This was a ok book. I did like the story and characters.

It’s a good one to read during the holidays when you need something on the shorter side.

In Reese Ryan’s A Valentine for Christmas, Chandra Valentine agrees to be Doctor Julian Brandon’s pretend girlfriend after he helps her out of a couple of sticky situations. When their pretend relationship leads to a steamy affair after Julian seduces her, Chandra begins to question her beliefs about love, family, and life.

Ryan’s vibrant and detailed description using the senses makes her characters and story come to life, and, combined with her snarky, humorous, and colorful dialogue and narrative style, quickly draw you into the novel from the opening scenes. She develops and evolves Julian (JB) and Chandra’s connection and developing relationship with chemistry-filled, sweet, sexy, steamy, humorous, and intensely emotional interactions, banter, and love scenes. I love that she describes Julian’s attraction to Chandra vividly through his emotions and senses and how they’re affected by her.

I love how the relationship between Julian and Chandra begins in the novel. It’s sweet, cute, and funny how they connect through shared interests on an airplane flight. Chandra is sensible, responsible, logical, and cautious, while JB is optimistic, hopeful, and more inclined to take risks or be adventurous. Ryan includes fun, nerdy sci-fi, comic books, and superhero references, contributing to Julian’s character development. Though they’re complete opposites, their attraction is fiery and intense. However, they share the experience of losing a parent while young. His presence calms her when she’s anxious and uneasy, like he did on the flight. Though they’re complete opposites, their attraction is fiery and intense. However, unlike JB, who gives in and falls for Chandra quickly, Chandra tries to fight their attraction because she’s not ready to get involved—and Julian’s younger. But she’s unable to resist him, falling for him despite herself.

While there’s much going on in the book, Ryan’s efficient and orderly narrative style/writing doesn’t overwhelm you with the various characters and storylines. Chandra’s and JB’s interactions with their families contribute to their development and the story’s advancement. Unresolved issues from his father’s death complicate Julian’s relationship with his mother. Chandra regrets losing the closeness she shared with her siblings after leaving the family business to finally put herself first, after raising her siblings after their mother’s abandonment.

The novel’s quick pacing and angst, balanced with humor, make it a page-turner. A sweet, funny, steamy, sexy, and emotional Christmas romance, A Valentine for Christmas is an audio listen recommended for fans of small-town romance, heroes who fall fast and hard for the heroine, and older woman/younger man romance tropes. It explores finding love when/where least expected, family, family estrangement, family secrets, toxic parents, parental abandonment, searching for and reuniting with family, forgiveness, and starting over.

Advanced review copy provided by HARLEQUIN - Romance via Netgalley for review.

At first, I was really enjoying this book. I liked the writing style, which made for a quick read and drew me in right away. The meet cute was super cute, and I liked how this has the age gap trope but the woman is older, for a change.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment did not last. I felt like strange comments were being made, like the main character saying she could have been the love interest's mother when she is only 9 years older (huh?).

What mainly ruined this book for me is that it contains the accidental pregnancy trope, and it does so in a way that absolutely did not work for me. This is a very personal issue and not a fault of the book. Accidental pregnancy is one of my most hated tropes and one I really struggle to read, so I wish I'd seen this book contained it before I picked it up. If you do enjoy this trope, you might really enjoy this story!

It was a good romance, great MCs, and it was a wonderful book overall! Highly rated and it's a fun one!

Reese Ryan’s Bourbon Brothers series is/was one of my favorite romance series. After six books, I was sad to have to leave Magnolia Lake and the Abbott family behind. When I found out that there was going to be a spin-off, I literally screamed for joy. No, seriously I did. Readers met party crasher Abbott Valentine in The Bad Boy Experiment, where he revealed some shocking news to the Abbott family.

Turns out, Abbott Raymond “Ray” Valentine is the half-brother of Abbott patriarch Joseph. This is surprising news to Joseph, his son Duke, and the rest of the family. Ray has decided to be true to himself and honor his true heritage. He’s selling Valentine Textiles, which has been owned and operated by his family for generations. It is also the place where several of his children currently work. While he sells the family legacy, he purchases Richardson Vineyards which was once owned by his biological mother’s family, where he hopes to build his own legacy empire, with his children. Ray does all of this without his children knowing and summons them to the small Smokey Mountain town of Magnolia Lake, Tennessee where he plans to tell them about his family discovery, and the selling and purchasing of the companies, with the hope that they will all join him.

