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The Christmas Cottage #1
The Christmas Cottage
Lacey Quinn does not believe in happily-ever-after or the legend of the Christmas Cottage. But her best friend does, and she's the one getting married. It's Lacey's job to make sure everything at the cottage is perfect for the newlyweds. Instead, she finds herself snowed in with the best man, and she begins to wonder if fairy tales really can come true.
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2012
261 people are currently reading
1115 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Chase
141 books2,355 followersSamantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than seventy titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
December 26, 2017
Lacey has had a crush on her best friends brother since she was 14. That would be the same time she professed her feelings and was rebuffed. Ugh! Since then she has avoided him. Now years later they are forced to be together at her friend’s wedding.
Although the story is a bit predictable I loved it! The comfort of a happy ending is like eating chocolate. I know what it will taste like but I love the comfort. 😊
Although the story is a bit predictable I loved it! The comfort of a happy ending is like eating chocolate. I know what it will taste like but I love the comfort. 😊
September 12, 2017
Favorite Quotes:
Ava shot her a sharp glance. ‘A girl only gets married once,’ she said emphatically before adding, ‘Hopefully.’
Mason doesn’t want to wait. He’s thirty-two, and apparently his biological clock is ticking.
My Review:
The Christmas Cottage was a quick, sweet, and satisfying read with relatable characters and amusing visuals. Lacey’s best friend Ava had always been a bit of a drama llama, although in planning her upcoming wedding Ava has turned into Bridezilla. Part of Lacey’s maid of honor duties included preparing the family mountain cottage for Ava’s wedding night, which as family tradition dictated, was to take place on Christmas Eve. Lacey was hanging tough trying to appease the high-strung bride to be, but near her wits end when Ava informed her that her brother Ean would be returning for the wedding. Ean being the object of Lacey’s unrequited teenage crush and the unfortunate participant of the most humiliating moment of Lacey’s life, she had thrown herself at him at the age of fourteen to his abject horror. Oops. Lacey had successfully avoided running into him for twelve years, but her luck has just run out. The storyline was light and entertaining and tame enough to recommend to my elderly mother’s book club.
Ava shot her a sharp glance. ‘A girl only gets married once,’ she said emphatically before adding, ‘Hopefully.’
Mason doesn’t want to wait. He’s thirty-two, and apparently his biological clock is ticking.
My Review:
The Christmas Cottage was a quick, sweet, and satisfying read with relatable characters and amusing visuals. Lacey’s best friend Ava had always been a bit of a drama llama, although in planning her upcoming wedding Ava has turned into Bridezilla. Part of Lacey’s maid of honor duties included preparing the family mountain cottage for Ava’s wedding night, which as family tradition dictated, was to take place on Christmas Eve. Lacey was hanging tough trying to appease the high-strung bride to be, but near her wits end when Ava informed her that her brother Ean would be returning for the wedding. Ean being the object of Lacey’s unrequited teenage crush and the unfortunate participant of the most humiliating moment of Lacey’s life, she had thrown herself at him at the age of fourteen to his abject horror. Oops. Lacey had successfully avoided running into him for twelve years, but her luck has just run out. The storyline was light and entertaining and tame enough to recommend to my elderly mother’s book club.
December 20, 2020
This short holiday romance was a surprise delight! I randomly found it in the Audible Plus catalog and had a lot of fun listening. Long lost friends to lovers plus BFF’s brother tropes plus CHRISTMAS
December 25, 2017
Well, this was a sweet story that made me smile and I'm happy I read it. Falling in love at Christmas time always makes for a happy romance. However, the book could use some more thorough editing. The story needs to be worked through a little more and the timeline. For me, that is why it's a three star book rather than a four. Overall I liked it and I'll probably read Ever After, book 2 in the series. Happy reading!!
December 19, 2019
I know this will be too sugary sweet for some but I liked it. No time to write more since I recorded the Hallmark movie version of this book last night and I need to go watch that now!
December 15, 2019
This book was definitely a page-turner! Enjoying more of the Christmas spirit.
June 11, 2019
This was an okay Christmas romance. It was predictable, but had cute moments and it was an easy listen.
Lacey has liked her best friend's older brother Ian since she was a teenager. She told him how she felt and was shut down. Since then, she's avoided him like the plague, but when her friend gets married, she has to face Ian again. I had hoped the part where Lacey and Ian were trapped together in the cottage would last longer, I like that plot line. Lacey's friend was kind of annoying, she was rude to Lacey when she found out she liked Ian and then was wishy washy about getting married.
