Holding Out for Christmas by Janet Dailey is a nice holiday story, and book three in the Christmas Tree Ranch series. It can be read as a standalone story also. This story was full of holiday spirit, family interactions, emotional issues, and love. It is Conner and Megan’s story, and these two both had issues to overcome. They succeeded in the end to come together, but it was a rough ride.

Issues that I had were that the cover did not match the story as there were no puppies involved. In addition, there was too much second-guessing decisions, as in over and over which was exhausting to read. I found myself skimming some parts to get past the same doubts presented. I usually love Janet Dailey books but this one was not my favorite.

I received an advance copy of the book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This novel is like a Hallmark Holiday movie in book form. Totally enjoyable, pure sappy romance. One word of caution: don't be fooled by the puppies on the cover. There are no puppies in the book.

This is the third book in the Christmas Tree Farm series, but each can be read as a standalone. This is a sweet, enjoyable holiday romance that gives you a little bit of holiday spirit and puts you in the mood for all of the holiday specials and movies that are on their way.

Megan is a teacher in Nashville who came home for the holidays to sing at he Christmas Ball under her stage name. Connor works at the Christmas Tree Ranch, and last year he fell hard for the singer, so the can't wait for her to return.

Their story is very sweet, very caring, and pure holiday love.

This is the third book of a series, but done well. Previous story lines gently explained without much fanfare or taking over the current story. Megan is home to help her family and meets Conner her first day as she is suck in a snow bank. Now that right there had me, snow in Texas! This was a fun read. I liked Daniel very much. Good story to put you in the mood for Christmas. Now if here in Texas we really could get snow like that!

Look at that cover!!! I saw this one and right away I knew I had to read it. Yes, I wanted to read it because of the puppies on the cover.

Unfortunately, I have been once again been deceived. This is the second Christmas book I have read that had puppies on the cover but no puppies in the story. Seriously??!!

Yes, I did enjoy the book. I thought it was well done.

I do recommend it.

I somewhat enjoyed this book, although I felt there could have been more depth to the characters of Connor & Megan. I loved Daniel and Katy! As for the parents of Megan and Daniel the father seemed pretty lackluster. Dorcas, the mother was an affront to all handicap people. As a handicapped woman myself who spent a long time in a wheelchair Dorcas came across as poor pitiful me. The side story of Maggie and Travis's wedding was delightful. I loved the image of the Christmas tree farm complete with sleigh rides. Not the best book by Janet Dailey.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my voluntary, honest review.

Connor is tired of seeing all of his friends get their happy ending while he is still alone. He is holding out for the woman who got away, a singer who he saw the previous year and wants to meet again. Megan has a secret, she is the woman behind Lacy, a country singer. She feels more confident with her alternate persona, but every guy she falls for wants her to be Lacy once they find out.
When he saves Megan he is instantly drawn to her but she pushes him away. I really enjoyed the fact that they started out as friends and moved to more. I understood her hesitancy to trust him, but I didn’t like how long she kept the truth from him or how she jumped to conclusions when the truth came out. The story involving her brother was an added bonus. A sweet romance.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

In sweet Dailey fashion we get a love story full of family and emotions. Megan is a teacher trying to have a singing career, her alter ego is Conner’s crush. Conner runs the tree farm with his two partners, Rush and Travis. While it starts off a little jumpy in that get to know you phase, it eventually leveled out as we met Megan’s challenge filled family. Her heart is huge and vulnerable, and she’s going through more in a few weeks than most people in a year. It does seem predictable but her family and his friends make the predictability worth the read. I’m usually a sucker for a pretty book cover, however the puppies weren’t given any mention. Netgalley provided an early copy and I provided a voluntary review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Ok so the bad first… Where are the puppies from the cover? Ok I got that off my chest….

Janet Dailey is one of the best for romance but when you add the Christmas/Holiday season she becomes a Queen.

In this story we meet Conner and Megan. Last year Conner saw a woman sing and knew she was supposed to be his. So he is off to find her. But when he finds Megan is a “humble” school teacher and not the sultry singer he has to think about it.

But I liked that Conner liked both sides of Megan. He wanted all of her, not just the sultry singer he saw last year.

This is another great holiday story by Dailey. Dailey has a way of writing that draws you into the story from the first page. Grab a hot cocoa, a comfy blanket and enjoy because the season has begun.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I like this book because it's sweet and well written. In some moments I had struggled with Megan, because she is too insecure and keeps sabotaging herself. Conner is a sexy cowboy who owns Christmas Tree Ranch along with his partners. He is also a heart breaker, so our heroine is always doubting his interest. She has this other secret life as a singer called Lacy. She is jealous of herself because everyone keeps telling her that Conner fell in insta love with Lacy in Christmas Ball last year when he saw her on stage.
These two had a lot to work out before finding their HEA. This is a slow burn sweet little town romance for romantic souls who like old school love stories

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. I have enjoyed all of the books set in Branding Iron and this book is no exception. I love the relationship and caring that Megan has with her disabled brother. It sets a very giving and caring dynamic to this book. Conner as well is a very caring man who seems to take all in stride but at the same time is deeply loyal to his partners and the people in his life. This is a lovely light holiday read that has the requisite happy ever after ending that is exactly what you may be looking for during a busy holiday season.

