I love reading Janet Dailey books and i love reading Christmas stories all year long! this was a double bonus for me! loved this book!!!

3.5
If you have read the other books in this series, which I did not because the theme for this year's Christmas reading has been to start in the middle of a series because I didn’t check first, you may really enjoy catching up with characters, the town, and things like that. If you haven’t read any others and jump right in with this one like I did, you’ll still be alright with this book. It’s not a hard one to read without a background to start you off with.
In this story, Conner Branch was struck by a sultry singer who performed at the previous years Cowboy Christmas Ball. So, when he meets and, after shamelessly flirting with and just seeming to consider biding his time while waiting in hopes of glimpsing said girl again this coming year, discovers that the kind and demure kindergarten teacher who comes home for the holidays is none other than his idolized crush he can’t wait to make her fall for him!
Now, thing is Megan would love to keep Conner in a simple friend zone, especially after (and I believe this is before he figured out who she was) he tells her about his big huge crush on her alter ego, she realizes how sweet and romantic he is. Christmas is in the air and it’s so easy for her to imagine spending the holidays with him and perhaps even longer. She is hoping for a career but seems a bit on the fence at times. She seems to be missing something.
This is a good book. There were times I really didn’t think I was going to like it much because the situations just sort of got me a bit frustrated (I’m looking at you Mr. I Know Who You Are But I’m Going To Pretend I Don’t ). Usually it’s good to try to understand the reasons for the behaviors of the characters and I suppose deep down it was there but still, you sort of wanted to yell a bit at them for one reason or another.
However, what was really good about this book is that there is a terrific brother/sister relationship between Megan and her brother. It’s very sweet and he’s a fun character. Megan, for the most part, is an enjoyable character who just seems to be trying to sort stuff out. And the end was very good and it’s one that I really think, though I could be wrong since I haven’t read the previous books, that fans of the series may like a lot.

I am always looking for good Christmas books and this one fit the bill for sure. The way that Janet Dailey describes the settings in her books takes you away to another place and makes you feel like you are definitely part of the story.

Megan is eager to get back home to help her family. With her mom having MS and her brother, Daniel, having down syndrome, Megan just feels that she is needed at home now more than ever. With Megan being a teacher, she has to take off early to be able to head home when she feels that she needs to. Megan's current boyfriend is the principal at the school she teaches at and he is having a hard time dealing with Megan being gone.

When Megan's car slides off in the ditch close to a ranch, she gets the chance to meet Connor. What Megan doesn't realize is that Connor has already meet her and knows of her from when Megan sang at a gig that Connor was at. He wanted to find her but never did get a chance to talk with her after she sang, so now is his chance to get to know her better.

Connor and Megan hit it off and while she stays in town helping her family, Connor invites her to a party with him and Megan decides that she will go. The ladies at the party tell Megan that if she is at all interested in Connor, she better let him know right away. What will happen with Megan's boyfriend back at the school though? Will Megan go back to him or will she fall for Connor? You will have to read this one to find out what Megan chooses. Such a great Christmas read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book.

Holding Out for Christmas is the third book in The Christmas Tree Ranch series but I enjoyed this a lot without reading the others. Having said that, I will definitely read the first two to learn the stories behind Connor's friends. Connor Branch has retired from the rodeo after a serious injury. He is now partners in The Christmas Tree Ranch in Branding Iron, Texas, happy with his role, but worried what his life will be like when Travis marries and he is alone at the ranch. When he discovers a young woman who is stranded in a snowstorm after her car ends up in the ditch, he takes her home and they strike up a friendship. It doesn't take long for the two of them to hope they can be more than friends.

I really liked both Meg and Connor and wanted them to end up happy and together. Meg has a huge secret she is keeping from Connor, but what she doesn't know is that he already knows what she is hiding. The secondary characters are also wonderful, especially Meg's brother Daniel, a sweet, hardworking young man who wants to marry Katy, who works at the grocery where he does. Both Daniel and Katy have Down Syndrome, but show that they can be relatively independent. This is an interesting and sweet storyline in the book as Meg supports him in his independence. Meg's parents also have an interesting story and all this comes together for an enjoyable story. As Meg gets to know Connor and his friends, she realizes what is missing in her life. There is some angst, lots of hope, friendship, love and Christmas magic. I really enjoyed this story and it made me smile throughout. I recommend this one to those who enjoy a sweet, Christmas, romance.

I loved the first two books in The Christmas Tree Ranch trilogy, but I wish I'd skipped this one. Maybe I'm simply getting tired of sugary sweet romances, but the heroine in this silly story is just plain dumb, and the hero isn't much better.

Here's a bit of the plot, in case you're interested. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!) At last year's Cowboy Christmas Ball in Branding Iron, our hero (Connor Branch) is star-struck by a sexy singer named Lacy Leatherwood. He doesn't even get to meet her, but Connor (a former champion bull rider and habitual one-night stand guy) is seriously smitten with lust/love for this alluring woman.

Fast forward one year, when Connor hopes he'll finally get to meet his dream woman at this year's Christmas Ball. As fate would have it, a few weeks before the ball, he rescues an attractive woman (Megan) when her car gets stuck during a snowstorm. Naturally, he doesn't realize that Megan is an aspiring singer with an alter ego: she's Lacy Leatherwood! Megan--who teaches kindergarten in Nashville while striving for music stardom--quickly falls for her handsome rescuer. But she doesn't dare tell him about Lacy, certain he'll fall in love with her sexy alter ego instead of her "real" self. Megan is jealous of Lacy--her "fake" self--so she hides this deep secret from Connor.

Connor is smarter than Megan, which doesn't take much. As soon as he hears her singing a song to soothe her injured brother (Daniel), he recognizes Lacy's voice. But he says nothing, hoping she'll open up to him about her "very big secret." This silly secret looms over their blossoming romance, dragging the reader through page after page of foolishness. Megan's Nashville boyfriend (Derek) and Connor's ex-girlfriend (Ronda May) insert a bit of drama, but that soon fades. Megan dithers about telling Connor the truth. If she does, will she lose him to Lacy, the woman he really loves? (Dumb, I know.) Should she return to Nashville and try for music stardom, or stay in Branding Iron with her family and Connor, hoping he'll learn to love her?

Meanwhile, Connor dithers about telling her that he knows she's Lacy. He thinks she should be the one to "fess up and tell him the truth." She finally does (at 83% in), but when he admits he's known about Lacy all along--and loves the "real" Megan instead--she refuses to believe him! "When you held me in your arms, when you kissed me--was it me, or was it your dream woman you were kissing?" Stupidly, she breaks up with Connor.

Finally, dressed to perform as Lacy at the Christmas Ball, she sees Connor in the audience and thinks, "So Connor had known she was Lacy and hadn't told her. What did it matter? What did any of her feelings about Lacy matter? She had made a rival out of a woman who wasn't even real--a woman who was her." Will Connor take her back? I'm not saying. And frankly, by this point I really didn't care. Good grief!

On the plus side, the book has a touching subplot about a sweet young couple with Down syndrome (Daniel and Katy), who never keep secrets or doubt their love for each other. Even in their early twenties, they are far wiser and more mature than Megan and Connor, who act like a couple of teenagers with a silly secret. I cheered for Daniel and Katy! The story concludes with a satisfying HEA for everyone, which raises my rating to three stars overall. (Why are those puppies on the book's cover? They don't appear in the story at all.)

This was a wonderful holiday Christmas romance.
Megan is a school teacher and Conner is a cowboy that falls for her. Megan is the singer he met before and fell for. He doesn't realize this sweet teacher is the sultry singer. This is a sweet holiday read.

I’ve read an earlier book in this series and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s just what you’d hope for from a Christmas romance by Janet Dailey, but it’s not predictable. The main characters and two you can really root for. I love the characters and town in this series and hope it continues. It didn’t blow me away but I really liked coming back to this town and the people in it.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the review ebook. All opinions are my own.

Holding Out for Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch #3). By Janet Dailey. 2020. Zebra (ARC eBook).

Christmastime is the busiest time of year for the small town of Branding Iron, Texas. And Megan Carson is home from Nashville where she teaches kindergarten and is pursuing a singing career. But she’s spending Christmas break helping her parents and brother around the house and steeping in as Lacy Leatherwood when the Badger Hollow Boys take the state at the annual Cowboy Christmas Ball. She didn’t expect the distraction of a charming cowboy coming to her rescue during a snow storm.

Conner Branch, former champion bull rider, is a Christmas Tree Ranch partner. He and his partners have been working hard the last two years to get their business up and going. But Travis and Rush have also found the time to fall in love and now Conner is beginning to feel like he has been missing out by not pursuing a committed relationship. When he meets Megan he wants to get to know her better. But he also can’t get the sultry Lacy Leatherwood, who he saw singing last year, out of his head.

Conner was as sweet and fun-loving as always, but he’s just as charming when he decides to commit to love. Megan’s insecurities led to some overblown reactions, but overall, the two grew into good matches for each other. With sleigh rides, hot chocolate and Christmas parades, The Christmas Tree Ranch books are fun Christmas romances to read to get into the holiday spirit.

A great book. Wondeful storyline, engaging characters. A must read for the holiday season or anytime of the year. I personally read Christmas books all year.

This is a great book to read during a busy holiday season and you want something entertaining to read. I loved the characters, especially Lacy. She seemed like someone we’d all want for a best friend. I thought the romance between she and Conor was heartwarming, and Inwas cheering for them to find their happily-ever-after, as in all good stories, they have to struggle to get there. I was glad to read another sweet Christmas story from Janet Dailey.

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

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This was a sweet Christmas romance that left me with a heartwarming feeling and tears in my eyes. While it was a very typical romance, the characters were likeable (except for the Mom who I thought was a little too controlling, unsupporting, and demeaning of her Down Syndrome son) and I was really rooting for the main characters to get it together. Based on the cover I thought it would have more of a dog storyline, so that was a little disappointing.

It's the third book in a series but it definitely can be read as a stand alone. I would recommend for someone looking for a feel good Christmas romance.

Beautiful, sweet, and delicious, I found one flaw, it left me hanging on the last page, just waiting for more juicy nibbles, it was sad, but all good things must end. The characters were great, very captivating and engaging, especially Daniel and Katy, and of course Conner and Megan. The story was enticing, delectable, and quite engrossing, I enjoyed it a lot, maybe a little bit too much, yeah right says who, it was wonderful, a must-read.

Conner Branch is the third partner in Christmas Tree Ranch. He’s looking forward to the upcoming Christmas Ball and the singer who caught his attention. Megan Carson “Lacy Leatherwood” is a teacher/country singer who is coming home for the holiday season to visit family. She’s keeping a secret from the locals. A snowstorm arrives bringing Conner to Megan’s rescue. They decide to hang out during the holiday season. They become closer and a secret just may come between them. Will they be HOLDING OUT FOR CHRISTMAS?

Janet Dailey goes back to Christmas Tree series with HOLDING OUT FOR CHRISTMAS. The last of the too handsome partners to find the love of their lives. Conner Branch is the ladies’ man and loves his life. That is until he sees a beautiful woman at last year Christmas Ball. He’ll anxiously wait until Christmas to see her again only to find out that maybe he’s met his match with Megan. A Christmas story that will have you falling in love with these characters and their friends and family along the way. A holiday tale that you won’t be able to put down and have you cheering for these people.

A sweet holiday romance in an idyllic location. Add in some adorable dogs and you have a perfect Christmas eread x

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion.

This is my second book to read in this series and it was like visiting old friends. It was wonderful and romantic. Competing with your own mind is a harsh thing but love can conquer those insecurities. A must read for romantic hearts!

Great read. The author really draws the reader into the story. Will definitely read another book by this author. I felt like I was part of the story.

I was quite disappointed as there are no puppies in this story and this an enjoyable but standard romance.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Heartwarming holiday goodness and emotionally thrilling journey filled with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and exciting passion. I really enjoyed the chemistry and banter between Conner and Megan. A sweetly thrilling adventure from beginning to end.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I enjoyed the book for the most part and could read it pretty easily even though I have not read any of the previous books in the series.

It was hard for me to really start to like Conner as he seemed such a carefree bachelor and when he met Megan, his first though was "fresh meat for a new fling" so not the greatest impression on me. Also, they mention that Maggie has hit thirty years old, so I am guessing that the rest of the group are at the around the same age group so when Ronda May mentions she is 21, it is kind of an ick factor for me.

I also was kind of offended by how obsessive and controlling Daniel's mother was and wondered if he has the mental capacity to work and get married, how his parents could tell him what he could and could not do in his life. That was a bit much and as a handicapped person, the mother should have been a bit more helpful to Daniel.

I did like how they resolved the problem of where Megan was going to live and work, and her secret identity - Lacy!

3.5 stars - Good+
I didn't realize this was the third book in a series, but I had no trouble following the storyline here without the previous books. I *did* add those books to my wish list because I enjoyed this.

No real surprises here - except there is no truck full of puppies, which was quite disappointing. (Personal pet peeve when the cover doesn't match the book - not a major deal.) The characters were what made this enjoyable for me. I especially enjoyed the side story of Megan's brother's quest for independence. If the storyline grabs your attention, pick this up because it's a fun Christmas story, and I think readers are going to enjoy it. (CW: The term "gypsy" is used frequently in the book.