I have not read the previous books in the series so maybe that is why there is so many characaters introduced into this novel. Bernadine Brown has bought a small predominantly black town, Henry Adams, Kansas. She has built a housing community and brought several children in to be adopted from Family Services. Now she is engaged to Malachi (Mal) July and their wedding is going to be around Christmas. Originally they wanted a quiet wedding but the town and her friends have other plans. It also tells about the new chef she has hired for the future new restaurant, the Reverend Paula Grant, and the problems with Preston and his girlfriend. Thorn is a popular chef who is ready for a change so sells his restaurant in California to be the chef in a small town called Henry Adams in Kansas. It was founded by former slaves, and many of their descendants are living there still. The townspeople accepted him readily as he was introduced to them and to their customs, including the three women who are putting together the new restaurant where Thorn will be in charge. While the story felt too slow for me and was sometimes confusing with all of the different characters, it was quite heart-warming, as was the town. A little disappointing the focus is on the town versus the Christmas holiday as well as way too many characters. Thank you to Avon Books, the author and publisher

I received a free copy of, A Christmas to Remember, by Beverly Jenkins, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Well written, I loved the characters. Once again, a Beverly Jenkins book made me fall in love with the Blessings series. Always worth the read.

I haven’t read a Ms. Bev book I didn’t love. This one is no exceptions. Great characters and world-building as usual and all the feels.

THis story is about the town of Henry Adams. THere is a lot going on in this town. I enjoyed the book but at moments it was hard to keep up as there was a lot of people in the book with different things going on. It was a good clean story. I found it to be slow in some spots. I also found this town to be charming and the support awesome

I can’t get enough of the Blessing Series. Beverly Jenkins has her readers back in the town of Henry Adams during the Christmas Holiday. Bernadine and Mal are all set for their Christmas wedding. There is a new resident in Henry Adams. Thorn sells his restaurant business and he is the new chef in Henry Adams and will bring joy into Reverend Paula’s life; both need each other. Preston aka Brain is having problems in the romance department. This series keeps getting better and better with Beverly Jenkins and her much loved town of Henry Adams. Can’t wait to see who is next to get their book in this awesome series.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, William Morrow Paperbacks I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others. Beverly Jenkins is a gem

Bev Jenkins can do no wrong even in a short story. I love her strong heroines, I love her fantastic dives into history that gets over looked.

A Christmas to Remember is the eleventh book in The Blessing series. At the end of each release, we get a bit of nostalgia because we cannot wait to return.

Every visit to Henry Adams is sure to pull at your heartstrings. We are back catching up with the citizens of Henry Adams; the kids are coming into their own, there is a newcomer, and he already has his sights on his soulmate, and it looks like Mel and Bernadine might finally make it down the aisle, Riley and Cletus may have hit it big. The very fabric of this town's history can heal, give you the strength to forgive, and fall in love.

This series is a classic, and whether you have experienced it in its totality or only a few volumes, its rich history and love enhance the reading experience.

I enjoyed this journey with these characters and this town.

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed it. It was also a quick read.

This is a wonderful addition to the Blessings series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but the characters will make you want to read the whole series! The town is preparing for a wedding, but there is a snag which may stop things before they begin. Several of the characters have life changing things going on. Reverand Paula seems to be acting differently, but people in the town are unsure why. Preston’s girlfriend breaks up with him. He is hoping to reconnect with his biological father and is unsure how things will progress. There is also the former mayor Riley who is leaving town (much to the town’s relief) who throws himself a going away parade with his hog, Cletus. This book has humor, emotion, love and great character development.

Also reviewed on B&N under 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo under IrishEyes430

this book had a LOT of characters and way too many storylines. At first it was hard to keep track of them all. I would see a name and had to read the context to remember what their storyline was. And I couldn’t even really tell you the main plot. It was a small town getting ready for Christmas and a lot of stories about each person.

I love this world that has been built and following along in another installment. Finally the wedding! I have fallen in love with this small town community and all the nonsense that they are up to. This story felt like a better version of a hallmark movie. I do enjoy the recap of the previous book but definitely recommend diving in to the previous books first. Love that Paula finally got her shot at love. Perfect cozy book to read. Beverly Jenkins books always feel like a coming home.

How could I not want to read a Christas novel? Most Christmas books are feel good and romantic and I just had to try this one! Plus, the cover is so pretty!

For starters, there are so many characters to learn it’s dizzying! And then people are introduced with nicknames as well! It was hard for me to keep track of who’s related to who and what everyone does. It helped that the main character seemed to be a new guy in town who’s also being introduced to everyone and learning how everyone’s related with me. Thank you, Chef Thornton Webb, for being the newbie in town!

I’ll admit, it wasn’t until I started reading that I realized this book is part of a series, the Blessings Book series to be specific. And this is book #11, so it’s understandable that there’s a ton of characters to learn! None are kindle unlimited, so it’s unlikely I’ll read the others.

Back to Chef Thornton Webb, he’s a former NFL football tight end who was injured his second year and had to stop playing. Following his recovery, he went on to culinary school and became the chef he is today. He was offered to taker in the new restaurant in little Henry Adams, Kansas. Chef prayed about this decision and felt a pull to relocate to Henry Adams.