All of this is to explain why Chandra Valentine finds herself traveling from San Diego to a place she’s never heard of before. A place that requires her to take a small regional jet to get there. Did I mention Chandra isn’t a fan of flying? Luckily her seatmate is there to calm her nerves. As fate would have it, Chandra and her seatmate, Julian Brandon, are both going to the same place. While there is no denying their attraction to each other, Chandra refuses to involve herself with a man almost ten years her junior.

Julian finds himself back in his hometown of Magnolia Lake to fulfill his end of a bargain he made with Joseph Abbott when he was fourteen years old. Joseph paid for all of Julian’s secondary education in exchange for Julian returning to Magnolia Lake for four years to be the town doctor. Julian just hopes the four years pass quickly so he can get back to his life.

Chandra and Julian continue to run into each other. When she sees Julian being uncomfortable with all the attention from Magnolia Lake’s female population, she steps in and pretends to be his girlfriend. The two quickly agree to a short fling while Chandra is in town, never expecting that either of them would want more.

A Valentine for Christmas contains multiple tropes, with main characters I fell in love with immediately. The Valentine Vineyards series has been setup nicely. All the Valentine siblings are introduced and you get a little bit of their individual personalities. Of course, all the Abbott clan makes an appearance. I’m really looking forward to the other books in this series. I’m going to put this out there now. I would love for Ray Valentine to finally find his true soulmate. It should be noted that while the word Christmas is in the title, this story can be read anytime. The Christmas season and events are only slightly mentioned.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“Times change and people mature.”

A turbulent flight
A rescuing knight
A hand to hold
Someone who is bold
A possible romance?
Sorry, no chance!

Flight over now
Get home somehow
Driving there
Beware of the bear!
Knightly rescue
Dreams come true?

Travelling home to get family news from her Dad
Hoping that it'll prove not to be too bad.
Meeting her siblings, getting together again,
Hoping all will soon be plain.

JB, meanwhile, is returning home once more
To be the doctor as promised before.
Unsure of how he'll settle this time round
Especially with romance to be found!

A story with family dramas to share
And relatives proving that they care.
Secret discoveries that are life changing, too,
Helping new dreams to come true.

A great start to a series that is new
With characters from an earlier one involved, too.
A fun read with family at its heart as well
I really enjoyed it - I hope you can tell!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
And hope you enjoyed this, my honest review.

What It's About: Nothing like a little meet cute on the plane due to turbulence helped along with the guiding hand of fate to bring a couple together. Chandra Valentine is on her way to this small town because he dad asked and Dr. Julian is on his way home to fulfill his duty. The two of them keep being thrown together until they start choosing to be thrown together instead.

What I Loved: I really adore the way Ryan introduces a cast of characters and so quickly gets us attached to them. Additionally, this is a spinoff series of the Bourbon Brothers and it was so cool to see so many familiar faces. I largely appreciated the way the attraction between Chandra and Julian too. It felt like the attraction was just as much based on an emotional intensity as the physical attraction they felt for one another.

What I Didn't Love: I'm sorry, but a 9 year age gap when the ages are 30 and 39 is just not enough of a big deal for me to believe all of the intense angst that went into it. Chandra was so insecure about it, but I was not really here for it. Throw in one of my least favorite plot surprises and this category dropped a bit in rating for me. Also, why is this called A Valentine for Christmas when there was nothing really Christmas related? Just wondering.

Overall: I enjoyed this one and appreciated the set-up for the books to come! Y'all know I will always read a Reese Ryan category so I'm happy for a new series from her regardless of my feelings on the first installment.

Reese Ryan is a great writer, and I typically love her work. And this one has a great premise! However, I couldn’t get over the third act pregnancy, especially without being warned it was coming.

This is just super cute and loooove it’s an older women age gap romance 👏🏻. The meet cute on the plane ✈️ was perfect as well and just keeps getting better! 🐻 These two just fit together and love that he falls first and hard! And helps he is the hot -back in town- doc 🩺❤️
We also meet the whole family and how it is all about to change with their dad buying a vineyard.

This is a great one for the holiday season or just a great small town romance! 🍷❤️

Heat Factor: Fade to gray? There’s some sex but we see more afterglow than details
Character Chemistry: Outstanding
Plot: Chandra and Julian are new to a small town, and they keep meeting—but Chandra insists they can’t have a relationship
Overall: It felt like a filler book

First thing first: if you’re picking this up because you’re looking for a holiday special, look elsewhere. Christmas might be in the title, but there’s only one Christmas-adjacent scene—that doesn’t even happen on page.

The second key piece of information to know is that this is a bridge book. We’re kicking off a new series—Valentine Vineyards—so there are a bunch of single, unhappy siblings to meet. This new series is tangentially related to Reese Ryan’s Bourbon Brothers series (long-lost cousins, same small town), so there’s also a lot of checking in with previous characters and their HEAs.

The plot is also a bit all over the place. Chandra and Julian find themselves in the same small town—Chandra because her father bought a vineyard there and summoned the family, Julian because he reluctantly returned to the town he grew up to serve as the town’s doctor. They meet on the plane there, then Julian rescues Chandra from her crashed car, then Chandra goes to see Julian about her hurt wrist, then Chandra pretends to be Julian’s girlfriend so that all the single ladies in town will leave him alone at a party. But the book doesn’t commit to any of these set-ups; rather it flits from one to another, until Chandra and Julian find themselves having a casual fling before Chandra goes home to San Diego. Even that doesn’t last long. After a single scene, Chandra decides that joining the family business is actually the way to go. (And then there’s the thing that pushes them together in the end, which I will not spoil but which I found irritating and thought called their HEA into question.)

The main conflict here is that Chandra doesn’t want to get into a relationship with Julian, for a whole bunch of reasons. She’s too old for him. She’s not staying in town. She’s only there to reconnect with her family. However, as with the plot, none of these reasons really sticks.
However, this book is not all bad. Julian and Chandra have excellent chemistry. They seem to really like each other and have great banter. Bonus points for pop culture references that are age-appropriate to the characters, but aren’t intrusive. So I am interested to see where Ryan goes with this series, now that the groundwork has been laid and Ryan can focus in on the characters falling in love.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Chandra is on her way to a family gathering when she is seated next to a hot and very charming guy. She uses his hand for support during the bumpy flight.

The next time they meet he is saving her from a turned-up car. He is the small town's new doctor. The same town when her father, after some ancestry digging decided to plant new roots.

She is planning on only spending a little time there, but a lot can happen in a few days.

It's such a cute romance with very little angst, but a whole lot of charm and chemistry. I loved the dialogue between them.

The only thing that bothered me is the age difference talk, they are only 9 years apart.

Good story about love and family. Chandra is the oldest of the six Valentine siblings, intently focused on her career in San Diego. When her father calls a family meeting in the small town of Magnolia Lake, Tennessee, the request is odd enough that she drops everything to go. Chandra is a nervous flyer in small planes, and the last leg of the trip is on a very small plane. A fellow passenger, "JB," provides the distraction she needs to make it through the flight.

JB, Julian Brandon, is headed home to Magnolia Lake to keep a promise. Years earlier, local billionaire, Joe Abbott promised to pay for Julian's schooling if he committed to spending four years as the town's doctor when he finished. Julian dreads his return thanks to unhappy memories attached to his hometown.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Chandra and Julian. They connected quickly on the flight to Magnolia Lake. Julian's calm demeanor and easy conversation soothed her fears. The sparks of attraction were there, but neither expected to see the other again. Fate intervened when Julian came to her rescue after she drove off the road. Their third encounter was an eye-opener for Chandra when she discovered that her sexy rescuer was none other than the town's young new doctor. I had to laugh at this meeting. Chandra is aghast that she's attracted to a man years younger than she is, while Julian is thrilled to have the opportunity to see her again. Very conscious of the age difference, Chandra shoots down his invitation for a date.

However, that isn't the end. Chandra soon has the chance to repay Julian's kindness by helping him. Poor Julian has become the quarry of nearly every single woman in town. During a party given by the Abbots, and at the instigation of her sister Naya, Chandra rescues Julian from his pursuers by implying they are a couple. Julian jumps on the idea as a way to spend more time with Chandra and show him as more settled to the people in town. As Julian finds every opportunity possible to be with Chandra, the sparks between them continue to grow. She is willing to enjoy the attraction but, with her looming return to California, has no interest in a relationship. Julian hopes to change her mind.

A change in circumstances at her job in California motivates Chandra to take a hard look at her plans for the future. I loved how Chandra stood up for herself and didn't allow them to take advantage of her. Her return to Magnolia Lake allowed her to explore the feelings she was just beginning to admit. An unexpected complication pushes them closer together, while Chandra's fears have her resisting the truth. Meanwhile, Julian must face his past before he can move forward into the future he wants with Chandra. The scene at the poker game was a hoot, and I loved Julian's big moment. The epilogue was terrific, and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

The overarching theme of the series is the establishment of the Valentine Vineyards. Stunning family revelations redirect patriarch Abbott Valentine's interests and passions in a new direction. His actions shock his children even as he indicates his desire for their involvement in the new enterprise. It was interesting to see their reactions, good and bad, and how they handled the news. I can't wait to follow the progress.

Instant attraction, with a few twist of fate set this couple up for their chance to build a romantic relationship. In addition to that realness they also have some circumstances were laid out, worked on and cleared up. Love that his pursuit is consistent, her family is hilarious. Realistic characters with depth, I think this story is very well balanced and the career and family drama all blend well. Their journey and a few surprising twist kept me enchanted and wrapped up in the pages.

They’re Back, the Abbotts the famous Bourbon Brothers are back with a new additions to the family. Reese Ryan has done it again. “Valentine Vineyards” is spinoff of the famous Bourbon Brothers. This is definitely a winner and a treat in my book. I am so glad that Reese Ryan decided to write about the Abbotts and their new found cousins. We learn that Chandra’s dad finds out that he is an Abbott and is welcomed into the Abbott family with open arms. He is also starting in his own Vineyard business with the help of his children after selling his textile business and following in the footsteps of his dad. There are not that many romance books out there about older women and younger men and Reese did an awesome job with the couple. Chandra is on her way to Magnolia Lake. Chandra is older than Julian who is will be the new doctor of Magnolia Lake. Julian is totally smitten with Chandra and is very helpful to her while she is on the airplane. Julian flirts with Chandra continuous. When the two land they both go their separate ways. Julian rescues Chandra again when she is trapped in her vehicle after running off the road when she encounters a bear and her cub. Chandra gets the chance to come to Julian rescue as he is a single eligible bachelor and the women are coming for him but he only has eyes for Chandra. The two fake a relationship to get the women off of Julian’s back that turns serious. Chandra’s brothers are very protective of her and her sister encourages her to let the romance between her Julian blossom and that what is it does blossom. Julian and his mom has some family issues but they work them out.
I really enjoyed reading about the Valentines, can’t wait to read who is next to get a book Chandra’s brothers or her sister.

I received an ARC via HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada), Harlequin Desire and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

At 39, Chandra thinks she's got life figured out. Then, she meets thirty-year-old doctor Julian. The attraction is instant, but her job is on the other side of the country. Can their holiday fling turn into more?

This book is engaging from the start, with an entertaining plot and likeable characters. Julian is smart, centered, and deliciously sweet. Chandra is savvy and confident, but Julian turns her life upside-down in the best possible way. This steamy, heartwarming, family-oriented novel brought a smile to my face, and I look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this book! I have read Reese Ryan books before but I’m pretty sure this one is my favourite!

I’ve read books in the Abbott family series, which is good because they make appearances and have character crossover in this one. The dad, Ray Abbott Valentine, learns his real roots, and that he’s related to the Abbotts. He sells his adoptive family business and buys a vineyard in the town where they are, and brings all his kids together to tell them what he’s learned and about their true family history.