Overall it was kind of sweet and the narrator did a fine job.
Lacey has liked her best friend's older brother Ian since she was a teenager. She told him how she felt and was shut down. Since then, she's avoided him like the plague, but when her friend gets married, she has to face Ian again. I had hoped the part where Lacey and Ian were trapped together in the cottage would last longer, I like that plot line. Lacey's friend was kind of annoying, she was rude to Lacey when she found out she liked Ian and then was wishy washy about getting married.
Overall it was kind of sweet and the narrator did a fine job.
December 22, 2012
This is definitely a lesson on not judging a book by it's cover. I loved this story. It had a strong emotional appeal, believable characters (although the MC's best friend was a little over the top), a good voice, and a well structured plot. This is a five star story! I'm impressed with the story. Grammatical errors and missing words repeatedly pulled me out of the story and I still read it in a day. I was that interested, and I never lost my emotional connection to the characters and their journey. That being said, this was a five star story, but a three star book. Editing matters.
I will probably read Samantha Chase again provided her next work is at a similar price point, but I think she would be a favorite author if this book had been properly edited. Consider this Beth's plea to the self published writer. Hire a freelance editor. If you can't afford it, don't publish until you can. It sucks. I know, but it's life. And take the time to upload a proper cover image. It's in your best interest.
I will probably read Samantha Chase again provided her next work is at a similar price point, but I think she would be a favorite author if this book had been properly edited. Consider this Beth's plea to the self published writer. Hire a freelance editor. If you can't afford it, don't publish until you can. It sucks. I know, but it's life. And take the time to upload a proper cover image. It's in your best interest.
did-not-finish
November 23, 2020DNF @ 50%
I’ve tried to trudge through this book, but Ava is the most immature heroine I’ve read in a long time and the narrator’s treatment of her voice makes it a million times worse. And how many times is everyone going to gently kiss anyway? Pick some new words.
I’ve tried to trudge through this book, but Ava is the most immature heroine I’ve read in a long time and the narrator’s treatment of her voice makes it a million times worse. And how many times is everyone going to gently kiss anyway? Pick some new words.
December 28, 2023
This was a nice little Christmas romance that could have been a bit better if not for a bit of an ick factor that kept me from being fully on board with the romance. Lacey and Ava have been best friends forever, and Lacey has been in love with Ean, Ava's older brother for almost as long. No big deal here. Younger girls "fall in love" with older boys all the time. But this story begins with a flashback to right before Ean leaves for college as an 18 year-old. Lacey is 14, and she makes a very 14 year-old girl sort of decision when she decides to declare her eternal love to Ean and throw in a kiss for good measure. Ean does what any 18 year-old young man with half a brain should do in a situation like this. He rejects her. Lacey is devastated, and she holds onto a giant grudge against Ean for the next 14 years. I get it. Young hearts feel deeply, and Lacey was humiliated. I can see why she might want to avoid him at all costs.
But fast forward to the present. Lucy is now 26 and Ean is 30. They haven't seen each other at all since the kissing incident, but now Ava is getting ready to be married, and she has grand plans for her wedding night which will be at a family Christmas cottage which is rumored to guarantee a lifetime of love for those who start their lives together in the cottage. Ava has a million plans for getting the cottage ready for her wedding, and she wants Lacey, her maid of honor, and Ean, her fiance's best man, to make it happen. Lacey wants to avoid Ean at all costs, so she heads up to the cottage early to get the decorating done. But Ean heads to his family home early as well, looking for a reprieve from his busy Boston life. He sees someone in the cottage, goes to investigate in a blizzard, and finds Lacey. They get snowed in and have to spend time together where they finally talk about that fateful day so many years ago.
And that's where things get a bit weird ...
It turns out that Ean has been thinking about Lacey ever since that day. See, he really kind of wanted Lacey to kiss him. He liked the kiss. He thought she was a beautiful 14 year-old. And he has regretted how things ended all those years ago. I could have run with the regret for how he reacted to Lacey's kiss. He could have been a bit more diplomatic in his rejection. But to spend time as a thirty year-old man pondering how he had been attracted to his sister's bff was a bit icky. Surely, as a 30 year-old man he could recognize how horribly wrong it would have been for him to pursue any sort of romantic relationship with a 14 year-old, no matter how mature she might be. It was weird.
