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It Started at Christmas...
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She was hired to design his house.
Instead she created a home.
Interior designer Amanda Lowery can turn Blake Randall’s crumbling castle into a Gallant Lake showplace. But helping the real estate mogul with his guarded heart and his troubled, orphaned nephew? A much bigger challenge. With demons in her own past, Amanda yearns to help them both heal. But will she find the ...more
Instead she created a home.
Interior designer Amanda Lowery can turn Blake Randall’s crumbling castle into a Gallant Lake showplace. But helping the real estate mogul with his guarded heart and his troubled, orphaned nephew? A much bigger challenge. With demons in her own past, Amanda yearns to help them both heal. But will she find the ...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
November 19th 2019
by Harlequin Special Edition
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I'm still a new Jo McNally's reader. I read my first one about two weeks ago (which I adored!). This is the second one and I'm waiting the order for my third. All that to say that I'm not yet to date on the author's next releases so it was a plesant surprise when I saw her post about this new book. It sounded interesting but when I read the word castle, I was sold.
-A real estate mogul
-The interior designer hired to renovate his castle
-The arrival of his orphaned nephew
-Christmas
I'll admit there ...more
-A real estate mogul
-The interior designer hired to renovate his castle
-The arrival of his orphaned nephew
-Christmas
I'll admit there ...more
It Started at Christmas
by Jo McNally
Pub Date Nov 19 2019
224 pages
5
Interior designer Amanda Lowery can turn Blake Randall’s crumbling castle into a Gallant Lake showplace. But helping the real estate mogul with his guarded heart and his troubled, orphaned nephew? A much bigger challenge. With demons in her own past, Amanda yearns to help them both heal. But will she find the family and safety she’s craved…or become a Christmas casualty in Blake’s latest business plan?
MY REVIEW
I loved this book so ...more
by Jo McNally
Pub Date Nov 19 2019
224 pages
5
Interior designer Amanda Lowery can turn Blake Randall’s crumbling castle into a Gallant Lake showplace. But helping the real estate mogul with his guarded heart and his troubled, orphaned nephew? A much bigger challenge. With demons in her own past, Amanda yearns to help them both heal. But will she find the family and safety she’s craved…or become a Christmas casualty in Blake’s latest business plan?
MY REVIEW
I loved this book so ...more
Jo McNally has a real winner here! She evokes passion, love and a sense of the importance of family in this story.
She might have been a bit dishonest in how she went about trying to get the design job on the castle on Gallant Lake but the design drawings presented were definitely Amanda Lowery's original designs. She was very nervous about the meeting with the owner of the castle, real estate mogul Blake Randall. Blake was late for the meeting to discuss if Amanda would be hired to oversee the ...more
She might have been a bit dishonest in how she went about trying to get the design job on the castle on Gallant Lake but the design drawings presented were definitely Amanda Lowery's original designs. She was very nervous about the meeting with the owner of the castle, real estate mogul Blake Randall. Blake was late for the meeting to discuss if Amanda would be hired to oversee the ...more
Amanda is a down on her luck Interior designer looking for a job since getting fired from her last one. Before that she was having a correspondence with Blake Randall who needs his castle renovated. Problem is Blake believed shes someone else from the old place shes working at maybe she can convince him shes the person for the job.
This was a pretty good contemporary romance. I enjoyed seeing how things played out. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, seeing their past demons, seeing how ...more
This was a pretty good contemporary romance. I enjoyed seeing how things played out. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, seeing their past demons, seeing how ...more
“It Started At Christmas” is book 2 of Jo McNally’s Gallant Lake Stories and features Blake Randall and Amanda Lowery.
If you’ve read The Lowery Women series (“She’s Far From Hollywood”, “Nora’s Guy Next Door”, “The Life She Wants”), you’re already familiar with Blake and Amanda. In those books the two are already married, however, in “It Started At Christmas”, we go back in time to when they met and how they fall in love.
Amanda is in Gallant Lake to start fresh and to get a job redesigning a ...more
If you’ve read The Lowery Women series (“She’s Far From Hollywood”, “Nora’s Guy Next Door”, “The Life She Wants”), you’re already familiar with Blake and Amanda. In those books the two are already married, however, in “It Started At Christmas”, we go back in time to when they met and how they fall in love.
