Get out the marshmallows and cocoa and start the fire ( ok, it still may be a tad warm here for that 😂) …but this sweet book just turns Christmas cozy to another level! 🎄

Amanda Taylor lost her fiancée a decade ago, and after being hurt again she has pretty much closed her heart off. Rafe Arredondo, is the assistant fire chief and a paramedic for Shelter Springs. He lost his wife to the ravages of addiction years prior. He knows all too well the feeling of loss, so he is concentrating solely on raising his son Isaac.

Amanda has a giving spirit and is always helping the community. One day while on a rescue mission, Rafe falls and breaks his arm. She decides to bring Rafe and his son some meals since Amanda lives right down the street. This is when everything starts to slowly change between them. It also helps that Amanda owns the local store called the Lucky Goat and runs the Holiday Giving Market every year. It just so happens that Rafe is in charge of overseeing the safety at the market. They start spending a lot of time together. Sparks fly, but will they be able to let go of past hurts to let happiness fully in?

A great cast of characters that round the story out to make you feel the town is not just a community, but family. This book will make you heavily consider putting up a tree and watching Hallmark holiday movies. Just a delight! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really had a hard time finishing this book. It was not very enjoyable and the writing style is not for me.
I wanted to like the main characters, but I wasnt able to connect with them.

I love Christmas books any time of the year. I loved reading how Christmas changed for both Amanda and Rafe. For Amanda, Christmas does not hold the best of memories. She has been hiding her pain, and delving into Christmas by organizing the Shelter Springs Giving Market. This year, Amanda branched out, and took part of the market outside. Rafe has been existing since the death of his wife, but he tries to make the best of it for his son. Amanda brings a little extra light into their Christmas. As they make their way through Christmas, can they all find something they were not looking for, but it found them. Thanks to RaeAnne Thayne, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The excitement and joy of a young boy and the gentleness of his father draw Amanda to Isaac and Rafe. Her life holds deep sorrow as does Rafe’s. Can they overcome fear and let love capture their hearts? Only the magic of Christmas will determine.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a lovely Christmas book. It was just what you were looking for in a cozy romance for seasonal reading! I enjoyed it so very much. I would definitely suggest it to a friend looking for a cozy seasonal read. Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book.

This was such a nice sweet love story. I really enjoyed reading it. RaeAnne Thayne always writes enjoyable books.

Classic RaeAnne Thayne!!! This was a feel good Christmas story full of charm and Christmas magic. I love how RaeAnne weaves together the characters and setting in the Shelter Springs series. The characters were adorable. I was rooting for them the whole time. Although, I do feel that their romance storyline was a little too quick to be believable, it was a classic Christmas romance.

The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne is a sweet romantic Christmas story that takes place in Shelter Springs. We meet Amanda Taylor, who owns the local soap shop, in the town of Shelter Springs, Idaho. Amanda wasn’t always a fan of Christmas, due to the past in her childhood, especially with her bad father. She runs her store, The Lucky Goat, as well as being the head of the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market during the Christmas holidays. Amanda keeps tabs on her grandmother Birdie, and goes out of her way to help the community of Shelter Springs. Amanda worries when she notices her grandmother has been hanging around a new resident in the Shelter Inn retirement village.

Rafe Arredondo, is the grandson of Birdie’s suitor, as he is somewhat concerned, though not as much as Amanda is worried. Rafe has an adorable young son, Issac; as well as being the assistant fire chief and being a paramedic. After an accident on the job, Rafe is told to take a month off, with his broken arm; which finds himself becoming friends with Amanda; and young Isaac is so adorable, with Amanda totally loving him. Both Rafe and Amanda have had heartaches in their past lives; Rafe having lost his wife due to a drug overdose, and Amanda losing a boyfriend due to a tragedy.

In a short time, Rafe has strong feelings for Amanda, as they spent a lot of time at the Christmas market together; but Amanda refuses to admit that she is attracted to Rafe. Both Amanda and Rafe have hard times with emotional issues in their lives, but their attraction continues to keep their paths intertwining. Isaac was so cute, and he always invited Amanda to come to events, which brings Rafe too. 😊
The December Market was a wonderful, heartwarming romantic Christmas story. I really like both Amanda and Rafe, and hoped that they would finally give into their love for each other. The December Market was so very well written by RaeAnne Thayne.

RaeAnne Thayne is a master at creating such complex and wonderful characters. I love how each of her books in a series connect to each other, yet explain bits of the past in case you haven’t read those that came before. As the second book in her Shelter Springs series, this story follows Amanda Taylor and Rafe Arredondo. Amanda is a single shop owner with a heart breaking past that she seems to attempt to make up for by overextending herself for every event in town and making a success out of her shop. In her routine visits to her grandmother, she begins to see more of Rafe and his adorable son. Rafe is a single dad who frequently visits his grandfather at the same complex where Amanda’s grandmother lives. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat through the trials and tribulations of the past and present in Amanda and Rafe’s lives. Will Amanda open herself up to love again? Will Rafe be open to moving on from the pain of the past? Which of them will be more stubborn? More importantly, will Rafe’s son get his Christmas wish? *Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Amanda runs the town Christmas market despite not loving the holiday season. It reminds her of the death of her fiance years prior. So instead of celebrating, she throws herself into making the market successful. Meanwhile, firefighter Rafe is the paramedic assigned to work the fair after a broken arm relieves him of other duties.

Rafe is a single dad, not looking for romance, whose grandfather is now dating Amanda’s grandmother – which does not please Amanda one bit. Can they get along at the holiday market?

Why Kirsten loves it
This story reminded me of Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias with all it’s small-town charm, large cast of characters, and deep history linking it to other books in the series (and previous Thayne series.) It works as a standalone – speaking as someone who has never read another Thayne book – but I did find all the stories from previous books very compelling too! It was festive and fun and made me want to look into the backstories.

Ms. Thayer strikes again! She writes the best Christmas romances. I loved this book. My only regret is that I didn’t wait until Christmas season to read this book.

The December Market is book two in the charming Shelter Springs Series by RaeAnne Thayne.
I devoured book one Christmas at the Shelter Inn.
And was jumping up and down when I seen I was approved for the second title.

This was such an enchanting holiday tale.
RaeAnne Thayne has created another heartwarming story that will melt your heart. I loved every minute and hated to see it end.
A perfect book that will give you all the Christmas hallmark movie vibes.

Thank You NetGalley and Canary Street Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Amanda vive marcada por las acciones de su padre, quien conducía en estado de ebriedad y causó la muerte de cuatro personas. A pesar de ser una buena persona y esforzarse por el bienestar del pueblo, no todos la tratan como deberían, lo que la ha llevado a convencerse de que es mejor estar sola para no salir lastimada.

Rafe es un viudo y padre soltero que no tiene intención de volver a enamorarse, ya que lo único que ha traído eso es dolor.

El romance se desarrolla lentamente, lo cual me gustó, y además no hay escenas sexuales, lo cual también es un punto a favor. Sin embargo, lo que no me gustó fueron las numerosas referencias a libros de otras series; eran excesivas y, en lugar de motivarme a leer sus historias, me causaron rechazo.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that this story took place during the holidays with wonderful characters who had overcome grief in their lives and had tried to move on the best that they could. The book was filled with holiday cheer, Christmas wishes, and two weeks of the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market. It also was fun to see Amanda's Grandmother Birdie in her dedicated matchmaking role. I really liked how Amanda was able to overcome her fear and find her faith. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

This book featured Amanda and Rafe who were each dealing with past trauma in their lives and it had caused them to try to avoid relationships. But the attraction between them was strong and they were having a hard time keeping their resolutions to stay single. There were a lot of characters introduced in the beginning of the book and it was hard for me to keep them and their stories straight. I especially found Amanda’s character difficult to understand, especially her reaction to her grandmother, Birdie’s, little love interest in Paulo, Rafe’s grandfather. The book was over halfway finished before I understood her reason for objecting to the elderly couple’s romance. After a number of twists and turns, there was eventually a HEA. I think my favorite characters in the book were the side characters, Birdie and Paulo, and Rafe’s adorable 7 year old son, Isaac. Overall I would consider this a clean romance but there was some profanity sprinkled in and I would have preferred it had been left out; it added nothing to the story. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I enjoyed reading The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne. You will fall in love with all the characters. 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. Happy Reading!

Amanda Taylor is the owner of a small boutique soap shop. She isn’t fond of Christmas, but focuses on what her customers love when it comes to the Shelter Springs Holiday Market. Trouble arises when her grandmother starts dating a new resident to their local senior living inn, and Amanda teams up with Rafe, the grandson of the suitor, to keep them apart. As a single father and paramedic, Rafe has his own struggles but finds himself drawn to Amanda. Despite their best efforts to resist, their growing connection and frequent encounters at the market spark the possibility of a second chance at love during the holiday season.

3 stars

Unfortunately this one just didn't do it for me, but I can absolutely see there being an audience for this type of holiday story. It felt very much like a Hallmark/Lifetime movie, where there are a lot of characters introduced and many have complicated traumatic backstories. This was my first by RaeAnne Thayne and I did read that there are other books that explain some of the previous emotional trauma that led to Amanda and Rafe's resistance to love. It made it a bit more difficult to find their chemistry as it seemed there was too much avoidance and not enough fun to build a relationship on, in addition to lengthy past dramas to hash out for each character. Not for me, but likely a hit for plenty of other readers!

Thank you to UpLit Reads, NetGalley and RaeAnne for gifting me with an early eARC of this novel!

THE DECEMBER MARKET is such a lovely story. RaeAnne Thayne does it again and again, delivering a sweet, warm Christmas romance that just tugs on your heartstrings and stays with you long after it’s done. I really enjoyed the pace of the wonderful story. When single dad, neighbor, and assistant fire chief, Rafe Arredondo, falls and breaks his arm during a rooftop rescue, Amanda does the neighborly thing and takes some meals to his house. He has been her neighbor for over a month and she hasn't welcomed him yet so this is the perfect way. I felt that the story moved along just right.


THE DECEMBER MARKET is only the eighth book I have read of RaeAnne Thayne’s but after reading it, I’m excited to search out her other books and read all of those too. Amanda Taylor has a hard time getting through the holiday season because of a tragedy that happened around Christmas. Rafe can see the pain in Amanda's eyes but isn't sure how he can help her. RaeAnne Thayne has a way of pulling you right in and getting you emotionally invested into the characters lives. My heart was breaking for Rafe and Amanda and all that they had been through. I was cheering for Amanda and Rafe and at the same time, giggling out loud with the comments they made at each other.


RaeAnne Thayne is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is so warm and her characters are all believable. Once you start reading, you aren’t going to be able to stop. A family coming together at Christmas time…….what more could you ask for? Rafe and Amanda both have walls up around their hearts and aren't looking to fall in love, but you know how that goes right? I thought I knew how THE DECEMBER MARKET was going to end but I sure was wrong! I’m looking forward to reading more by this wonderful and heart tugging author!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Aother holiday season in Shelter Springs and Amanda Taylor is gearing up to chair the town's annual Christmas Market. This year romance is blooming in the Shelter Inn retirement community, will it bloom elsewhere as well? This book is like an annual Christmas letter from Shelter Springs with news of the latest romances.

Sweet romance + holiday magic!
This was my first RaeAnne Thayne book so I now have many more to enjoy. The December Market tells the story of Amanda Taylor who is a local gift shop owner and who runs the Christmas market in Shelter Springs. Amanda had experienced multiple tragedies in her life and was determined to not open her heart again romantically. She tries to convince herself that a busy life with friends, work and volunteering was enough. But that starts to change when Amanda meets Rafe and his young son- who work their way deep into her heart. This was an enjoyable holiday read!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy.