A sweet story about one woman helping a Christmas hating Scrooge overcome his hatred of the holiday.

Josiah Whittaker hates Christmas. He never wanted to return to Montana once he left. And here he is at Bar V5, a working dude ranch and hotel that has been transformed into a Christmas winter wonderland. He is being forced to take some time off work after a serious illness. No work allowed.

Ellie Smith was excited to learn the first billionaire guest at Bar V5 was one of her late brother's friends. The last time she saw Josiah, she was only 14 years old. Josiah sure has changed. Ellie is having a hard time keeping her eyes off him.

When Ellie finds out Josiah hates Christmas, she sets out to change his mind. With a little luck, some mistletoe, a group of children and a real live Santa, Ellie just might be able to convince Josiah that Christmas is the best time of year.

This wonderful Christmas story will really get you into the holiday spirit. Ellie and Josiah are the perfect example of opposites attract, and that going back home can lead to happiness and surprises.

Another great book in the Bar V5 series! This was a heart warming, heart wrenching Christmas read! Ellie works for the Bar V5 ranch and she is very much the giving spirit of Christmas. Josiah returns home to recuperate from a serious illness. Let's just say he'a Grinch! A sweet read as Ellie teaches Josiah the real meaning of giving!

Ellie is doing her best to make the most of every Christmas. After losing her brother when she was young, life just sort of paused for her family. While her brother was ill she was put on the back burner, and while she isn't resentful at all, it has definitely shaped her. She has started a group that helps make sure siblings of the ill remember that they are still important and entitled to have fun.
Josiah is a billionaire CEO who is recovering from a near fatal blood infection. He IS resentful and worries for his company, his job, and his sanity. As bah humbug as they come, Josiah is convinced that spending Christmas at the Bar V5 is going to kill him.

Ellie is determined to help Josiah heal and to show him the joy of Christmas. Josiah, it seems, actually about to teach HER a few things about joy and giving. I absolutely adored this book. Sweet without being fake and cheesy and also funny and wildly romantic, this is a perfect holiday read.

An excellent addition to the Bar V 5 series. This is a heartwarming story and perfect for an afternoon read that will help you capture the holiday feeling. The always chipper Ellie and the grumpy scrooge like Josiah were perfect for each other. This is one I highly recommend.

A Christmas Homecoming is a sweet story, but a little too unbelievable for me. Everything is just a little too sweet for my taste. I like the characters well enough, but I like a bit more heat and sexiness with my stories. I did appreciate the humor of Josiah being called Joe by one of the other Inn guests. Overall, an enjoyable read, especially for those that like uncomplicated sweet characters and story lines.

What a great addition to the Bar V5 Ranch series. Loved the story of Ellie, whom embraces Christmas to the fullest and Josiah, known as Mr Grinch.

Josiah has come to ranch to re cooperate after being very sick, Ellie works at the ranch. They have known each other growing up, Ellie was the younger sister of his best friend that passed away. Now can Ellie show Josiah, that "Christmas magic can work miracles".

This is the perfect read for a cozy afternoon read in this busy holiday season. I highly recommend this book. I received this book from netgalley for an honest review.

It's tough when a family member had a serious illness, especially when it's your brother or sister and you're still a child. Ellie knows what it's like. She grew up in a family where her larger than life brother became terminally ill. There's the conflict of feeling for the sick and dying sibling and the yearning to be able to lead a normal life yourself. There's the conflict between jealousy and profound grief at the loss of our brother or sister. Then there's that desire to be seen as a person in your own right, something that Ellie has rarely experienced.
Ellie's brother Buck was seriously ill and died while a teenager. Before his death he was larger than life, everybody's friend, and best friends with nerdy Josiah Whitaker. An unlikely pair, Buck taught Josiah roping and cowboy skills in return for Josiah's help with his studies. Fast forward and we find Ellie working in housekeeping at the Bar V5 where billionaire Josiah has been sent for a month while he recovers from illness, however this is not the Josiah Ellie remembers. The ugly duckling has well and truly turned into a swan and Ellie is smitten. This was a lovely story to read. I enjoy Melissa McGlone's warm and comfortable style. It was also good to get back to the Bar V5 and catch up with some of the characters from earlier stories set there. The other winner for me is the picturesque town of Marietta in winter with it's Christmas Stroll and other charming customs. All in all, this book has delivered a gorgeous few hours of pleasant escapism.