But, when you take out the weird flashback pondering, there is a nice reconciliation between Ean and Lacey. They make sense as a couple, and now they can actually do something about it. The biggest hurdle in this story is that they live so far apart, making any sort of long term relationship impractical. They have a comfortable relationship, and it seems as if they make each other better when they are together. The problem is that they go from 0-100 in this relationship. I can see why knowing each other as youth could be a catalyst to the beginning of deeper relationship as adults, but to jump headfirst into love and then ... well, I won't spoil anything, but I'll just say that the speed of this relationship and the finale was ridiculous. Too much. I liked this story. I did. I can see why Hallmark would be drawn to it. But it didn't quite hit the mark. It was too much, too fast. I did end up liking the story, but I feel like with a little more character development it could have been even better. I'll give it three stars. I liked it.
But fast forward to the present. Lucy is now 26 and Ean is 30. They haven't seen each other at all since the kissing incident, but now Ava is getting ready to be married, and she has grand plans for her wedding night which will be at a family Christmas cottage which is rumored to guarantee a lifetime of love for those who start their lives together in the cottage. Ava has a million plans for getting the cottage ready for her wedding, and she wants Lacey, her maid of honor, and Ean, her fiance's best man, to make it happen. Lacey wants to avoid Ean at all costs, so she heads up to the cottage early to get the decorating done. But Ean heads to his family home early as well, looking for a reprieve from his busy Boston life. He sees someone in the cottage, goes to investigate in a blizzard, and finds Lacey. They get snowed in and have to spend time together where they finally talk about that fateful day so many years ago.
And that's where things get a bit weird ...
It turns out that Ean has been thinking about Lacey ever since that day. See, he really kind of wanted Lacey to kiss him. He liked the kiss. He thought she was a beautiful 14 year-old. And he has regretted how things ended all those years ago. I could have run with the regret for how he reacted to Lacey's kiss. He could have been a bit more diplomatic in his rejection. But to spend time as a thirty year-old man pondering how he had been attracted to his sister's bff was a bit icky. Surely, as a 30 year-old man he could recognize how horribly wrong it would have been for him to pursue any sort of romantic relationship with a 14 year-old, no matter how mature she might be. It was weird.
But, when you take out the weird flashback pondering, there is a nice reconciliation between Ean and Lacey. They make sense as a couple, and now they can actually do something about it. The biggest hurdle in this story is that they live so far apart, making any sort of long term relationship impractical. They have a comfortable relationship, and it seems as if they make each other better when they are together. The problem is that they go from 0-100 in this relationship. I can see why knowing each other as youth could be a catalyst to the beginning of deeper relationship as adults, but to jump headfirst into love and then ... well, I won't spoil anything, but I'll just say that the speed of this relationship and the finale was ridiculous. Too much. I liked this story. I did. I can see why Hallmark would be drawn to it. But it didn't quite hit the mark. It was too much, too fast. I did end up liking the story, but I feel like with a little more character development it could have been even better. I'll give it three stars. I liked it.
January 12, 2018
The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase
Narrated by Stephanie Willis
Christmas Romance. Can stand alone.
I love a good corny Christmas novel. And I love Christmas movies. And I love reading books and then watching the movie after! So when I saw The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase was a Hallmark movie as well, I was so excited! After all, I really liked the Passionflix one, and I have loved the Hallmark Christmas movies I had seen. Let me start by talking about the book.
Lacey is an interior designer, and as maid of honor for her life-long best friend Ava, her job is to get The Christmas Cottage ready for her. The cottage has been in Ava’s house for generations, and legend says that a couple who spends the night together there will have true love forever. Ava is Bridezilla, providing Lacey with a binder of things she wanted done in the cottage, so Lacey decided to scope it out a few weeks before.
Ean is the best man, and Ava’s brother. Lacey humiliated herself at age 14 when she threw herself at him, and has avoided him in the 12 years since. He is supposed to help with the cottage but lives out of town and isn't supposed to return until close to the wedding. But he decided to come to the mountain cottage. You can guess what happens, right?
I’m not going to tell you, but it’s a Christmas book, if you read them at all, you know what happens in winter cottages.
It was a decent story. Nothing special or memorable. Ava was a crazy person, accusing Lacey of stealing the magic from the cottage and she was planning to marry someone thinking that the magic in the cottage would fix all of her problems. The book felt very superficial. There was no real emotion, no scrooge foreclosing on a house, nobody dying, no adoption, not even a dog, and all the sex behind closed doors. It was ok, but not a book I totally loved.
