Member Reviews

This was a super quick, easy read! The author did a great job with the characters and the story was very heartwarming. I loved that this was not only about romance, but also accepting changes, forgiving yourself, and gaining self confidence. I’m keeping it short and sweet because there really is only so much to say about holiday romance books without giving too much away.

Outside of the weird format of the ebook and the minor grammatical errors, I would definitely recommend this book for the holidays. Apparently this is the second book in the Christmas House Series, but I do think each book can stand on its own.

4 ⭐️’s

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A lovely book set at Christmas time. A story of loss and new found love. Love is great at any time I just find that when love comes at Christmas it feels more special.

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A Christmas House Wedding is a lovely heart warming story which has great characters and a lovely setting. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for my ARC.

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What a wonderful Christmas romance - or two! Despite their completely dysfunctional upbringing, Olivia and Charlotte are working through their issues to become close friends, not just sisters. It was amazing to watch Olivia learn to take charge of her life and feelings, speaking out when she's hurt by words or actions. She still has to get over the doubts that she's "good enough". And that's where Scott comes in. He's so patient with her, not pushy, so respectful of her feelings and wishes, all while waiting for her to be ready for a real relationship with him. I can't say enough good things about all the children... smart, loving, mostly well-behaved. And I love Ruby and Harry's story, apart for so many years but finally getting the happy ending they so richly deserve. This is my first read from the author, and I'm looking forward to more.

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OMG! I cannot get over this book! LOVED it! I couldn't read this fast enough to find out how it all turned out! This was my first VJ novel and I am for SURE reading more of her work! Loved the setting of Toronto burbs. And I would love a Ruby in my world!

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Unpredictable and entertaining. Emotional and dramatic. Full of love and sage advice. Victoria James has done it again.
The love between Grandma Ruby and her granddaughters reminded me so much of my grandmother.
Olivia and Charlotte's parents were dysfunctional, and the girls eventually went to live with their Grandma Ruby at the Christmas House, a bed and breakfast.
Olivia's marriage was over. She had finally summoned the courage to leave her abusive husband and with nowhere else to go, she returned to Christmas House and her Grandma Ruby just in time to help Grandma Ruby plan the wedding of her dreams to the love of her life. Olivia was determined to start over and make a life for her and her daughter Dawn. With her self-esteem at rock bottom, she was determined to start her own dance studio. Scott, a local contractor agreed to step in when the last contractor bailed on her just weeks before the scheduled opening. A widower with a teenage daughter, Scott is exactly what she needs but she is so determined to make it on her own that she can't see what's right in front of her - a rock steady family man and just what she and Dawn so desperately need.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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A Christmas House Wedding is the second book in the Christmas House series by Victoria James. This is a heartfelt tale about finding love and going home for the holidays.

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We all know just how much I love reading holiday romances. The holidays are my jam so when I see books that are holiday related I have to give them a try. More the merrier. I know I've read James before but it's been a while. I will say what I didn't notice was that this was book two in the series.

I figured that it wouldn't be too bad to start with the second book but for me, it turned out to be a bit confusing. I kinda got the idea that this is more like a part two than a book two. It could be that there is just so much overlap from the first book that it felt that way to me.

As I got into the story I started to really enjoy parts of it. The parts that felt newer worked for me. I'm talking about the relationship between Scott and Olivia. I felted for Olivia. Her life hasn't turned out as she planned but then again life doesn't often go as we plan. I really enjoyed Scott. He's a nice guy that is willing to help out a friend.

I did like her grandmother and sister. But her mother is another thing. That woman is all hate. She's so unhappy with herself that she feels she needs to take it out on others.

I wish I enjoyed this more but I just couldn't totally like it. I felt like I was always missing something. Maybe if you read book one you won't feel that way. It's not a horrible story just one that feels slightly off. Good characters take it from me not liking it and push it to like but not loving.

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A sweet and fluffy Christmas romance perfect for the festive season.

What made this book quite interesting to read was the two story lines that were being told throughout the book - Olivia's story and Ruby, Olivia's grandmother's, story. The reader gets to see the similarities they share and their differences.

Likely the best part of this story for me was Dawn. She is such an adorable little girl, and seeing her interact with all the characters, specifically Scott and Olivia, made my heart melt. It gave me serious baby fever.

Scott and his daughter, Kat's, relationship was sweet to read about. They are both dealing with the loss of their wife and mother, respectively. It was fascinating to follow them through their path of accepting someone new into their family.

A Christmas House Wedding portrayed the realities of single parenthood, loss, and resilience in such a delicate but profound manner. I really enjoyed this aspect. However, I do think that there were too many single parents in this novel - not much diversity in terms of that. It seemed like every character mentioned was a single parent at some point in their lives - not very realistic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book profusely, however, I do have some comments that I think would have made this a 5 star read for me. Firstly, there was no spice or steamy scenes. Single parents can get it too right? Secondly, the novel is titled 'A Christmas House Wedding', yet there wasn't much on the actual wedding. It all felt rushed and overshadowed by the Will and Liv confrontation. Yes, that confrontation was important and needed to happen, but it seemed like the reason for the whole book (the wedding) was sort of left out.

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Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me and I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. The same problems kept coming up without anything changing, at least on Olivia's part. Scott certainly had the patience of a saint to keep waiting for Olivia to figure out her life. I think she needed therapy more than anything since she kept letting her ex-husband's past words infiltrate her thoughts. Scott really was the perfect Hero and dad. I have no complaints about him.

The worst part of the book was the ending. It ends with them agreeing to give a relationship a go. A few kisses have happened, they've declared their love and that's about it. No glimpse into their future as a couple, no plans to move in together in the near future. No talk of a wedding, nothing. We get more romance from Harry and Ruby, the grandmother of Olivia. This was a pretty PG book with no heat. I'm okay with that, as long as the story is great and keeps me engaged. That didn't happen.

I swear I've read Book 1 in the series, but I can't seem to find my review - I think this book just seemed too similar to another I've read in the last year and that's probably the source of my confusion. That being said, you can follow along pretty easily without having read the first book.

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I enjoy stories of multi-generations of the same family which drew me to read this book. The story primarily focuses on Olivia and her Grandmother Ruby but Olivia’s mother and sister play a small role in the book as well.

This is the second book in the author’s Christmas House series but I read this book as a standalone. Although I may have missed a bit of the backstory, I was able to get the history of the family from this book. Having read this book I now want to go back and read the first book in the series, The Christmas House.

Olivia and her toddler daughter are living with Ruby and starting a new life after Olivia’s divorce. She’s in the midst of renovations for her own dance studio when the contractor backs out of the project. She’s introduced to Scott, a contractor who is also a single parent and who appreciates the situation Olivia is in. He agrees to complete the work and soon they become friends. As the weeks pass and the relationship flourishes, Olivia determines she is not ready for anything more. Or is she?

The characters in the book have all faced challenges in life but it’s Olivia’s story of the emotional abuse she experienced in her marriage that was especially heartbreaking to me. The relationship she has with Ruby is more mother and daughter and it’s because of this bond that Olivia had the strength to leave the marriage. Thank goodness for those special women in our lives.

Ruby has an endearing story of her own and it’s lovely to see her find her happy ever after with her Christmas Eve wedding. Scott’s story is heartbreaking as well and I love when an author writes about the importance of fathers in raising their children.

All in all, this is an engaging, joyful story with that reflects the upcoming holiday season. The characters were well-developed and likeable. I recommend this book to those readers that enjoy General Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Romance.

I received an early copy of this book but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

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I truly loved Christmas House Wedding. It wasn't just one book, it was so much more. It was a story of a family going through their problems, yet finding love and happiness in the end.

Olivia couldn't made better decision than to come back to her loving grandma Ruby's house to start anew.
After her abusive marriage she finally starts to realize her dream to open her own dance studio and with the help of her sister plans the best wedding for her granny.
While she still searches for solid ground under her feet and doubts all her actions and decisions, she has been drawn to the the best friend of her sister's husband, the contractor, Scott.

She isn't ready for love yet she can't he help to fall in love.
Can she simply jump over her shadow and try to open her heart to Scott or will the protective walls she built get in her way?

