Hardworking Isabelle Cook has a serious problem. Her family farm, site of Tilikum’s Christmas Village, is in trouble. Big trouble. And worst of all? The man trying to buy it is none other than the grumpiest, grinchiest man of them all—Elias Stoneheart.
That’s a big nope. She’s not letting him get involved. Not with his heart made of coal.
Elias Stoneheart is in the business of making money, not friends. Especially when his boss is promising a long-awaited promotion. All he has to do is convince one struggling family to sell their farm.
The problem? It’s Cook Family Farm. And Isabelle Cook is his ex.
He might have history with Isabelle, but this is just business. A Christmas-loving farm girl is not going to come between him and his ambition.
And Christmas? He hates it. Christmas Village needs to go.
But as Elias spends time in the small town, holiday spirit—and Isabelle—get under his skin. And she might be the only one who can melt the ice around his heart.
Author’s Note: a sassy farm girl takes on a grumpy businessman in this stand-alone, snowy, small-town Christmas romance. Saucy banter, a guard donkey, plenty of holiday cheer, and a heartwarming happily ever after that will make you believe in the magic of Christmas.
My Review
This holiday romance was very cliche and had all the holiday things. However, the characters should have hooked me to the story, and they didn’t. I was more interested in his secretary and her disabled child than the main characters. I enjoyed the read, but it felt like reading thru a sappy holiday movie that you were more rolling your eyes at than enjoying. The author did a fantastic job with the cover of this book; it made me want to read this story. I was expecting more humor and banter; I didn’t get that in this book; there was some, but it faded off quickly. But it was a sweet opposite attract, enemies to lovers, mid-life, holiday, second chance romance.
Elias has his sight set on a job promotion but to do that; he needs to secure land for a new data center for his company. He is associated with the target landowner and thinks he can get this deal done. He is grumpy, cold-hearted, and a workaholic.
Isabelle is a small-town farm girl living on her family’s farm and helping them with the Christmas tree farm and holiday village. She is committed to keeping this sinking ship afloat, but I admire her pride. She is stubborn, dedicated, and determined. Intriguingly, she has a history with Elias.
Wow, their banter is like a knife fight. The memories seem to haunt him, but his grinch heart is getting cracks as he is exposed to the meaning of Christmas. I love that we get the history from his pov. This book gets steamy. Elias’s change of heart, or at least the thawing of his heart, might be a Christmas miracle.
Elias gets a wake-up call about his past and looks at his future. Will this change his decisions or help him sort his feelings? The epilogue and ending of this book are fantastic. I think they were my favorite part of the book.
If you want to read How the Grump Saved Christmas by Clarie Kingsley, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite, I earn on qualifying purchases.
If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories Mid-life, Enemies to Lovers, and Holiday.
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