The Narration:
Stephanie Willis did a great job with the narration. Her voice fit the character, she spoke at a good pace, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen her more.
The Hallmark Movie
Wait, was that really based on the book? They changed SO MUCH about the story for this movie, that if it weren’t for the names and the fact that I JUST read the book the day before, I don’t think I would have realized that I had even read the book. The movie was also not up to regular emotional hallmark standards. I figure if they changed that much about it, they would add some emotion, but they didn’t.
The Down & Dirty:
The Christmas Cottage was an OK, sweet, safe, non-emotional Christmas story. I can say the same about the movie. But if you like watching movies made from books and hope that they retain as much as possible, I think you should veer away from this. I would say it was “loosely based” on the original story by Samantha Chase.
Rating (for both book and movie): 2.75 stars, 1 Heat, 5 narration
Purchase The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase
January 26, 2021
I'm not sure how the person who wrote the Hallmark movie The Christmas Cottage got it from this book, because they're dramatically different. However, both book and movie are good in their own ways. In the book, Lacey Quinn had a mad crush on her best friend's older brother, but when Ean Callahan rejected her, she's never gotten over it (which, honestly, seems pretty extreme to me, but I'm not a character in a romance novel). They do get stuck overnight in his family's legendary Christmas Cottage, but in the book, it's got one room (and one bed), and our protagonist couple do things that they can't do on Hallmark (not explicitly, but they do more than sleep). While the characters over-dramatic-ness gets to me (the bride in the book is a total bridezilla), it's still a pretty solid story.
December 13, 2014
I enjoyed it.
This book is surprisingly good, despite the cover that personally to me, not that interesting. The story itself is kind of cliche, but who doesn't love cliche?
Lacey has to decorate the cottage for her best friend's wedding. She the maid of honor. She didn't know that while decorating the cottage, she'll get assisted by Ean, her best friend's brother. When she was fourteen, Lacey told Ean that she liked him but he rejected her. Now, stuck alone in a romantic cottage, what will happen?
Even though this book is not really my favorite (because it lack of drama), I enjoyed reading it. The simplicity of the plot kind of soothing and I can feel the sincerity of Lacey's feeling and I liked it. Ean himself is such a likable Hero even though he's a bit annoying. Overall, good story and I definitely going to read the next installment of this series!
My first Samantha Chase's book, certainly not the last.
This book is surprisingly good, despite the cover that personally to me, not that interesting. The story itself is kind of cliche, but who doesn't love cliche?
Lacey has to decorate the cottage for her best friend's wedding. She the maid of honor. She didn't know that while decorating the cottage, she'll get assisted by Ean, her best friend's brother. When she was fourteen, Lacey told Ean that she liked him but he rejected her. Now, stuck alone in a romantic cottage, what will happen?
Even though this book is not really my favorite (because it lack of drama), I enjoyed reading it. The simplicity of the plot kind of soothing and I can feel the sincerity of Lacey's feeling and I liked it. Ean himself is such a likable Hero even though he's a bit annoying. Overall, good story and I definitely going to read the next installment of this series!
My first Samantha Chase's book, certainly not the last.
February 4, 2016
I am giving this book 3 stars, mainly because it was VERY predictable. I knew what was going to happen the whole book. It was a very easy and fast read, which is always nice once in a while.
Just putting in my 2 cents here, I HATED THE END! Especially the last 2-ish pages of the book.
Also, just wanted to quite note that on the kindle edition, it does not have page numbers, which I got very annoyed at sometimes. I like when you can know whenever what page your on...
Also, the chapters are not linked to the table of contents, like other books, but the table of contents has links to all the chapters, but if you go to a certain chapter (especially if you are going to one of the last chapters in the book) you can not go back to the first chapter without going through each individual page, which is very tedious.
I liked the basic idea of the book, but I will not read again, nor will I read the sequel to this one.
Just putting in my 2 cents here, I HATED THE END! Especially the last 2-ish pages of the book.
Also, just wanted to quite note that on the kindle edition, it does not have page numbers, which I got very annoyed at sometimes. I like when you can know whenever what page your on...
Also, the chapters are not linked to the table of contents, like other books, but the table of contents has links to all the chapters, but if you go to a certain chapter (especially if you are going to one of the last chapters in the book) you can not go back to the first chapter without going through each individual page, which is very tedious.
