petite is cooking muffins at 5 Am. At heart and soul inn breakfast is always served.Anna is seventy with a fifty year old daughter. She has a grandaughter Joy who is a successful business woman.When an emergency happens joy is forced to come back to North Carolina . And she may have to stay for six months or longer . I loved the characters and descriptions. I loved seeing joy interact with the other characters and how life is impacted.#Netgalley

This cute book follows the story of Joy Preston, owner and operator of a very successful fingernail polish business headquartered in Denver, Colorado.  Just before the holiday season, Joy finds out that her beloved Nana has died of a heart attack and she was listed as the person to inherit the cozy and quaint B&B her Nana ran in her hometown of Spruce City, North Carolina.  Joy returns to her hometown and with the help of her mother and her Nana's loyal friend and employee Izzie, the three ladies carry on with the holiday preparations and make sure that the B&B visitors have the time they expected and that Spruce City still receives the Christmas decorations it deserves.  Along the way, Joy has to make some huge life choices in regards to both her professional career, her familial life, and her love life just in time for Christmas. 

This book is meant to be read and enjoyed in an easy and comfortable setting; there aren't many dense subjects or controversial ideas that inhabit this story.  Love and family are the shining elements of this story that really stand out amongst its plot.  This is something that I love about holiday reads, the ways in which they approach the season and help us remember what is actually important at such special and magical times.  I loved how this story helps the reader remember or perhaps realize that on so many levels and with some many examples.  This book focuses heavily on family and how crucial it can be during the holiday season, but also how the family (born or created) are important to have as support systems for whatever may be going on in your life.  This is mimicked both in the mother and daughter relationships, but also those created family relationships between the B&B guests and others.  Bonds with other humans --and animals-- is a big deal in this story.

This book also focuses on ways to turn the negatives aspects of life into positive ones.  Specifically, I loved the plot idea of Joy and her company giving back to shelters and homes for women and children who have been abused.  This was a brilliant addition to the story and added another reason to enjoy it and the characters within.  At the end of the book, I also enjoyed how the women wanted to make a truce with the other widows and B&B owners in the town, in order to help support them.  I love these human touches that are so emotional and inspiring and focus on the power of community and uplifting other women.           

And lots to forget to mention the cute little love story between Will and Joy, and how that turns out to be the cutest little love story.  Of course, there is a ring in the end and an already created family with the adoption of Rex, the homeless dog trying to sleep on a doormat.  There was also a fun supernatural element embedded in this story with the ghost of Joy's Nana, and her speculation as to why she requested that Joy take over the B&B upon her death.  Not to mention, this story is so cute and atmospheric.  It is dense with the love and magic of Christmas.  If you are looking for something light and easy to read but that is also wrapped in Christmas and holiday spirit and cheer, give this one a read!

I loved this Christmas story by one of my favorite authors. The descriptions of the houses and the little town are so vivid I felt like I was there. The characters were well developed and the story caught my interest right from the start and held it until the last page. Be sure to add this to your list of books for Christmas reading.

A very sweet holiday love story. So descriptive you will actually feel like you are there and seeing the beauty fo the town and the decorations. If you love Christmas, this is the perfect story :)

Returning to her grandmothers home in North Carolina is just what she needed. a quirk in a will and a meeting with a high school mate. Christmas, Romance, and mystery/ Just what you need for the holiday reading.

Joy isn't thrilled to find out her Nana left her the family B and B in their hometown. Her nail polish business is located in Colorado. She agrees to the stipulations and moves home for 6 months as required by the terms if the will.

Add in a handsome lawyer, ghostly spirits, eccentric guests, dedicated employees, adversarial B and B owners/operators, and nosy friends and you've got a perfect Christmas story. It's a feel good holiday story of love, laughter and happily ever after!

I received a free ARC eBook from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

Will returns to the small town where he grew up to take over his father’s law practice after his father retires. He has grown to love the community and the relaxed pace after having worked in a more brutal environment before. Will is instantly smitten with the granddaughter of a client who is included in her grandmother’s will. Unfortunately, she sees Will as the enemy as he is the bearer of what she considers to be bad news.

Joy is a very successful business owner who runs her own company when she returns to the same small town after the death of her beloved grandmother. What Joy doesn’t expect is the requirement in her grandmother’s will that Joy must run the family inn for six months in order for the inn to remain in the family’s ownership. If Joy doesn’t agree, ownership of the inn will revert to the state.

Will Joy rediscover the love she once had for the family-owned inn and her hometown, and can she see through her own disappointments for long enough to discover the love of her life?

This was a cute holiday read! I felt like I visited the Heart & Soul's B&B with the beautiful descriptions of the decorations, smells and sounds. I am not sure what I expected, it was the typical Christmas read so I knew how it was going to end from the start, but I wish there was a bit more storyline. I did love how Joy focused more on giving (with the shelter) and I hope there may be a sequel to see how it goes since it pretty much just ended.

I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. Beautiful descriptions of the scenery and decorations. Heartwarming and very cozy. The perfect holiday read.

This book is the equivalent of a Holiday Hallmark movie in print form. Joy finds herself at her grandma's bed & breakfast after her death, and has a 6 month stint in front of her to take the reins and learn more about the business. The B&B is participating in the gingerbread contest, and Christmas decorations are heavily invested in. It was fun to picture the themed rooms in my head and the outdoor lights and decor. The book is a quick read and good for a rainy or snowy day.