Accidental Gifts

Castle Mountain Lodge #9

by Elena Aitken

City girl Tess Roger's idea of adventure involves putting cream instead of milk in her coffee, so she has no business consulting on a new adventure park. But when her best friend makes her a deal she can’t refuse, posing as a consultant is exactly what she does. Surely she should be able to fake her way through a meeting or two. How hard could it be?
Max Grant isn’t blind. It’s easy to see that the super sexy, consultant put on his account doesn’t know a thing about adventure activities. He can see after only five minutes of meeting her in Hope Falls that she isn’t who she says she is. But there’s something about her and when the chance to take her back to Castle Mountain Lodge comes up, he can’t resist the opportunity.
Lies have a way of building, and with her feelings for Max growing, Tess can’t keep it up for much longer. But telling the truth could mess everything up including the chance for love.

Accidental Gifts is a standalone novella in Melanie Shawn’s Hope Falls Kindle World. It’s connected to Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn where you first meet Amanda and Justin with Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures. And is also connected to Elena Aitken’s Castle Mountain Lodge Series where you will find many of the characters familiar. It can be read and enjoyed on its own.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

101 pages, ebook

First published June 28, 2016

About the author

Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than forty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins, their two cats and a goofy rescue dog, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after with her very own mountain man.

Read a free novella — https://dl.bookfunnel.com/vxuimdz0j8

Reviews

[Susan Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick easy read, and a sweet book. Clara Clark runs a consultancy business, and her latest client wants advice on setting up an adventure centre at their holiday resort in the Rockies. Only problem is - Clara is going on holiday with her new rich boyfriend. Her friend Tess is currently unemployed, so Clara persuades her to pretend to be Clara, and deal with the client. The trouble is, he is already there, and Tess has not had time to read the information pack. Max realises almost immediately that this is not the Clara Clark he has been speaking to by phone and email, and decides to make her 'enjoy' some of the adrenalin sports she is recommending, recognising that she is a city girl, out of her depth with the great outdoors; hoping that she will ultimately confess who she really is. There are quite a few twists and turns before she does confess, by which time they have become very attracted to each other. Some parts of the story are laugh out loud funny. It is a morality tale - you only get what you want when you tell the truth. A comfortable and enjoyable read for a lazy day.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, the views expressed are my own.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accidental Gifts by Elena Aitken is one of the entries in this round of Hope Falls Kindle Worlds. This is a wonderful love at first sight story that includes mistaken identities, or should I say a character pretending to be somebody else, in the name of friendship. This story begins in Hope Falls but ends at Castle Mountain Lodge. We even get to be reunited with characters from both series.

This was a fun and entertaining story with loveable characters that you want to support and cheer on hoping for that happy ending, while wanting to strangle a couple of others. The characters were well written and complex. The story line was riveting and kept my attention to the very end. I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and had trouble putting this book down, reading it in one day. I highly recommend this book to other readers.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Nancy Stopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accidental Gifts is a novella written in the Hope Falls world but crosses over to author Elena Aitken's Castle Mountain world. It's a story of mistaken identity, with a twist. Rather than being an innocent mistake, it was an intentional deception, but for the best of intentions. I felt for Tess as she fumbled through pretending to be Clara, and laughed along with Max as he figured it out and tried to give her every opportunity to come clean. I love how Tess kept overcoming her fears, first out of loyalty to her friend and then because of her growing feelings for Max. I love how this story crossed over both worlds and the author did a great job of transitioning from one world to the other - a very realistic storyline. A sweet story with a fun premise written in two worlds that I already love.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Phylis Carpenter]

Another great book by Elena Aitken. I received an ARC of Accidental Gifts in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me think what would you do if a friend came to you and asked you to fill in for them so they could do something that was important to them. I would probably help them out. This is what happens here.

Clara and Tess were the best of friends. Clara has a trip she wants to go on so she gets Tess to fill in for her. Clara is a Consultant and she has a client named Maxwell Grant who will be expecting her to help him come up with some new ideas for his companies resort.

Tess has to fill in and make those recommendations. It wouldn't be hard if Tess would have had time to read and review the file but she is out of her element.

I loved the book and think that you will too. Make sure you get your copy today your certainly will not regret it.

