Publisher: Bookouture

All I Want for Christmas

by Jenny Hale
Published by Bookouture on October 6, 2016
Genres: Adult, Christmas, Contemporary
Pages: 233
Format: eARC

Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book • Goodreads

Christmas comes once a year . . . But true love comes once in a lifetime.

Snowflakes are falling, there’s carol singing on every corner, and Leah Evans is preparing for a family Christmas at her grandmother’s majestic plantation house in Virginia. It won’t be the same now that her beloved Nan is gone, but when Leah discovers she has inherited the mansion, she knows she can give her daughter Sadie the childhood of her dreams.

But there’s a catch. Leah must split the house with a man called David Forester. Leah hasn’t heard that name in a long time. Not since they were kids, when Davey was always there to catch her.

Now David is all grown up. He’s gorgeous, successful, and certain of one thing: Leah should sell him her half of the house.

They can’t agree, but as they share memories over wine by the log fire, Leah notices a fluttering in her stomach. And by the look in his eyes, he’s starting to feel it too.

Will it be Leah or David who must give up their dreams? Or, with a little bit of Christmas magic, will they finally understand Nan’s advice to them both about living life without regrets … and take a chance on true love?

This book is absolute Christmas perfection. Clean, with characters who value family, and a dreamy Virginia historic home as the setting. Grab a mug of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies, then settle in to read a tale that will tug at your heart strings.

Leah heads to her grandmother’s plantation to strike a deal and face her grief. What she finds is that her “Nan” knew exactly how to pull together all the loose ends and create a holiday miracle. There are family secrets, childhood memories and renovations to tackle. The characters were wonderful. I haven’t read a book that made me cry in quite a while. This was the perfect mix of feel good relationships, the sights, smells and messages of the season. Highly recommend!

Author Bio

When I graduated college, one of my friends said, “Look out for this one; she’s going to be an author one day.” Despite being an avid reader and a natural storyteller, it wasn’t until that very moment that the idea of writing novels occurred to me.

Sometimes our friends can see the things that we can’t.

While I didn’t start straight away, that comment sowed a seed and several years, two children, and hundreds of thousands of words later, I completed a novel that I felt was worthy of publication. The result is Coming Home for Christmas, a heart-warming story about friends, family, and the magic of love at Christmas.

The rest is history.

When I’m not writing, I’m a mother of two boys and a wife to a very supportive husband.