Quite a sweet tale of romance between two saddened souls who found their safe harbor in each other. You know how it ends but you want to read it anyway!

Well it seems as if learning to live with guilt is quite a challenge. No matter if your crime a tragic accident when just seventeen. For someone born on the wrong side of the tracks so to speak people are reluctant to consider any leniency. Tobias’ mistake was taking a hallucinogenic drug at a party and firing a gun. Unfortunately for Tobias he hit an innocent child of eleven not supposed to be at this party. And the shooting left the child paralyzed. Tobias spent the next thirteen years in prison.
You do the crime, you do the time. And Tobias did. But what happens when you are released. What is waiting for you beyond prison gates. That is the greatest challenge for this young man who faced harsh times while in prison. Now back in Silver Springs not quite sure what to expect in terms of possibilities.
The fortunate part of Tobias’ life is his close relationship with older brother Maddox. But it is questionable what Maddox can do for Tobias without risking his own hard earned career, marriage and family.
So many walls to breach. So many people with undying memory of that fateful evening. The hatred is palatable.
Tobias is looking for a safe landing which is a challenge. His mother is still an addict unable to support herself. Not someone to rely on. Maddox is newly married to Jada the love of his life who is now expecting their second child. Maddox works at the New Horizon Girls Ranch section newly added on to what has become a successful school that deals with trouble boys.
Their life has been complicated by the fact that the young boy Tobias shot is Jada’s brother. It was questionable whether their love could breach this barrier.
So Brenda Novak creates a very conflicted character with Tobias. She gives him humility, resourcefulness, kindness, protectiveness and guilt.
CHRISTMAS IN SILVER SPRINGS is the sixth book in this amazing series by Brenda Novak. Each book has stood on its own with references to characters from other stories. In CHRISTMAS IN SILVER SPRINGS Brenda Novak really flexes her writing muscles in creating some terrific characters, too many to mention in this review. Brenda Novak’s goal is to have the reader experience what Tobias is going through in life after prison. We can’t help but fall in love with this big guy who just wants to enjoy his newfound freedom. And if along the way perhaps find love and acceptance who could ask for more.

this was a good read but it wasn't the typical book that I would read for myself. It was a good plot and interesting characters.

I've recently started reading the backlist of Brenda Novak, and some have been hits for me (One Perfect Summer) while others have been misses (Unforgettable You). Christmas In Silver Springs was a holiday romance that had me intrigued. We've got a woman with children and a Rockstar husband she's getting divorced from after he couldn't keep it in his pants and then left her for being unfulfilled in their marriage. So instead of wallowing, your girl goes off to our lovely town of Silver Springs and gets swept up in a whirlwind romance with a hunky ex-con. Oh, but she doesn't know that juicy little tidbit yet, so let's keep that between us for now! At any rate, it was a refreshing take because it's usually the Rockstar who gets the girl, so it's nice to see one grovel now and then.
4 stars

Harper Devlin comes to Silver Springs with her 2 daughters, to visit her sister and recover from being dumped by her famous musician husband. She meets Tobias and they seem to bond over their mutual sadness. This is book 6 in the Silver Springs series and can be read as a stand alone. It is not my favorite in the series. I couldn't connect with these two characters. The story was predictable. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book! Silver Springs is my favorite series of Brenda Novak! I am so happy Tobias got his HEA, he deserved it!!!!!

Two more books for you on Day 2 of Christmas Book Week! I am excited about these books as well, as they were fun holidays reads. I was given both books in exchange for my honest review. In addition, if you purchase the book from this page, I will receive a small commission!

Today I am sharing Christmas at Silver Springs by Brenda Novak. Learn more about the author and a synopsis of the book below.




BIO:

Brenda Novak, a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, has penned over sixty novels. She is a six-time nominee for the RITA Award and has won the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller&Best, the Bookbuyer & Best, and many other awards. She also runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity to raise money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she's raised $2.5 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.



BOOK SUMMARY:

Come home to Silver Springs for the holidays, where broken hearts learn to love again...together.
So much for forever. When Elle D's rockstar husband ditches her on his way to the top, she takes
her two daughters to her sister's place in Silver Springs for the holidays, hoping the family can heal her broken heart. But comfort comes in unexpected packages when she crosses paths with Tobias
Richardson. The moment Tobias spots Elle, he recognizes a sadness he knows all too well. After spending thirteen years in prison paying for his regretful past, Tobias is ready to make amends, and maybe helping Elle is the way to do it. But offering her a shoulder to cry on ignites a powerful attraction, and a desire neither saw coming.

Fearing her reaction, Tobias doesn't divulge his ex-con status, let alone the shameful details. So when
Elle's ex shows up in Silver Springs and reveals the truth in a bid to win her back, Tobias is sure he's lost her for good. But, just maybe, this Christmas he'll receive the forgiveness—and the love—he deserves.