[Rhonda Brant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Max and Tess's story. Short, quick romance about a laid off payroll specialist (Tess) who steps in for her best friend (Clara) who is an Adventure business consultant so she can go on a European trip with her new boyfriend, and an guy who works at Castle Mountain Lodge (Max) who has been hired and tasked with creating an Outdoor Adventure area at the Lodge. Clara has Tess pretend to be her so the clients don't know she's skipped town, and that's where the fun begins. This was a light hearted story with some laughs and finds the characters falling in love fairly quickly. Pretty good addition to the series.

I received this ARC book in exchange for an honest review.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like that this book is part of the Hope Falls Kindle World, but I didn't feel lost at all even though I have not yet read any of the books in that series. I also love that it crosses over to the Castle Mountain Lodge series, which I have read and love. The characters are great and the story is well written as is usual with Elena Aitken's books. She has a way of describing the mountains and the Lodge that pulls the reader in and makes them want to take a trip to see the beauty and experience the magic for themselves.

[MaryRhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I am not familiar with Hope Falls series, while I have a couple of the books I have not yet read them. However I am very familiar with the Castle Mountain Lodge series. There are so many reasons why Max and Tess/Clara should not be together, but the magic of Castle Mountain Lodge is alive and well. Great story about opposites attract and the wonderful things they bring to each other. Elena has another hit with this story.

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracy Flick · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great addition to Hope Falls Kindle World. Tess and Max have such great chemistry. You are instantly drawn into their story. Tess, a city girl at heart is helping out her friend by showing Max around Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures. Max knows Tess isn't who she says she is and wants to show her what she is missing. Once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down until you are finished.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story a whole lot. I loved the chemistry between the hero and heroine which I felt made the story believable. Honesty is the best thing because untruths leave you in a tangled mess. It is a Kindle World book so it ties Hope Falls with the Castle Mountain Lodge series.

I received a early copy in exchange of an honest review.

[Betty G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I must start by saying that I liked every single one of Elena's books I've read. But with this one... I don't know what happened to me. I didn't liked it so much. I don't know what I was expecting, but definitely it wasn't this.

Although I must admit that the story itself seemed quite interesting to me.

[Kris Woltzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. Absolutely loved this book. Loved the cross over from Hope Falls to Castle Mountain. Elena did a wonderful job with this story line. Love can blossom even when everyone is not being truthful to the whole extant but are being themselves in every other aspect. If u love romance and adventure u will love this story.

[Melissa Addonizio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an arc reader so i got this as a early reader, i cant even express how much this story is awesome, i love tess story and i been wanting to go zipping lining for a while. I love how this quick story comes together and really is great, keep the amazing work you do Elena. cant wait for the next story

I love being an arc reader i have recommend you to many people

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It moved along at the perfect pace not to fast nor to slow, has characters that you will fall in love with and a story that will not let you down. You will be hooked on this story from the moment that you start reading. This is a must read, for sure.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for a honest review. I found it to be an easy lighthearted and sweet read which I would thoroughly recommend as with any of Elena's book.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT❤️❤️❤️

Loved this book. Max and Tess were amazing together. Her friend, on the other hand was not a great friend. Fortunately Max and Tess found each other and had a wonderful adventure to look forward to in their future.

[Linda Zelinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining and humourous story. Tess is so cute and Max who plays alongwith her.

[Helen campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Castle

Like all of elenas books i enjoyed it totally forgot how good a writer she is this ztory had romance humour and thrills.

[Karen Miracle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

The stories in this collection are fun to read. The characters draw you in and you feel like you are there with them. Love, love, love them.

[Rainbow Unicorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

If i had read the "clean version" rather than the "new and improved steamy version" of this book I might have rated it higher.

