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Texas Hold’em #2
Betting on Santa (Texas Hold'em)
THE ODDS ARE ALWAYS AGAINST HER ...
But this time Tessa Jamison isn't leaving River Bluff, Texas, until she finds what she came for: the father of her sister's two-year-old son. And the stand-in Santa at the local church bazaar could be the man she's looking for.
Cole Lawry seems an unlikely candidate for instant daddy. What's more, the divorced ex-businessman and consummate poker player insists he's not a father --- never has been, never plans to be. Until Tessa calls his bluff.
Which means gambling everything she's got. Including her heart.
But this time Tessa Jamison isn't leaving River Bluff, Texas, until she finds what she came for: the father of her sister's two-year-old son. And the stand-in Santa at the local church bazaar could be the man she's looking for.
Cole Lawry seems an unlikely candidate for instant daddy. What's more, the divorced ex-businessman and consummate poker player insists he's not a father --- never has been, never plans to be. Until Tessa calls his bluff.
Which means gambling everything she's got. Including her heart.
280 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
About the author
Debra Salonen
97 books209 followers- Born and raised in Brookings, South Dakota. Youngest of five (much youngest). A Baby Boomer who married her high school sweetheart (our lockers were side-by-side). Mother of two, grandmother of three darling princesses, dog mother of 2.5 mutts.
- Graduate of South Dakota State University with a Master’s degree in Geography and History.
- Job history: taxi driver, flax seed counter, cartographer, rural mail carrier, substitute teacher, secretary/community liaison for Merced College’s Child Development Center, bookkeeper, journalist, author.
- First sale story: June, 1999, to Harlequin Superromance. Total number of books sold to Harlequin =27.
- Honors and awards: Romantic Times BOOKreviews, 2006 Series Storyteller of the Year. Winner: Best Superromance of 2010: Until He Met Rachel. Nominated for Desert Quill in 2008.
- First book published by Tule Press, summer 2014: Cowgirl Come Home. The Big Sky Mavericks series opens Aug. 2014 with: Nobody's Cowboy.
- Graduate of South Dakota State University with a Master’s degree in Geography and History.
- Job history: taxi driver, flax seed counter, cartographer, rural mail carrier, substitute teacher, secretary/community liaison for Merced College’s Child Development Center, bookkeeper, journalist, author.
- First sale story: June, 1999, to Harlequin Superromance. Total number of books sold to Harlequin =27.
- Honors and awards: Romantic Times BOOKreviews, 2006 Series Storyteller of the Year. Winner: Best Superromance of 2010: Until He Met Rachel. Nominated for Desert Quill in 2008.
- First book published by Tule Press, summer 2014: Cowgirl Come Home. The Big Sky Mavericks series opens Aug. 2014 with: Nobody's Cowboy.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 15, 2026
A feelgood, small-town and family-oriented story, Good Luck Santa, made me smile from the moment where Tessa Jamieson met Cole Lowry, who was playing Santa as a favour for his mother. Tessa’s sister Sunny is in a coma in hospital and she’s on a mission to find the father of Sunny’s two year-old son Joey. Cole is first on her list of possible suslects and despite it not taking long for her to more-or-less discount him, he teams up with her to seek out the others.
Tessa had it hard as a child and has worked hard to make a success of her business. She wants nothing more than comfort and security for herself and her family, something she measures by the wealth and possessions she didn’t have growing up. She is also fiercely protective of her sister, their slightly flaky mother and little Joey.
Cole married, accumulated wealth as a real estate salesman then lost it in a bad investment then lost his materialistic wife. These days, he’s happy working as a carpenter, finishing off the house that he’d intended to be his marital home, and enjoying the company of his friends and family. His ambition has dwindled to very little, making him completely ineligible as a boyfriend or anything else in Tessa’s eyes despite the spark of attraction she feels.
I loved watching the family dynamic in play as the story unfolded. These characters are all so easy to like and it was impossible not to cheer for Tessa and Cole as they worked through their differences. Thois really is a warm and inclusive read and is perfect for snuggling up with if you need a pick-me-up or a read to give you the warm fuzzies.
