Home Sweet Christmas by Susan Mallery: Book Review

Home Sweet Christmas is lovely holiday read with plenty of traditions and romance. It is a joyful, entertaining read.

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From The Publisher:

Until Camryn Neff can return to her “real” life in Chicago, she’s in Wishing Tree to care for her twin sisters. She’s not looking for forever love, not here. But handsome hotelier Jake Crane is a temptation she can’t resist, so she suggests they pair up for the season. No golden rings, no broken hearts. At his side, she sees her hometown through Christmas-colored eyes. The cheer is cheerier, the joy more joyful. She thought she had put her future on hold…but maybe her real life was here all along, waiting for her to come home. 

New in town, River Best is charmed by Wishing Tree’s homespun traditions and warmhearted people. When she’s crowned Snow Queen, she’s honored but wary. Dylan Tucker, her king, seems like the stuff of sugarplum dreams, but she can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something big. As they perform their “royal” duties—tasting cookies, lighting trees—Dylan’s good humor and melty kisses draw her to the brink of love. But she can’t let herself fall until she uncovers his secret, even if her lack of faith means losing him forever. 

My Thoughts:

Susan Mallery is one of my auto-read authors. Her ability to combine romance with stories of family is second to none. Home Sweet Christmas is the second book in her Wishing Tree series but can certainly be read as a standalone.

There are two intertwining romance stories told in the book. The first involves Camryn who had a life in Chicago before arriving back in Wishing Tree to care for her twin sisters after the death of their mother. While not interested in finding love, she finds it anyway. Jake is a hometown boy who shows her all the festivity of their hometown.

The second story involves River who is new to Wishing Tree and determined to make new friends. She’s crowned Snow Queen which has her paired with Dylan, this year’s Snow King. As they fulfill their royal duties by attending holiday events, River can’t help but feel there is more to Dylan’s story than what meets the eye. To allow herself to fall for this man, she has to reveal his secret.

I enjoyed the backstories, character development and all the festivity of this holiday book. There are interesting supporting characters and that small-town community feel with businesses with cute Christmas-themed names. Throw in the adoption of a small dog named Tinsel and you have yourself a charming, romantic holiday read.

I listened to the audiobook version of Home Sweet Christmas which was narrated by Tanya Eby. I enjoyed her performance of this book with all the joy and enthusiasm I’ve come to expect from this narrator. Those of you who have listened to Susan Mallery’s books in this format will recognize this narrator.

I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy Romance, Women’s Fiction or Holiday reads.

What I Liked:

• The festive feel to the book with plenty of holiday activities
• The character development and backstories
• The two romances that are featured in the book

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to my local library for allowing me to borrow this audiobook.

Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Susan Mallery:

The Christmas Wedding Guest (Wishing Tree #1)

Happily This Christmas

The Boardwalk Bookshop