This is the sixth in a series of Silver Springs books. You can read it as a stand alone, which I really like, for those of us who haven't started at the beginning. There was enough information to make sense, but now I want to read all five books prior to this one! I'm not a fan of people who keep secrets, especially as big as the one Tobias is keeping. For me, that is a game changer in a relationship. So from the beginning, I wasn't sure I wanted them to get together. I do enjoy a book where the heroine goes after what she wants, but she waffled around so much that I started to get a bit annoyed. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend (you!)




The second book for today is Christmas from the Heart by Olivia Berg. This was the first holiday book of the 2019 season that I read and I picked very well!



SUMMARY:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts takes readers to a small, snowbound town, where a young woman fights to save her family’s charity that brings Christmas to families in need, and a stranded millionaire loses his heart and finds the true meaning of Christmas.

Sometimes you need to look beyond the big picture to see what really matters

Olivia Berg’s charity, Christmas from the Heart, has helped generations of families in need in Pine River, Washington, but this year might be the end of the road. Hightower Enterprises, one of their biggest donors since way back when Olivia’s grandmother ran the charity, has been taken over by Ebenezer Scrooge the Second, aka CFO Guy Hightower, and he’s declared there will be no more money coming to Christmas from the Heart.

Guy is simply being practical. Hightower Enterprises needs to tighten its belt, and when you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have money to share. You’d think even the pushy Olivia Berg could understand that.

With charitable donations dwindling, Olivia’s Christmas budget depends on Hightower’s contribution. She’s focused her whole life on helping this small town, even putting her love life on hold to support her mission.

When Guy’s Maserati breaks down at the edge of the Cascade foothills, he’s relieved to be rescued by a pretty young woman who drives him to the nearby town of Pine River. Until he realizes his rescuer is none other than Olivia Berg. What’s a Scrooge to do? Plug his nose and eat fruitcake and hope she doesn’t learn his true identity before he can get out of town. What could go wrong?



AUTHOR BIO:
Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have been published in several languages. Her book, Angel Lane, was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network and her novel, The Nine Lives of Christmas, was made into a movie for Hallmark . You can visit Sheila on Twitter and Facebook or at her website (http://www.sheilasplace.com).
I so enjoyed this book! I loved the plot, loved the characters and loved that it felt "real" from the very beginning. Both characters had flaws that were revealed early on, so you didn't take sides right away. You learned about both of them, what drove them and what heartaches they had along the way. For me, this made the book feel like I was a character in the story, with both protagonists as friends, who I could see both sides. Loved the ending and the descriptions were spot-on.

This novel was super charming and sweet. However, this was a case of right book wrong reader. I just wasn't my cup of tea even though it was a really good story. The characters were solid, and the plot kept me engaged enough to keep reading. But that was it, I just couldn't really connect or invest in the story of our heroine or our hero and I felt like I was going through the motions.

I do believe though that those who are searching for an endearing contemporary romance set during the christmas/holiday season will absolutely adore this. Novak has a wonderful writing style and the development of the characters is well written--I unfortunately just couldn't connect.

This is a great story of forgiveness, trust, heart-ache and new hope that all plays out in a small town. This is book 6 of a series that I have not read any off before this one. I had no trouble with this story and must say it was a very enjoyable Christmas read.

We have a broken-hearted mother of two.
An ex-con looking for a new start.

Can one except for the help of the other and what will they both do when sparks fly between them?

Mix all that together with a ex-husband and secrets and you have many hours of reading pleasure ahead.

I loved the author's writing style and the read flowed perfectly with the characters and plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the chance to read this great book. This review is my own opinion and is voluntary.

Brenda Novak always knows how to bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. This is such a wonderfully written story about redemption and the second chance. I have to admit I love her Whiskey Creek novels, but the Silver Spring stories has become some of my very favorite. If you have not read, this one is a perfect way to start!!

This is such a feel-good Christmas redemption story. Tobias has suffered for choices he made as a teenager, but now that his debt to society is paid, he wants to build a life on the outside. He meets Harper and is drawn to her, but she's dealing with some demons of her own after her rock-star husband left her.. They are two wounded souls with a chance for happiness. I love how the characters are so relatable and though their romance has so many obstacles, you can't help but root for them to get their Christmas miracle. Brenda Novak is a master at weaving a spellbinding tale with unforgettable characters you can't help but love.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend to everyone.

Christmas in Silver Springs is an emotional and touching romance. It not your typical second chance love story, its so much more. I loved the characters and their story. This is a good book and I really enjoyed it and I recommend it

Harper Devlin isn't from Silver Springs. She's in town to be with her family since it seems like her life is imploding at the moment. Her husband has become a famous rock star and now wants a divorce. She helped him get to where he is today and she can't believe this is happening. When Tobias sees Harper sitting all alone at The Eatery one night, he can see the sadness in her eyes and knows she is out of his league, but still hates to see someone in pain. Tobias has only been out of prison for five months. The last thing he needs is to be involved with a woman like Harper. But sometimes in life, you have to go for things or else how else will you know your true worth.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book as a part of the Harlequin Holiday Blog Tour.

Christmas romance has never really been a genre that I have been in to. This book really grabbed my attention at the beginning, but slowed down toward the middle. The ending picked up again to finish the book off nicely.

I hope I never have to experience a divorce. It can be a very nasty and devastating process. The hurt you feel not to mention other emotions. Finding someone during that time who can make you feel loved. Harper wasn't looking to find a connection with Tobias and looking for love was the farthest thing on Tobias's radar. But when they are together, they bring out the best in each other. The thing is, Tobias is keeping a big secret and he knows as soon as Harper finds out, she is going to want to have nothing to do with him. Even though he has paid the price for his crimes and the person he hurt is now one of his closest friends, it's hard for people to understand his past actions.

This book is part of Brenda Novak's Silver Springs Series, but can be read as a stand alone. Silver Springs is a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business. I like in a town called Silver Spring. It's not a small town, but I am from a small town, so I know how that can be. Growing up for the first 10 years of my life, my neighbors were my aunts and uncles. If you haven't read a book by Brenda Novak, this series is a good one to start with.

Yes, I know it’s January but, seriously, when I’m sitting by the fire and drinking cafe au lait, my brain still wants to read holiday themed, cozy reads. Since it’s not quite time for Valentine’s Day yet, I’m still reading some great books from Christmas and pretending that they are “Winter” themed books instead. Won’t you join me?

Let me begin by pointing out that Christmas in Silver Springs in the 6th book in a series. While it is touted as being able to be read as a “stand alone,” it is not. I spent the majority of the book feeling like the sixth grade girl who got invited to the cool kids party but didn’t know anyone. Was I supposed to like Tobias? Know why he was in jail? Was I supposed to care who Harper was or her snotty sister? I think readers of Novak’s books are familiar with these characters and, most likely, has a relationship with them that allows the reader to overlook certain questionable aspects of a character. I didn’t have that luxury. Therefore, many of things that these characters said or did simply didn’t ring true for me.

With ALL of that stated, the book itself is well written, the characters are interesting and the story is a sweet one, full of angst and longing and hand wringing. If you are a fan of Novak’s then this is a “must read” for you. If you do not already read her books then I suggest that you start at the beginning which is what I intend to do. An added note to any and all publishers – PLEASE let us know when a holiday book is built on characters’ story lines from previous books. Not all authors do this, but many do and it is getting more and more annoying to pick up a book and realize you are starting at a disadvantage.

It was so nice to "go back" to Silver Springs for a Christmas visit. I really enjoyed this book even though I was a little concerned at first. I don't always like when they have a character (in this case our hero) who has been in jail no matter whether it was justified or not. In this case he did something when he was young that impacted his life and those around him forever. He made a mistake and the interesting thing is our author had him develop a relationship with the one person he hurt the most. This book is still a romance but a central theme is forgiveness. Perfect for the Holiday season.

Christmas in Silver Springs was a sweet touching romance about finding love the second time around. For Harper, she has lost the love of her life when her rockstar husband decides that he no longer wants to be married to her. Lost and alone, she meets Tobias, who may be just what she needs. The only thing is that Tobias has secrets that might change everything.

This romance was absolutely amazing and I got lost in Harper and Tobias’ story. Tobias made mistakes when he was younger and wanted to keep his life boring and simple to stay out of trouble. They were an adorable couple and I loved every minute of this story.

Absolutely wonderful holiday romance. The setting is inviting and the characters are very loveable. Brenda Novak is a wonderful storyteller and this book is a delightful addition to her Silver Springs series. Brenda Novak is one of my favorite authors due to her ability to write everything from Cristmas stories to mysteries. A very talented, versatile author.

Harper, mother to Piper and Everly, is visiting her sister Karoline and her family in Silver Springs for Christmas. Harper and her rock star husband are getting a divorce, something which came out of the blue for her. You see, she’d been with Axel before he and his band became famous. She’d supported them when his band was first starting out and had stayed home with their daughters while he was out on the road. So, when he’d asked for the divorce, she didn’t put up a fight, figuring it was easier for everyone. Now she’s trying to get her life, post divorce, in order and giving her daughters the best Christmas possible. While in Silver Springs she meets Tobias. A quiet man who is the grounds keeper for New Horizons, a place for troubled kids.
Tobias saw Harper one day in the diner and just knew he needed to do something to make her smile. Even though he had no clue who she was, he decided to surprise her with a flower. Afterwards, they saw each other around town, and both felt the obvious attraction, but weren’t too quick to act on it. Tobias hasn’t been out of prison long and is just trying to live right. When he was seventeen, a drunken mistake led to a friend being paralyzed, and a long sentence for Tobias.
The two meet in town, and the sparks fly and they start meeting up at his house at night. They try to keep it a secret, but nothing is a total secret in a small town.
I’m going to be honest here, this story was hard for me to get into and it didn’t keep me engaged. The writing is good, as is the premise, but I couldn’t get invested in the characters and I couldn’t get into the story. I gave this story 4 stars because everything’s there to make it a really good book, it just didn’t do it for me.
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Well mercy, not your average fluffy, feel good Christmas story. This one was rough and tough, pulled at the heartstrings though. Very well written. A good read.