After unexpectedly inheriting a bookstore, Nora and her younger sister settled in Holly, NC, a place where it’s Christmas year-round. As the legal guardian for her sister the past few years, romance has been the last thing on Nora’s mind. But she broke her rules for the town’s golden boy—former SEAL Jackson O’Connor.

When Jackson does something stupid and almost loses Nora for good, he realizes just how far he’s willing to go for the woman who’s stolen his heart. But it might take a Christmas miracle to get Nora to give him a second chance.

Stand Alone Title

Title:  Merry Christmas, Baby
Series:  Stand Alone Title
Author:  Katie Reus
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  December 1, 2015 (re-issued Jan. 20, 2016)
Publisher:  KR Press
My Rating:  4 stars

We jump into Merry Christmas, Baby three weeks after Jackson made a huge mistake.  A stupid, huge mistake I might add.  Nora and Jackson had built a friendship that was strong… even if there was a definite spark of attraction on each side.  The had one amazing date –  then Jackson went AWOL, didn’t call, didn’t stop by the shop, simply disappeared out of Nora’s life.  Okay, fine, so be it.  Yes, it hurt, deeply, but Nora wasn’t going to  let Jackson’s odd behavior bother her anymore… well, she’d at least try.  When he showed up in her shop, a few days before Christmas with flowers in hand and wanting to talk, Nora put on her best professional smile and dealt with him for the moment.  Talk about making a just for the gossips move.

During their one date, Jackson came to the stunning realization that Nora was the one for him.  The for a lifetime one.  And he panicked, he got scared and went into silent mode to put together his thoughts and feelings about what had been a life changing moment for him.  But, he forgot one important detail.  Nora.  Yeah, the woman he’d just discovered he loved enough to plan a life together had no clue what was going on in his head.  And right mow she was hornet level mad.  He deserved it, but somehow he’d have to get her to understand that he was scared, but now he knew his heart and it belonged to her.  Good luck, buddy.

I loved Merry Christmas, Baby.  It’s charming, full of bantering and some major suck ups from a guy simply being a guy.  Scared, indeed.  *eye roll*  We are also treated to a bit of a mystery, some teenage love and an extended family of Jackson’s that I’d like to learn more about.  It is a fun Christmas romance and I would definitely recommend it to any Romance reader.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

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