High Plains Holiday

Love on the High Plains #1

by Simone Beaudelaire

Garden City, Kansas, 1888. A small Western town receives an early Christmas a new pastor for the church.

He is young, handsome, and single. But to church organist Kristina Heitschmidt, Reverend Cody Williams is nothing but trouble. Especially as his first move is trying to take control of the music away from her. But Kristina is not about to give up her life’s work.

With Christmas fast approaching, it appears the two are at a stalemate. That is, until a sudden blizzard traps them together in the church overnight. Forced at last to deal with each other, they realize that the explosive feelings between them are really symptoms of an overwhelming passion that just might lead to the love of a lifetime.

This Amazon Romance Bestseller includes explicit sex scenes.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Westerns, Historical Fiction, Christmas, Historical, Holiday

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2014

About the author

Hello, I am Simone Beaudelaire, romance enthusiast, freelance proofreader, and novice author.
In real life, I'm a wife, mother, and full time high school French teacher, which doesn't leave me a lot of time for my hobby. Of course, that hasn't stopped me yet.
I hope I can connect with other readers of romance (and other genres. I love to read, and through my beta reading group, I have recommendations in all different categories.)

Reviews

[Lisa C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read that laid the ground work for subsequent books in the series. There was humor, tragedy, romance, jealousy.

The good: Kristina wasn't the typical spoiled weak female and Cody wasn't perfect. He was actually pretty funny with some of his thoughts and bungling. I thought it was cute how he got the information for his wedding night. He was extremely patient and understanding and the fact he was in the same situation as his bride was refreshing.

The not so good: Some unbelievable situations made me not take it too seriously. I really enjoy good descriptives in a story since it makes the reader feel involved, but this one had too many.I didn't really need to know what every piece of furniture was like in Kristina's house. The train scenario felt forced just so there could be some drama. We never learn why the pipe organ was so over the top for a simple, small town church.There were a few missing words that didn't distract from the story.

Although it didn't have any bearing on my rating, there was graphic sex numerous times that was completely unexpected. Not tacky or sleazy, just unexpected.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The male lead first thought when he saw the female lead was that she looked like a bulldog 🙃

[Amanda Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

High Plains Holiday is a very sweet, western romance with a bit of steam by Simone Beaudelaire. Church organist Kristina is surprised by how handsome and young the new pastor is. She knows she isn't pretty enough to catch a man and is fine living as a spinster when she has her music. Imagine her shock when the new pastor pays attention to her and wants to direct the music himself.
Cody is a young pastor who wants to fit into his new town. He wants Kristina and her father, an elder, to embrace his friendship. Cody is surprised that Kristina is upset at his controlling the music and the choir and he wants to make it right with her.
When trapped together in a blizzard, alone, the only way to save their reputations is to marry. Will these two seemingly opposites attract?
Kristina and Cody are very sweet together. And there are some steamy scenes between them. This is a good read that is really enjoyable. Loved the characters and the side characters, too.

[Monta · Rating 1 out of 5]

SMUTTY with sermons?

Though this is about a PASTOR, it has enough description of the birds and the bees to rival secular fiction. Other than that,a sweet whirlwind romance… just had to skip a few pages!

[Carrie Elks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of historical romances, but Simone Beaudelaire has changed my mind. Everything about this book reeled me in. The characterisations were perfect. I loved Kristina--a freckled redhead who is handsome, rather than beautiful, yet her kindness and determination are enough to win the interest of the town's handsome new Pastor, Cody Williams. The story charts their rocky beginnings, where Cody interferes in Kristina's musical arrangements in church, thus earning her wrath, all the way up to the shock ending when the two of them come close to losing everything.

I loved every word. The story is hot and sweet in equal measure, and made me long for a more simple time when family and a single room house were things to be thankful for. Though part of a series, this story is a stand alone and has a very fulfilling ending. Five stars from me.

[The Good Fairy Nicci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was adorable. Simply adorable. I'm not a religious person. While there were a lot of religious overtones (how could there not be when the main protagonist is a pastor) I at least didn't feel as if I were being preached at or that the author was using her novel as a platform to launch her own beliefs. It felt natural, simply part of the characters in a small little town.

