He never thought he’d have a real family Christmas…
For the past eight years, Bill Smith has been unable to set down roots. But he never forgot the magical night he spent with an auburn-haired beauty in Last Stand, Texas. When she finally tracked him down, he was more than happy to donate a kidney to AJ, the son he never knew he had. But now that AJ is better, Bill wants more time with him and his mother. He wants a family.
Annie Burleson can’t help but be grateful to this almost-stranger for saving AJ’s life. Still, she’s a little wary. AJ has already been through so much—what if Bill leaves again? And with Christmas in full swing, it’s difficult to discern which emotions are festive and which are forever.
As Annie and Bill’s lives collide, their mutual love for AJ makes this more than a marriage of convenience. But is it enough to give them the family Christmas they all deserve?
Titles in The Burlesons of Texas include — The Cowboy Comes Undone – A Family for Christmas –
This series is part of the Last Stand, Texas group of connecting series. (think Marietta, Montana– Tule Publishing’s other large group of series set in a fictional town) For a list of the various titles and series in this connected town please visit our Last Stand, Texas page.
Title: A Family for Christmas
Series: The Burlesons of Texas #2
Author: Nola Cross
Genre: Modern Western Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: October 8, 2020
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4.5 stars
A Family for Christmas continues The Burlesons of Texas series with a second chance romance combined with a bit of a miracle and the Christmas season. A winning combination at any time of the year but especially as we head into the Holiday season in 2020… which has been quite the year.
One of the reasons I’ll always suggest (if you can) reading a series in order is because while it might not be a pivotal moment (or it could be) there is always something that adds a bit to the overall feeling in the following books… in my opinion. We briefly met this couple and AJ, just enough to whet my curiosity as to what their story would be, and A Family for Christmas went far beyond my expectations.
I consider organ transplants to be a bit of a miracle, even today years after they first became life-saving options for so many people. What was an exciting fling years ago now holds more immediate importance as AJ needs a kidney transplant. Although Annie never considered contacting Bill while pregnant… now, with their son’s life on the line was the time to tell Bill about the son he never knew existed. His agreement to the operation shouldn’t have surprised her, but what did was Bill showing up at the ranch wanting, needing to know AJ. She could not stand in the way any longer. What she didn’t expect was to still have those strong feelings for Bill even though she’d try to talk herself out of them.
A marriage of convenience seemed so old-fashioned but it could work for them at several levels. Bill has found in Annie and AJ exactly what he’s been searching for and would have been there for them if he’d known. But now he has the chance to slowly let his lovely lady realize that she’s just as much in love with him as he is with her, and their son. I loved how Bill was portrayed. A rough childhood, but still able to open his heart, not play the Alpha male but give Annie the freedom to get to know the real man, and to acknowledge her own feelings for him. They worked so well together, and it was an emotional journey as I watched them come together as a couple, as a family, each in their own right well deserving of that happy ending. I had a blast in A Family for Christmas, and if you love a really good second chance to get it right romance, especially with a Christmas setting, then I’m betting you’d love this one, too.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Tule Publishing. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available for your favorite e-reader – mine is the Kindle (the affiliate link is below)
