Christmas on Mistletoe Lane by Annie Rains

Christmas is coming to 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?

Series: Sweetwater Springs #1 | Publisher: Forever | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5

Challenges Read For:  Literary Pickers: Quilt

 

How could I resist a charming Christmas romance about two stubborn strangers inheriting a small town inn?

 

When Kaitlyn inherits her grandparent’s small town inn, she finds it to be the perfect solution after losing her job until she realizes that she only owns half the inn and her co-owner does not intend to become an innkeeper. Mitch has no desire to stay in his hometown but Kaitlyn is making it nearly impossible to leave. Now he finds himself stuck between the promise he once made and the woman who has intrigued him.

 

I really liked Mitch and Kaitlyn and I really enjoyed them together. They’re both damaged and they’ve been carrying it around for a bit so when they inherit the inn they both view it as something different. She sees it as her comfort zone and a place to start over; he sees it as a reminder of the mistake he made in his past and he’s desperate to escape. Little by little, they start to trust each other and allow themselves to act on their attraction. Although Mitch still has some things to figure out before he’s willing to fully commit.

 

Mixed in is a cast of fun secondary characters, a tad bit of a mystery, and a whole lot of Christmas cheer.

 

Okay, so this sort of reminded me of a cross between the Inn BoonsBoro series (Nora Roberts) and Inn Love (the Hallmark movie series) but set at Christmas with a broody hero. While it could have felt a little overdone, I thought this one still had a fun freshness to it.

 

If I loved the book, why the 3.5 rating? She kept using ‘marine’ instead of ‘Marine’ when referring to Mitch.

 

Overall, the book was good and I find myself eager to see if Paris is going to get a story of his own, but using ‘marine’ nearly ruined it.

 

 

This book also includes a bonus short story "Midnight Clear" by Hope Ramsay, which was released as an e-book in 2015. You can read my review of that HERE.

Christmas 2018