Loved the lodge setting for Christmas! A nice easy read to get you in the holiday spirit :)

Josiah Whittaker is a billionaire tech genius who after having a health scare returns to his hometown of Marietta, Montana to stay at the Bar V5 ranch to recover. Shortly after arriving Josiah meets Ellie Smith who works as a housekeeper at the ranch but Josiah had been friends with Ellie's older brother who had passed away back when they were all growing up. The two quickly become friends but both have their own reasons for holding back from anything more.

Another beautiful hometown love story taking place in Marietta. Such a lovely town with lovely people that completely wrap you up in the Christmas spirit throughout the story. Absolutely love these characters, Ellie was such a wonderful young woman who dedicated her life to helping others that were going through what she had when she was growing up and Josiah despite claiming to not like Christmas quickly fell into the holiday cheer and showed what a good man he was.

Lovely story that I'd highly recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marietta, Montana – Josiah never thought he’d be back in his home town. Yet here he was condemned to at least a month of rest and relaxation, doctor’s orders. This overworked CEO has been overruled by his board -it’s either take a vacation and heal up or you’re fired. It seems even billionaires can’t always get their way. To be fair to Josiah’s friends both at work and at the Bar V5 Ranch he had come down with a serious blood infection from a cut he refused to get treated. Now weak as a kitten he needs to heal, rest and let himself relax enough to recuperate. He is far from a happy camper.

Oh and one other little detail – Josiah hates Christmas.

Ellie’s love of Christmas is second only to her passion for helping kids, specifically the siblings of kids with serious, terminal illnesses. The kids who often have to put on a brave face as their family goes through some of the most difficult times imaginable. She knows firsthand how that feels. Her job at the Bar V5 Ranch involves many things, but perhaps she is best at spreading Christmas cheer to the guests and employees. She knows Josiah or knew him back when he was a teenager and friend to her brother. So she’s taken it on as a personal commitment to ensure that Josiah takes care of himself and heals. She never expected him to actually get her, to see her for the person she is behind the smiling face. It was perhaps that knowledge that was the first step in falling in love with the man who didn’t plan to stay longer than a month.

A Christmas Homecoming is a charming story of a man who exists only for his work and a woman who needs to finally be seen as someone beyond her brother’s sister. This Christmas Ellie will help Josiah to see that there is more to life than work and letting in some Christmas spirit isn’t a bad thing. And Josiah will fall for a woman who has spent her life in the shadow of her dead brother. Letting her understand that he sees her, not Buck’s sister. That is perhaps the greatest gift anyone has ever given her.

Their romance won’t be smooth sailing, they both will have issues to deal with. But it is a sweet romance highlighting the power of love when it’s given and accepted by the right couple.

I enjoyed A Christmas Homecoming very much and would not hesitate to recommend this story for any romance reader who loves a good story, a sweet romance and likeable characters… and perhaps a bit of Christmas magic.

*I received an e-ARC of A Christmas Homecoming from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

A very good feel good read. The return of Josiah to Marietta is kind of an exile to get healthy but running into Ellie his late friends sister turns into a new adventure for Josiah. Ellie has been invisible most of her life since her brother's illness & subsequent death, but now Josiah is at the Bar V5 ranch to recuperate & he's making her feel things she's never felt before. Ellie is a Christmas junkie & Josiah is the bah humbug type not liking Christmas. As they get reacquainted Ellie starts to rub off on Josiah in many ways, he's starting to like the idea of Christmas, the idea of having someone like him for who he is & not what he can buy them & also that he's not only the Whit Tech CEO & company founder but Josiah a man who can laugh, help people & love. But like all men he screws up when things start to get to close for comfort & he breaks things off with Ellie on Christmas Eve, only to realize on Christmas Day what a mistake he's made. Ellie gets a wonderful surprise on Christmas Day & now she's got something to actually look forward to. Now Josiah has to figure out how to get Ellie back & also how to not freak out about how he's feeling about her. Is he going to get his second chance with Ellie or has he lost the one person who makes him feel?

