Can the magic of mistletoe bring together two busy single parents?

Mallory Maitland knows all too well what it’s like to feel abandoned, which is why she’s sworn never to give up on her two stepsons – her late husband’s children. But when the teens land in hot water, she’s got a whole new problem: how to resist the caring and incredibly hot Chief of Police Gabriel Buchanan. All Mallory wants is to give the boys a magical holiday. She doesn’t need the distraction of wondering what it would be like to kiss Gabriel under the mistletoe.

After his wife died, Gabriel left his job as an adrenaline-chasing New York City homicide detective to focus on raising his three sons. But back in Highland Falls, he doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. It finds him – in the form of a beautiful neighbor and her troublemaking stepchildren. With Gabriel’s mother-in-law looking for any excuse to gain custody of his sons, Gabriel can’t risk getting involved with Mallory, even though she’s the only woman capable of making this Christmas – and all the rest to come – his best ever.

Titles in the Highland Falls series include – Summer on Honeysuckle Ridge – Christmas on Reindeer Road – Falling in Love on Willow Creek –

Title:  Christmas on Reindeer Road
Series:  Highland Falls #2
Author:  Debbie Mason
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  September 29, 2020
Publisher:  Forever
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Although I love a Debbie Mason story any time of the year, I especially look forward to her Christmas release for I know I’ll be getting a romance full of love and the wonder of the Christmas season… and I found all of that and more in Christmas on Reindeer Road, the second title in the Highland Falls series.

We briefly met Mallory and Gabriel in Summer on Honeysuckle Ridge, and we’ll get another glimpse into Abby and Hunter’s lives now (that’s something I always enjoy no matter the series).  You don’t “have” to have read the first book in this series to understand Mallory and Gabriel’s story, but it is delightful as well, so if you can then I’d suggest going back for Hunter and Abby’s story.

Mallory and Gabriel are both facing similar family situations this Christmas season, although not exactly the same there are certainly good reasons for them to hesitate to get romantically involved with anyone right now.  Mallory’s step-sons do not want to be heading to her hometown to live and they make no bones about their anger toward her.  Their deceased father’s estate went to his first wife, leaving nothing for the boys to continue their boarding school lives and they are not happy about that… to the point of making false accusations that will hound Mallory for a very long time.

As the new police chief, Gabriel is ready to settle down comfortably with his sons far from the hectic life in New York.  Yet, his sons are acting up, and his former mother-in-law is trying to gain custody of his sons – something his deceased wife would have never wanted and certainly something that Gabriel will do everything in his power to prevent.  So, while the sparks of interest and attraction fly between Mallory and Gabriel they certainly have a lot on their plates, to begin with, and adding a romance will only complicate an already unnerving situation for them both.  But then, emotions like love don’t care one bit about complicated now do they?

There were moments of extreme happiness and others of annoyance and anger that overwhelmed me.  Mallory’s stepsons and Gabriel’s in-laws — more than once I wanted to have stern words with them all individually.

Christmas on Reindeer Road gave me everything I love about the Christmas season within a situation that wasn’t easy but also didn’t get in the way of true love finding its way in the end.  We also get to run into familiar faces as we celebrate the Season, watch two people fall in love, and watch two families merge into one that works.  If you’re in the mood to start your Christmas Romance reading then this one is a great way to begin.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Forever via NetGalley. 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 in paperback or for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle