This was such a sweet and adorable perfect for now since it's the Christmas time. Also do you see that cover isn't it lovely? So there is Amanda and Rafe Amanda is a local shop owner who is running a Christmas Market and race is a single dad local fireman who was injured while helping out and now looking for something to do. It was just so sweet watching the romance between the two but it seems like it's not the only romance going on when Amanda realizes her grandmother birdie maybe with someone causing her some concern. I really enjoyed this book would definitely recommend especially if you like Hallmark movies.

I guess you could say this is a cozy holiday romance but unfortunately, I didn't love it. A lot of time was spent inside the heads of the two main characters and not enough time was spent actually seeing the relationship in action. I didn't think there was really any chemistry either and I'm not sure why they were drawn to each other. It was also very repetitive. I do think the best part of the story was Isaac, Rafe's son.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book. I really liked it!

I recieved an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I tried to read this and listen to it but I didn't like either of the main characters and in the end of DNF.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne, a heartwarming Christmas novel.

Thank you @htpbooks @htp_hive @raeannethayne and @canarystreetpress for my gifted ebook. It’s out now and is the second book in the series, but I think it’s fine to read as a standalone.

The December Market is an adorable second chance romance for Amanda. She stopped enjoying Christmas after her father had a bad car accident and harms a local boy in the process. She owns a local soap shop though and depends on the holiday sales. She meets Rafe when her grandmother starts dating his grandfather and they hit it off. Rafe is a young widow who lost his wife to substance abuse, and he has a young son.

Both have been burned in love before, but will the holiday magic bring them together? I really enjoyed this sweet story. I was especially drawn to Rafe’s story and he was such a good father and grandson.

If you’re looking for a holiday story with heart and soul, The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne is for you. Set in the small Idaho town of Shelter Springs, the story provides a realistic romance between Amanda Taylor, small business owner and all-around involved townsperson, and Rafe Arredondo, assistant fire chief and local hero. When I think of Christmas books, I typically reach for a cozy, heartwarming story. I want to block out hardships and real life and focus on a fantasy. The December Market provided the sweet, heartwarming story but it did not offer a fantasy. Instead, in the first two chapters, it mentioned the tragedies and losses numerous people in the town had suffered. By the time another trauma was mentioned for yet another character, I put the book aside. I could not deal with all of the sadness. A few days and a couple of other happier Christmas novels later, I returned to the book, determined to see where it would lead me, and I am glad I did.

Amanda and Rafe have both experienced unbelievable tragedy relating to the substance abuse of others around them. As a result, their baggage keeps them from fully moving forward or getting involved in relationships. How will these two move past the obstacles and end up together in this Christmas-centered romance? The path they take is beautiful and real. As Amanda fought her feelings and hid behind the pain of her past, I found myself engaged in her struggle. There are many funny and true-to-life moments provided courtesy of colorful characters such as Isaac, Rafe’s young son, and Birdie, Amanda’s grandmother.

Lovers of Hallmark movies will enjoy this story, which spans Thanksgiving through Christmas.This is book 2 in a series, but I had not read the previous book and had no trouble with it as a stand-alone read. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cozy second-chance romance! I loved the relationship between Rafe and Amanda. They were so cute together. I liked the storyline of Rafe's son Isaac asking Santa for a mother and hoping it would be Amanda. I'm glad that Amanda decided to put her faith in front of her fear and discovered that it was harder to live without Rafe and Isaac in her life. It made for a fantastic ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book features so many of my favorite tropes: small town, single dad, grumpy x sunshine and hilarious family dynamics. It is such a gem of a book. Must read during the holiday season.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows two people who have heartbreak in their past. They come together in this small town during the holiday season and a relationship blossoms.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me and it was a DNF. I didn't feel the chemistry between these two characters and I just wasn't invested in the story. I was also just bored because the story seemed drug out and repetitive.

I hope others love this one but it didn't work for me.

"The magic of Christmas—and a second shot at romance—is in the air in Shelter Springs this holiday season…"
The December Market is the second book in the Shelter Springs series and it was the perfect holiday read. You can read this as a stand alone since I did not read the first book in the series, but it was easy to follow. This author wrote this so well and all of the characters in the book were amazing especially Amanda. The book is was such a sweet romance that I enjoyed a lot and would recommend to any reader who loves romance books. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing - Canary Street Press for this read in exchange of my honest review of The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne.

The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne is a sweet story for the season or really any time. The characters are authentic and relatable, especially little Isaac.

Sweet, cozy romance in a small town. Lots of past shared history in the community, between families. Addiction, death, and figuring out how to move forward, all during the Christmas season. The December Market is a perfect place for everyone to gather. Book two in a series.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC copy. Opinions are my own

First time reading this author and the 2nd book in a series which I did not know when reading this book. It is easily a stand alone.

Amanda is haunted by things from her past, including life altering decisions made by her father. Rafe is a single dad raising his son alone after his ex- wife overdosed and died. Both live in the small town of Shelter Springs, Idaho and each goes about their day doing the best they can to help people but longing for something more for their own lives and questioning whether they are worthy of finding happiness. This is a heartwarming story filled with Christmas magic and love and characters you will find yourself cheering on. A very lovely story
Reasons I enjoyed this book:

Lovely Christmas story written as only RaeAnne Thayne can write them. All the feels of Christmas with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

I’m new to this author, and maybe that’s why it took me so long to finally read this book.
I went into it without much expectation. The pace is good and when I love a single-parent trope, the dead partner is one I would rather avoid.
It’s an easy read however I had a hard time connecting with the characters, possibly because of the 3er person Pov.
Overall, it’s a nice read for a holiday afternoon.
I received an ARC from Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a sweet and wholesome love story that surprised me with its depth and well written story line. The Christmas theme makes it extra special. The descriptions really flesh out the scenes and the characters feel genuine and charming. I would totally recommend this book to Hallmark movie fans and anyone who loves Christmas and a good holiday market. It is a delightful and refreshing read.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Thanks to Canary Street Press and HTP for my advanced copy of The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne.

This is a sweet and lovely Christmas romance in the Hallmark movie style that I love this time of year. This is book two in the Shelter Springs series, but can be read as a standalone (some of the characters from the first book are mentioned). I loved Shelter Springs and coming back to this sweet town.

This is a cute story of love between Amanda, who doesn't like Christmas but wants to make the holiday great for everyone else, so she runs the town's Holiday Market and Rafe, a single father and assistant Fire Chief. I liked seeing them come together and how their grandparents who both live at the retirement community in town, medle a little to get them together.

This book is sweet and a great Christmas book to get you in the holiday spirit!

This book was delightful. It was my first by this author and I found it really enjoyable. I loved the town and the market sounded adorable. The residents were also charming.

Thank you to Netgalley, Canary Street Press, and RaeAnn Thayne for the eARC of The December Market. All opinions are my own.

4 stars ⭐️

This was my first novel by Thayne and I truly enjoyed it. This story definitely gave off the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie vibes and I couldn’t put it down. The perfect holiday romance for the Christmas season.

*This book is an interconnected standalone and I hadn’t read the first book (Christmas at the Shelter Inn) but I felt that it didn’t impact my understanding of the story.


Tropes
🎄Single dad romance

🎄Small town

🎄Love after loss

🎄Interconnected standalone

Spice Level - Little to none (Kissing, etc)