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a sweet, very romantic story. Billionaire Josiah Whittaker is sent to a friends ranch for the month of December to recover from a serious illnesses. He hates Christmas, and the ranch is all decked out for it. Ellie Smith works at the ranch and runs a program for kids with ill or disabled siblings dedicated to her deceased brother Buck, Josiahs best friend in HS. And she loves Christmas. When Ellie discovers how Josiah feels about Christmas, she decides to help him find the joy of the season again. When Josiah learns of Ellies program, he wants to help her make it everything she wants it to be. An innocent kiss under some misteltoe shicks them both. The more time they spend together the more each realizes how much they can help the other, and how much they care about each other. Except Josiah can't wait to go back to the city to run his company. And he hates Montana. But does he?

Ellie is set in her mind to have the best Christmas ever and to have fun doing it by bringing cheer to everyone else. She has things that has happened in the past but she is ready to not allow that to cloud her future. She is ready to enjoy showing the new guest Josiah that Christmas is the best time of the year and its not as bad as he thinks. Josiah is being forced to take a vacation or he will loose his job, and he is not happy about that. When the board of his company sends him home he knows that he will fight the process every step of the way and he is going to start with fighting the christmas decorations that are everywhere and bands them from his room. He just never expected running into Ellie his friends little sister and the elf of Christmas. This story is really such a cute Christmas story it really draws you and keeps you there and enjoying the christmas spirit. Sometimes Christmas brings miracles and magic and that is present in the book. The loss of someone special can really break people and in this story is shows that not everything bad can brake people but things can happen when everyone comes together. Family by blood or by choose is something else that shines in this book. This book is worth the fun of reading and christmas story.

This was a really nice Christmas story. A sweet romance to boot.

A Christmas Homecoming is by Melissa McClone. I was generously provided with this book in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley, Tule Publishing, and by Melissa McClone.

A Christmas Homecoming finds us back at the Bar V5 Ranch in Marietta, Montana, one of my very favorite places to visit. Melissa has written several books taking place on this ranch and I always look forward to going back and revisiting my friends.

Ellie Smith has worked at the ranch for a year and a half. She works in housekeeping but she takes her duties more seriously than some. She wants to do whatever possible to make anyone she happens to cross paths with happy. During her childhood, Ellie had a terminally sick brother. The years her family had to deal with her brother’s illness, Ellie learned how to keep quiet. Everyone had so much to handle each and every day, she never wanted to add more. Ellie loves her job on the Bar V5, but even more than that, she loves Christmas. Ellie loves everything there is about Christmas.

Josiah Whittaker is the CEO of Whit Tech, a company he started himself that has made him a billionaire. But success didn’t come easy. Josiah works eighty hour weeks, his company is his life. Until he cut himself zip lining. It was just a small cut but he didn’t get it treated and became infected. Eventually he ended up with a serious blood infection and was hospitalized. Now, Josiah is weak and needs to recuperate, away from work. So he is ordered to the Bar V5, which is run by his friend Nate, for a month of rest. Josiah was best friends with Ellie’s ill brother back in high school and he can’t believe his eyes when he realizes that Ellie now works at the ranch. And she’s not a little girl anymore. No, she’s all grown up.

The ranch is completely decked out in Christmas. Every corner of the great room is filled with Christmas cheer. But, Josiah doesn’t believe in Christmas magic. His motto is Bah, Humbug. How is he ever going to stand a month here, no cell phone, no computer, just all this Christmas cheer. Well, there is one thing he might not mind, the mistletoe, especially if he can get Ellie underneath it.

The attraction is pretty immediate but Ellie is determined that Josiah is a guest which makes him off limits. Still, the more time they spend together, the harder it gets, until the mistletoe finds them.

