A collection containing 14 stories complied into a boxed set. Excerpt from collection: Usher in the holiday season with 14 heartwarming all-new, stand-alone stories from New York Times, USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 takes you from the Pocono Mountains to sunny Florida, and as far away as Portugal.
I chose to review the romance story by Kristen Wallace, Loving You At Christmas
STORY-LINE LOVING YOU AT CHRISTMAS BY KRISTEN WALLACE:
Loving You At Christmas, unfortunately, is the last book in the Shellwater Key Tales series. Former actress and Broadway star Annaliese Matheson features in the finale of this wonderful series. Annaliese still grieves for her husband Matthew; Annaliese believes she will never love again. Her soul mate’s death left a hole in her soul and heart. Noticing a handsome, sexy stranger on the beach, Annaliese, begins to wake up from her three-year emotional sleep.
John-Luke “Duke” Evans, famous football star, finds himself raising his four nieces after his sister’s death. Hot, sexy, and handsome, the women of Shellwater Key pant as he walks by; including the pregnant married ones. Meeting Annaliese, the attraction is immediate and intense.
Will Duke persuade Annaliese to give him a chance? Or will Annaliese continue to grieve and mourn; living in the past. My romance book reviews of Loving You At Christmas follows.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
I am sad to say Loving You At Christmas, by author Kristen Wallace, ends our sojourn in Shellwater Key, Florida. A wonderful series of love and happy ever after, this book‘s a perfect ending for the series. Kristen Wallace filled this story with intense emotion; grief, attraction, love, and romance.
Although a novella, Wallace, created a solid tale which grabs the reader immediately. With skillful plotting and well-developed characters, Wallace made this novella feel like a full length novel. I found the pace perfect for the length of the book and her writing flowed well; making the book easy to read. Her scenes transition from scene to scene smoothly and with vivid writing I felt the character’s emotions. My heart broke for Annaliese; enduring a childhood no child should and then the death of her anchor and soul mate, Matthew, brought tears to my eyes. I could feel her resistance as she began to care for Duke and his nieces, as well as, Duke’s sorrow at the passing of his beloved sister. Annaliese must face her fears of losing the ones she loves; but can she?
Adding the mama drama with the Queen of Shellwater Key, gave the story an extra element. What a witch Wallace gave us in these books. Wallace also included a lot of humor in Loving You At Christmas. When Layla called in the big guns, I laughed and laughed. By the way, Noah’s the big guns; Shellwater Keys resident soul searcher, advise giver, and counselor to one and all. Not only does this story have grief, it has a lot of funny snips and snarks. If I was not laughing, I found myself crying. I cried buckets at the end of the story.
Kristen Wallace also included characters from the earlier books. I love a series with continuing characters; we get an update on their life and all the town gossip. Loving You At Christmas, is a wonderful romance perfect for anytime of the year. I would not hesitate to buy this sweet, clean, romance for myself or a friend. Although sad to say good-bye to my friends in Shellwater Key, I am sure Wallace has another series up her sleeve.
LOVING YOU AT CHRISTMAS RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
FINALLY, PLEASE NOTE;
In addition, I received this book from the author and chose to voluntarily review the book with honest romance book reviews. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. Additionally, no on influences my voluntary romance book reviews.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR KRISTEN WALLACE:
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Thank you for the sweet review. So glad you likes Annaliese & Duke’s story.