Simone never ceases to surprise me. There is always something different in store with each story that she writes. Christmas in Rose Bend goes for the emotional side of life. Expect your heart to ache and your soul to be touched by Nessa Wolfe. She's the ER nurse working her way through the baggage of her life. He's the innkeeper's son unloading a bit of luggage of his own. What begins by chance becomes more than either could have ever dreamed. From deep emotion to a Christmas card setting, Naima Simone delivers a heartbreaking journey with a heartwarming twist.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly October New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Christmas in Rose Bend is a very sexy Christmas romance. It also has a lot of heart and family. Nessa is grieving the loss of her mother and father while raising her teen sister. They take a trip to Rose Bend for a little Christmas cheer but find so much more. Nessa meets Wolfgang at the inn and things start to change for her. Wolfgang and Nessa's chemistry was through the roof! I enjoyed the heart and family story lines in this book. It was a nice change of pace for a Christmas romance. My one complaint would be that we can stop refereeing Harry Potter in every single book, that would be great. This is just something that drive me nuts when there are so many other great series out there. However, I did really enjoy this steamy, heartfelt Christmas story!

CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND – Naima Simone
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-62099-6
October 26, 2021
Contemporary Romance

Rose Bend, Massachusetts – Present Day

Nessa Hunt has brought her little stepsister with her to spend Christmas in Rose Bend at the request of their late father who had recently died. The relationship between the sisters is tenuous, mainly because they were never close. Now both are parentless, and the teenaged Ivy is living with Nessa. When they arrive at the inn they’ve booked, they are greeted by the owner’s son, Wolf Dennison, who startles both females. He’s big and handsome, and Nessa can immediately sense that he will be trouble for her libido. Not that she has time for a romantic relationship after working long hours at the hospital (she’s a registered nurse) and having been recently dumped by her boyfriend. But Wolf still has her hormones humming.

Wolf is intrigued by Nessa, especially since she is cool and aloof toward him. He’s used to women flirting with him, even if he’s not interested in them. Noticing the strain between the sisters, he wonders what the story is with them. Nessa isn’t exactly forthcoming, and Ivy is snippy with her sister. Hopefully, participating in the Christmas activities in Rose Bend will help get them in a better mood. Wolf isn’t looking for a relationship with Nessa, but the sparks between them can’t be ignored. Out of the blue, Nessa receives a letter from the man she had thought of as her father, Ivy’s father. Ivy doesn’t know that the sisters aren’t related by blood. Then comes the shocking realization in the letter that her stepfather probably sent them there because Nessa’s mother met her real father there. Is he still living in Rose Bend? Confused, she turns to Wolf for help.

CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND has all the emotional feels that are essential for a heartwarming Christmas tale. The two Hunt females are grappling with the loss of their parents and having to learn to live with each other. Nessa has been working hard, so hard that it drove her boyfriend away. Ivy feels as though Nessa resents her presence in her life. Trust will need to be built between the two, especially since the “lie” of their relationship is an invisible wall between them. Nessa is afraid of how Ivy would react learning that Nessa isn’t really her half-sister. Wolf helps to smooth over the rough edges by getting both involved in Christmas fun. He also grows closer to Nessa, though he can’t offer her more than a few nights of passion together. Wolf is still in pain from losing his best friend while both served together in Iraq. He blames himself for his friend’s death. Wolf and Nessa coming together might just heal their wounded hearts.

CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND is a combination of two sisters coming together to finally understand each other and Nessa finding love and support from Wolf. Yet, they are aware their time together will be short. Top of the list is finding out more about Nessa’s father. Is this the path to solving all the issues that plague her? Will Wolf let her walk away once the holiday visit is over? Can Ivy get over her resentment of Nessa? A tale that will leave you warm and cuddly, don’t miss the answers to all the questions by picking up a copy of CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Will also appear on our website at Romance Reviews Today.sometime soon. http://romrevtoday.com/

Two wounded souls find a love that heals

With more angst than a dozen Hallmark holiday movies, this story is sure to tug your heartstrings and make you appreciate your family in whatever shape they are.

Wolf grew up in an idyllic town with an idyllic family, but that still didn't protect him from a loss so great he may never get past it. Nessa has to deal with her own losses while putting on a brave front for her surly preteen sister. Her heart has been broken too many times, and she's understandably reluctant to risk it again.

