Tabs’ review of A Copper Ridge Christmas by Maisey Yates
Contemporary Romance published by HQN Books 1 Nov 15
This seriously charming standalone Copper Ridge Christmas novella features a boat-dwelling hermit hero and a sweet heroine with abandonment issues. Holly Fulton is a professional party planner who wants to throw a surprise Christmas party for her foster parents and needs the help of her former foster-brother, Ryan, to do so. Ryan is a self-described hermit. He’s grumpy; he lives on his boat; he works alone; and that’s the way he wants it, dammit! She has to bribe him with cheeseburgers and pester him until he agrees to help.
The romance is great. Because there’s an age difference, and because they both have a ton of issues, they’ve been trying to ignore their feelings for each other for years. They finally give in and try to restrict themselves to commitment-free boning, but, of course, things are never that easy in romancelandia. I’m telling you right now, there are some romantic gestures in this book that are so sweet and personal and adorable. If you’re a sucker for heartfelt romantic gestures, this is right up your alley.
It’s also really emotional. Holly and Ryan’s feelings about their abusive and neglectful childhoods and their foster parents really hit me right in the feels. When Holly talks about entering her foster parents’ home, even as a grown-ass adult, and says that “every time she walked in it returned her to that place of feeling honored to be permitted to be a part of something,” it hit me right where I live.
My only real issue with this novella concerns the age difference between Holy and Ryan. My problem is that, even though it’s mentioned constantly, it is so woefully inconsistent that I can’t even tell you what it is. Every time their ages are actually listed, there’s an approximate seven-year difference. Every time Holly says how many years apart they are, she says “four.” I’m guessing someone, at some point in the process, thought seven was too big a difference and did a little “find and replace” action. There’s no good reason this wasn’t caught in the editing process. The bad math is so frustrating, because it takes attention away from the story and that’s just a crying shame.
I’ve been reading a great deal of Maisey Yates lately and she’s quickly becoming a favorite author. While I enjoy her Harlequin Presents, her small-town contemporaries are really where my heart lies. I really enjoyed this novella. It’s sweet. It’s heartfelt. It’s pretty much everything I look for in a holiday novella. Even though this stands alone, it totally made me want to go back and read more of the Copper Ridge books. I mean, I own them all, it’s more than high time for me to go back and actually read them.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Snow is falling in Copper Ridge, Oregon—but the heat between a holiday-loving party planner and the town’s resident Scrooge is off the charts in this sweet and sizzling Christmas novella…
Holly Fulton is throwing a special Christmas Eve party for the foster parents who gave her so much. To finish the preparations in time, she needs to recruit her one-time foster brother, Ryan Masters. He may have a scowl that could curdle eggnog, but under that surly demeanor is a big heart. And amazing muscles. And a gorgeous chest. In fact, X-rated visions of Ryan have been dancing in Holly’s head for years, but she can’t risk complicating the only real family she’s ever known.
But maybe there’s a way for Holly to have her Christmas cake and eat it too. A no-strings affair, just until they’re done with the planning. Ryan is certainly willing. But from the first touch, it’s clear that this isn’t just a festive fling. It might just be a Christmas miracle in the making…
Other books in this series:
