Love Always, Christmas by Karen Schaler

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HawkTale Publishing and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Libby is planning to spend the holidays alone until a mysterious Christmas card takes her on a life-changing journey where she discovers a family she didn’t know she had and a love she was never expecting to find…

Libby Larson’s Christmas wish is to get the holidays over as fast as possible. After losing her mom, her only family, she’s bah humbugging Christmas, while desperately trying to save her childhood Seattle home.

But when Libby finds a twenty-year-old unopened Christmas card addressed to her mom, what she discovers inside takes her to the snowy mountain town of Holly Peak.

As family secrets start to unravel, Libby must rely on Holly Peak’s handsome town manager, Adam Thompson, to help her find answers while reluctantly participating in the town’s quirky Christmas traditions.

In the midst of merrymaking and mistletoe, Libby’s life is forever changed when this Christmas brings her the gift of a family and true love.

My Opinion

In the past year Libby has lost both of her parents and is therefore not feeling in her usual Christmas spirit even though the town that she lives in very Christmas focused. She is also in the process of setting up her own business and is therefore in a lot of debt and feels that she may have to move house. When Libby finds a Christmas card that had been sent to her mother, Libby finds that her family has been keeping secrets.

This was a lovely, festive Christmas read. Love Always, Christmas is about second chances and community coming together when needed. After reading this I can this being made into a lovely Christmas film.

Rating 4/5

Oh my goodness, I wish I could live in the worlds of Karen Schalers Christmas novels. This book was so warm and heart-warming, I did not want it to end. I loved the characters and found myself emotionally invested in their stories. I recommend this book for holiday loving, Hallmark movie watchers! Enjoy with a mug of hot cocoa!

I wish I could say that I really liked this book. I had high hopes for it but it sadly falls flat as a run of the mill Christmas novel. The romance wasn't engaging and not even the subplot of the secret family member was enough to save this for me. I'm sorry I really wish I could have liked it but to me it wasn't that engaging. I kept wanting it to "get to the good part" but instead it seemed like chapter after chapter of pseudo romantic filler and not enough romantic tension between to two characters. It also ended rather abruptly as well with a very unsatisfying ending.

2 out of 5 stars for this book.

This book is appropriate for ages 13+

This is a truly a Christmas miracle it gives the warmth of Christmas and a happy Christmas for Libby after all even though it starts off really bleak for her but ends with a merry Christmas for all at holly peak

This book was a fun and heartwarming romance, the characters were well written and entertaining. I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

This was such a cute read for the holidays! I am a sucker for a holiday romance/Hallmark movie so this was no surprise that I enjoyed this. It definitely had a lot of holiday cheer mixed with sadness in Libby’s life but I really enjoyed it overall.

This was such a heartwarming Christmas Romance. I loved the characters and the setting. Terrific!
Many thanks to Hawktale Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a big fan of all the holiday romance movies, I absolutely HAD to read ‘Love Always, Christmas’ by Karen Schaler, and it didn’t disappoint! This story, the romance, was sweet and so heartwarming. It’s the perfect book to cozy up with on a snowy and/or rainy day. Left me feeling bubbly-happy. Highly recommend!

I've always enjoyed reading christmas books during the holidays so I definitely enjoyed reading this one a few months ago! This story was very heart warming but als0 heartbreaking at points too! If you like a good second chance type of book that involves family, love and just being with the ones you care about.

Karen Schaler has written Hallmark movies and this book reads just like a Hallmark movie. I loved it. There is a great element of family drama. There are two fabulous towns and a neighborhood that I would love to visit if they were real. The Christmas spirit is huge in all three places! In this book Libby, is trying to get through the holidays as fast as possible after losing her parents, her job, and maybe her home. She ends up running into Adam over and over again, much to his chagrin. When a car accident turns things around, Adam and Libby end up working together to save both of their careers. This was a fun book to read.

Holiday romance books have become a favorite of mine. I really didn’t see that coming. But I’m happy that it did!

A cosy and charming Christmas story, that gives you all the Christmas feels!
This will be the first Christmas since Libby has lost her mom, her dad years before, leaving Libby to face the Christmas alone. And on top of that, Libby is fighting to save her family home, and in order to that, she has started her own social media business which has to succeed!
Abruptly meeting her new neighbours son, they don’t start on the best foot, and seem to have run in after run in.
Looking through her family’s Christmas decorations collection, Libby accidentally comes across an unopened letter addressed to her mom from an unknown address in the next town. Going on a quest for some answers and possibly scouting the town as location for her new business. Getting there she walks into a Christmas wonderland with the mayor being her new neighbours son!
‘Love Always Christmas’, manages to squeeze in lots of Christmas charm, Christmas fun, a best Christmas town competition, with a trail to discover the mystery behind the writer of the letter written to her Libby’s mum.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Libby and Adam. As you can tell from the book title this happens at Christmas. When they meet it is an instant attraction. Libby has a marketing business. Adam is a town manager. Libby finds in her Mom’s Christmas decorations an old card wit( a picture in it. She goes to the town to find a lady named CeCe. Adam and Libby both have trust issues but together they work them out and find love.

This book reads like a Hallmark movie. It is cute, cheesy, and over the top Christmas. Things I enjoy in only a Christmas book. The characters were fun, I enjoyed Libby and Adam. I will say that the book got to be repetitive about Libby and Adam’s fears and some of their inner thoughts that were constantly repeated. Also, I didn’t love the way that Libby’s job as a social media manager was portrayed. Why was there so much focus on hashtags and a ridiculous campaign? I wish the characters had a little more depth, but that is expected of light Christmas reads like this. I did love the way the towns people were all willing to help each other out. There was also an element of mystery thrown in, which was fun. Overall, I enjoyed it.

Bottom Line: Cute to read at Christmas. I could definitely see this being a Hallmark movie.

**I received a copy of Love Always, Christmas from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author, but it certainly won’t be the last. The author, Karen Schaler, is known as “Christmas Karen,” and his book is Christmas from the first word to the last. It had a cozy feel and I enjoyed reading it with a cup of hot chocolate snuggled up by the fire. The timbre of the book reminded me of a Hallmark Movie. It was predictable from the start, but it still held my attention from the first page to the last. The main character, Libby Larson, grew up in a small family that went “all out” for Christmas. However, Libby had recently lost her mother, who had been the last of her family. She was heart-broken and couldn’t imagine celebrating Christmas without her.

Early in the book, Libby met Adam, the son of the new next-door neighbors, and they were like oil and water. They frequently crossed paths and the outcome was never good. At that point, I knew they would end up together.

One day, Libby was in the attic searching for some memorable family ornaments and she stumbled upon a sealed Christmas card addressed to her mother. Postmarked twenty years prior from a name she didn’t recognize from Holly Peak, a small town a few hours up the mountain. After some deep soul-searching, Libby decided to open the envelope. The contents would forever change her life.

Libby decided to go to Holly Peak in search of the person who sent the card. It was there that she again met up with Adam, and their stories became forever intertwined. It turns out that Adam knew the letter sender and took Libby to meet her. All was changed when Libby finally determined who this mystery person really was.

The characters were likeable and well developed. The theme of the book was heart-warming, bringing with it a feeling of family, love, and community. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading light-hearted women’s fiction and desires the feeling of Christmas.

I am grateful to Author Karen Schaler, Hawktale Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this Advanced Reader’s Copy. This is a voluntary review, and all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

I absolutely adored this Christmas romcom. It’s such a light festive read that’s perfect for the holiday. I’ve seen it compared a lot to hallmark movies and honestly it’s way better than that! This is my first book by this author but it will not be my last. I love her writing style, and the characters she writes.

Libby has faced many hardships with her dad, with to cancel, but she is determined not to give up. She wants to continue her fathers legacy. Once Libby and Adam meet the story gets even better. Although they don’t exactly have the meet cute you’re expecting. This story left me wanting to visit these towns and immerse myself in the holiday spirit! I can’t forget to mention the fact there’s some mystery to this story, with secrets that will be unraveled. It truly keeps you wanting more!

This holiday is not looking very merry for Libby. She didn't get the promotion at work she was due. Her mother has passed away and it is the first Christmas without her. She just wants the holidays over with. Going through some of her mother's things she finds an old Christmas card that is unopened. Curiosity got the best of her and she opened it. What she discovered inside would change her life forever. What she finds is a charming little Christmas town called Holly Peak. They have a holiday contest with the neighboring town. So Christmas is everywhere and she is trying to avoid all things Christmas. It doesn't take long for Libby to start feeling a little Christmas spirit. Of course meeting Adam doesn't hurt either.

This started out as a cute story and a very easy read. But to me the language was too trite or predictable. I found myself skipping over a lot of it because I knew what was being said.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

Love Always, Christmas is a new holiday story written by award winning screen writer Karen Schaler. From beginning to end, it feels like one big Christmas hug. It follows social media expert Libby Larson as she navigates the recent loss of her mother and the discovery of a long lost family friend. It is an unopened Christmas card for her mom that starts her journey after she opens it and immediately wants to know more. This leads her to the snowy mountain town of Holly Peak.

Holly Peak loves Christmas and it is immediately evident as soon as Libby arrives. The townships and restaurants take pride in their décor; and are excited to participate in an annual competition. The competition is for the best decorated town and Holly Peak is reigning champion. There is even more on the line this time for Holly Peak though because if the town wins, a company is going to invest and build there. The descriptions of the decorations sounded beautiful and made me want to visit.

Libby is not a character who likes to ask for help and this is shown throughout as she is in Holly Peak but still trying to control everything back home. It's hard for her to continue to do this when there is poor internet or cell service though. I could relate to Libby in this aspect and thought the distraction was good for her. She has been a pretty lonely character and this new community has fully embraced her. Especially Cece, the mysterious women who sent the Christmas cheer, and Adam, the leader of all the Christmas cheer.

Adam and Libby actually meet prior to her arrival in Holly Peak and this initial meeting does not go well. These characters just seem to get under each other's skin. They also have a growing chemistry and the more time they spend together it becomes more and more apparent. I was a fan of this romance but it was such a slow burn. I normally really enjoy slowburn but in this case I just wanted things to move a little bit faster. I lost track of the amount of times I was like "kiss already!".

Love Always, Christmas does have a Hallmark feel to it including an adorable dog named Rudolph. The spirit of the holiday is felt through put as are feelings of community and home. If this was a Hallmark movie I would cast Andrew Walker and Autumn Reeser as Adam and Libby. I think they would have great chemistry together.

Libby Larson has always loved Christmas, but this year she’d rather forget the holiday altogether after losing her mother earlier in the year. She’s decided instead to focus her energy on her new business and trying to save her family home.

While grabbing some vintage ornaments from the attic, she discovers an unopened Christmas card addressed to her mother, dating back twenty years. Libby decides to head to Holly Peak to try to find the person who sent the card and uncover the connection to her mother.

Libby finds an unlikely ally in Adam after they initially got off on the wrong foot. Albeit they work together to successfully accomplish both of their agendas. Libby ends up finding who she’s looking for but gets more than she bargained for when she adds both family and love to her list.

This is a feel-good holiday romance sure to kick off the season. An added bonus is that the inspiration for the book cover came from my home province-New Brunswick!

Thank you to NetGalley and HawkTale Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #LoveAlwaysChristmas