This was a bit of a slow-burn romance, but the emotions are painted so vividly that the characters really come alive. I enjoyed the first book, but I loved this one so much more. There's a lot of holiday fun packed into the story that was so well written I felt as though I was a part of the festivities.

The HEA was holiday wish-fulfillment at its finest with every single one of Nessa's dreams coming true and I couldn't have loved it more. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Christmas in Rose Bend
by Naima Simone
Pub Date: October 26, 2021
HQN
Rose Bend #2

The holidays have never been her thing. But Christmas in Rose Bend has more than one surprise in store…
Thanks to HQN and NetGalley for the ARC. I love getting into the Spirit before December~
This small town sounded like it would be a cute and fun place to live. I really enjoyed reading this book. There were some very steamy times in this book, so I have to say this was not a cute romance book. Also if you enjoy Christmas Romance this might be just the book for you!
I do think the end was abrupt - Nessa goes from telling Wolf she can't be what he needs to basically uproot her (and her sister's) whole lives and relocating there in the space of like one chapter. It's very quick and abrupt and I think it could have used a bit more space to come to that conclusion.
Caution: May contain off page parental deaths from cancer, death of other minor character in war, major family secrets; grief/loss
4 stars

I enjoyed the setting and the holiday feel, but I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would've liked. I haven't read any other books by this author, and I didn't realize this was part of a series. Perhaps I would've found it more engaging if I'd read them in order.

Christmas in Rose Bend has us returning to the small town of Rose Bend. Nessa Hunt grieving Er nurse and her half-sister Ivy are dealing with the grief of losing her parents and the death confession that the father that Nessa grows up with is not her father. And the connection Nessa thought she had with her half-sister is gone. Add a town that embraces Christmas mush like a hallmark movie. Wolfgand Dennison is the sexy rugged son of the innkeeper who wants Nessa to enjoy the holiday. It was nice to see the people of Rose Bend, Sizzle romance and a mystery who is Nessa's father and what was her mother's connection to this small town?

I thought I was starting another feel good book about Christmas in another quaint little town in New England. Instead I just finished reading one of the most engaging stories I seen in a long time. Ms. Simone brought in so many elements of an excellent story that it's hard to recount all of them without writing them down. Family interactions (loving and not so loving), interpersonal relationships past, present, and future, quaint holiday traditions, dealing with lost loves, lost parents, and some love and lust along the way.

This book is anything but traditional and I can't wait for the next book in this series. Bravo for bringing real life to a holiday that often gets lost in what we think Christmas is supposed to be.

I was excited to return to Rose Bend. The town is located in the Berkshire mountains three hours from Boston. It continues to be wonderfully diverse but with a small town, Hallmark Channel, feel. Nessa is an ER nurse and comes to Rose Bend with her teenage half- sister Ivy to stay for the holidays. It was the dying request of Ivy's father. Nessa has not enjoyed Christmas since their dad left her when she was a young teen. On day one, checking into the Inn, Nessa meets Wolf. The attraction is sizzling. Wolf is a carpenter and his family owns the Inn. He had his heart broken three years earlier and suffers guilt issues as well. But he is a fixer and wants to help Nessa and her sister connect. They both know something can't last between them because Nessa will return to Boston but they become instant friends.

The narration is third person and you get a lot of the thoughts from inside the MC's heads. Sometimes that feels repetitious. Wolf and Nessa are both good communicators. Their conversations are fun and they enjoy learning about each other. Like in the first book in the series there are serious issues at play. I won't list them here because they are plot points. The author also doesn't shy away from steamy scenes. And It is funny to hear the teen Ivy continually remind Nessa of her language. The resolution for me was expected but I felt it was too brief after so much build up. I will eagerly look forward to the next Rose Bend adventure. Also my ARC came with a bonus Rose Bend novella which I really enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Romance for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

My heart hurt for Nessa and Wolf. They both had so much to get past, and thankfully they had each other and some awesome friends and family to help them navigate love, loss, and acceptance. I can’t adequately convey how much I loved this book.

I love a Christmas story, but this one didn't quite deliver all I was expecting. The Christmas town with all the decorations, events, and characters was present, but I just wasn't pulled into Nessa and Wolf's story. In the book's defense, I received this as a Netgalley ARC and did not realize it was part of a series and not a standalone. I was much more drawn to the novella at the end of the book with Remi and Declan's tale than the original title.