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This is a Christmas Romance, and this is the second book in A Christmas House series. I have read and reviewed the first book in this series, and I loved the first book. I just could not connect with this book, and I just do not feel this was the book for me. I also found it super slow moving, and it just could not pull me into the story. I try to read this book several times. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

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Olivia took her daughter Dawn and moved to her grandmother Ruby's. Now, she's building a dance studio and a relationship with her contractor Scott, a widower with a teen daughter Cat. And,, she's helping Ruby plan her wedding, a wedding that's been years in the making. This has all the elements of a classic HEA, with cute kids (one of whom is a feisty teen), wounded but healing characters, and lots of love. There's an underlying tension in Olivia's life, especially because Will, her ex, is still around. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

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I would like to thank Netgalley, Alcove Press and Victoria James for the E ARC of this book.
It was so nice to be back at Christmas House to catch up with all that is happening. Ruby is getting married on Christmas Eve. Her granddaughters are both so pleased for her, especially Olivia.
Olivia is happy to be in Silver Springs and is making her own plans to open a dance studio. However, her contactor lets her down and she finds herself accepting help from Scott. Olivia does not want to be attracted to Scott, she has enough on her plate without a romance as it is, however attraction spring and they both have to decide whether to give in to the attraction.
I loved Olivia’s wee daughter and her interactions not only with Scott but with her Great Grandmother and Aunt. She really made me smile. I also liked that at the start of the chapters we got a bit from Ruby, more of her story and the planning of the wedding, it was so nice that she was still such an integral part to the whole story. I found Olivia’s mother a bit of a pain but she has her reasons.
This is a lovely sequel and I hope that here will be more stories from Christmas House. This is a book to curl up with in the run up to Christmas, with the tree decorated and lights sparkling, a cosy fire going, snuggled up under a blanket with a cuppa close by.

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This book was cosy and romantic, but it also had some unexpected elements. Our main character Olivia doesn't have the perfect fairy tale family that we often see in these kind of books. Watching Olivia find her perfect love in a less than ideal situation was super relatable and super comforting. Just the book for me right now.

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I love The Christmas House and loved this book which is a sort of follow up. I found again the festive atmosphere, the well developed characters, and the lovely setting.
It's poignant and heart warming story about accepting changes and forgiving oneself. I like how the author dealt with the emotional part.
A story I thoroughly enjoyed.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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I loved the premise of this book - Grandma Ruby is planning her marriage to her childhood sweetheart while her granddaghter Olivia slow recovers from a divorce ending an emotional abusive marriage. The characters were lovely as well. However, the execution was disappointing. There was too much telling and not enough showing; I think the first three pages was just Olivia standing on the porch, giving us her back story. Grandma Ruby's story was told in italics which I found distracting. Plot twists felt like plot cliches. Overall I enjoyed the story, I just wish it was more fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.com and voluntarily chose to review.

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A lovely festive story and a pleasure to read. Across generations of the Grand mother and grandchildren. Great characters and plot, well worth 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

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A Christmas House Wedding by Victoria James, is an emotional and enjoyable story full of love, family, and wise advice. The love between Grandma Ruby and her granddaughters, Olivia and Charlotte, was one of love, nurturing, and understanding; providing a safe haven from their dysfunctional parents. Eventually these girls lived with their Grandma Ruby at the Christmas House, a bed and breakfast.
Olivia's marriage was over after she had finally gathered the courage to leave her abusive husband. Needing a place to live, Olivia, with her small daughter, Dawn, returned to the Christmas House and her Grandma Ruby just in time to help Grandma Ruby plan the wedding of her dreams to the love of her life. Olivia was determined to start over and make a life for her and her daughter Dawn. With her self-esteem at rock bottom, she was determined to start her own dance studio. Scott, a local contractor agreed to step in when the last contractor bailed on her just weeks before the scheduled opening. A widower with a teenage daughter, Cat, Scott is exactly what she needs but she is so determined to make it on her own that she can't see what's right in front of her; a rock solid family man. Just what she and Dawn so greatly need.

A Christmas House Wedding is about forgiving, rediscovering who you are and moving forward. Victoria James put together a beautiful dual plot of Olivia and Scott beginning a new relationship and Olivia’s grandmother, Ruby, and Harry rekindling a relationship that began fifty years ago, and are finally moving toward marriage. I loved Scott and his endless patience and understanding for Olivia. I highly recommend A Christmas House to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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