Amanda is in Gallant Lake to start fresh and to get a job redesigning a ...more
Jo McNally’s It Started A Christmas is a prequel of the Lowry Women’s series, and is a heartwarming story about Interior designer Amanda Lowery turning Blake Randall’s crumbling castle into a Gallant Lake showplace. Her biggest challenge isn’t just dealing with Blake’s guarded heart and his troubled, orphaned nephew, but she has to deal with the demons of her own past. Together both Amanda and Blake learn to trust and let go of their past hurts. I’ve received Jo McNally’s It Started At Christmas
...more
The writing in this one was great and spot on for the story. The characters all came together and I loved every page. I wished this one would have been a little longer as in parts it felt like things were a little rushed. But overall it was wonderful!! The story had a great pace and I will be checking out Jo's other titles.
Overall, if you love Jo's writing and or love all those holiday titles then this one will be right up your alley.
Go Into This One Knowing: Castle and an Orphaned Child
Overall, if you love Jo's writing and or love all those holiday titles then this one will be right up your alley.
Go Into This One Knowing: Castle and an Orphaned Child
This book was very heartwarming and I just loved it! It’s a Christmas romance with a haunted castle....what can I say? Perfect read for me!
Loved the two main characters, Amanda and Blake. Amanda learns to trust again with Blake’s help.
Overall, a very touching Christmas romance I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and give my honest review about this book.
Loved the two main characters, Amanda and Blake. Amanda learns to trust again with Blake’s help.
Overall, a very touching Christmas romance I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and give my honest review about this book.
I won this book in a giveaway. It's the first book I've read by Jo McNally and certainly won't be the last. Looking for her other books to devour.
This was a wonderful story about businessman Blake, interior designer Amanda, and his nephew Zach who he is now guardian of. It takes place in small town Gallant Lake in the Catskills of New York. Loved reading this being an upstate girl myself! Great secondary characters, too and need to read their stories.
This was a wonderful story about businessman Blake, interior designer Amanda, and his nephew Zach who he is now guardian of. It takes place in small town Gallant Lake in the Catskills of New York. Loved reading this being an upstate girl myself! Great secondary characters, too and need to read their stories.
Amanda has come to try and win an interior design contract, but under false pretenses. Blake doesn't really have a choice on updating his building, well, castle - but can it ever be a home? Mistaken identity, missed opportunities, and sparks that won't be ignored fill the pages of this fast paced book. Add in a lonely little boy and you get a heart warming romance that feels just right for the holidays.
I have enjoyed reading Harlequin romances since I was a young girl and this one did not disappoint. It had all the elements of a good romance and a story that held my interest to very end. If I had one thing to criticize, it would be that in spite of the title, it really wasn’t a Christmas story as such but to be fair, as the title says, it did start at Christmas.
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. It was a sweet typical romance, and I enjoyed it up until the end. The author added a rather ridiculous plot point at the ending of the novel which I just didn't care for. Otherwise, short and sweet, but not all that Christmasy.
I really loved doing back to get Amanda and Blake's story! However, I felt like I read them in the wrong order. Looking at release dates, I didn't! Oh well, it was still very enjoyable!
Contains all the elements necessary for a very successful read. Love, laughter, and suspense to keep you reading, and plenty of feel good fun just in time for Christmas!
A Christmas story that has it all with a haunted castle, power struggles and rumors flying that leads to a forever romance.
***I won a copy in Goodreads giveaways**
Pretty good story. There was a Twilight hater comment and the cursing of God's name a few times that irritated me, but overall I liked it.
Categories
Holiday Romance, Family Life Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Gallant Lake Stories
Holiday Romance, Family Life Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Gallant Lake Stories
I absolutely adored this book by Jo McNally. It was a wonderful holiday read.
I loved this book!! It was a story of getting over a loss and learning to love and trust again. Full of romance, laughter, and suspense, this book will not disappoint.
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I write the same kind of romances I like to read – stories about characters facing real-life challenges with real-life consequences. The stories are emotional, but still have humor, and love always finds a way to pull the characters through together.
I live in coastal North Carolina with 100 pounds of dog and 200 pounds of husband – my slice of the bed is very small. When I’m not writing or reading ...more
I live in coastal North Carolina with 100 pounds of dog and 200 pounds of husband – my slice of the bed is very small. When I’m not writing or reading ...more
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