I liked the basic idea of the book, but I will not read again, nor will I read the sequel to this one.
December 11, 2016
Ava is getting married. Lacey, Ava's best friend and maid of honor, is tasked with decorating Ava's family cottage. This cottage has a reputation as bestowing upon a couple a happy marriage. Ava's brother, Ean, is also tasked with helping. Lacey has been in love with Ean since they were teenagers. When Lacey was 14, and Ean 18, she professed that love. Suffice to say, Ean didn't handle it well and they haven;t spoken for 12 years.
I liked this mainly for Lacey and Ean. Both are good characters on their own and compliment each other well. They are also likable. This novella was well-paced. However, I hated Ava. In love with the idea of being married and a complete Bridezilla. She was a BITCH. She did redeem herself in the end, but not enough for me to want to read her HEA (Ever After).
I liked this mainly for Lacey and Ean. Both are good characters on their own and compliment each other well. They are also likable. This novella was well-paced. However, I hated Ava. In love with the idea of being married and a complete Bridezilla. She was a BITCH. She did redeem herself in the end, but not enough for me to want to read her HEA (Ever After).
February 8, 2017
I really liked Ean and Lacey. They really complemented each other well and I shipped the romance, though I did think things happened too fast. While Ava being a crazy bridezilla worked for the story, I thought it was a little too overdone and she came across as just a really unbalanced person. It makes me not want to read the next book in the series because she's the main character in it. Overall, though, this was a cute, quick holiday-themed romance that I enjoyed.
December 1, 2012
Holiday romances are a personal favorite of mine and The Christmas Cottage was exactly what I was looking for. A sweet story with witty, likable characters...it's now a new favorite!
November 5, 2018
The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase is a sweet although predictable story. It will leave you saying "Awww" as you read. If you love Hallmark movies, you'll love this book.
November 16, 2018
3 - 3.5 Short and sweet. This story contained a lot in only 4 hours.
December 11, 2020
3.5 festive, cheesy, quick and fun.
November 30, 2017
A chaste romance by author Samantha Chase; my first read from this author. I'm a bit conflicted. While I love holiday romances, this one didn't do much for me, beyond the basic plot.
Lacey has a childhood friend, Ava. Their families go way back, often spending the holidays together. Ava also has an older brother, Ean, whom Lacey has had a crush on since she was 14. Legend has it, that Ava's family cottage, set back on their North Carolina mountain ranch, has magical powers for any newly married couple who spends the night there, specifically their honeymoon night.
Ava is marrying a man who we know very little about, except for he seems to be a chauvinistic, blowhard, who thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Ava becomes a bridezilla and demands Lacey and the best man, who just happens to be Ean, (through a set of complicated circumstances), be the ones to get the cottage ready for the honeymoon night. What she lists as tradition, sounds more like a demanding pampered bride who flicks her fingers at the help and makes unrealistic demands. While Lacey may be an interior decorator, I didn't realize interior decorators are also supposed to be cleaning elves and contractors. This would be the point where I lost confidence in this story.
Coincidentally enough, Lacey escapes to the small mountain town to do some work on the cottage the same night Ean arrives from his home in Boston, needing some time away from the demands in his work. Yet, no one knows Ean is there, and surprise....there's a massive snowstorm bearing down on them. I guess no one in this book watches the weather channel.....
Of course, the two find each other at the cottage and become snowed in.
Although the story is centered around the idea that Ava is marrying the blowhard, it's Lacey and Ean's romance that blossoms, while Ava's sours.
From there, it goes downhill, as Ean and Lacey's chance at happiness becomes a "second hand cast off" on Christmas Eve. You'll have to read the ending to understand that last sentence. I'm trying not to create spoilers.
Lacey has a childhood friend, Ava. Their families go way back, often spending the holidays together. Ava also has an older brother, Ean, whom Lacey has had a crush on since she was 14. Legend has it, that Ava's family cottage, set back on their North Carolina mountain ranch, has magical powers for any newly married couple who spends the night there, specifically their honeymoon night.
Ava is marrying a man who we know very little about, except for he seems to be a chauvinistic, blowhard, who thinks women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Ava becomes a bridezilla and demands Lacey and the best man, who just happens to be Ean, (through a set of complicated circumstances), be the ones to get the cottage ready for the honeymoon night. What she lists as tradition, sounds more like a demanding pampered bride who flicks her fingers at the help and makes unrealistic demands. While Lacey may be an interior decorator, I didn't realize interior decorators are also supposed to be cleaning elves and contractors. This would be the point where I lost confidence in this story.
