Mistletoe and moonshine: a Christmas match made in heaven?

Moonshine Hollow’s famous ‘Lightning Flash’ might be an acquired taste, although the same could be said for moonshine distillery owner Cole Landon, what with his workaholic habits and ‘Scrooge’ tendencies when it comes to all things Christmassy.

But when Jenna Pendean from Cornwall pays a visit to Cole’s family-run distillery in Tennessee during the holiday season, will Cole’s cynicism about the existence of Christmas miracles be put to the test?

Title:  Christmas at Moonshine Hollow
Series:
Author:  Angela Britnell
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  November 10, 2020
Publisher:  Choc Lit/Ruby Fiction
My Rating:  4.5 stars

What a delightful blending of personalities “across the pond” from each other.  I was hooked from the start, family secrets always grab my attention, and enjoyed the building tensions and attractions along the way with Cole and Jenna in Christmas at Moonshine Hollow.

While Jenna is in the USA, the state of Tennessee officially on holiday, she’s actually here to find out why her great-grandfather’s recipe for moonshine, the very moonshine that this company has made famous, isn’t acknowledged by the Landon family.  She has what she considers proof that the recipe was stolen from her family and she wants answers.  Yet. Once she starts to know the business, comes to like and respect the family (particularly one Scrooge-ish male) Jenna is beginning to wonder exactly what is true in her assumptions.  She still needs answers, but discovering the actual truth may bring her more pain than satisfaction if it means losing the man she’s falling in love with.

Add in a workaholic hero, a meddling family (in a good way), and the beauty of a small-town Christmas celebration and you have the perfect storm of a romance.  Cole is, perhaps an acquired taste, much like the moonshine he makes.  But this man who could give Scrooge a run for his money will soon wrap himself around your heart.  He’s a good man, one who works hard, feels a great responsibility to the family business, and when this kind of man falls, he falls hard.  I liked Cole and Jenna together, their banter, the obviousness of sparks between them from the start made them a believable couple… just a couple with a few secrets that could blow up any chance at a future for them.

Christmas at Moonshine Hollow is an, at times, emotional romance – at others, a lighthearted Christmas filled experience.  As I mentioned, that blend worked for more than a transatlantic romance, but in the personalities, responsibilities, and work vs play vs secrets that we run into in this story.  I enjoyed myself immensely in this world, and if you love a good, solid Christmas romance with interesting situations, believable characters, and Christmas feeling galore, then you’ll want to pick this one up real soon.  Think of it as a Christmas gift to yourself.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, ChocLit/Ruby Fiction. 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.