Saturday, April 6, 2024

*Review* The Christmas Keeper by Jenn McKinlay

 

Genre: Holiday Romance
Published: October 29, 2019
Pages: 318


True love and holiday cheer combine for an unforgettable romance in this second Happily Ever After novel featuring a North Carolina bookstore from the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Ones.

All he wants for Christmas…

The second Joaquin Solis saw Savannah Wilson, he knew she was destined to be his wife. Unfortunately, Savannah’s sights are set on a happily-ever-after of another kind: skewering the boss who got her fired. Until then, she won’t act on the scorching sexual chemistry that is brewing between them, leaving Joaquin scrambling to find a way to capture her heart. 

When the opportunity arises to use his ranch to boost Savannah's publicity career, Joaquin doesn’t hesitate to invite her into his world at Shadow Pines and woo her with all of his Christmas loving mojo. It’s a gamble since the holidays aren’t really Savannah's thing and helping her might also mean losing her as she plans to shake the dust off of their quaint town in North Carolina and head back to New York City the first chance she gets. 

But Joaquin believes in the magic of Christmas and he knows with a little help from his friends at the Happily Ever After Bookstore, he can convince the woman of his dreams that he’s a keeper…


I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program. This is my honest review. 

This was a fairly standard holiday romance. Big city girl in a small town being shown the true meaning of Christmas by a local yokel. There were several happy coincidences that made this possible. Considering how adamant Savy was about not falling for Quino, those coincidences made the story feel a bit more realistic overall. Not that that sheer number of coincidences throwing Savy and Quino together was realistic, but they helped the development of the relationship feel realistic. 

This tale features filling in for Santa and his elf, ice skating, a wagon ride through the snow, and trying to save a small local bookstore from closing. Seriously, it's all the elements you need for a typical Hallmark Christmas movie. And it served the cheese in spades. 

My one complaint is that I have some seriously mixed feelings about the ending. I was all set to be happy with the direction it took, but then it veered off course. It's not bad, but I really liked where I thought it was going. 

Overall I give The Christmas Keeper 4.1783 out of 5 stars. - Katie 




Jenn is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. She is also the winner of the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for romantic comedy and the Fresh Fiction award for best cozy mystery. A TEDx speaker, she is always happy to talk books, writing, reading, and the creative process to anyone who cares to listen. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband's guitars.

Visit her website at: www.jennmckinlay.com

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Facebook: JennMcKinlayAuthor

Instagram: @mckinlayjenn

Twitter: @JennMcKinlay

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