Tessa had it hard as a child and has worked hard to make a success of her business. She wants nothing more than comfort and security for herself and her family, something she measures by the wealth and possessions she didn’t have growing up. She is also fiercely protective of her sister, their slightly flaky mother and little Joey.
Cole married, accumulated wealth as a real estate salesman then lost it in a bad investment then lost his materialistic wife. These days, he’s happy working as a carpenter, finishing off the house that he’d intended to be his marital home, and enjoying the company of his friends and family. His ambition has dwindled to very little, making him completely ineligible as a boyfriend or anything else in Tessa’s eyes despite the spark of attraction she feels.
I loved watching the family dynamic in play as the story unfolded. These characters are all so easy to like and it was impossible not to cheer for Tessa and Cole as they worked through their differences. Thois really is a warm and inclusive read and is perfect for snuggling up with if you need a pick-me-up or a read to give you the warm fuzzies.
April 11, 2026
Good Luck Santa~ Secondhand Hearts #5 by Debra Salonen.
Debra Salonen is one of my all-time favourite authors, and I know I’m always guaranteed a good story whenever she releases a new book.
Good Luck Santa follows the story of Tessa and her little nephew, Joey, whose mum has been in a terrible car accident that has left her in a coma. Determined to help Joey, Tessa sets out to find his father, using clues from her sister Sunny’s diary.
One name in the diary—Colt—doesn’t even remember being involved, but he still steps up to help Tessa on her journey. Together, they search for answers, but will they find Joey’s dad?
This is an incredible story that truly pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. As always, Debra’s writing is engaging, emotional, and beautifully done.
I highly recommend this book, along with the other four in the Secondhand Hearts series.
Debra Salonen is one of my all-time favourite authors, and I know I’m always guaranteed a good story whenever she releases a new book.
Good Luck Santa follows the story of Tessa and her little nephew, Joey, whose mum has been in a terrible car accident that has left her in a coma. Determined to help Joey, Tessa sets out to find his father, using clues from her sister Sunny’s diary.
One name in the diary—Colt—doesn’t even remember being involved, but he still steps up to help Tessa on her journey. Together, they search for answers, but will they find Joey’s dad?
This is an incredible story that truly pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. As always, Debra’s writing is engaging, emotional, and beautifully done.
I highly recommend this book, along with the other four in the Secondhand Hearts series.
April 2, 2026
Good Luck Santa is an interesting twist on finding a baby's father. As the result of an accident eleven months prior, Tessa's sister Sunny has been in a coma. Tessa is searching for Sunny's son's father using Sunny's diary for clues. Tessa thought that maybe Cole would turn out to be Joey's dad but Cole says that is impossible. I was really invested in these characters and enjoyed watching the attraction between Tessa and Cole develop as he tried to help her uncover Joey's dad. The entire scenario is believable. I really felt sorry for Tessa and her mother since they had so little information and had been taking turns sitting with Sunny for all those months. I really enjoyed how Ms. Salonen tied everything together and wrote a very satisfying conclusion to this well written romance.
November 21, 2018
The insta-love in this one wasn't as nauseating as in others, but I still thought it was just okay. This was a quick and easy read. A little bit of family drama, a little bit of sexy times. I think that it flowed fine and the plot was believable I don't really know what else to say. I don't feel like it was a waste of my time, but it's not on a new favorites list.
Reread? Probably not.
Challenges:
2018 Goodreads Challenge
Reread? Probably not.
Challenges:
2018 Goodreads Challenge
December 7, 2014
A very nice, but not particularly noteworthy holiday romance. I enjoyed it, but my only complaint would be that the characters weren't especially memorable...nothing really "stood out" about them. Otherwise, a pleasant little read.
August 10, 2009
Betting On Santa
Debra Salonen
Harlequin Super Romance
273 pages
copyright: 2007
isbn: 0-373-71452-1
Debra Salonen
Harlequin Super Romance
273 pages
copyright: 2007
isbn: 0-373-71452-1
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews