Anita Hughes’ Christmas at the Ranch is the story of author Samantha Morgan. A trip to her publisher’s home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, changes everything for Samantha, and the main question arises, is she willing to take a chance to get the life she really wants? I voluntarily read this complimentary copy of this well-written, lovely, uplifting book about taking chances in life and living a life full of love and adventure.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was a sweet holiday romance. I read a Magical New York Christmas last year by Anita Hughes and LOVED it!! This story wasn't bad, in fact, I was so sweet. I think the location of Jackson Hole was just not the same as Christmas in New York for me. LOL! This might have been a solid 4 stars for me, but I found all the plot descriptions of Sloane Parker books to be distracting throughout the book. I few of them were fun. It just got to be too many. Drew and Samantha are a perfect couple and sometimes it takes finally meeting the person for you to realize that what you had wasn't quite right. Once you find 'your person' it is magical!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. It is greatly appreciated!

This book follows the life of Samantha, who is an author. The author writes a very brave and adventurous character in her popular sou books, yet she herself struggles with anxiety and likes to stay home a lot. I can totally relate to that! When invited to a holiday party by her boss, she almost doesn't go but then decides too. There she meets the boss's son who she has a connection with. Sounds like a Hallmark movie, right?

I had high hopes for this one. It sounded cute and the cover was absolutely adorable and festive and yet it fell flat for me. I felt like it was VERY wordy, with many of the "wordy' parts not really being needed. It never really captured me, and I felt my mind wander a lot. This book definitely had potential, but it never had that WOW moment that grabs you and pulls you in.

2.5⭐

3.5 stars: Samantha Morgan is an author who has a variety of phobias. She is the opposite of Sloane, the brave, gutsy heroine in her series of books. She just wants to be left alone, but her last book was down in sales, so her agent is willing to do whatever it takes to get her next book published and make it another best seller. The owner of the publishing company she works for has an annual Christmas gathering at his ranch and Samantha has been invited as his guest of honour. Being afraid to fly will put a damper on getting there, but she knows she has no choice. Fortifying herself with alcohol, she gets on the plane ready to make the best of it. She meets a fellow passenger on the plane and they talk to each other and share stories in order to keep Samantha calm. Arriving at the ranch in the Grand Tetons, she is hoping to stay in her room, but Arthur will have nothing of that. When she meets his son, low and behold, it is Drew, the man from the plane. He convinces her to participate in many wintry activities and of course they eventually realize they care about one another and get their own Happily Ever After.

A lot of people did not like this book at all and it received a lot of low ratings and several DNFs. I enjoyed the story for the most part. Yes, it was predictable. Yes, it had some hard to believe plot lines (Samantha's phobias began when her boyfriend dumped her), but there was a lot of Christmas magic, growth and secrets revealed. The relationship between Samantha and Drew was up and down. They had feelings for one another, but Drew was engaged and his fiancée also showed up at the party. She and Samantha became friends, which was a bit odd, but it worked. Then there is a mysterious diary that was written by Drew's mother before she left him and his father, that gave clues to who she was.

Christmas at the Ranch, Anita Hughes's latest holiday novel, explores the charm and wonder of Jackson Hole during Christmas. When young novelist Samantha receives an invitation to her publisher's famous Christmas party (a weeklong event) she feels pressured to go to appease her editor Charlie and ensure she makes a good impression. No one, except Charlie, knows that Samantha is the opposite of the character she writes about-Sloane Parker, Secret Agent. Rarely leaving her apartment these days, Samantha has developed an almost irrational fear to most things after a breakup. She agrees to the trip and meets the charismatic Drew on the plane. Of course, because it's Christmas, Drew is the son of Samantha's publisher and she spilled everything to drew-about how she and Sloane Parker couldn't be further apart and the marketing team has built Samantha up to be the real-life daredevil that is Sloane. Worried he's going to tell his father, things get more complicated when Drew's gorgeous fiancé shows up. Will this holiday end in heartbreak or happiness? Find out that answer and more when you read Christmas at the Ranch.

What I loved about this book (and all of Hughes's Christmas novels) is the amazing detail used to paint the setting-at times I felt like I was in Jackson Hole and it made this reader want to visit. While I feel that this story was not as strong or magical as last year's A Magical Christmas in New York, I still enjoyed it. I found Samantha a little over the top with her fears and constantly losing herself in a Sloane Parker scene. A quicker wrap up and showing more depth to Samantha would make this a 4-star read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I would have rather read a book about the main character's parents. They were more likeable and had all kinds of interesting things happening in their travels!

I did not find the main character likeable. She was scared of everything, but almost in a snobby way? I feel like this could have been done in a humorous and self-depcricating way, but it wasn't. Which for me made Samantha unlikeable.

This is a romance, but the main love interest was engaged for like 90% of the book. This just felt icky to me.

There is WAY too much about the plot of Samantha's books. These took up a lot of time, and they had no impact on the plot. I skipped most of these when I realized they weren't important.

The chemistry wasn't there, the "twist" was predictable, and it just didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful, Christmas time book. I enjoyed the characters and how they all played off each other.

What could’ve been a really cute and well executed hallmark-esq Christmas story ended up being an absolute waste of my time. Love that for me

This is a gorgeous little Christmas story packed with all the good stuff for the holiday season! Seriously, you could not ask for much more than what this book gives! I love all the previous Anita Hughes holiday books and this one is a nice addition to the collection. It’s sweet, it’s festive, it will melt your heart, and it will put you into the Christmas and holiday mood quickly. You will love the characters and that ending!

A fantastic seasonal read to enjoy while curled up in a cozy corner sipping on cocoa. This kicked off my holiday romance reads and it set the mood perfectly. I loved the little details, side characters and romance. A great Christmas book for the season.

First book I’ve ever read by this author and it did not diss along. Filled with Christmas cheer and hope. Of course romance and a chance at love when you choose to step out of your own way. Covers a little mental health issues like anxiety. You’ll be rooting for the main character Samantha and enjoying the beautiful story surrounded by the joy of Christmas.

Christmas at the Ranch by Anita Hughes kept me interested, but I also found it to be disjointed at times. There was the main story line of Samantha, an author with almost crippling anxiety that wrote daring and exciting books. This anxiety brought on extreme fear in pretty much every situation. She was tricked into spending Christmas and New Year's in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at her publisher's new ranch (she lived in Brooklyn). I really enjoyed the real interactions/adventures involving her. But, the author also included excerpts from Samantha's novels, which to me seemed kind of boring because I was not reading those books. The other story line to follow were large parts of a journal Samantha found. At the end the book, the reader does come to understand why they are included, but I was not invested in them. You would think that with those gripes I did not enjoy the book, but I really did by eventually deciding to skim over the two extra story lines. Some things I loved were the descriptions of Jackson Hole at Christmas, all of the fun things to do there at that time, and the ranch, it sounded amazing.

Christmas at the Ranch chronicles the tale of Samantha, a famous author who is the exact opposite of her fearless heroine Sloane Parker, as she ventures to Jackson Hole for a Christmas party at her publisher's ranch. This story follows the classic trope of city girl goes to a (not so) small town for a Christmas adventure.

I am normally the first person to reach for a Christmas romcom as they are my guilty pleasure niche category, but this book wasn't for me. I didn't find the main character Samantha very likable, and normally this can be overcome with charismatic side characters but even they fell flat. The only people I liked to hear from were her parents. The romance in the book was subpar and I personally find it really hard to root for two people to get together when one of them is engaged to another woman who is, as far as the book tells us, incredibly delightful. The story overall didn't feel realistic and the characters seemed annoying, especially Marigold who despite not being Native American continually offered advice/wisdom on behalf of Native American people. I will say, the imagery in the book was beautiful but that's about as much as I enjoyed. I gave the book one star.

A very average read. Very Hallmark. Paranoid writer who is borderline agoraphobic and is scared of just about everything writes about everything she only reads about online. Her character is a superspy a la James Bond and the book cuts to this fictional character way too much it felt like filler. Nothing more than flirting happens because he's engaged to someone else, no cheating. It was just lack luster for me. Nothing really stands out.

Christmas at the Ranch, by Anita Hughes is a charming Christmas story filled to bursting with a festive atmosphere and delightful and descriptive Christmas appeal. The pages are practically bursting with the festivities and delights of the season.