This was a really sweet story of two people who were kind of lost, each in their own way, who together, perhaps finally found something they didn’t even realize they were missing. Ellie has a dream she has been trying to achieve for a long time now and Josiah helps to make that dream within her reach. Josiah might finally learn that there is more to him that his job. Or will he?

As always, Melissa McClone’s books leave me feeling all warm inside and always with a smile on my face. Her characters are endearing and wonderful. I have such an image in my mind of the Bar V5 Ranch and love my visits. I hope you will too.

This is a great additional novel set in Marietta, Montana including many secondary characters that are very familiar ‘friends’ after reading so many books set in this township. Having said that, you don’t need to have read any of those to thoroughly enjoy this story!

As a fourteen year old, Eleanor Smith had secretly followed her brother, Buck, and his best friend Josiah Whittaker around. Her brother was seriously ill, but had a very positive outlook on life. Josiah was from the ‘wrong side of town’, struggling financially but very bright, able and hard working. The untimely death of her brother meant she no longer saw Josiah who left town and moved on to found his own very successful high tech business. Years later, Josiah had worked hard to succeed, in fact he worked so hard his health has suffered and the billionaire business man is returning to stay and recuperate at the Bar V5 dude ranch, where Ellie is a housekeeper, for a month. The month he’s staying is December but don’t let that make you think it will be full of festive cheer for him - he hates not working, dislikes everything to do with Christmas and really doesn’t want this enforced month long vacation with all his gadgets taken away so he just can’t play! Ellie is determined to help Josiah recuperate and enjoy Christmas. The two are soon friends but both are wary, for very different reasons, of becoming anything more. However, the festive season, an insightful Santa and love might just have something to do about that!

I haven’t read a story set in Marietta that I haven’t loved and this one is no different. The town has such brilliant, memorable characters who it is delightful to keep reencountering in different stories and even by different authors. In this story, Ellie had experienced so much in her life that she was using to help her help others, especially through Buck’s Place. I hope such places really do exist to help the siblings of seriously ill children have some time where the focus is on them, giving them time, fun and support, rather than everything being in response to the ill child. Josiah needed a wake up call to show him that life is for living and not just for working and he’s certainly had it, though he was determined to largely ignore it initially. With great characters, a superb setting and an emotional festive story this is a total winner for me. I really enjoyed how their relationship grew and developed, making this a brilliant, enthralling, festive romance that I have no hesitation in highly recommending.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

I expected a sweet but interesting read by Melissa McClone. A Christmas Homecoming provides exactly that. There were some parts that I really liked including the characters Josiah and Ellie. Ellie’s life story is a reminder of what the entire family goes through when a child/sibling is fighting cancer. Ellie could have grown up bitter and resentful but instead she is kind and caring. Josiah is the opposite while not a horrible person, he left Montana so that he could put himself and his company first. While recovering from a serious illness he finds his better self. I really liked that he wanted to help Ellie.

The descriptive writing made me see and feel the walk they took on a clear morning. Also I loved the visits with the kids from Buck’s Place especially the trip to the Winter Wonderland. However, I must admit at other times the pace was slow, then the opposite happened at the ending, it felt rushed. I don’t feel that Josiah would have really made such a turnaround in only one day away from Ellie. It would have been a more realistic ending if he had gone back home before he made his life changes. For that reason I would drop one half star off of the rating bringing it to a 3.5 stars.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a copy.

Kitty's review:
A Christmas Homecoming was a true “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” story. The book was fun, light, romantic and interesting.

Ellie was just a little bundle of fun. She loved the holidays and nothing or no one was going to bring her down or ruin it for her. Her mission was to make sure Buck’s Place grew and thrived. It’s in memory of her brother and she won’t let anyone stand in her way of making it the best that she could. She loves helping these kids since she knows exactly how they feel – left out, ignored. She loves bringing joy into their lives, showing them that there’s more to life than watching their sibling suffer. When Josiah shows up at the hospital and starts helping out, she knows that he is the one man that could probably steal her heart. But, he’s also the one man that could really ruin her. She’s hoping that the Christmas joy and the Mistletoe brings some joy to him and opens his heart … not only to the holiday but to her as well. She made one major mistake in her past and she is not going to repeat it again. Her little affair with one of the guests at the Bar V5 nearly ruined her and, if it wasn’t for the support of friends, she wouldn’t have the life she has now. Unfortunately, Josiah could really do her in. She has to figure out how to keep things fun and not fall for the man. But, it’s way too late for that.

Josiah is not happy having to spend a month at the Bar V5. He built his company from up from nothing and a little infection in his blood is not going to keep him down. His goal is to make it through this month, follow the doctor’s orders and get back to being the CEO. Nothing, especially a sexy woman with a jingle bell around her neck is going to stop him.

Buck’s little sister really grew up and being back in Marietta, Montana surrounded by friends and Mistletoe is really getting to him. The memories and this woman have him really wondering what his life has become. As for the Marietta Stroll, well that’s the last thing he wants to do. But, Ellie is hell bent on trying to get him his exercise and out around the town. The problem that he’s encountering … he’s really starting to enjoy it, enjoy Ellie and enjoy Christmas for the first time in a very long time. But, this is just a fling, he’s leaving … he can’t lead her on … he has to step away and get back to running his business. How does he do this with the cryptic message and those delicious cookies from Kris Kringles hanging over his head?

After a night of hell without her, after being filled with Christmas joy then having it taken away, after finally listening to everyone around him, Josiah finally comes to terms with his feelings and knows that there is only one life he really wants and it’s here with Ellie. He can run his business from anywhere, he can start new, he can be a part of her life and keep helping with Buck’s Place to make her dreams come true for it. But, is it too late … has he lost the woman he loves to the one thing that he know he would never be able to deny her?

Melissa McClone really put the spirit of Christmas into this book. She wrote interesting characters that embodied both the spirt of Christmas and Scrooge. She made them fun and really brought out their personalities. She showed us the good and the bad in people …. She showed us what a little Christmas joy could do to a person …. She showed us the true meaning of Christmas in a way that will leave you smiling and laughing and wishing you had someone with a jingle bell around their neck to make the season just a little bit better.

So, enjoy this version of the Marietta Stroll with all different sights and sounds. Enjoy those Christmas cookies baked by the mysterious Kris Krinkles. Enjoy the love and happiness that Melissa McClone has given us during this magical time of year.

A wonderful Christmas love story about changing and growing and falling in love.

Fantastic Read!! Love the way the author has with words and pulling the reader into a great Christmas story about love. Can't wait to read more by this author.

Another great story set in Marietta, Montana. Overall, I did like the story, the plot, the characters, etc., but it felt a little light at times. Not sure what could have been different, but just feel it could have had more depth. She keeps talking about Buck's Place, maybe more on that? He keeps talking about his company, maybe more on that? It just seems that more could have been said to explain the choices and direction the story goes, especially at the HEA. Now, this doesn't mean I don't not like this book, because I do, and I do recommend it, just feel it could have been even better.

A Christmas Homecoming is a short and sweet holiday treat. First off let me say that one of the things I find to be most intriguing about the story is it's tempo. I loved how she slowly leads the reader into a love story between the two main characters. That made the story for me so much more emotional because I got to learn some of the back history of their relationship as the story went on. On of the reasons that I always come back to Ms. McClone is that her understanding of emotion in her writing is superb. She is never showy but gets her point across and leaves me loving her work.

A Christmas Homecoming, by Melissa McClone, is a selection of the multifaceted Copper Mountain series from Tule Publishing. It is Christmas at the Bar V5 Ranch in Marietta, Montana, and Josiah Whittaker has returned to his hometown for a forced period of rest and recuperation after a near fatal bout with blood poisoning.