There’s still a lot of time before the restaurant is completed so Chef decides to help out the neighborhood eatery. He also attends the towns Christmas events to get to know the town and its residents better. Little did he expect to fancy the Reverend Paula. In such a small town, everyone knows everyone and everyone’s business.

I really appreciate the character of young high school senior, Preston. He’s so mature for his age and he’s got a great head on his shoulders. I love how he’s super smart yet very compassionate. Even though he spent several years in foster care before being adopted by Mayor Sheila and the retired colonel. Preston is my favorite character because of his maturity and how he doesn’t let his former life bring his down in his future as an MIT student.

I also love how the residents all look out for one another. They’re all like a big family. I didn’t even know everyone in my high school graduating class, yet in this town of Henry Adams, everyone knows you. I find it difficult to really understand.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishingfor access to this holiday work. I give this book 4 out of 5 tiaras because I was so confused with all the people mentioned. Maybe it would have been easier to just mention three ones that matter for just this story? Yet at the same time, series readers would wonder how everyone else is doing, so mentioning them seems necessary.

A Christmas to Remember is a good read.

It is a story of love, family, and second chances with the families of Henry Adams. during the holiday season.

It took a moment for me to get into the story and sort it out with the backstory. I had to stick with it. It gets better.

I enjoyed the highlights of small-town living and the journey of the townspeople. I was totally pulling for Paula Grant and the new chef in town. She totally deserves love.

Small town, Christmas time, a little drama and humor; need I say more?

The book A Christmas to Remember was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Beverly Jenkins. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

A Christmas To Remember by Beverly Jenkins is a wholesome holiday story featuring a sprawling cast of characters. I wasn't paying attention when I came into reading this book so I had no idea that it was number 11 in the Blessings series. I just was like, hmmm, there's a lot of characters here and it feels like there's some backstory to them. A Christmas To Remember is set in the Kansas town of Henry Adams. Bernadine bought the town and has really invested in it. However, the town is really on the upswing and doing well. It also was founded by Black people which plays a significant role in the book. Bernadine is about to get married on Christmas but is having some worries. Meanwhile, there is a new chef coming to town and the pastor has caught his eye. Then we have a teenager navigating his senior year relationship with his girlfriend who is worried about him finding someone else at school.

As stated, A Christmas To Remember has a lot of characters in it and it can be a little hard to keep track. However, I got the impression that this book was the culmination of several characters stories. I think I would have enjoyed more context and definitely am interested in reading more from the series. Afterall, this was such a fast read. I also liked all the characters too, except the ones we weren't supposed to care for. This story is warm and fuzzy. Also, I pictured the cast as being fully people of color with one person who isn't because the book was clear that person was white. But yes, more books with majority POC cast of characters need to go on my TBR.

On A Scale Of One To Buddy The Elf, How Much Christmas Spirit Does A Christmas To Remember Have?

Friends, this book has some great scenes that are perfect for the holiday time of year setting. I enjoyed that A Christmas To Remember not only has town traditions, but the characters make room for a Mexican character's family traditions which were quite interesting. This is the kind of book where the people are genuinely kind and care about each other -- so if you want a book that has an uplifting spirit this is the one. Beverly Jenkins is a true genre legend.

I’d been wanting to read Ms. Jenkins’s work for quite a while so I jumped at the opportunity to read A Christmas to Remember. I didn’t realize it was part of a series but not having read the earlier books didn’t affect my enjoyment one bit as Ms. Jenkins made sure to provide enough backstory to have me fully invested in the town of Henry Adams and all its inhabitants. So much so that I’m eager to dive into the earlier books so I can fully grasp everyone’s story.

I appreciated getting Bernadine and Mal’s wedding story as well as seeing the beginning of Pastor Paula and Thorn’s. The other threads concerning Preston, his family, and Leah and Amari just added to the charm. All the characters are so warm and engaging - I feel as though they’re friends. And the history of the town and its founding families - everything combined to make me completely enamored with all things about the Blessings series.

Thank you Net Galley for early access to this book! As a fan of Beverly Jenkins’ writing I was really excited to read this book especially around the holiday season.

Have you ever read a book about a Black woman who founded a small town? If not this is the place to start!! Bernadine bought a small town Called Henry Adams and is beloved by all. A foster mother, a business woman and engaged to her fiancé Mal. All is going well for her right? But she’s questioning her pending marriage to Mal.

Not only is Bernadine questioning her relationship, so is one of her children Preston who is experiencing the bittersweet nature of first love.

And one my favorite complex characters Reverend Paula Grant has been waiting to experience the romantic love that is all around her, could her love be just around the corner this holiday season?

This is the first book that I’ve read that is set in present day so it was an adjustment to the writing style and getting used to keeping track of the ensemble of characters. However I quickly fell in love with them like I usually do. I imagine that more of her writing set in modern day could feel similar. No matter if you’re a fan of her historical romance or writing set in the modern day, I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a cozy read set during the holidays about love, community and parenting.

What a joy it is to return to Henry Adams and dive back into the lives and lives of familiar characters, and some new characters. This was a sweet holiday read that would appeal to the Hallmark holiday crowd. My only complaint was that the ending felt a bit rushed but overall it was a good read. I can’t wait for the next Henry Adams installment.

I love this series and the characters and this book was a very good addition. definitely a “feel good” story.
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.