Samantha Morgan is an author who writes the well-known Sloane Parker series, following a heroine of the James Bond style who is fearless and always escaping danger in high stakes situations. The author is her opposite. After her break-up with her boyfriend, Samantha finds herself afraid of everything! She holes herself up in her New York apartment with her dog, Socks, and writes her stories fearing to venture out and do much else. When she finds herself invited to Jackson Hole, Wyoming by her book publisher the week of Christmas, a trip she cannot refuse, she is forced to face her fears. Not only does she find courage, but possibly a second chance at love as well.

The defining trait of the main character in this story is fearful-she is afraid of almost everything, to an irrational extent. In fact, she comes across as almost childish in her behavior and speech. Samantha spends a great deal of time in her head writing stories about her own novel heroine, Sloane, and as such, the story is a bit jarring as we bounce between the actual story and then leap to Samantha’s literary world. I definitely didn’t care for Sloane’s fanciful adventures as much, so I tended to skim those sections. There were also journal entries into the past that tied into the overall story, but also pulled the reader in a different direction from the main plot.

Samantha’s relationship with Drew, her unexpected airplane companion and the son of her host, was a bit troublesome. While the friendship was totally understandable and sweet, things escalated rather quickly from there and it felt far too insta-lovey and unbelievable, especially given the circumstances. The problem that Drew later had with Samantha seemed to come out of nowhere, was not in keeping with his character, and was then resolved instantaneously, leaving the reader with a bit of whiplash. And while Samantha’s mother was sweet, she was also outrageously over-the-top, and she and her husband’s travels were outlandish.

I thoroughly enjoyed the atmospheric, wintery Wyoming setting with all the seasonal activities. I also found the story sweetly entertaining with all its descriptive glory. But overall, it did feel quite simplistic, while also being rather implausible.

Anita has now become one of my favorite Christmas book writers! I look forward to this time of year just to grab her latest book! This one was definitely one of my favorites! Highly recommend to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Samantha writes novels about Simone, a Special Agent who travels all over the world and has adventures. In contrast, Samantha only wants to leave her apartment to walk her dog, Socks. She has anxiety that is turning into phobias about everything. So when her agent tells her that her publisher wants her to spend a week at his home, for a party that is a very special invite only, she doesn't want to go. She does, and on the flight finds herself next to a man that she spills all her secrets too.

Of course, he is at the party! And even worse, Samantha is developing feelings for him. He has a fiancée!

This was a cute, easy read about learning to trust yourself, and others and that life can be scary, but if you take the chance, also a wonderful adventure.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Christmas at the Ranch is a story about Samantha and her writing career. She suffers major anxiety after a break up that came out of no where and it keeps her afraid and locked up in her NY apartment with her dog, Socks. She's content living her life alone. Charlie forces her to go on a week long trip to Wyoming for a private (invitation only) get together with the CEO of the publishing house that sells her books. She needs to do everything she can to keep getting her books printed due to a fellow author that is an IG influencer doing all the things to stay on top. If her career fails so will Charlie's and she will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen.

The week quickly turns into adventures with a few minor hiccups, until she discovers a diary in Arthur's home library. This diary contains a huge secret about the past and will impact both Arthur and his son, Drew.

I felt like this book could have been a little shorter. It just felt longer than necessary. I enjoyed it and it had very likeable characters. It's a warm and cozy read for the holiday season.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of the most difficult books I have read in long time. I skipped most of it because of the book within a book aspect of the story. If you took out all the elements of the book about Slone Parker, the MC's alter ego, this book would be a short story/novella. It was too much. Then there is the "love interest" who gets engaged and is with his fiance but as soon as she is sent away, he is with the MC? And she is ok with that?? I could not connect with either characters, the attraction seemed forced. And then to add to the randomness, there is a elusive shopkeeper who knows so much about the Native Americans and needs to stare all the tales as if she has immersed herself into their culture. This book was almost a DNF for me, i just read it because I wanted to see if it had any redeeming aspects. It did not.

There were parts of this book that I loved and other parts that didn't quite fit for me, but overall this is a delightful Christmas read that would make a perfect Hallmark movie. I wasn't surprised to see that Anita Hughes has had other books made into movies and I hope I see this one during the 2023 holiday season!

I loved the setting for this book and the main characters. There's a bit of a twist at the end that I didn't see coming that wraps the story up nicely.