There are some big issues with this book that I will address in this review but despite those issues, this book really worked for me.

This book is basically a warm, fuzzy Hallmark Christmas movie but with way more painful backstories and way more sex. It's a Naima Simone book so you know she's gonna bring the heat!

I loved the MCs, Wolf and Nessa, both of them have majorly painful backstories, full of grief and loss and heartbreak. As a result of their respective backstories, they have both closed off their heart to love. At some point in the book, Wolf lets go of his fears when he realizes he is in love with Nessa but Nessa has endured far too many losses in her life and is accustomed to having the people she loves leave her. This is basically a book about grief and navigating grief and the ability to live a full life even in the midst of experiencing grief.

I thought the chemistry between Wolf and Nessa was really great and I also loved the relationship between Nessa and her sister, Ivy. They both come to Rose Bend for the holidays and find a. home there. I do think the end was abrupt - Nessa goes from telling Wolf she can't be what he needs to basically uprooting her (and her sister's) whole lives and relocating there in the space of like one chapter. It's very quick and abrupt and I think it could have used a bit more space to come to that conclusion. But overall, I loved reading about these 2 broken characters and their journey to healing and a HEA.

CW: off page parental deaths from cancer, death of other minor character in war, major family secrets; grief/loss

ARC received from publisher via Netgalley, opinions are all mine;

Naima Simone was a featured guest on the Fresh Fiction podcast! We discussed the Rose Bend series and her Harlequin Desire novels, along with her writing process: https://freshfiction.podbean.com/e/write-the-thing-writing-in-pop-culture-author-naima-simone/

This book, y’all. I’m immersed in Simone’s fictional community, emotionally tethered to these complex, fully-developed characters, and, oh my gosh, I’m feeling the feels. All. The. Feels. Simone gutted me with this story, took me on a ride that encompassed the full range of emotions, broke my heart but never let me lose hope, and then stitched it back together stronger than before.

Nessa and Wolf are such wonderfully complex characters. I loved them together. Their chemistry is off the charts (love those steamy scenes) but they also have moments of such tenderness. One of the things I most enjoyed about their journey was how well they communicated, even - maybe especially - when it came to the hard stuff. And there is plenty of hard stuff to overcome. Simone has surrounded them with a secondary cast of characters who all bring something to the table and potentially set up future stories. Ivy, Nessa's moody, 12-year-old half-sister, is a pivotal character who is especially important to the overall story. I very much enjoyed her evolving relationship with both Wolf and Nessa. And while it was fun to catch up with previous couples from the series (and I enthusiastically recommend those stories), readers can absolutely enjoy Christmas in Rose Bend as a standalone.

I highly recommend adding this 26 October release to your reading schedule. The steamy romance, snappy banter, heart-tugging emotion, grieving heroine who’s just about reached the end of her rope, and hero many of us would like to find under our Christmas tree this year, all wrapped up in a big red bow with Naima Simone's exquisite writing, make this one a keeper.

CW: Death of parents - Death of best friend - Military death - Panic attacks

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review
Posted to Instagram and Goodreads

I struggle with contemporary romance because so much of the conflict is just...people not talking to each other. This book does not have that problem. Putting aside it's a steamy read in general, it was so thrilling to watch two main characters communicate so much (while protesting how they don't talk about any of their hang-ups ever which got old when all they do is tell each other everything throughout the book) and to also trust each other and ask questions when there was a misunderstanding and call each other out when they weren't talking. It was so refreshing and unexpected. Romance writers, please take note. More of this please! Also, this is just the right amount of Hallmark for a holiday read and clearly the author was aware of that line as she calls herself out on it a lot in the story.

My ARC also had a novella included which was also delightful and fun and again, had fabulous communication between the leads. Really, I just like when romantic interests actually communicate so the main conflict could not simply be solved by them talking for five minutes.

This a great Christmas story. The two main characters are Nessa and Wolf. They are both afraid to love. They both have lost love in one way or another. Nessa is looking for her biological father together with Wolf they set out to find him. While on the way to discover not only her father but that they love each other.

Small town Christmas is a time for forgiveness, family secrets and a second chance at love. A holiday romance.