Christmas With the Sheriff
Victoria James
Series: Shadow Creek, Montana (#1)
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published on November 6, 2016

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)

After fleeing her beloved small town five years ago, Julia Bailey is back to spend Christmas with her family. Returning is hard, but keeping the devastating secret about her late husband is even harder. Her place isn't in Big Sky Country any longer...but the more time she spends with the irresistible Sheriff who saved her once before, and his adorable little daughter, the more Julia starts wishing she could let go of the past and start a new life.

Single dad and county Sheriff Chase Donovan had been secretly in love with his best friend's wife for years. But after her traumatic loss he knew Julia needed to get away from Shadow Creek, even though helping her leave was the last thing he wanted to do. Now she's home and he doesn't intend to lose her a second time. Chase is going to prove to Julia just how good they can be together this Christmas...and forever.

My Thoughts

Netgalley provided this copy in exchange for a honest review.

You know when you're in a bit of a slump and struggling to find a book that holds your interest. But, you don't know what kind of book you want to read? That was me... until I picked this book up. THis was such an endearing, sweet, romantic, perfect Christmas read. I read the entire book in one sitting. I tried to put it down and go to sleep, but I couldn't and ended up picking it back up 10 minutes later and finishing it. It was just exactly what I want in a Christmas book.

Christmas With the Sheriff is a classic friends to love story, but with a twist. Julia has gone through a huge loss, and her late husband's best friend Chase was the one there to help her pick up the pieces. Now, I don't know if it is because Julia's family looked exactly like mine does, but I cried my way through quite a few bits of this book. I wasn't expecting to be hit so emotionally, but I really felt Julia's pain deeply. So, if you are a fairly sensitive person... I would not recommend beginning this book in public. 

Now, can we talk about this couple. They were just so sweet. Chase knew what he wanted. He's been in love with Julia for a long time, and he was determined to win her.. but only if she was ready to be won. I loved that he didn't push her too hard. He wanted her, but he loved her too much to push for more than she was ready for. If anything, I'd have to say he was too perfect. But then, I don't mind that one bit when I'm reading a Christmas romance.

My only complaint, is that I would have liked to see more of the side characters that are going to make this series. You get little bits of them, enough to see that everyone is very close and supportive. But, I wanted to really get a feel of those relationships. The community was so charming, and a perfect set up for a small town romance series, but I wanted to see more.

Overall, I'd highly suggest this book to anyone looking for a sweet Christmas romance. It was a quick, adorable, and enjoyable read. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Review: A Rogue to Avoid by Bianca Blythe

A Rogue to Avoid
Bianca Blythe
Series: Matchmaking for Wallflowers #2
Published: September 20, 2016
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)
A Scottish scoundrel…
Gerard Highgate, Marquess of Rockport and the ton’s most aloof rake, knows better than to wed an Englishwoman, especially one as prickly as Lady Cordelia. But when his mother dies and he finds himself saddled with her debts, he needs a wife and he needs one fast. 

An exacting Englishwoman…
Lady Cordelia knows that hastiness in husband hunting leads to mistakes. But when she visits an aristocrat to warn that his life might be in danger, he misinterprets her suggestion to flee to Scotland. 

An unexpected elopement…
Most elopements are born of love, not misunderstanding. Cordelia and Gerard have already broken that rule, but perhaps they can still make their marriage one of love.

My Thoughts:

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book features uptight and proper Lady Cordelia and Scottish rogue Gerard Highgate. These two cannot stand each other at the beginning. Lady Cordelia blames Highgate for ruining her and making her undesirable, and Highgate is facing some hardships with her father. However, a bit of miscommunication leads to these two deciding to elope for conveinence sake, no love between them. I found the concept for the book to be fun and enjoyable. I blew through it quickly because the plot kept moving along at a quick pace. There wasn't much sitting and waiting happening in this book. I guess my big complaint with the book was the couple. These 2 hated each other. I was really looking forward to a nice slowburn romance. But, it felt like all of the sudden they went from mutual dislike to unable to keep their hads off each other. I felt as if I'd missed an important middle part in there. and I didn't see where the attraction was coming from. I did really enjoy the humor throughout the book. There were quite a few parts that actually made me giggle out loud. Highgate had an especially great humor, and I found I enjoyed hima s a character quite a bit. I have not read the previous books in this series, and I was able to follow along easily. However, I think I would recommend reading the previous books first. While this works as a standalone, I think knowing a bit more about the background information that was alluded throughout the book would have made the experience more enjoyable. This series is definitely tied together, not just the smae world. There are events discussed and characters encountered from the previous books. If you are looking for quick read that is romantic, cute, and not too heavy. You will enjoy this book. It was very enjoyable as a whole.