I am a Janet Dailey fan, and this book did not disappoint me!

A secret identity never turns out to be OK with those around you that feel that you are trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Mix in mutual physical attraction and you have complications. The main characters of this book all have a great story to tell. Playboy who falls for a mystery singer and the mystery singer by night, school teacher by day who is trying to keep her secret at all costs. What she doesn't know, is that he already figured it out and is waiting for her to fess up.

The small town of Branding Iron, TX is just that, a small town where everyone knows you and your story. When Megan comes to town to help out her family before the holidays, she finds herself literally head first in a snow drift. The handsome stranger that pulls her out finds her cute and wants to get to know her better. She is running from a relationship that she is not sure she wants to be in anymore and he is trying to find the one to settle down with.

Fall in love in time for the holidays with this well written, cute and fun story. Enjoy!

I read somewhere where an author was saying that she was the Queen of Christmas romances. I thought that was strange since for several years I have been reading Janet Dailey Christmas romances. I think Ms. Dailey has as much right to that title as anyone else. Holding Out for Christmas is the latest of the Christmas stories which feature a cowboy with a crush.

Conner Branch takes a year to discover who the singer is that he is crushing on since last Christmas. Since his Crush Meagan is a kindergarten teacher with a public profile as a sultry songstress she is not exactly what he expected. What appeals most to me in this story is that Conner is as taken by the everyday teacher as he is with the stage singer. You gotta love him for that. This traditional romance has a few twists along with some interesting supporting characters.

Holding Out for Christmas is a feel good small-town Christmas Story. Just what we need for this hard candy 2020.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This is a very sweet small town contemporary Christmas romance, with a little bit of glitz and glam thrown in by the inclusion of an ex-rodeo star and a budding singer. There’s plenty of Christmas feels in this story with sleigh rides in the snow and Christmas tree farms.
It is engagingly written and I was invested in the romance between the two main characters, as well as the other characters such as a young man with Downs Syndrome trying to live an independent life and achieve what so many take for granted.
Only slight disappointment was the cover shows an adorable litter of puppies, and while there is a dog involved in the story, this cover is definitely misleading (as cute as it is).

This book has an adorable cover with puppies. The story has nothing to do with puppies. There is a dog. Mostly it is a romance and life-changing decisions. The secondary characters add many heart-warming moments. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Meagan's come home to Texas to help her dad with her mom and brother. She's a school teacher who has another life as a singer- Lacey Leatherwood. Connor is a cowboy; he's heard Megan sing both as Lacey and as Megan but never connected the two until now, They meet again and well, this is a Christmas novel from Janet Dailey so you know there's going to be a happy ending. These are good characters, both of whom are dealing with real problems. They make a good pair. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will make you smile.

I needed this book in my life right now!
Janet Dailey delivers a very cute story in Holding Out for Christmas. Lots of sweet romance with relatable/likeable characters. Each character became a favorite of mine so to choose just one, would be impossible.
I definitely shed a few tears toward the end of the book. When that happens, I know I’m emotionally invested in the writing.
A fun, feel good story to get you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author, Janet Dailey, for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Love stories are my favourites but I requested this book on Netgalley mainly because of the author and fabulous reviews.
It's a very simple love story with hardly any conflict or interesting twists. But that's not my problem because everything is pretty clear from the blurb. My problem is the storytelling.
It started well. First few chapters are engaging. I liked the setting. But then it got very repetitive. Megan telling herself quite repetitively why she can't date Connor and all that. The emotions they deal with don't seem convincing. Most of the situations are dull. The writing is good, of course the author is very experienced. But sadly, I'm not impressed. Also, the book cover is quite random and doesn't match with the story.

Thank you to Janet Dailey, Zebra Books for Kensington Publishing Corp and NetGalley for allowing me an Advanced Reader copy. I am voluntarily reviewing and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first time I have read this Author and was surprised that I hadn’t come across her work before, given the number of books in her back catalogue. But after reading this novel, I’m sure that will be soon remedied.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover. Seriously 7 golden retriever puppies with Christmas bows, a Christmas tree in the back of a red truck? Sign me up for this cuteness overload! (Side note people, please don’t put dogs in the back of trucks, have them inside the vehicle with you and be responsible pet owners). Interestingly, with the exception of the Christmas theme, Christmas tree, possibly the red truck, and the faithful border collie named Bucket, there are no golden retriever puppies in this story. What the cover evokes though, is a Christmas feel good story that is wholesome and cute and this is exactly what this book delivers. So whoever chose the cover, kudos to you, because you got the sweet feel of this story and you got people like me interested in diving into this story. To quote a classic Australian movie, “The Castle”: “It’s the vibe and ah, no that’s it. It’s the vibe. I rest my case”