[Catherine Ojalvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many books by Elena Aiken,and enjoyed them.Her characters are people you can relate to.Their problems similar to the type the average person could experience.You do have to believe in love at first site and the extremes people will go through to make it come true.In this book,the possibility of love is based on lies.Max is in charge of expanding an adventure program for thr romantic Mountain Lodge Hotel.Tessa is impersonating her friend Clara,a consultant,who has come with a plan to advance the adventure program.Clara convinces Tess she has put all the information she needs for the meeting in a folder,so she can take a vacation with her boyfriend.Tess needs money,so she agrees.Tessa does ot really understand Claras plan and focuses on a zipline program at the local outdoor adventure area.Tess is a city girl and Max is a mountain man,so they are very different.Max challenges Tess to go ziplining with him.Relutantly she does.She surprises herself with hoe exhilarated she feels from ziplining,more alive in a way she never has been.Max invites her to the Castle Mountain Lodge in the Canadian Rockies,so she can experience it herself.Max does not think she knows anything about adventure,so he continues to test her.Tessa actually hikes with him to the site of the proposed zipline.Tessa falls in love with the mountains,and all they have to offer,including Max.Despite the fact that both of them are lying,they try to deny the chemistry between them.They want to see the the best in each other.Over a dinner date,she tells him the truth.Max said he already knew and was playing her to see how far she would go.Even thought,they are both angry and sorry,Tessa,with Max`s help must come up with a proposal for the adventure program for the tough Manager of the Lodge.Thru the story are previous characters from the Lodge series,so there is a sense of continuity and flow to the story.Max and Tessa both understand that love can`t be based on lies.Both realize that some of the best things in life cant be planned,but are accidental.I could see a follow up novel to continue their story.Another good read by Elena!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accidental Gifts is Elena Aitken's addition to the Hope Falls Kindle World. It combines Hope Falls with Castle Mountain Lodge, her own series. Tess Rogers is a sweet inept woman who is swept into her friends' plan. Castle Mountain Lodge is studying the feasibility of adding an adventure area at the resort. Tess is the type that is the least physical she can possibly be where her friend Clara advertises how adventurous she is as part of her job. Clara is chosen to be the consultant but her new boyfriend wants her to go on a trip with him at the same time. She needs the job for her business and pushes Tess into pretending to be Clara, with no time to prepare. Max is representing the Lodge & realizes right away that this can't be Clara.

This is the most hilarious, sweet romance I've read in a while. The characters are lovable & realistic (even though you want to strangle Clara for putting Tess in this position!!). There is an undeniable chemistry between Tess & Max that Max is trying to fight. The story line kept me involved right to the end. I had to see how Tess got out of this mess! My only complaint is that it is too short, which I know it had to be since it's a novella. This is a good entertaining quick read that you will enjoy!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accidental Gifts is Elena Aitken's addition to the Hope Falls Kindle World. It combines Hope Falls with Castle Mountain Lodge, her own series. Tess Rogers is a sweet inept woman who is swept into her friends' plan. Castle Mountain Lodge is studying the feasibility of adding an adventure area at the resort. Tess is the type that is the least physical she can possibly be where her friend Clara advertises how adventurous she is as part of her job. Clara is chosen to be the consultant but her new boyfriend wants her to go on a trip with him at the same time. She needs the job for her business and pushes Tess into pretending to be Clara, with no time to prepare. Max is representing the Lodge & realizes right away that this can't be Clara.

This is the most hilarious, sweet romance I've read in a while. The characters are lovable & realistic (even though you want to strangle Clara for putting Tess in this position!!). There is an undeniable chemistry between Tess & Max that Max is trying to fight. The story line kept me involved right to the end. I had to see how Tess got out of this mess! My only complaint is that it is too short, which I know it had to be since it's a novella. This is a good entertaining quick read that you will enjoy!

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Coral Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

City girl Tess Roger's idea of adventure involves putting cream instead of milk in her coffee, so she has no business consulting on a new adventure park. But when her best friend makes her a deal she can’t refuse, posing as a consultant is exactly what she does. Max Grant isn’t blind. It’s easy to see that the super sexy, consultant put on his account doesn’t know a thing about adventure activities. He can see after only five minutes of meeting her in Hope Falls that she isn’t who she says she is. But there’s something about her and when the chance to take her back to Castle Mountain Lodge comes up, he can’t resist the opportunity. Lies have a way of building, and with her feelings for Max growing, Tess can’t keep it up for much longer. But telling the truth could mess everything up including the chance for love.

Tess is in a desperate situation. She is out of a job and slowly running out of money. Her friend offers her part of the commission if she will pretend to be her and present this business idea to Max. Max is struck by Tess' beauty and personality, but he knows she is lying to him. A great story that blends in several worlds and characters we already know and love.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jimnlori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute and fun book by Elena Aitken!
Tess is put in a very uncomfortable situation when her friend Clara asks her to impersonate her with a very important client while she goes on vacation with her boyfriend.
Tess has no business taking on this client. She knows next to nothing about outdoorsy stuff and prefers being inside while wearing high heals, not sweating or getting dirty, but Clara gives her no choice, besides Tess needs the money.
Max knows immediately that the woman he is meeting in person is not the same one that he has been communicating with via email. She doesn't fit the picture he has of her and she knows very little about the outdoors and the things that Max is looking for, but she piques his interest in more ways than one so he is going to ride this out and see where it goes.
In spite of their noticeable differences they both find each other very interesting and attractive so enjoying each other's company isn't a bad thing, but soon their feelings change to something neither one of them is expecting.

I was given an ARC for an honest review. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

[Sandy Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tess is looking for a job when her friend Clara convinces her to exchange places with her on an consulting job. Clara owns her own consulting firm and is adventurous, but she has a vacation trip planned with her new boyfriend. The catch, Tess is the least adventurous person you could meet. Tess agrees because Clara offers to pay her if she gets the contract signed, and all she has to do is follow the plans already prepared. Sounds easy.....right?

Max decides that Tess needs to come with him to Castle Mountain Lodge and get the full experience of the mountain and lodge before finalizing the plans. Their is an attraction between the two of them, and this is just an excuse to keep them together longer. Tess doesn't feel right posing as her friend as the attraction develops because you can't develop a relationship on lies. What's going to happen when she reveals the truth? Will Max be full of disgust?

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was a fast, funny, sweet read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy all of Elena Aitken’s books and this one is no different. This is a wonderful quick read with delightful characters. It was a fun storyline with a great ending.
The story is about two best friends with one, Clara Clark, who decides to take off with her current boyfriend and leaves the other, Tess Roger, to pretend to be her and pose as a consultant of an adventure company. Of course, she knows nothing about it and is to do a presentation on very short notice. The man she is to do the presentation to is drop dead gorgeous Max Grant who figures out very quickly that Clara is really not who she is pretending to be. So he plays along with the game. Tess does things she never would have done and gets over a lot of her fears. She and Max also have a lot of sparks between the two of them them.

The story takes place in the Hope Falls which crosses over to Castle Mountain Lodge. You can read this book as a standalone. I recommend this book and all the Castle Mountain Lodge series as they are all so good.

I received this book for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accidental Gifts is Elena Aitken's contribution to the Hope Falls Kindle World.

Clara owns her a consulting business but wants to take a trip with her latest boyfriend so she recruits her best friend Tess to meet a client and land the account. Clara sweetens the deal by offering a majority of the commission to Tess, who recently lost her job. There's only one minor problem: Tess really doesn't know anything about outdoor recreational activities! Upon meeting Max, she's determined to land the account and get to know him while keeping her real identity a secret.

Max knows "Clara" isn't Clara the moment they meet. He's intrigued by Tess and decides to play along so he can get to know her. They have some amazing adventures during this ruse.

This was a short sweet novella. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments and all the magic that Castle Lodge usually brings.

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elena Aitken's Accidental Gifts was the perfect afternoon escape. I love a good "opposites attract" story line! While I'm not a fan of deception, I could appreciate Tess' commitment to helping out a friend. I'll be honest, Clara's willingness to throw her friend to the wolves with this job made me question Tess' choice in friends. Still, I enjoyed watching Tess throw herself into the role of Clara, especially since she's nowhere near as adventurous. I loved how Max challenged Tess, and encouraged her to step outside of her comfort zone. Despite their different lifestyles, they had great chemistry. For me, the best relationships are the ones where each person has something new & different to share with their partner! I'd love to be able to read more about this couple's romance & hope there will be more stories at Castle Mountain Lodge!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books in the Kindle Worlds books for the Hope Falls series that you do not want to miss. This author throws in a few twists that are different with a mistaken identity. There is a might pull between Tess and Max as your feeling go out to Tess as she tries so hard to be someone she isn’t. You will chuckle your way through with Max as he works out that Tess isn’t’ Cara and all that does with it. I loved watching Tess grow as a character as she overcomes her fears and learns to take life as it comes. As with all of this authors work this was well written giving you a highly entertaining read you can get lost in. It is short and sweet one read you will not want to miss. This author has become one of my favorite authors very quickly. This is a wonderful great read to a wonderful delightful series.

[Kim Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Tess and Max are great characters and I loved the way it crossed over between Hope Falls and Castle Mountain Lodge. Tess is a city girl who is currently out of work and is roped into impersonating her best friend (who is very adventurous) and interacting with one of her friends most important clients. Max works at Castle Mountain Lodge and is trying to bring new activities to the lodge and hired a consulting firm to help him figure out what would work. When he meets his consultant he soon realizes that she is not the person he hired and decides to help her out of her comfort zone by making her go zip-lining. Well I won't spoil anything, but as Tess and Max start falling for each other, it gets harder and harder for Tess to continue the lie. I received this book as an ARC for an honest review.