Chandra Valentine, the oldest daughter, meets a charming guy, JB, on the tiny plane to get there - the tiny Tennessee mountain town of Magnolia Lake. When they cross paths again in town, she learns he’s Doctor Jules, a much younger man (a decade!) returned to town to fulfill his requirement to a friend to be the town doctor. She helps him out while she’s there by pretending a fling to keep the clingy ladies off his back, until she goes home to San Diego.

After things go sideways after going back to Cali, she has to decide if their little fling that felt like a lot more is worth trying to pursue, and trying to take up her dad’s offer to join in the new family vineyard business… and so much more.

Reese Ryan is a great writer of diverse stories and great storylines. I’ve really enjoyed the books I’ve picked up and can’t wait for more, especially from this series. I definitely recommend this one to everyone! Great flow, great spice, great chemistry!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Desire, and this is my honest feedback.

Fun, quick read--finished it all in one sitting,
Chandra and Julian are both likable, relatable characters with a bit of baggage and a 2-part crazy meet cute.
Just the right amount of spicy, Followed a mostly expected path, with a little unexpected twist to fit in a bit different trope.
Would recommend and will look for more from this author as this is my first read from her.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

On her way to a small-town Chandra has two run ins with a handsome stranger Julian who turns out to be the new ‘young’ doctor in that town. Chandra tries to fighter her attraction to the doctor due to her hang-ups over age while Julian is ready for her to spend her week there with him.

I definitely saw the attraction/chemistry between Chandra and Julian from their first meet. Although I feel like the age-gap was really not what it seemed. Both characters are in their thirties just on different ends of the spectrum. But she said she ‘was old enough to be his ,other’ and that was a bit of a stretch.

While I enjoyed the story things progressed a little too quickly for me and there were some conflicts resolved off page that I would’ve loved to have read. Especially between Julian and his mother. This book does seem to be setting up some storylines for the other Valentine siblings so I am definitely going to be reading them to find out more!

This is the first title I’ve read by Reese Ryan but I really want to go back and read all about the Bourbon Bourbon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

I though Chandra and Julian had an adorable meet-cute and enjoyed their chemistry together.

There was a lot of emphasis on the age gap even though the character's weren't even 10 years apart in age. Chandra is 39 and Julian is 30 so while there's some years between them it's not so steep. And not so drastic that their age would mean they're in two completely difference places in life. After awhile the emphasis on age just got tiring to me with Chandra acting as if she was old enough to be his mother.

There was some conflict that came in at the end that felt a little rushed too me and I wasn't a fan of that. Also there was only a passing mention of Christmas when I was really hoping the holiday would be present here. Sometimes Harlequin puts Christmas in the title to push sales for the holiday season when the story is written where it could take place during any time of the year.

This is a series starter as a spinoff of the Bourbon Brothers series so some of this story felt like set up for the larger story with the family starting this new vineyard. Since the Valentines are cousins to the Abbotts we do see characters from the previous series make an appearance. I'm interested in a few of the siblings stories especially Naya.

Quick Summary: An "age-ain't-nothing-but-a-number" romance

My Review: A Valentine for Christmas by Reese Ryan was a love at first sight/lust at first sight love story. This was an older woman, younger man romance between two people who weren't necessarily searching for a forever love but who happened upon it, nevertheless.

About the Characters: Chandra and Julian were likable leads. They shared a mutual attraction for one another. Their meet-cute was memorable, and their second encounter was remarkable, to say the least. The die was cast for their coupling, most assuredly.

What I Liked: Chandra was focused, goal-oriented, and incredibly loving toward her family. Although circumstances in her past haunted her, shaping her choices in terms of having a relationship, she still had the courage to take a chance with Julian. I love that she had backbone and wasn't afraid to take a stand for herself.

Julian was a "bad boy" convert...although he wasn't really bad. He had a lot on him after losing both of his parents (in a sense). I loved that he went away and made something of himself. I loved that he came back and fulfilled his commitment. I loved that he took responsibility when he found out what happened. I loved that he saw Chandra through the lens of love, not once getting caught up on the age difference.

The siblings and the family secrets were interesting. The dynamics were quite notable.

My Final Say: This was a solid read. I think this book will appeal to romance readers who are into stories dealing with family, legacy, and finding love after loss.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A

Thank you to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own and were voluntarily submitted.