One problem with being at the ranch, or even Marietta, at Christmastime for Josiah is that he has come to cringe at anything Christmas. The other problem is that as CEO of Whit Tech, the company he founded right out of college and that had given him billionaire status, being away from the company and having very limited online access made him a little crazy. But the board of directors, including his best friend and board of directors member Nate Vaughn, had given Josiah an ultimatum--take this month to recover or he was fired. Josiah wondered why he hadn't kept 51% of the company when he went public!

To keep his sanity during this forced retreat, Josiah would certainly need to find something to occupy his time. Little did he know this would come in the form of a particular bell wearing elf and person from his past as well as some very magical Kris Krinkle cookies. Throw in some kids at Buck's Place, a nonprofit created by bell wearing Ellie Smith in her brother's memory, and you have the making of a new man.

This story captures the season, the meaning of giving, of oneself and ones resources, and the power of love. I found this book to be an endearing tale that is perfect for the holiday season, and that I would love to spend a Christmas in this magical town

'A Christmas Homecoming' by Melissa McClone is a great read. I loved reading about Ellie and Josiah. This is a great 'feel good' Christmas story. I'm looking forward to reading more about the interesting characters at the Bar V5 dude ranch. Recommend to all fans of Christmas romance.

Set in the fictional town of Marietta, “A Christmas Homecoming” centers around two Marietta natives, Josiah Whittaker and Ellie Smith. A friend of Ellie’s older brother, Josiah left Marietta to go to college in California where he stayed and founded his own tech company at Silicon Valley.

Now a billionaire, Josiah has to take one month off for health reasons. He was expecting for it to be the worst month of his life but surprise! Surprise! He reconnected with Elie, the younger brother of his best friend in high school.

The attraction between them was palpable but both of them just cannot see beyond the end of December when Josiah goes back to Silicon Valley and Ellie, who is a true Montana girl just cannot see herself living outside her home state.

It’s a conundrum alright! The solution… well, let us just say that there is mistletoe involved.

Also, fans of Melissa McClone can catch up with the other residents of the Bar V5 Dude Ranch: Meg Redstone and Tyler Murphy (Mistletoe Wedding), Charlie Randall and Zack Harris (Kiss Me, Cowboy), Rachel Murphy and Nate Vaughn (Home for Christmas), Caitlin Butler and Noah Sullivan (Mistletoe Magic) who make cameo appearances in the book, or at least mentioned.

“A Christmas Homecoming” is Rated T for Teens. There are no sex scenes in the book.

A story that will definitely get your Christmas spirits high, and put a smile on your face. Ellie's enjoyment and thrill of Christmas is pure and joyful. She genuinely loves the Christmas time, and to bring cheer to other people's lives. She is easy to like, her love for life and caring for others are endearing, her goals in life, and how she goes about fulfilling them are admirable.
Josiah is a total opposite to Ellie, when it comes to Christmas. And I thought it was understandable, he didn't try to stop others from enjoying the holidays, he just rather not participate in the festivities. That is allowed.
Both of them have such a giving heart, they are willing to go the extra mile for others. The charity work Ellin does, and Josiah helps her with, was thoughtful and important. I loved the spark between them, the attraction was immediate on both sides, but they are approaching it in such a sensible way. But the kisses are hot, addictive, and the connection that they formed a long time ago, in their teens, sparks up again, and feelings step in, feelings either one of them are not expecting, or ready for.
This was a heartwarming story, filled with cheer, joy, caring and love
~ Four Spoons

My patrons will love this cute little story. They will appreciate the fact that it is a simple romance without over-the-top sexual touching,, etc. I will highly recommend it to them. Thank you for sharing this title on NetGalley. NetGalley has become an important tool for helping me find new materials for our library.

A light hearted story about a bah humbug billionaire and a wonderfully giving young lady. I enjoyed this book.

McClone delivered some beautiful Christmas magic with this one! A sweet, heartwarming tale that will put you in the mood for the Holidays and remind you of what's really important in life.

The Bar V5 Ranch near Marietta is the scene of many a Christmas romance between a veritable Scrooge and Christmas lover and most of the books have been cute and fun. This time it's Josiah, the original workaholic, and Ellie, the best friend's little sister. There is plenty of angst but so much love in this book. It pulls you in and shines strong on every page.

