3.50 Stars. I thought this was a cute holiday romance. In keeping my pledge to read some holiday stories this month, this book easy caught my attention. This is a novella length story and my first read by the Hardy ladies. I did enjoy this and it was the kind of sweet holiday story I prefer, but I did feel it had a few bumps.

This is one those stories about a relative dying and leaving property to another relative. Brooke hates the small Christmas town of Noelle and just wants to sell her mother’s property as soon as possible. What she didn’t realize is that Holly, the tenant and owner of the bakery Brooke is trying to evict, won’t let her business go without a fight.

This book had a little bit of the Grinch Who Stole Xmas vibe with Brooke being a grump, and hating this Christmas town. And how that changed the more she let the people in including a cute kid that was very Cindy Lou Who-ish. Mix that with some Hallmark Christmas movie romance, and that combo will give you a good feel for this book.

As I mentioned before, I enjoyed this and was glad that I read it but I did feel like it was missing something. I think the biggest thing I was missing is I wanted a bigger connection with the characters. I know it’s hard to do that in a novella but it’s possible. In fact I just finished a novella where I grew attached to the characters in such a short time. With this story, I felt like I wanted to go a little deeper with both of the main characters. Holly is fighting for her bakery but I think we only see it once. Why does it really mean so much to her? And Brooke we know why she didn’t want to come back but were there more reasons for her hatred of the town? I could be imagining this and I apologize if I am but I thought there was a line about how she might have been bullied? It was never talked about again so I’m actually questioning if I’m imagining it. My whole point is both characters needed a little more depth for my tastes. When the characters actually spoke about important topics, their conversations were short. I wish there was more dialogue during those times so we could really get to know them.

My last slight issue and it’s not too big a deal, was a few times I had trouble knowing who was speaking or whose POV we were in at certain times. There were times I felt for sure I was in Brookes head but then she said she was looking at Brooke. How can Brooke look at Brooke without a reflective surface? I don’t know that answer so it would cause me to have to stop and reread the paragraph to figure out whose POV I was actually in. As a reader who reads at a reasonable speed, I always find having to stop and reread very jarring. Luckily this didn’t happen often but I was scratching my head a few times.

Overall, this is a sweet and enjoyable holiday romance. It’s not my favorite that I have read so far but I do think most people will enjoy this. It’s nice to have these cute stories to read this time of year since we all know there are no lesfic holiday movies for us on the Hallmark channel. One more thing, I forgot to mention that there are no explicit sex scenes in this romance.

TW: brief mentions of homophobia

This book was like reading a hallmark Christmas movie with a F/F romance. There were so many Christmas romance tropes. For example, misunderstandings, awkward run ins, snow storms, power outages and so many other things that made this book such a quick and enjoyable read. Though, I do wish that there was more mentions of the bakery that one of the main characters owned because it was such a big part of the plot, also I just love reading about food.

Definitely recommend for people who enjoy cheesy Christmas romances.

I used to love Christmas as a child, then as the parent of a young child, but I don’t so much anymore. Dealing with family isn’t as easy as I wish it were. I still love the idea of Christmas however, and Christmas novellas are like tiny presents with all the Christmas spirit inside them. When they’re good, they hold everything I love about Christmas: the lights, the smells, hot chocolate and love. They might be a tad (or a lot) cheesy, but it’s Christmas, so it’s okay.

Brooke Hawkins left Noelle, Michigan, as soon as she could, fleeing both the town and her mother. Ten or so years later, just before Christmas, her mother’s death brings Brooke back. A snow storm derails her plans of sorting out her mother’s will before Christmas and getting away again as soon as possible. To make matters worse, Brooke gets into all sorts of arguments with Holly Jackson, owner of a bakery called Buns’n’Roses, the premises of which Brooke inherited and has agreed to sell to a spa company. Before her landlady’s death, Holly had finally been feeling like her life was on the right track again, five years after the accident that left her a widow and a single mother. She’s not ready to let anyone pull the rug from under her feet once again, especially not someone she hasn’t seen since high school and who doesn’t seem to care about the town she, herself, loves.

A Town Called Noelle includes almost everything you’d want in a Christmas movie or novella. Brooke is the grumpy, standoffish character whose heart can only be melted (but not immediately) by Holly, the warm and fiery one. Of course, Brooke’s apparent coldness stems from pain inflicted on her by her bigoted and narcissistic mother, and the more she realizes the town is not as closed-minded as her mother made her believe it was, the more she opens up to its inhabitants, and to her feelings for one of them in particular.

If you’re looking for heartwarming and sweet, you’ve found it.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.