Simply Angela : A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers

Clare Morgan is ready for a fresh start when she moves to the small Massachusetts town of Knights Bridge with her young son, Owen. Widowed for six years, Clare settles into her job as the town's new librarian. She appreciates the warm welcome she and Owen receive and truly enjoys getting the library ready for its role in the annual holiday open house.

Clare expects to take it slow with her new life. Then she meets Logan Farrell, a Boston ER doctor in town to help his elderly grandmother settle into assisted living. Slow isn't a word Logan seems to understand. Accustomed to his fast-paced city life, he doesn't plan to stay in Knights Bridge for long. But Daisy Farrell has other ideas and enlists her grandson to decorate her house on the village green one last time. Logan looks to Clare for help. She can go through Daisy's book collection and help him decorate while she's at it.

As Clare and Logan get his grandmother's house ready for the holidays, what neither of them expects to find is an attraction to each other. Better than most, they know all the crazy things that can happen in life, but everything about Knights Bridge and this magical season invites them to open themselves to new possibilities…and new love.

Series: Swift River Valley #5 | Publisher: MIRA | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4.5

Every time I pick up a Swift River Valley romance, it’s like visiting old friends. I just love going back to Knights Bridge and catching up with the residents. The books leave me all warm and fuzzy and A Knights Bridge Christmas is no expectation. Plus, Logan and Clare, cutest couple ever.

Here’s what’s going on: Clare and her six-year-old son Owen are relatively new to Knights Bridge but the residents have accepted them as their own and are eager to look out for them. Clare’s the new librarian and Owen’s quickly making friends and adjusting to small town life.

Logan Farrell is used to his fast-paced life as Boston ER doctor but he’s in Knights Bridge to help his grandmother, Daisy, settle in at Rivendell, an assisted-living facility. When his grandmother asks him to decorate her empty house for Christmas, Logan can’t refuse and he soon enlists the help of the local librarian and her young son.

As the three of them get the Farrell house ready for Christmas, Logan finds himself growing closer to Clare and her son. And, while Clare is slightly hesitant due to how fast her relationship with Logan is progressing, she knows the attraction she’s feeling is something substantial.

A Knights Bridge Christmas is such a cute little Christmas romance with a slight nod to A Christmas Carol.

I really liked Clare and I could really identify with her. Six years ago, her husband died in a car accident and since then she’s become a bit of a worrywart, especially where her son is concerned. Every time Owen does something or goes with someone, Clare automatically worries about what might happen. When Logan shows up, he’s eager to help Clare put her mind at ease and it nice watching Clare allow a bit of adventure back into her and her son’s life.

Logan was really easy to like. He’s kind of unsettled. He has his life in Boston and he’s been fine with that until he arrives back in Knights Bridge. At the start, he’s not really welcomed with open arms and part of that has to do with his impatient attitude. And the Sloan brothers definitely give him a hard time until they discover he’s not as bad as he first seems. When he meets Clare and Owen, and they start to delve into his families past, he discovers he’s finding it harder to leave Knight Bridge.

Logan and Clare was such a cute couple with loads of chemistry. While it had an even feel to it, their relationship was quick to develop, yet it really worked for this book. Although keep in mind, this is a clean romance—there are a few kisses thrown in but the sex scenes happen off the pages.

There is always a secondary story woven into the Swift River Valley series and I truly loved how the story of the Farrell family and the Christmas candle.

This is the fifth book in the Swift River Valley Series. While it does work brilliantly as a standalone, this book takes place at the same time as Echo Lake does as well as Christmas at Carriage Hill.

As an added bonus, this book contains some delicious looking recipes that I will be trying in the near future.

Overall, this was another great addition to my favorite contemporary romance series. The characters were lovable, the plot steady and intriguing, and the book left with a smile on my face. Carla Neggers truly brings small-town charm to life and adds in a splash of something special.

If you only read one Christmas romance, make it A Knights Bridge Christmas.