Because why not kick off the summer with Christmas romances?
A Christmas Melodie (Catherine Hart) – 2.5 stars
Melodie is a mail order bride on her way out to Colorado, but when she is snowed in with a handsome widower and his four children, she gets rather side-tracked. I found Melodie likable, but the hero David to be rather annoying with how pushy he was. I also didn’t love that a child-free heroine ended up changing her mind merely on a few days acquaintance with these particular children.
Six Little Angels (Betina Krahn) – 4.5 stars
Regina must find homes for six foundlings with the help of her rejected suitor, Max. I loved this semi-second chance romance and how sweet the hero was under his rather priggish exterior. There was a good mix of plot, romance and humor, and I really liked how each child found their perfect adoptive home.
A Match Made in Heaven (Linda Ladd) – 4 stars
Three children try innocently to matchmake between their uncle Chris and Abigail, unaware that they were engaged before being torn apart by the American Civil War. I enjoyed this sweet second-chance romance that also explored in a realistic and interesting way how relationships were destroyed by the rift between the North and the South during the Civil War. I also found the children to be adorable and enjoyed their matchmaking efforts.
Candle in the Snow (Barbara Dawson Smith) – 3 stars
When Chelsea’s husband Sean returns from America after six years, she’s astonished, for she had thought him dead – and the last time they were together, they had an explosive argument that might have ended their relationship forever. Yet another second-chance romance – this seems to be a pattern! Though the story was sweet, it felt oddly insubstantial, and the process of Chelsea and Sean’s reconciliation felt somewhat rushed.
Silent Night, Starry Night (Katherine Sutcliffe) – 3.5 stars
Anna, the widow of a bank robber, never wants anything to do with criminals again – so when an injured outlaw lands himself on her doorstep, she faces quite the dilemma. This was a sweet and poignant read about two damaged people coming together with a great deal of hope. However, I felt the conclusion was rushed, and that we did not get much of a sense of who Steve, beyond someone who was terribly downtrodden.
