Wonderful, warm-fuzzy story! Great any time of year.

This was a wonderful holiday romance filled with love, laughter and a few tears. The characters were memorable and the plot a good one. A sweet and heartwarming read.



4/5

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Christmas with the Sheriff by Victoria James broke my heart over and over again. Seriously I had to sit it down at one point and have a good cry before I could continue. It’s heart-breaking, romantic, and one of those books you cheer for at the end.

Julia Bailey is a character that I truly found myself in. While I’ve never experienced the loss she has in this book, I empathized with her and put myself in her shoes…which explains why the book affected me the way it did. Julia is a strong woman, a young widow who in one night lost everything she held dear. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would feel if I lost my husband and son the same day. I would be shattered and Julia is. But the book picks up 5 years after her loss and really shows how strong she is. Julia has closed herself off to love, but she makes it through each day. The memories of her son don’t cause her to break down the way she used too and her husband’s ugly secret….she’s coming to terms with that. Honestly this woman is a rockstar!

Chase Donavan *swoon* is the sheriff of the small town Julia grew up in and at one time was her and her husband’s best friend. This is the man that held Julia together after her loss and then she ran. Now that she’s back in Shadow Creek for the holidays, Chase has no intention of letting her leave again. This is the girl that got away for him. He was in love with her as a teen, but didn’t think he deserved her. Then she marries his best friend and now she’s single again. He has no intention of letting the chance to be with her slip by twice. I love Chase! He’s a single father doing everything he possibly can to make his little girl’s life as normal and happy as possible. Seriously, why wouldn’t you fall for him?! He puts his own happiness and needs aside for his little girl’s over and over again.

I loved the sweet romance that was just waiting to burst between these two characters. The alternating POV helped to speed it along as the readers knew where each character stood. My heart ached for what Julia has gone through and twisted for Chase’s loss as well. These are two characters who just needed a little push to jumpstart the chemistry that was already brewing and I loved how it played out on the pages. The small town vibe was just an added bonus. Not many authors can pull off such a large cast of characters and have them so well fleshed out. James does this beautifully. Even for characters that only have a few lines in the book, they feel real.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. If you enjoy small town romance set around the holidays, I highly recommend you grab a copy and enjoy!

This was an amazing Christmas time/second chance love story. I loved Julia and Chase. After suffering a huge loss, Julia is back to her hometown after 5 years being gone. She is back home to where she lost her son and husband. Chase, her rock, is still there. He has always loved Julia, but never acted on it. Now that she is back, he wants to show her they can both be happy again. Chase's life didn't fair much better than Julia. He is now a single dad to a little girl and doing it all. Their lives fall into an easy routine when they are together again. Loved this sweet story! It warmed my Grinch heart!

I really enjoyed the book, it has everything I love in a novel from start to finish. I can’t wait to read what the author has planned next!

A perfect holiday romance that will warm you up and keep you giddy and well satisfied. I loved the simple plot of the story and the characters more than pleased me. I enjoyed the style of writing and the romance sizzled and heated me thoroughly. This book is absolutely PERFECT on a cold winter's day. So sit back and enjoy this holiday treat!

3.75 stars

Feel good holiday romance, but I didn't feel that there was enough conflict between the characters. Julia is still struggling with grief and betrayal over the tragic deaths of her husband and her young son, but Chase proves to be a steady rock in her life. He's always there for her, and he's loved her since high school. I liked how dependable he was, as well as how kind and considerate he was to everyone.