I live in a small little town in Texas and I was reminded greatly of many of my neighbors.

I laughed. Cody was witty and handsome, a sweetheart. His conflicts with Katrina made me giggle.

Katrina doesn't think so highly of herself, she doesn't feel beautiful, but two lines in this story sums up the entirety of this novel for me: "I'm not beautiful. I'm not even pretty." "Your spirit is beautiful."
Lovely, likeable characters, a fun and entertaining story. I can't wait for the next installment.

[Jennifer Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never normally read historical romance.. I made an exception with this.. and so happy I did..A beautiful story of love that is so gentle and sweet.. A story of two very strong and vibrant personalities..that finally come together..I loved the way the book was written in the third person.. the points of view between Cody and Kristina occur in turn.. with little passages by other characters..Simone Beaudelaire WTG girl will follow you from now on...I can highly recommend this book.. Looking forward to Reading more from this author

[Lisa Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweeping tale of love gentle and sweet. Of two strong personalities that come together in a storm and find their missing parts. A lovely book for the coming season and beyond

[Cori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I finished this book was because it is short, but it was a struggle.

[Joni Martins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review

Basic Details:
Book Title: High Plains Holiday
Subtitle: (Love on the High Plains #1)
Author: Simone Beaudelaire
Genre: Historical Romance
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 1
Best read after earlier books in series?
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
Overall score:
I scored this book 5/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
A new pastor comes to town after the elders have needed to do that service themselves for a while. He is young and handsome and the young ladies in town are interested.
Not so Kristina, a talented pianist who returned home when her mother died to look after her father. Her dreams of becoming a concert pianist now over, she is the church pianist and choir director.
After initial clashes, a spark flies when Cody and Kristina are locked in the church together. A steamy romance in a historic setting with the right amount of suspense too.
What I liked about the book:
It is action-packed, steamy, and well-written.
What I didn’t like about the book:
I really enjoyed this book.
My favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
My least favourite bits in the book:
Perhaps the fact the book ended. What happens next?
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
The title suggests this is the first book in a series.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This book is slightly different from normal historic romance stories in that it is quite steamy.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children No
Young Adult Yes
Adult Yes

If you like your books full of romance, this book may be the book for you.
I’m certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.
Book Description by Author:
Garden City, Kansas, 1888.

A small Western town receives an early Christmas present: a new pastor for the church. He is young, handsome, and single.

To church organist Kristina Heitschmidt, Reverend Cody Williams is nothing but trouble, especially as his first move is trying to take control of the music away from her.

But Kristina is not about to give up her life’s work. With Christmas fast approaching, it appears the two are at a stalemate - until a sudden blizzard traps them together in the church overnight.

Forced at last to deal with each other, they realize that the explosive feelings between them are really symptoms of an overwhelming passion that just might lead to the love of a lifetime.

This western romance includes explicit sex scenes.
Praise from readers:

★★★★★ - "The story of Cody and Kristina was terrific... Simone Beaudelaire's writing is captivating. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series."

★★★★★ - "This was a really great book. It explored the beginning of a historical marriage in a unique and sexy way. The writing was top notch and the characters will live on with me."

★★★★★ - "I really enjoyed this sweet, steamy romance."
About the Author:
Hello, I am Simone Beaudelaire, romance enthusiast, freelance proofreader, and novice author.
In real life, I'm a wife, mother, and full time high school French teacher, which doesn't leave me a lot of time for my hobby. Of course, that hasn't stopped me yet.
I hope I can connect with other readers of romance (and other genres. I love to read, and through my beta reading group, I have recommendations in all different categories.)

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is unintentionally funny.

When the male main character (Cody, I think?) meets Kristina, he thinks that she looks like a bulldog, and says so (to himself) a few times.

Then decides that she actually doesn’t look so bad when she smiles, because smiling makes her look more like a puppy.

Then, when he proposes to her later, he tells her that he still wants to marry her in spite of her red hair and freckles.

Like, what? Lol, WTF.

The story takes place in the Midwest, where there is no shortage of people with that coloring, yet it’s portrayed in the book as something foreign.

