★★★★

A Family for Christmas is the first book in the Little Shops on Heart Street series by Viv Royce. It is a wonderful Christmas story about new beginnings, courage, love and kindness, and I enjoyed it so much! I read it on Christmas day, and I am so happy I did! Huge thank you to the author, who suggested this book to me during a random Twitter conversation, as well as Netgalley and the publisher Entangled Publishing, LLC for granting me an ARC copy of this book.

Synopsis:

Emma Miller recently moved to the quiet town of Wood Creek, opening her business and selling chocolates and bonbons to the residents. One day, a small her stops by her shop with a very unique request, and Emma is so intrigued. The little girl needs chocolates for her dad that will make him fall in love with her teacher. Emma can’t deny this little girl and of course, she complies. Little does she know, when Casey’s charming dad comes to the shop to find the creator of the chocolates, they will get on quite well. But she has to remind herself to be careful. After all, she knows that as soon as she gets attached to people, they tend to leave.

The pilot Grant Galloway is surprised by his daughter’s surprise, and he is even more curious about the lady that made these chocolates. After his wife passed away, he is still picking up the pieces of his broken heart. And Wood Creek is only a temporary stop for him and Casey. As soon as he finds a day piloting job, he will move away. He cannot allow to start anything new, especially not now, before the holidays.

Thanks to some Christmas wishes, though, these two might discover that their carefully laid plans are about to change.

My Thoughts:

Reading this book at Christmas day added a special Christmas magic to it, and I finished it within a few hours. I loved the story, and I loved the characters. There is something about small towns that I miss now that I live in a big city. The kindness of the people, and the closeness. I used to find it intrusive that people knew everything about you, but these days, I find it very comforting, especially when people tend to alienate more and more each day.

The little town is beautiful, and Emma’s shop was described so well. I could almost see and taste her amazing chocolate creations. And same goes with Grant’s family business and the town fair that they were organising and decorating, right before Christmas.

I am always looking around for a romance novel, and I enjoyed Grant and Emma’s story. It wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to, but the book was quite short, and I think it was due to that. I still loved their little moments as well.

My favorite character has to be Casey. After knowing what I know, I can see how brave it was for her to come into Emma’s shop and ask for that favour. And that just says how much her dad’s happiness means for her. She is so selfless and kind, and oh so brave. Especially with the other surprise that she plans for her dad.

If you are looking for a lovely Christmas romance during your Christmas or winter holidays – grab this book. It has everything – the lovely town and lovely people, a family atmosphere, a lovely romance and a Christmas miracle magic in the end with a perfect happy ending. I am so glad I read this!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

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