I am so happy that I started following this author . I have enjoyed all of her books and this is another success in my opinion for the Sweetwater Springs series. It's heartwarming and a wonderful Christmas story. I read the ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I do not give a synopsis of stories because I find it irritating when other readers do that and there is one provided with the book. Be sure to catch this delightful read from a talented author.

This was such a wonderful addition to the Sweetwater Springs series! I've been anxiously awaiting this book since I finished Springtime at Hope Cottage and it was definitely worth the wait! It was such an emotional story for me that I cried both happy and sad tears throughout this whole book especially near the end. Halona and Alex are such a great pair and when you add in sweet little Theo it just makes this the perfect family in my eyes. I finished this book with a smile on my face, contentment in my heart, and an excitement for Annie Rains next book in this fantastic series!

I usually do not enjoy entering the Christmas season before Thanksgiving, but in this case I did. I'm happy I did because this book was a fun, light, sweet read. I really loved all the characters, which is usually a hard sell for me. I might even be willing to reread this one over Christmas.

Once again, Annie Rains has written a book with everything I love.. romance, family drama, suspense...all set in a small town, Sweetwater Springs.

Halona Locklear owns a florist shop in Sweetwater Springs. She is a widow raising her small son alone. Theo no longer speaks and Halona and his doctor are working to find out what caused his sudden silence.

Alex Baker, police chief of Sweetwater Springs has been fighting his attraction for Halona since they were teenagers. He subscribes to the “You don’t date your best friend’s sister.” code. He doesn’t know that the feeling of attraction is mutual.

I loved revisiting Sweetwater Springs. Ms. Rains’ characters find their way into your heart and become your friends. I recommend Snowfall on Cedar Trail and this entire series to anyone who loves sweet, clean romance.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the author in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great book to get into the spirit of the season. Halona is a single mother of a boy who is selectively mute. He hasn't talked since just after his Dad passed away. The story of how his father passed and leading up to it, are not as they appear. Alex, the chief of police is a very by the book kind of guy. In the search for justice of his own father's death, he has become a little jaded.

When he ends up volunteering in the mentor match program he gets picked to mentor Theo, Halona's son. It brings Alex and Halona much closer, even when they both secretly had feelings for each other.

It is not without it's troubles, and a lot of hometown spirit thrown in. I love the way this town is depicted and the feel of the town.

This was a great continuation of the series. Since it had been a while since I had read the last book I was able to pick the story up right away. I enjoyed this story as much as the others.

The relationship that we FINALLY get in this novel has been brewing since the first book in the series.
I can definitely say that it didn't disappoint.

"Friends don't want to kiss the living daylights out of one another." ~ Alex Baker~

Chief of Police Alex Baker, lovingly nicknamed "Chief Frisky" by an elderly woman in the community has had eyes for only one woman for a long time. He may be best friends with her brother, but he can't keep hiding his feelings for the beautiful single mother.

Halona Locklear is a woman who shows everyone her strength. She's a single mom to a young boy who is having trouble speaking since his father's death. She runs a successful floral shop in Sweetwater Springs, and juggles being a business owner and a mom beautifully. But she has a wall around her heart, and doesn't trust her instincts when her feelings for her brother's best friend come back to the surface.

This novel does a wonderful job of weaving tragedy, healing, and love into a perfect Christmas story. The setting of Sweetwater Springs works beautifully for that. Small town romances are my thing, as well as romances that have a child in the middle to help with the trust between the couple. I will never get enough of those.

The layers throughout this story were such a delight. There is a mystery thrown in with it. I know it sounds like a lot, but I promise it all works together. Annie Rains and her Sweetwater Springs series are must owns for me. Not overly smutty, but beautiful and fun.

What a lovely, feel-good, contemporary romance to kick off my 2019 holiday reading. This was my first novel by Annie Rains but it won't be the last. I enjoyed getting to know the members of the Sweetwater Springs community, especially police chief Alex, flower shop owner Halona, and her sweet, emotionally troubled young son, Theo. Best friend's younger sister/older brother is one of my favorite tropes and Rains gave me one that captured my heart. All three of these main characters are dealing with emotional issues that inhibit them in some way. I love the way Rains moves them forward throughout the book, letting their relationships evolve slowly and organically. The mystery behind the death of Alex's father, the former police chief, eleven years earlier adds an additional depth of emotion to the story. While this book stands well on its own and I never felt confused or lost while reading it, I do wish I had read the series in order. I have a feeling that doing so would have allowed me to know and understand these characters, and their motivations, even more deeply. I've downloaded both Christmas on Mistletoe Lane and Springtime at Hope Cottage and plan to immerse myself in those stories soon.