The story is set in a small town in Texas, where neighbours are, well kind and neighbourly, and look out for each other. It begins in December, hence the Christmas theme, and as the Hero, an champion bull rider whose career was cut short by a terrible accident, now resides and part owns with his 2 best friends, a ranch that sells Christmas trees and sleigh rides (the old fashioned jingle bell kind, I kid you not, but side note, if this Covid travel ban thing ever lifts, I’m going to research where in the world I can experience this for myself. Now on the bucket list). Despite it not being marked as part of a series, this feels like it is, due to the fact that his 2 best friend/ business partners must have had previous novels in the series, because they are wifed up with some awesome Ladies who are the Judge and the Town Mayor. That said, it can easily be read as a stand-alone and not detract from the story. I didn’t feel like I lost on the experience of this story, by not having read the other’s stories first.

So our Hero, Connor Branch, is a good looking, former celebrity, who now plays the field, dating up a storm with the town’s single ladies, without any desire to put a ring on any of their fingers. Since his housemates are now life partnered up, he is reevaluating his options, given he will now be alone at the ranch at night with only Bucket and the horses for company.

Enter stage right, the Heroine, Megan. She is a school teacher in Nashville, who is coming home on early holidays to spend time with her family. Her family have only been in the town for a few years. Megan has many hopes and dreams that she is working towards, but at the moment is dating her Boss, who sounds like a boring but controlling stalker and whom she doesn’t seem to like all that much, except for the fact that he is a safe option.

One of the things that this story addresses extremely well, is having family members with challenges and disabilities. In a way I think that this is what is the central theme of the story instead of the actual romance.

Megan’s mother has a MS, but is still working from home, and her younger brother Daniel, who is 24, has Downs Syndrome. Throughout the story, you get the feeling that Megan’s mother who is wheel chair bound, is not only depressed but agoraphobic. Despite being an artist, she hasn’t made an effort to meet anyone in the town, but stays within her studio to create her artwork. She also is very controlling and to me, comes off as brusque towards her family. Her desire to control her children is interesting. One could argue it is fear based for her son, but to me it’s almost like she can’t control her physical illness, so she is trying to control her adult children and husband instead.

Megan’s father is also a school teacher, who we get the strongest feeling is barely coping under the weight of having a wife who is home bound and suffering depression and try to please her, and having an adult son with Downs Syndrome. Megan’s brother Daniel is a delight. He has a job which he is more than capable and good at, a girlfriend, and goals which he is working towards. He doesn’t let his challenges beat him and works hard to achieve each goal. Megan, herself, is suffering guilt about weighing the options of pursuing her own life and the pull of moving home to look after the family. Surprisingly, it is one of Connor’s former playmates, who essentially is a desperate psycho stalker, that has probably one of the most thought provoking tragic back stories of all the characters. All of these themes are handled extremely well in a very realistic way, without unnecessary padding.

This book is great for the Sunday afternoon escape or holiday read. It’s also firmly G-Rated. This the kind of book that you won’t mind your Grandmother discovering you reading, or your Boss finding you reading in the lunchroom, or the person in the seat next to you on the train won’t give you funny looks. The small Texan town, and a place that in 2020, whose residents think 30 is pushing it to get married, is literally a world away from me. But that’s essentially what a good story does. It takes you to a different world for the duration of the story. I enjoyed the epilogue, and beyond that, I hope that Megan one day gets to achieve all of her career aspirations. For all of the characters, we are left with a sense of hope. I think that’s why I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of a classic movie from the 50s. Highly recommend for you to read it for yourself.

This is the story of Connor, a retired due to injury, bull-rider who owns a Christmas Tree Farm and Megan aka Lacy Leatherwood, a school teacher by day and country singer by night. This is a sweet romance, complete with all the usual drama that occurs in a romance novel. The bad boy falls in love, etc. But what is unique about this story is the selflessness Megan shows toward her family, especially her brother with Downs Syndrome. Her mother is in a wheelchair as well and Megan returns from Nashville to help her family. Her dad, working full time, is stretched to his limits caring for her brother and mother. Even though he has Downs Syndrome and his parents are very protective, Daniel wants to live his own life and be treated as the 24 year old man he is. He is in love with Katy, also with Downs Syndrome, and they want to marry. They both have full time jobs but their parents naturally worry. Will they be taken advantage of? Can they make decisions on their own? Etc. Daniel feels he must have a driver's license in order to marry Katy and be independent. Megan sets about seeing how she can make that safely happen. Even though Daniel and Katy are secondary characters, I love their story. I am a total sucker for the underdog and when an author can bring to light the struggles and challenges they face, it melts my heart.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Holding Out for Christmas by Janet Dailey
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: September 29, 2020

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This was such a sweet story and a great read. I laughed, I cried a little, and found myself smiling through the sweet parts. I fell in love with the characters and loved the development of the relationships.

If you are looking for a quick, sweet love story, this is for you!

I'm so grateful to Janet Dailey, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.