Coincidentally enough, Lacey escapes to the small mountain town to do some work on the cottage the same night Ean arrives from his home in Boston, needing some time away from the demands in his work. Yet, no one knows Ean is there, and surprise....there's a massive snowstorm bearing down on them. I guess no one in this book watches the weather channel.....
Of course, the two find each other at the cottage and become snowed in.
Although the story is centered around the idea that Ava is marrying the blowhard, it's Lacey and Ean's romance that blossoms, while Ava's sours.
From there, it goes downhill, as Ean and Lacey's chance at happiness becomes a "second hand cast off" on Christmas Eve. You'll have to read the ending to understand that last sentence. I'm trying not to create spoilers.
October 24, 2024
2020
I love the magical setting of the cottage. And how the main two characters don't accept that it's a magical fairy tale place (they think it's beautiful and romantic and sweet, but they don't buy into the legend at all). But they still figure out that they are each other's perfect happily ever after. Although, I did find their background to be a little bit far fetched. I mean, Lacey was 14, 14!, when she originally made a move on Ean. And when he dismissed her she apparently held a grudge about that over the next decade! You were a child! He was 18! Do you know how creepy that would have been if they had started dating! Her parents would have never allowed it! And I'm sure his wouldn't have been too excited about the idea, either. Whatever. I'm glad they still managed to work their way through the feels of hurt and betrayal that happened 12 years prior. And, honestly, except for that, it really is a cute book.
I love the magical setting of the cottage. And how the main two characters don't accept that it's a magical fairy tale place (they think it's beautiful and romantic and sweet, but they don't buy into the legend at all). But they still figure out that they are each other's perfect happily ever after. Although, I did find their background to be a little bit far fetched. I mean, Lacey was 14, 14!, when she originally made a move on Ean. And when he dismissed her she apparently held a grudge about that over the next decade! You were a child! He was 18! Do you know how creepy that would have been if they had started dating! Her parents would have never allowed it! And I'm sure his wouldn't have been too excited about the idea, either. Whatever. I'm glad they still managed to work their way through the feels of hurt and betrayal that happened 12 years prior. And, honestly, except for that, it really is a cute book.
December 28, 2015
"Magical" Christmas novella!
Lacey & Ean reunite by accident at his family's legendary cottage during a snowstorm. In the past there had been some attraction between them but was left unexplored due to their age difference at the time. The flames ignite as they are forced into each other's company. Life goes on for them both until things go awry when bridezilla Ava (his sister & her best friend) gets wind of their shared night at the cottage. Ava was my least favorite character--total diva and so whiny & selfish. Lots of goings on before the final resolution.
The characters and writing was good on this one, and the spark with Lacey/Ean was strong. A couple of steamy scenes included.
Lacey & Ean reunite by accident at his family's legendary cottage during a snowstorm. In the past there had been some attraction between them but was left unexplored due to their age difference at the time. The flames ignite as they are forced into each other's company. Life goes on for them both until things go awry when bridezilla Ava (his sister & her best friend) gets wind of their shared night at the cottage. Ava was my least favorite character--total diva and so whiny & selfish. Lots of goings on before the final resolution.
The characters and writing was good on this one, and the spark with Lacey/Ean was strong. A couple of steamy scenes included.
December 5, 2015
What is wrong with me? The last romance novel I read, I snickered uncomfortably through all the sex scenes (while finding myself blushingly titillated)... And then this book gently alludes to sex after some "deep" kisses, and I'm all disappointed???
This book would have been 3 stars if it had at least one shockingly scandalous sex scene. I need one to warm my cheeks while I'm reading in a public place, fearful my husband or a stranger will look over my shoulder.
Of course, you know, the plot was silly and impossible. It's a romance novel. I don't expect Shakespeare when I read these. It was a fun read around Christmas time. Well worth the .99 cents I paid for it on Black Friday...
This book would have been 3 stars if it had at least one shockingly scandalous sex scene. I need one to warm my cheeks while I'm reading in a public place, fearful my husband or a stranger will look over my shoulder.
Of course, you know, the plot was silly and impossible. It's a romance novel. I don't expect Shakespeare when I read these. It was a fun read around Christmas time. Well worth the .99 cents I paid for it on Black Friday...
October 1, 2016
A wonderfully touching story of love finally realized. Lacy Quinn has loved Ean Callahan since she was 14 years old. He was her best friends older brother and he rejected her after she declared that love to him. Now 12 years later Lacy and Ean are forced to work together on his sister Ava' s wedding wish. Their project is getting the Christmas Cottage ready for the wedding night. A magical place that legend says insures everlasting love for the couple that there. Will it's magic weave itself around Lacy and Ean when they get stranded there during a snowstorm?
Definitely a must read!
Definitely a must read!
November 23, 2016
Read this via serial emails from Sourcebook Casablanca.
The sister is a freakin' nutcase who ruined much of the story for me.
Ava is wishwashy
The idea of still being in love with the guy you had a crush on at age 14 is cringeworthy to me
And there is instalove, which I despise.
The sister is a freakin' nutcase who ruined much of the story for me.
Ava is wishwashy
The idea of still being in love with the guy you had a crush on at age 14 is cringeworthy to me
And there is instalove, which I despise.
January 8, 2018
My feelings upon reading this book:
Ava, the BFF and bride to be, was extremely irritating.
And Ean and Lacey were a little too quick to fall in love for me.
Overall, cute and squeaky clean. All hanky panky is behind closed doors and implied.
Ava, the BFF and bride to be, was extremely irritating.
And Ean and Lacey were a little too quick to fall in love for me.
Overall, cute and squeaky clean. All hanky panky is behind closed doors and implied.
November 4, 2013
I enjoyed this book!
December 26, 2017
I picked up this novella as I wanted to get into the holiday spirt, and have liked a lot of the author’s books. Unfortunately, the story got off to a very slow start for me, and I came close to just putting it down. While in the end I liked Lacey and Ean’s story, if I hadn’t already liked other books by the author I would have given up on this one somewhere in the first few chapters. Overall I’d give it a C+, so three stars here.
As the story opens Lacey is with her best friend Ava. Ava is getting married soon and has turned into a bit of a bridezilla. Ava’s family owns a cottage which legend claims that if a couple stays in it on their wedding night, they’re guaranteed love everlasting. Ava has tasked Lacey -- her maid of honor -- and the best man with preparing the cottage for the wedding night, and has gives Lacey a huge binder filled with everything she needs to do to make the cottage perfect. Then it turns Ava’s fiancé wants Ava to completely change her life for him. A sensible woman would dump him. But no, Ava wants the magical cottage to make everything okay
Lacey tries to convince Ava to talk to her fiancé, to stop compromising about major points, but Ava will hear none of it: the magical cottage will make everything perfect. When Lacey finds out that the best man is Ean Callahan, Ava’s brother, and the man Lacey’s been secretly in love with since she was 12, she freaks out. Lacey humiliated herself with him when she was 14, telling him she loved him. Lacey decides to sneak up to the cottage and do everything herself before Ean arrives in town. However, as luck -- and romance -- would have it, Ean also decides to go there early, and the two get stuck in the cottage by themselves when a huge snowstorm hits.
I also can’t figure out why Ean cut himself off from his family for years to make a success of his tech company. He loves them, seems to love their ranch, but he’s had almost no contact with them. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I guess it gave a reason why Ean and Lacey hadn’t really seen each other since her declaration of love at age 14.
In the end, I think Lacey and Ean deserved a better story than this, but I like them enough to give the book a C+.
As the story opens Lacey is with her best friend Ava. Ava is getting married soon and has turned into a bit of a bridezilla. Ava’s family owns a cottage which legend claims that if a couple stays in it on their wedding night, they’re guaranteed love everlasting. Ava has tasked Lacey -- her maid of honor -- and the best man with preparing the cottage for the wedding night, and has gives Lacey a huge binder filled with everything she needs to do to make the cottage perfect. Then it turns Ava’s fiancé wants Ava to completely change her life for him. A sensible woman would dump him. But no, Ava wants the magical cottage to make everything okay
Lacey tries to convince Ava to talk to her fiancé, to stop compromising about major points, but Ava will hear none of it: the magical cottage will make everything perfect. When Lacey finds out that the best man is Ean Callahan, Ava’s brother, and the man Lacey’s been secretly in love with since she was 12, she freaks out. Lacey humiliated herself with him when she was 14, telling him she loved him. Lacey decides to sneak up to the cottage and do everything herself before Ean arrives in town. However, as luck -- and romance -- would have it, Ean also decides to go there early, and the two get stuck in the cottage by themselves when a huge snowstorm hits.
