I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I always love Debbie Macomber's books and she never disappoints in the happy endings! Everly (whose real name is Daisy) is a middle child and feels she is not like her siblings. She is a workaholic and learns that her assistant books her a vacation on a cruise ship...down the Amazon River with no internet, tv or phones. She meets Asher the Naturalist onboard and quickly sparks fly between the two but both question if they can change their lives for each other. Another great read with a charming love story!

Asher and Daisy met on an Amazon cruise that her assistant put her on as she thought she was getting back at her, Daisy hated it at first (especially since she was so sick). Asher got to know her and gradually fell in love with her. He really thought it didn't matter as she lived iin Chicago and he did tours in the Amazon. Little did they know that they could compromise and be happier than ever. A wonderful story that I enjoyed immensely.
I got this book from NetGalley for an honest review

Everly/Daisy thought that her former assistant had booked her on a luxury cruise, but it turned out that she had been booked on a rather rustic Amazon river cruise. As a workaholic executive she couldn’t imagine being unplugged for two entire weeks. Little did she know that this trip would change her life.

Asher worked as a naturalist for an Amazon River cruise line. He spent most weeks guiding tourists on tours of beautiful, yet endangered lands. His family in the U.S. had tried to get him to move back to the states and teach at a university, but he hated big cities and loved his work - until he met Everly/Daisy.

Can a workaholic executive who loves big cities and a naturalist who loves being close to nature find a way to spend their lives together after falling in love?

Very enjoyable read. While the title makes you assume this is a Christmas book, it only "feels" like Christmas towards the very end. An easy read with lovable characters.

My favorite Christmas story yet! A whirlwind romance that happened by the most unexpected chance. Totally believable and magical. I was transformed into a Christmas wish. This has to be Debbie Macombers best yet! Book provided by NetGalley.

Debbie Macomber is one of the best at writing heartwarming holiday stories. This one is definitely on that list. Reading about Everly/Daisy’s adventures makes me want to take an Amazon river cruise (minus her mishaps). Asher is a great match for her & her story. I love Everly’s family & how she finds herself throughout this story. Highly recommend this book for the holiday season.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion

Romance on the Amazon – Makes me want to go

Everly, an overachiever and partner in a fast-growing company who hasn’t taken a vacation in six years, and appears to be only one taking on the heavy burdens of her company. She needs a vacation. Her unsuspecting business partner orders her to take a luxury cruise, but a vindictive administrative assistant books her on an educational cruise down the Amazon. Enter hunky naturalist Asher who is interested in conservation, adventure, and now Everly. Everly, who is the most competent at her company, but who has always been a bit klutzy when it came to sports of any kind, finds herself in more scrapes and calamities than anyone should on a two-week cruise. Luckily for her, Asher is always there. Providence has placed them together but what will happen when their two weeks together ends?

I really enjoyed this fast-paced clean romance. It held my interest all the way to the end and even kept me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. In a couple of scenes, I could already see them coming but I still found myself crying out “Oh no!” (in my head, of course). I enjoyed seeing two people, who already seemed to have their lives figured out, realize they still had room to grow. The secondary characters were fairly well-developed, with the exception of the captain. 😊 Aside from the wonderful characters here, what really drew me in were the descriptions of the Amazon, the rain forest, the animals, the weather conditions, daily life on ship, indigenous peoples, and more… so many things to like about this story.

I love Debbie Macomber books, and while I enjoyed this one, it was not my favorite of hers.
Daisy, who now goes by Everly, has an incompetent assistant who was asked to book Daisy on a luxury cruise. What she ends up on is an expedition down the Amazon, with no internet, phone, and little use for her dress clothes. Daisy leans to make the most of her cruise and meets and falls for Ashner, the environmental expert on the ship. They have a difficult time figuring out how anything between them can continue after the cruise. Meanwhile, the cruise has left Daisy second guessing some of her life choices and making adjustments to her future.
Story was cute, had some humor and romance in it, but wasn't much to do with Christmas until the end, which I was disappointed in. But overall a light, easy read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dated, and lacking diversity, this predictable romance is exactly the sort of thing you might give to an older, conservative relative you didn’t want to offend.

A good read but not the Christmas story I was expecting from Ms. Macomber. There is laughter that keeps the story moving on this unexpected trip down the Amazon River. There was pettiness than happiness in this unusual Christmas story, the jingle lost its way.

Received this copy from Netgalley for an honest review.



#Jinglealltheway#Netgalley#Cillasbookmaniacs

This is a Christmas read but there is nothing Christmas until last part. Daisy, who now goes as Everly (no idea how she picked an adverb) has an incompetent secretary, her partner's niece. Her partner convinces her she needs a vacation. Instead of a tropical cruise, she ends up in Amazon. Meets cruise ecologist. Falls in love during two weeks of mishaps. Leaves to go home to family and HEA. Romance part fine. Ending fine. What bothers me is she was a partner, but treated like an employee. She gets incompetent secretary and is basically told you're overworked. Never checks on tour.

I love all the books by Debbie Macomber and this was no exception. I liked the adventure of traveling in the Amazon. I always like a happy upbeat ending!

I requested to read and review this book for free from Ballantine Books. Debbie Macomber does it again in this delightful inspirational read. Sometimes the most unlikely people can become the best of friends and so much more. Everly/Daisy is a strong independent women can handle just about anything. Which is a good thing considering the journey she is about to go on. Asher perfect orderly life is about to get a shake up but in thr best way possible. There many other wonderful characters in this book to read about. Loved learning about the Amazon. Climb aboard this journey into the Amazon and explore the wonderful places and the people as well. And sometimes we need are life shaken up to remember the best parts of ourselves.

Everly Lancaster is the middle of five siblings. She considers herself the black sheep because she left the family farm and went to set up a Real Estate company in Chicago and often feels like she doesn't fit in with her family anymore. Her business partner tells her to hire his niece as her assistant, but after one too many mess ups, Everly fires her. When Jack (Everly's business partner) tells Everly to take off the month of December to unwind and destress and perhaps take a cruise. Everly's vengeful assistant, Annette, offers to book her a cruise, but instead books her a trip on the Amazon Explorer, an eco-cruise in the rain forest for which Everly is woefully under prepared. With most of the other passengers being older couples, Everly finds herself drawn to the ships Naturalist, Asher, and when Everly gets very sick, Asher has no problem stepping up to look after her. But with so many differences in their lives, it would take a lot of compromise to make this relationship work. Jingle All The Way is a feel good, Christmas story that will warm your heart.

I look forward to Debbie Macomber Christmas stories each year. This sweet Christmas romance starts with a revengeful employee, comedy of in vacation, and ends with figuring out what is truly important & someone to share it with.

I received an advanced copy, but voluntarily left this review.

I will leave 5 star review on Amazon under name of Connie
Thanks for granting me access to this book

I love Debbie Macomber's writing, but I love her Christmas stories the most. She manages to bring us into the settings, as silent visitors with front row seats, able to watch beautiful love stories unfold right before us: a balm for our souls.

Daisy was born as the middle child of 5 children with two older sisters and twin brothers following the girls, to a warm loving farm family. She had supportive parents, and lacked nothing. But Daisy had a problem: she was ambitious and wanted more out of life than to marry and have children right away. Her sisters married young and started their families. Her brothers helped their dad with his farm business. Daisy, never content to be like the others, and feeling like she was an outsider within her own family, decided to move to Chicago, change her name to Everly (because nobody would take an executive named "Daisy" seriously) and start her own real estate business, with her business partner, Jack, which quickly became a huge success. That success, however, took huge toll on Everly: she worked nonstop and her work became her life while Jack was pretty much a hands off partner and left the heavy lifting to Everly. She was exhausted emotionally and physically by the end of the year and it showed.

Jack hired his niece as receptionist, trying to do his mother and sister a favor. Annette was lazy, and incompetent: and vindictive. Everly had enough and decided to let Annette go, but instead was talked into taking the entire month of December off to regroup and relax. Jack had his niece book a luxury cruise to Brazil for Everly, but the caveat was that she had only a few days to prepare. After the initial shock, Everly decides it might not be a bad idea to relax a little but takes her laptop in order to keep track of her emails and know how the business is progressing in her absence.

Everly experiences many less-than-funny experiences on her way, and nearly misses the cruise ship, but when she finally arrives, she is surprised to find the ship is smaller than she expected: much smaller. What follows is a lovely story, very typical of real life and the crazy things that can happen when we least expect it. Poor Everly has every sort of misfortune happen to her, embarrassing things, especially when she wants to appear professional and poised. She holds her own but then she meets Asher: the naturalist on board the ship. The ending is sweet, gentle and satisfying as all of Macomber's works are. Jingle All The Way is a sweet mental vacation for us that can revitalize our desire for "happily ever after" if we allow it to balm our 2020 weary and troubled souls.

3.5 / 5.0 stars

I suppose it is not surprising that this book reads like a Hallmark holiday film. After all, five Christmas novels of this best-selling author, Debbie Macomber, have been made into hit movies for Hallmark already. I can easily see how this story could become the sixth. While offering a bit of adventure, this story also runs the emotional gamut - love, conflict, confusion, obsession, affection and misunderstanding. Ms. Macomber does an excellent job navigating with her charming writing, the perilous obstacles of emotion as well as the navigable waterways of the South American Amazon rainforest. She did her homework, and deftly writes about the flora and amazing fauna of the Amazon. Some of it was downright terrifying for the characters in the book. But in the end, love rings true and overcomes all tribulation.

I am grateful to Ballantine Books for having provided a complimentary uncorrected ebook through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was a feel-good story with a touch of holiday spirit. The plot focuses on Daisy (also known in her professional career as Everly) and her cruise along the Amazon River. During her trip, Daisy/Everly comes to realize things about her personal and professional life that need to change, courtesy of Asher, the naturalist on the cruise.

I enjoyed reading about the beauty of the Amazon and rainforest. While that is likely a cruise I wouldn’t take personally, Debbie Macomber does a great job of detailing an adventurous trip, while giving you things to think about in your own life.

The assistant from hell books her boss on a cruise, but it’s not exactly what Everly anticipated. This story is an interesting twist on the usual holiday romances. With adventures galore in the Amazon, the story and the romance slowly develop. The Christmas magic that unfolds is heartwarming, but I would have enjoyed just a little more Asher and Everly before the epilogue.

Jingle All The Way – Debbie Macomber

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Everly Lancaster is a top performer at the real estate company, Easy Home, that she and her college classmate Jack Campbell co-founded, and she has just hit her limit. Her wayward assistant, Annette, who also happens to be Jacks niece, has just made a grevious error, leaving Everly speechless, literally, in front of a large group of real estate brokers gathering for an awards banquet. Furious, Everly fires her then and there, only to find her back in the office Monday morning, with Jack insisting she have another chance. When Everly pushes back, Jack insists she take a vacation, and Annette promptly books her the last room on a luxurious cruise to Brazil. In an effort to make amends, she takes care of all the details, from flights to international visas, leaving Everly little to do but tie up loose ends and pack.

Initially resistant to the idea of a vacation, Everly finally concedes, believing that a cruise will do her some good. With flight delays almost pre-empting her trip, she breathes a sigh of relief that she arrives in time for the last call to board and is the last passenger to embark on the ship. The ship then immediately sets sail. Looking around as she’s escorted to her cabin, she’s quickly aware that this isn’t a typical cruise ship. Talking to the staff, she learns that this is a naturalist cruise into the Amazon rainforest, and that there is no cell service, internet or other connection to the outside world. Frantic, she demands the ship return to port, only to learn that isn’t possible. So, she’s determined to make the best of it.

She soon meets Asher Adams, the ship’s naturalist, and as Everly adjusts to life without modern conveniences, she finds herself growing more attached to him as the trip progresses, as he continually rescues her from mishaps, to sharing stolen kisses & long talks deep into the night. As her feelings grow, she assumes that Asher’s are as well, so she’s shocked and stunned as he bids her farewell at the dock, with no intentions of continuing the relationship they’ve started. Saddened, Everly returns home and heads to her childhood home for the Christmas holiday, where reuniting with her family eases her loneliness, as back in Brazil, Asher tries to forget Everly…

But with Christmas comes magic, and this holiday will bring its own surprises……

I love happy endings, and this sweet story is guaranteed to bring you right into the holiday spirit!! Another great, “feel good” read as the fall season comes upon us.