Ellie works in "housekeeping" at the Bar V5 but what that really means is she is making money to help her work for ill children and their siblings. Her brother was terminally ill and her experiences as a child have forged a strong, giving, optimistic woman. Christmas is a time for hope and Ellie wants to make it magical for the children she works with.

Josiah is just a wee bit of a workaholic. His 80 hour weeks and constant work with little to no play have all but destroyed his health when he almost dies from a cut - or rather from a dangerous infection as the result of a cut left untended. He is furious over his forced holiday and scared that his Board of Directors is trying to force him out of the company he founded. He is most decidedly not having a merry Christmas.

Until he and Ellie come together with a bit of mistletoe. Suddenly, Ellie is helping him to do other things and take it easy so he can recover and Josiah is helping her with her work with children and giving her advice for getting donations for her work. In a very understated way the mutual help evokes a "Gift of the Magi" vibe that works beautifully within the context of the story.

The magic of the season and the gift of love can change anyone and so once again at Christmas, the Bar V5 Ranch sees another Scrooge bite the dust. This was a wonderful addition to the Bar V5 Ranch series and the Marietta Christmas books and is a stand out in this years crop.

Another fab read from Melissa Mc Clone this book is so well written it will make your heart melt.

Ellie Smith is 25 years old she lives in the charming small town of Marietta. She also works there as well as cleaner at Bar V5. Ellie loves everything about Christmas she goes all out for the festive period.

When Ellie meets the handsome suave Josiah Whittaker. He use too live in Marietta. He worked at. Whit -Tech as the CEO. One thing you need to no about him is that he hates Christmas with a passion and doesn't get why anyone would love it.

Is it Fate that brought these two together or is the magic of Christmas finally weaving its way in too Josiah Heart.

This is such a sweet and beautiful romance. I found it incredibly moving, even a bit sad in parts. A great one that will excite and delight you and bring festiveness out in us all.

4 Out Of 5 Hearts From Cariad Books

"A Christmas Homecoming" by Melissa McClone is book five in the "Bar V5 Ranch". This is Ellie Smith and Josiah Whittaker's story.

Josiah is a billionaire who is staying at the Bar V5 dude ranch to recover from a serious illness. Josiah is a work a workaholic. He has a hard time slowing down, but he needs to in order to recover.

Josiah was friends with Ellie's brother, but they haven't seen each other in years. With Ellie working at Bar V5 ranch she and Josiah get reacquainted. They both immediately feel an attraction for each other. Ellie and Josiah are not looking for a relationship. Will they give into this attraction?

Josiah doesn't like Christmas and Ellie wants to help him love Christmas again. The author does a great job of describing how the ranch is decorated for Christmas and the scenery. It feels like Christmas.

The author also incorporates difficult things that people may experience in life. This is a sweet and clean romance.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley/Tule Publishing for an honest review.
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This was my first introduction to Melissa McClone and the Bar 5 ranch, and now I can't wait to pick up her other stories set at the Montana ranch! Funny, lighthearted and endearing, I appreciated the development of the relationship between grumpy Josiah and warm-hearted, cheery Ellie.

A sweet, feel-good Christmas romance set in Marietta, Montana.

I think the real star of this love story here is Buck's Place, the organization run by our heroine Ellie (named after her brother), aimed at helping children whose siblings have some type of long term/chronic illness. Having had a terminally ill brother meant her parents had less time to devote to her and her needs. Buck's Place is somewhere these siblings could go for the kind of attention they need but may not get, participate in activities they may not be able to otherwise, get counseling, mentoring, etc.

And it's the thread that binds Ellie with Josiah, Buck's best high school buddy.

Josiah who left Marietta, Montana, started his own business and became a billionaire. A health scare has landed Josiah back in Marietta for recovery and recuperation....at the gentle hands of Buck's younger sister, Ellie.

Christmas provides the backdrop for their budding romance, making full use of the magic and love that inevitably defines the season. Sweet and magical...Christmas romance at its best.