I also can’t figure out why Ean cut himself off from his family for years to make a success of his tech company. He loves them, seems to love their ranch, but he’s had almost no contact with them. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I guess it gave a reason why Ean and Lacey hadn’t really seen each other since her declaration of love at age 14.
In the end, I think Lacey and Ean deserved a better story than this, but I like them enough to give the book a C+.
October 16, 2016
These two enchanting stories have been re-released to please readers who enjoy Christmas and Happy Ever After romances.
The first story, The Christmas Cottage, focuses on interior designer Lacey and software businessman Ean. Lacey’s best friend, Ava, who is Ean’s sister, is so stressed over her upcoming Christmas wedding in Raleigh that she has turned into a bridezilla of the highest magnitude. She does pause in her havoc to occasionally apologize for her atrocious behavior, and since they grew up together, Lacey loves Ava enough to forgive her. The deep cause of her terrible conduct is not the wedding itself, but the fact that she and her fiancé, Mason, are not in agreement on almost anything. Is it the wedding or is the cause deeper?
Ean lives in Boston and seldom comes home to Raleigh, but he’s starting to feel burned out with his business and sneaks home before Thanksgiving to try to unwind. He goes to the family’s mountain cottage to hide out for a while, away from work and family stress. Unknown to Ean, Lacey is at the cottage trying to decorate it to Ava’s strict guidelines for their wedding night. Ava believes there are magical properties associated with the cabin that will ensure her marriage to Mason is loving and successful. There is a bit of mystery about why Mason “fired” his original best man, Brian, and asked Ean to step in.
The main themes of the story revolve around communication, beliefs and compromise. The question for Ava and Mason becomes how many compromises they can make without communicating their real desires without their relationship flying apart. The question for Lacey and Ean is centered on communicating what each wants for their own futures before they can even consider a future together.
The ending is delightfully satisfying with at least one HEA and a Christmas to remember. I really enjoyed this story very much and am pleased it is being re-released for those romance readers who may have missed it the first time around.
The second story, Ever After, continues where The Christmas Cottage left off. This is Ava and Brian’s story about a second chance at love. We get to revisit Lacey and Ean, who have some good news for the families, and find out why Mason and Brian had a falling-out previously. Ever After contains a wrap-up of the two stories and grants everyone who spends a night in the Christmas Cottage their happy ever after, magic or not.
The first story, The Christmas Cottage, focuses on interior designer Lacey and software businessman Ean. Lacey’s best friend, Ava, who is Ean’s sister, is so stressed over her upcoming Christmas wedding in Raleigh that she has turned into a bridezilla of the highest magnitude. She does pause in her havoc to occasionally apologize for her atrocious behavior, and since they grew up together, Lacey loves Ava enough to forgive her. The deep cause of her terrible conduct is not the wedding itself, but the fact that she and her fiancé, Mason, are not in agreement on almost anything. Is it the wedding or is the cause deeper?
Ean lives in Boston and seldom comes home to Raleigh, but he’s starting to feel burned out with his business and sneaks home before Thanksgiving to try to unwind. He goes to the family’s mountain cottage to hide out for a while, away from work and family stress. Unknown to Ean, Lacey is at the cottage trying to decorate it to Ava’s strict guidelines for their wedding night. Ava believes there are magical properties associated with the cabin that will ensure her marriage to Mason is loving and successful. There is a bit of mystery about why Mason “fired” his original best man, Brian, and asked Ean to step in.
The main themes of the story revolve around communication, beliefs and compromise. The question for Ava and Mason becomes how many compromises they can make without communicating their real desires without their relationship flying apart. The question for Lacey and Ean is centered on communicating what each wants for their own futures before they can even consider a future together.
The ending is delightfully satisfying with at least one HEA and a Christmas to remember. I really enjoyed this story very much and am pleased it is being re-released for those romance readers who may have missed it the first time around.
The second story, Ever After, continues where The Christmas Cottage left off. This is Ava and Brian’s story about a second chance at love. We get to revisit Lacey and Ean, who have some good news for the families, and find out why Mason and Brian had a falling-out previously. Ever After contains a wrap-up of the two stories and grants everyone who spends a night in the Christmas Cottage their happy ever after, magic or not.
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