Annie Rains

USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains invites you to the delightful North Carolina town of Sweetwater Springs in this all-new series . . . 'Tis the season for a fresh start . . . It's the start of the holiday season in the North Carolina mountains, and the air is fresh and crisp and filled with promise. After the devastating loss of her job in the big city, the small town of Sweetwater Springs feels like heaven to Kaitlyn Russo. She's inherited her grandparents' charming (if a little rundown) bed and breakfast, and it's just the new lease on life she needs. Only "heaven" comes with a catch-and a handsome and completely infuriating one at that. After what he hopes will be a quick trip, Mitch Hargrove wants nothing more than to put his hometown in the rearview mirror. But his plans get derailed when he learns he's now half-owner of the Sweetwater B&B. The fact that he's given only two months to make the inn a success is a huge problem, but it's his pretty-and incredibly headstrong-partner who's the real challenge. With the holiday fast approaching and a grand re-opening looming, will Mitch keep running from the ghosts of Christmas past . . . or will he realize the true gift he's been given?

Two stories for the price of one

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane

Briar's Reviews

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Christmas on Mistletoe Lane was an absolute GEM!

I was craving some Christmas-y goodness during the back to school blues, and this book hit the spot! Annie Rains has written one super cute novel that is a definite must read for romance lovers! Especially if you love those Hallmark Christmas movies like I do!

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane is a soft, sweet novel that moves at a fast enough pace to leave the reader breathless. It's a PG-13 novel (suggestive sex, no sexy scenes) that is packed full of romance, angst and Christmas delights! There's also some lovely side plots that give it the Christmas magic we all need (ex. Helping out an ill woman so her family can have a Christmas).

The kooky cast of characters were chalked full of hilarity - The Krespos, Paris (a biker Santa), Kaitlyn and Mitch are just some of the wonderful characters I fell in love with. Annie made them all lovable AND realistic. Each character had their own flaws, but they weren't depressing. The fact that I could easily read this book and see it totally happening in real life was awesome! It felt real enough and left me hooked to every page.

Let's get down to business here: Kaitlyn used to live in New York and be a fabulous Interior Designer. When a famous man ruins her career and shatters her, she returns to Mistletoe Lane to her Grandmother's old bed and breakfast. Her Grandmother recently passed away and left the ownership to her and a former marine, Mitch Hargrove. They work together to get the business back up and running, and slowly fall in love... Obviously, her Grandmother had more in mind for her than she realized! 

This matchmaker side of the story was actually really cute! Sure, it's a trope that is used often but Annie used it well! There were so many little hints along the way that pushed these two lovebirds together, and I'm so glad this book ended WITHOUT a cliffhanger. The story felt finished, but I'm sure Annie will be able to continue their story in part in the sequels. 

I really enjoyed this book. Mitch was a "broken" man who slowly finds his way back to his home town (and into a new job, post-Marines). On the other hand, Kaitlyn was a strong-willed woman who's working on getting stronger. Having these two together, bumping heads a bit, was a fun story! I definitely want to read more by Annie Rains in the future, especially this series! She makes a story full of ups and downs, but still utterly positive!

Five out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Jolie

When I saw that Annie Rains was coming out with a new book, I knew that I had to read it. But I wasn’t expecting to get approved for the review. So, when I saw the email from NetGalley stating that I got approved, I was happy and excited to read this book.

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane is one of those books that will make you smile while reading it. Kaitlyn’s enthusiasm for running her late grandmother’s bed and breakfast was catching. I found myself getting excited with her when Mitch said he would stick around for the terms of the will. I laughed when she was coming up with names for each room. It was a happy book.

There were some sad parts. There were also parts that made me mad. The reason Kaitlyn lost her job made me furious. I wanted to go smack that guy so bad. I kept thinking to myself “The Me Too movement would have a field day with that guy AND her ex-employer.” I also wanted to shake her mother when Kaitlyn finally told her what was going on. I did say out loud “Are you freaking serious!!!” The other sad part was the reason Mitch didn’t want to be anywhere near Sweetwater. When he explained to Kaitlyn what happened, I felt awful for him. But, when everything came out, I got mad. Talk about abuse of power.

The romance between Mitch and Kaitlyn was cute. I like how it played out as it would in real life. I have read too many romances where the problems of the main character went away as soon as they hooked up. Kaitlyn and Mitch had very real problems. It made the book so much more enjoyable to read for me.

Mitch and Kaitlyn had some serious sexual chemistry going on between them. Even the other characters noticed it. Which made for some pretty interesting conversations…lol. What I liked about this book is that while they had sex, it wasn’t the main focus of the book. The author didn’t waste any time on it. They went to bed at the end of one chapter and woke up rumpled the beginning of the other one. That meant I had to use my imagination for the sex scenes.

I had a connection to both Kaitlyn and Mitch. I understood why they acted the way they did. I understood why Kaitlyn needed to make this bed and breakfast work. I also understood why Mitch didn’t want to be in Sweetwater any longer than he had to be.

The secondary characters made this book shine. Each character had their own personality and brought a bit of oomph to the plotline. I enjoyed the antics of the first guests at the bed and breakfast. I liked Paris (and hope that he has a book soon!!). I also liked Chris and Nate. What Kaitlyn did for them was amazing. If only more people did that.

The end of the book is a tear-jerker. I will admit that I cried during it. Let’s say that everything was wrapped up in a way that I loved. And the epilogue. It was everything that I hoped for and more.

What I liked about Christmas on Mistletoe Lane:

A) Book made me smile

B) Kaitlyn and Mitch’s romance

C) The secondary characters

What I disliked about Christmas on Mistletoe Lane:

A) What happened to Kaitlyn

B) What happened to Mitch

C) How Kaitlyn’s mother responded to what Kaitlyn told her

I gave Christmas on Mistletoe Lane a 4-star rating. This was a well written, cute romance. I had a smile the entire time I read the book. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the book that would affect my rating.

I would give Christmas on Mistletoe Lane an Adult rating. There is sex, not explicit. There is some mild violence. There is mild language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Christmas on Mistletoe Lane. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Christmas on Mistletoe Lane.

All opinions stated in this review of Christmas on Mistletoe Lane are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Christmas on Mistletoe Lane Two stories for the price of one

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