by Katie Ruggle
Blurb:
When
firefighter and single dad Steve Springfield moved his four kids to a Colorado
Christmas tree ranch, he intended for it to be a safe haven. But he never
expected danger to follow them to his childhood home...
Or
that he would come face-to-face with the one girl he could never forget.
Folk
artist Camille Brandt lives a quiet life. As the town's resident eccentric,
she's used to being lonely--until Steve freaking Springfield changes
everything. Brave and kind, he's always had a piece of her heart, and it
doesn't take long before she's in danger of falling for him and his
rambunctious kids. But as mysterious fires break out across the sleepy Colorado
town, Steve and Camille will have to fight if they want their happy family to
survive until Christmas...
Themes: Contemporary,
Holiday
Rating: 3.5 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Well
anyone that has read any of my reviews has probably noticed I am not really a
kid person, so a story where there are 4 kids in the mix didn’t really jump out
at me as a big draw, but seriously… a Colorado Christmas Tree
farmer/fire-fighter cannot be resisted forever, especially during the
holidays. So here we are, and I can say
that this story is a bit misleading in only the best of ways. This story has some weird twists and turns,
awkward characters that are a bit heartwarming, and a few loose plot strings
that made me crazy in the end, but as a beginning to a new series it was solid
enough. I kind of loved the
awkward and shy Camille and it was obvious she was a perfect character to blend
with Steve’s mostly adult kids—yeah that was a twist. These were not your normal kids in any way
shape or form folks, so don’t be expecting little girls playing with dolls or
little boys wanting to play video games all day. Steve has come home after some
mysterious circumstances in his previous town, which to be honest I’m still
unsure about even after the story ended, and has settled his family on his childhood family Christmas tree ranch, meanwhile volunteering as a firefighter in his free time
since he can’t do it as a fulltime job anymore.
On his first day he runs into the intriguingly shy Camille and every
time he runs into her she draws him in more and more. Soon he finds himself wanting her in a way
that he never imagined he’d want a woman after his wife passed away, and surprisingly
his children have all developed an instant connection with her. She seems to blend seamlessly with their
unconventional family, and when tragedy strikes and she needs a place to stay
it make sense for her to move right in for the holidays. I liked Camille’s character, her babbling and
geekiness reminding me a lot of my own interactions with men, but you can see
that she understands each of Steve’s unique children in a way that no one else
could and her attraction to Steve is incontrovertible. Steve was the perfect hero, with a little bit
of his own quirkiness thrown in here and there, and he obviously loves both his
family and Camille once she worms her way into his heart. I liked the story, but the ending was way too
abrupt and left way to many questions in my mind. I’m kind of hoping that the next in the
series might fill in a few of the gaps, but it’s a solid beginning. Not a bad way to ring in the holiday season
if you like a quirky story about a woman finding her footing in a family of
equally unique characters and a man that finally finds that woman that
completes his family and makes them all truly whole. Happy Holidays all!
*ebook provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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