If you love a sweet cozy romance, then this is the perfect story to grab this season. A very slow-burn romance set is an amazing landscape of the Blue Ridge mountains.

The author weaves a delightful story of friends and neighbors, along with a sweet love interest that grows slowly throughout the book. The small-town atmosphere comes across perfectly as the two main characters connect and develop their friendship, leading to more. I loved the Chief and he was a beautiful balance to Sheila, the visitor.

This story is a part of a series, but this is a total standalone book too. Christmas in Chestnut Ridge is a sweet and dreamy romance that leaves you with a smile on your face from an author who delivers the cozy story with finesse.

4.25 stars for Christmas in Chestnut Ridge! I am a sucker for a great small town Christmas story, and can I just say Oh my Christmas! This novel by Nancy Naigle is what Hallmark movies are made from; it's filled with love, romance, and Christmas. I've never had the pleasure of enjoying a book from Ms. Naigle prior to this ARC, but I'm most certainly looking forward to other works Christmas themed or not. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect book if you need some simple pre-holiday escapism. It is a clean novel. Every situation is heartwarming; the people (and there are many)are very kind and very sweet, the town is quaint, and even the horror of a house fire turns into a lesson in loving your fellow man.

This is a very worthy read.


However, I could not connect with the main characters of Sheila and her best friend. I couldn't even figure out what age bracket they were supposed to be in. A tiny bit of this story was just a tad too sweet for me, even when Sheila and Tucker have their little spat toward the end of the book.

I don't regret reading this book, though - we all need some sweetness with our sour!

*ARC was supplied to me by the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, the author, and NetGalley for pre-reading and reviewing purposes.

This is a perfect read to get into the holiday spirit. The people in Chestnut Ridge care about each other. It is a romance and there are a few romances going on, but it is also about people caring for each other in a small town.

This story made me smile. It made me want to go visit Chestnut Ridge for the holidays. It would be fun to see this as a Hallmark movie.

This Hallmark-worthy Christmas tale is about a red-headed beauty who finds love, hope, and purpose in her life after visiting Chestnut Ridge for the holidays, a friendly town nestled in the mountains of Virginia. Sheila Aldridge is a successful realtor who owns her own company in Richmond. Recently divorced, she really doesn’t want to spend Christmas alone. She also does not want to be any couple’s third wheel. Her bestie Natalie invites her to spend Christmas with her and her beau Randy. She coaxes her lonely friend by selling all the magical holiday events she knows Sheila will enjoy, especially the Christmas Tree Stroll. The main attraction in this novel is a massive community tree-decorating contest. Sheila is a planner and organizer, while Natalie is a gifted artist. They just might win the whole enchilada.

After Natalie’s husband Jeremy passed away, she lost all her belonging to swindling con-artist Marc Swindell. (Yes, that’s his name.) She made a fresh start in Chestnut Ridge out of necessity. Natalie met detective Randy Fellowes when he took her case. He too moved to the small town as well to be with Natalie. Sheila agrees to visit Natalie and Randy, but will stay with 89-year-old Orene Fischer at her Mountain Creek Inn so the love birds can have some alone time.

Sheila’s internal conflicts arise before the start of this journey of hope and healing. Before she leaves Richmond for Chestnut Ridge, Sheila shows a luxurious estate to a couple who has kids. She wanted children of her own and considers this her way of helping other parents. Her ex-husband Dan claimed their childless state had nothing to do with the divorce, but she doesn’t buy that. He remarried and his wife is now expecting a child.

Cassie, Sheila’s sister, is planning to spend time with their mother Cynthia for Thanksgiving, while Sheila will visit at Christmas. Cynthia has Alzheimer’s disease, and the sisters had a falling out over their mom’s placement in a memory care unit at a nursing facility. Sheila’s mom doesn’t recognize them. The sisters savor the time they have left with their dear mother. Sheila and Cassie are experiencing what Ronald Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis called “the long goodbye” in her memoir of the same name. “Alzheimer’s snips away at the threads, a slow unraveling, a steady retreat,” Davis said. As a witness, all you can do is watch, cry, and whisper a soft stream of goodbyes.”

Sheila meets handsome fire chief Tucker, along with others from this close-knit community when she arrives for the Holiday Warm-up at Orene’s home. Discussion of the tree-decorating contest is foremost on everyone’s thoughts. Groups of 8 team up to decorate one of about 120 Christmas trees set up in the high school football field. The path to the trees is lined with Christmas-themed street signs. After the contest, the trees are donated. Nancy provides decorating pointers throughout her novel with instructions about the Christmas Tree Stroll. People can use her details to recreate a similar event in their community.

Tragedy strikes when a fire takes a family’s home before Christmas. The community teams up with first responders to help meet every need. I found this part of the novel the most heartwarming and uplifting. How great would it be to live in a place where people work together in unity to restore stability for families in crisis mode?

My Review
This novel is the second book in the Chestnut Ridge series. I probably should have read the first book. Nancy did remind readers of actions that happened in the past. In And Then There Was You, Natalie Maynard moves to a fishing cabin owned by her late husband after she loses everything to the swindelling swindler Marc Swindell. Sheila isn’t supportive of Natalie’s move. She believes her bestie will return to Richmond. In this novel, Sheila remarks how surprised she is that Natalie stayed and settled into this small town.

Sheila also had a falling out with Cassie over their mother’s care prior to this story, so I’m guessing it’s in that first story. And she must have been more like a workaholic in that one, too. People admonish Sheila when she makes calls back to her office during her stay. I didn’t think Sheila spent that much time contacting her staff, but Natalie says her bestie micromanages too much. In fact, at one point, Sheila lies to Natalie about calling her staff to hide what she had been doing all day. I had the feeling people had a problem with any amount of checking on her business in Richmond. I’ve never owned a business, but I have seen small businesses come and go within 6 months of opening. Sheila makes great career and life decisions at the end of this novel, but I disagreed with the “whys.” She beats herself up too much. I didn’t see that Sheila truly had a work-life imbalance.

I did want to skip parts of the novel that were too detailed until I realized that the “on-the-nose” writing made for a great writing exercise. Most people know how to open doors, answer cell phones, and so forth. Eliminating the unneeded descriptions, showing instead of telling me everything would have strengthen the pace and activated my imagination. As it stands, I found my eyes scanning over the extra details. But I did laugh about Marc Swindell, named for the crime he committed. I thought, “Natalie, girl. Can we talk? With a name like that, YouTuber Dustin Poynter would have grabbed his red flag and be ready to run all over the park with it.”

I did learn quite a bit about fire-fighting since love-interest Tucker heads up the Bull Mountain Boys with sweet Doris who is like a den-mother. I appreciate them all the more since three people in my family are firefighter/paramedics.

Nancy’s books Christmas Joy, Sand Dollar Cove, The Secret Ingredient, and Hope at Christmas have all been adapted for television. I couldn’t help but think Hallmark needs Tesla to sponsor the movie if this story adapted for television. Sheila owns a red Tesla and I swear this novel is a PR dream. She and others share all the great features of this luxury vehicle. The red Tesla may even be its own character. Not that I minded. Who doesn’t love a shiny red Tesla?

I recommend Christmas in Chestnut Ridge for those December evenings when you just want to relax and unwind after a long day. The plot overall kept me engaged enough to keep reading. You’ll love the Christmas town with its tree farms and kind, loving people Nancy has created. You might find yourself on Pinterest looking at Christmas tree decorating hacks. Maybe you’ll even book a ticket to see the Blue Ridge Mountains during the holidays.

Sheila's best friend Natalie invites her to participate in the Christmas Tree Stroll in town. Natalie moves from the city to Chestnut Ridge and loves it. Sheila is a big city realtor and doesn't see the attraction to small town living. She plans to spend two weeks in town and stay at a good friend of Natalies home. When a family's home burns she meets and gets to know Tucker the fire captain. The two work together to help the family with six little kids that now has lost everything.
Tucker and Sheila are very attracted to each other and love spending time with each other. Shelia is helping Natalie with the tree decorating for the Christmas Tree Stroll and the more time she spends in town the more she loves that feeling of community.

Christmas in Chestnut Ridge by Nancy Naigle
This is part of a continuing story of wonderful friends. The main couple are Tucker and Sheila - but it was such fun catching up with old friends. There is angst, baggage, discovery, kindness, lots of laughs and some tears, this all leads to a very HEA. After reading this book I want to move there.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Easy-to-read Inspirational Informative Wonderful characters Great world building Tear-jerker Entertaining Happily Ever After Romantic Funny Page-turner.

Wonderful characters that I instantly fell in love with! Chestnut Ridge is such a sweet town, and I could see myself happily living there with all the fun residents. Everything Christmas was pulled into this fun story. I loved the tradition of decorating Christmas trees with a theme and then giving them away after the winner was announced. This little town is so full of the most wonderful people who care about others and pour into the community and those in need. With the Christmas tree stroll and all the fun Christmas activities this is the perfect book for a cold winter day. Add a handsome firefighter and a swoony romance, and you have a book you can’t put down. There is so much more to love with all the yummy food and laugh-out-loud moments sewn into the pages.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin Press and Nancy Naigle! This is a heartwarming Christmas story where sparks really fly! Grab some hot chocolate and immerse yourself in this wonderful season of giving with old friends and new. The best gifts come from the heart.