I think the author was trying to show Cody’s growth, like what a great guy he is for still wanting to marry an ugly woman.

And then in the book, Kristina is portrayed as unattractive “for being tall, due to her German heritage.”

So not only do we have freckles and red hair framed as a tragic affliction, but now “being tall (because German)” is treated like she’s some mythical giantess stomping across the plains.

Meanwhile… in the Midwest:

German heritage? Extremely common.
Tall farm girls? Also not exactly shocking.
People with red hair and freckles? A common sight.

It almost reads like the author picked traits out of a hat and decided: “Aha, this will make her an outcast!”

But in that setting, it just feels absurd. Like if someone wrote: “She was cursed with the shame of wearing blue jeans in Texas.”

It makes me think the author was trying so hard to create an “ugly duckling” heroine that she ignored the cultural and geographic reality of the setting.

And in the book, he’s all, and I’m paraphrasing, “As I am more drawn to her personality, I don’t see her bulldog face anymore.”

And then he tells Kristina that while her neighbor Ilse is beautiful, she has an ugly soul (true. Ilse is a pretty heinous character). But then he adds, “But you, on the other hand, have a beautiful soul. And that matters more than a pretty face.”

WTF!

He should just might as well say, “Ilse is hot, but rotten inside. You, my bulldog-pug-faced darling, have a great soul, and that compensates for the rest.”

The irony is, the book thinks it’s profound, like it’s teaching us that inner beauty matters more than outer beauty. But what it’s really doing is:

1) Reinforcing the idea that the heroine is unattractive (the author keeps hammering it in).

2) Framing Cody’s willingness to “overlook it” as evidence of his noble heart.

3) Giving the heroine crumbs and calling it love.

And the sex scenes are explicit but boring. How’s that even possible? Lol. They actually make the book worse. I’ve read romances where everything happened off-page, but the actual love stories moved me to tears.

All in all, two stars because it was still readable.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is winter in 1888 Kansas when Reverend Cody Williams arrives from Galveston. He is stunned by the cold; he's underdressed for the weather. The church organist Kristina Heitschmidt sees him as trouble because he wants to take over the church's music. The church's music is Kristina's passion.

Cody is young, single, and handsome. His arrival causes a buzz in the community. The problems between Cody and Kristina are settled during a blizzard when they are caught in the weather. Cody realizes at once that they are both compromised by staying together overnight. Cody asks Kristina to marry him. This is where I began to have problems. Kristina has lived her whole life knowing she would never marry (she's Amazon-tall and full of freckles). However, she turns on a dime and accepts Cody's marriage offer. Rather quickly, they turn passionate. They decide to marry in a few days because Cody admits that he would have a challenge staying away from Kristina for a long engagement.

My gripe with this book is that it took approximately 133 pages to get to the wedding and the remaining 80 pages are almost nonstop issues of intimacy between the H and h. That seems excessive. It seemed that the author was titillating her readers under the guise of establishing intimacy within a Christian couple. Frankly, I was disappointed.

Love On the High Plains – Total of 4
** 1. High Plains Holiday (2018)
2. High Plains Promise (2018)

[Sarah B White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love story

A new pastor comes to town. He immediately steps on the toes of the church's organist and music director by changing the music she had selected for his first Sunday service. He also announced that he would select all music for services and take over all directing of the choir. That did not go over well with the former music director.

The former music director went to the home of a friend who had drowned to offer condolences to the family. An ice storm began and even though she left as soon as the storm was noticed, she was walking and got colder and colder as the ice froze on her coat. She became disoriented and ended up at the church and lost consciousness and fell against the door. The pastor was inside the church and heard the thump and opened the door and found her unconscious. He placed her in front of a wood stove in the church sanctuary and got an angel robe from the storage room and had her change from the wet clothing. Because of the storm the pastor and the music director were not able to get home so spent the night in front of the heater.

Fearing the reaction of the church members who might assume that he had compromised her, the pastor asked her father for her in marriage. The marriage took place the following week.

I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the next. book in the series.

[Sherry Sharpnack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really thought this book was going to be a sweet little holiday romance story w/ a Christian twist. Cody is a young pastor who moves to Garden City,Kansas, in the late 1880’s. Kristina is the church musician, who is excessively aggravated when Cody mistakenly thinks he’s “helping her out” by taking over the musical duties. We all know they’re gonna fall in love and live HOA.

So what I didn’t expect was that they would end up getting married to avoid a “scandal” precipitated by a blizzard (pun intended) approximately 30% of the way into the book. Huh? Shouldn’t the book END w/ Kristina saving the Christmas cantata and then falling in love with, and marrying, Cody?

I also didn’t expect SO much of the story to involve — ahem — DETAILED descriptions of Cody’s and Kristina’s physical intimacy. Oh. My. Goodness. I did NOT need the detail to get the gist of what newlyweds do w/ each other...

Another love story was sort of thrown in, and the story ends abruptly after the most exciting event in the book. The author rather clumsily sets us up to want to read Book #2, w/ this second love story. If you are expecting more graphic sex, it’s already there in the sample chapter of Book #2 thrown in at the end.

So much for expecting a sweet little Christian Christmas story.

[Sara Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. The story moved smoothly and kept my interest. I was worried the congregation would be overly judgy, and while there was some, overall, they were more loving and accepting. There is also a second storyline, and I love the theme of second chances, especially during the holidays. This book does get very steamy, very quickly towards the end. I was not expecting it. I also did not see the ending coming.

Due to the time of year, I had to listen to this in chunks, and I had a really hard time putting it down. If this was any other time of year, I would have easily listened to this in one sitting.

Abigail Anders has an amazing voice. Her voices and emotions were perfect. Her performance was spectacular. I went to try and find more books narrated by her. Currently, this is the only one. I anxiously await more.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.

[Shweta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointment, sigh. This is not my first book that contains deeper religious connections, and I dont mind them one bit. In fact, Merchant's daughter by Melanie Dickerson is one of my favorite adaptation of Beauty and the beast! I love that book but this fell short on me on multiple accounts. Firstly, the characters were likable from the start but nothing to write home about. My biggest issue with the book was it went back and forth between something too pure and religious to something too lewd at the same time! Firstly, it could work if there is enough character growth and balance of plot, and even with that its hard to pull of. I guess what I am saying is, if the book is going to be more religiously inclined then may be make it more clean romance with better emotional connection between characters or dont make it religious and make it as sensual as you want. That balance was way of on this one! I didnt feel connected to characters or plot. Wont read more in the series.

[Dana Redding · Rating 3 out of 5]

High Plains Holiday

First I thought this was a Christian story. I was rejecting at the thought.
A new preacher comes to town from Texas to a cold winter freezing town.
The church is beautiful, and there’s an organ. A woman who plays and he thinks it’s an older woman, but when he notices her he knows she’s a young woman. She has not beauty in the face but beauty in her soul. He pretty much thinks her as a puppy. Anyway they become friends and he learns to depend on her. A storm leaves her turning up at the church nearly frozen to death, he warms her up, keeping it modest. When the morning comes her father and friends find her snuggled up with the new preacher. They wed, and things get personal. We didn’t need to hear about the personal performances, but we did.

This would have been a great book without any of it.

[Richard Skorupski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the heck out of this story. Ms. Baudelaire spins a tale like a master. It is easy to get lost in the story. The characters are authentic, and the world she creates is real. I could live there.
Why the four stars? Some of the interactions between some people were far too graphic for my tastes. I'm no prude; after twenty-one years in the Navy, I have seen, read, or heard almost every steamy description. I just don't care for it. Mixing steam in a Christian novel, I think, is in poor taste. If Ms. Beaudelaire had used the 1950s black and white film style (fade to black when things got hot), this would have been one of my top ten favorite stories.
In my opinion, the story would have been better without the steam. Because of it, I will not read #2.

[Summer Donnelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s not a bad book, fairly typical of its kind. New minister. Church organist. Throw them together and a romance blooms.

Except it didn’t, really. There was no internal wistfulness. No longing. No anticipation. That’s my favorite part of a romance. The emotional pull. But in fact, he finds her homely ( a polite term for ugly) when he first meets her.

And the subtitle of the book I received promised - no it *guaranteed* steam! This book was pretty much steam-less. Probably too much to label it sweet but it’s a whole lotta sweet followed by some minor steam.

I read it on vacation. Not interested in reading the rest of the series.

[The Written · Rating 1 out of 5]

Female Lead looks like a “bulldog” - REALLY! DO NOT RECOMMEND

I stopped reading this when the author describes from the male leads point of view that the female lead was not attractive and looked like a “bulldog” and when she smiled she looked like a “puppy”. Simone Beaudelaire you can shove this crap back where it came from. There is no way that the author redeems this because the physical attributes she describes are not something that is going to miraculously change. This is no swan story. I don’t know why I’m surprised as you can see from my reviews the large majority of all of the fast fiction I’ve read for free on Kindle Unlimited is garbage.

[therese tripi-schwalbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a western love story!

Kristina plays the organ at church and leads the choir. Then comes the new minister who wants to take over the choir! Kristina is devastated by this. Being a spinster and not very pretty the choir and playing music in church is her purpose in life. Now enter divine intervention! Cody and Kristina get snowed in overnight in the church. To save their reputations they get married! Will they live happily ever after? You will have to read the book to find out.

[Melanie Atchley Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah!

First, I chose 5 stars because the author is so talented. This was a literate, well-thought story plot. The second reason I gave this book 5 stars is because not everyone can seamlessly weave explicit encounters into a seamless story about Christians and their faith. Well, after all, Christians do it too. I don't usually like preaching stories, but this is an earthy Christian historical romance. The historical detail and the verbal exchanges between the characters seemed so honest and refreshing. Non-hypocritical is a good word for this wonderful novel. I am impressed.

[Lara Chabot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awkward for me…

This is the love story of a pastor. Being catholic, it was strange to me to have a man of the cloth fall in love and marry. The whole story is very lovely, Cody being an absolute dear. Kristina is adorable from the inside: nature did not bless her with good looks. Cody somewhat saw beyond her face and has earned himself a true gem. The book ends very abruptly, though: an epilogue of some sort would have tied everything nicely and there are still some typos/words extra or missing.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest and voluntary review.

For those of you who enjoy western love stories, this one is a ringer. This is not a mail-order bride story, but a lovely story about 2 souls that became one. Recommended for being a book I couldn't put down.

[Jill M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen a number of reviews complaining about the sex in this book. It's described as a steamy romance, so you were forewarned.

I enjoyed this story. The religious quotes were sometimes a bit surprising (especially during sex haha) but the couple were religious people and they were married at the time.

All in all, a good read, except for modern vernacular. A little too much description of random furniture and things like that. I would read this author's work again.

[Earlene Click · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cody and Kristina

This is an exciting and adventurous story written by Simone Beaudelaire. She has chosen well with the characters and the plot. You will enjoy finding how they find their happily ever after. I must warn you though it is a very steamy story even if it is about a pastor and his church family.

[Jeanie Womack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new pastor

Christina isn't a traditional beauty, but has a kind heart and dazzling eyes. Gifted with musical ability, she has become the church organist and one of the deacons of the congregation in their small Kansas town. After three years without a minister, A handsome young man arrives to fill the position.
An interesting tale of the west.

[Linda Audette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Love

Just because you are religious does mean you can't love and be loved. This story brought me back to my beginnings and to be young and wait for your person. The struggle to be passionate about your fellow and to be true to your beliefs. Thank you for your grace with these characters and to all those Cody's and Kris's out there young love is tough.

[HAL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written adult romance

Everything started off sweet but 2/3 way through marital sex is described in detail. Cannot recommended this for anyone wanting a sweet, clean romance. It's a shame because overall the plot and characters are delivered in a well written novel. I would try another book by Baudelaire if it was a sweet, clean romance.

[PAMpublish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have to admit this is the first Christian-based plot with explicit sexual content that I've come across. With a rather typical theme and lovely cover, it proved to be beyond edgy for the most of it. Definitely not for everyone who expects a more wholesome and clean story line. However, it did include a warning in its summary.