This wonderful Christmas novel had me dreaming of the holidays in August! I want to visit a town like CHestmut Ridge and maybe stay a while. The characters were fun and loving and it was just the perfect wholehearted, holiday read!

This is a feel good story set in a small town around Christmas. There is a good cast of characters along with a feel good story. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I loved being back in Chestnut Ridge Virginia, such a magical place, and this time we are there at the Christmas season.
I loved the descriptions of the decorated trees, but also the love that is shown to those that we know, but to those that are less fortunate, if only!
This is Shelia's story, Natalie's friend that didn't want her to leave Richmond, but now she is visiting, and putting her many talents to use. This is also Tucker's story, two people who are really not looking for love, or relationships, but?
Come and feel the magic of the season, and the love of others, whether related or not, including those who have problems!
I loved Tucker dancing!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martins Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! So I will gladly yap about this lovely festive book. I think Christmas romance is a niche genre I can get behind. This book was magical. I’ve been feeling in the fall spirit so this was a good transition into colder seasons/fall and festive reads. The town felt so lively and real, and the romance between Sheila and Tucker was so cute. Give me more Christmas romance now!

Chestnut Ridge is where I would love to visit. It is such an idyllic town with such great people and annual traditions. I could picture myself walking through the Christmas Stroll and enjoying the hot chocolate. I loved how the community came together to help those going through hard times. Such a fun read!



Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

I was excited to see this book. I read this author before so I knew it would be good and it was. She never disappoints
I hated to see this wonderful book end. I enjoyed it so very much!
This book will definitely get u in the Christmas mood for sure and certain. Wow!
I didn't want this book to end. It was so good!
Wonderful characters and a small town feel where miracles do happen and one unexpected gift landing in your lap? What could be better?
You'll just have to read this sweet novel to find out!
5 stars for a well written story that I very much loved.
I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

If you love Christmas as much as I do, you will absolutely love this story. So full of Christmassy goodness!! Nancy Naigle never ceases to impress me with her stories.

Sheila is a city girl who goes to Chestnut Ridge to spend Christmas with her best friend and amidst all lthe holiday activities, meets a fire captain that is so sexy, he makes her toes curl. Not only that, but he also loves Christmas and together they help bring the joy and magic of Christmas to many folks in need. It's truly a touching and heartfelt story that will bring tears to your eyes but also make your heart happy. Sheila insists that she could never live in such a small town but love has a way of changing one's mind:)

Definitely recommend this book! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Christmas in Chestnut Ridge is such a heart warming story. The book gives you all the good feels; with hope, love, discovery and compassion. Shelia goes to visit her best friend that lives in Chestnut Ridge for the Christmas holiday. While she is there she meets the fire chief, Tucker. After a fire destroys a family's home, you see the town come together to provide for the family. Such kindness just warms the heart even in a story. You find yourself engrossed with the whole town and getting to know the people through the authors words. Such a wonder Christmas story that everyone should read this holiday season. Nancy Naigle is a talented author that can make you fall in love with not only the story but the people she is writing about too.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin Press for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Reading this when it is triple digits outside is an interesting experience. I love a sweet, cozy small town holiday romance and this fits the bill. I recommend this for the Hallmark lovers.

Christmas In Chestnut Ridge by Nancy Naigle:

Sheila Aldridge is a very successful Real Estate Agent and owner of her own business. Recently divorced and fearing the possibility that she can't have children she throws herself into her career, dong volunteer work and visiting her mother who lives in a Memory Care facility. Sheila's happy in her well balanced life.

Sheila's best friend Natalie invites her to spend Christmas with her in Chestnut Ridge
and wants them to enter the Christmas tree decorating contest and help with next years Christmas Cards Collection. Sheila agrees but doesn't expect much, thinking she's a city girl and won't really enjoy the small town activities.

Tucker, the reliable Fire Captain of Chestnut Ridge is getting his team together to enter the Christmas tree decorating contest hoping they'll win this year. He's content with his life, believing that most women wouldn't be interested in a long term relationship with a fireman because of the danger.

A friendship begins between Sheila and Tucker as they both enjoy the holiday season with friends and family. Their feelings turn into love and a slow courtship begins. Sheila and Tucker will have to decide if their lives were as happy as they thought or have they been missing something important in their lonely lives.

Christmas magic is everywhere in Chestnut Ridge, and Natalie discovered it when she came there to take care of her husband's things after he passed away. Natalie has asked her best friend, Sheila, to come up for Christmas and help her decorate a tree for the Christmas Tree Stroll. She decides to go, and she meets the people who live in Chester Ridge, and there is this sense of belonging, a connection that she has never felt before, but even with the feeling of Christmas magic, things happen that are devastating. We see what happens when the Christmas magic is put to the test, what will happen to the little town with such a big heart, and what they each learn about themselves, and what truly matters
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Griffin through NetGalley.