Closing in on thirty, Fia Price craves a new and more meaningful direction for her life. Walking away from her successful modeling career, she heads to Texas for the Christmas holidays to inspect a small ranch she and her brothers have recently inherited. Sorting through her great aunt’s bulging cottage gives Fia the time and space to consider a new career, but since her brothers want to sell the property, her time in Texas is limited. But when she meets Gib Donovan and his adorable young son, living in Texas suddenly becomes so much more attractive. And as they spend time together in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Fia discovers her new career but also finds herself wanting to say yes to so much more than a land sale—if she can find the courage to start a new, completely different life. 

Sexy cowboy and rancher Gib Donovan wants to focus on his son and his ranch. Fia Price with her beauty, sparkle and sense of fun is making that near impossible. She’s waking up parts of him that he hoped would stay asleep forever. He doesn’t want to hope again. Or lust. Or trust. And he definitely thinks love is off the table, but with Fia, everything seems possible—a magical Christmas for his son, and a new future for them both.

Title:  Christmas at First Creek Farm
Series:
Author:  Joss Wood
Genre:  Modern Western Romance
Published:  October 30, 2018
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

In many ways Gib has closed parts of himself off from life.  He’s a devoted father to hes young son, a fair boss running quite a remarkable ranch, his family will always come first but for himself… no, he’s fine just as he is.  In the middle of his huge ranch sits one plot of land that doesn’t belong to him.  The owner had refused to sell for years.  Now with the land changing hands to the heirs of that property comes the chance for Gib to finally complete the ranch.  Well, maybe.  He hadn’t counted on one sibling holding out for sentimental reasons, at least for the moment.  Gib soon comes face to face with one of the new owners… and Fia is not what he expected at all.

Fia is ready to take her life in a different direction, what that is exactly she isn’t sure.  But for now she’s driven to visit her aunt’s property in Texas before agreeing to the sale that her brothers are pushing her to agree to.  It mattered to her aunt to hold on to that land, and Fia wants to understand why.  On the surface Fia seems to have everything… beauty, kindness, more money than she could ever spend but those things don’t fill the hole in her life and until she figures out where she’s going, what her new career will be then sorting out the overflowing cottage will occupy her mind.  And, besides, Christmas is coming soon, her life will sort itself out eventually.

Neither Gib nor Fia expected the reaction they had to each other over that piece of land.  Gib isn’t willing to let himself trust again, and to love again is beyond him, or so he thinks.  Fia has discovered what she wants to do with the rest of her life, and it fits perfectly with one handsome, silent, stubborn rancher.  She’s fallen hard, and Gib’s stubbornness is matched equally with her determination that they could belong together so easily.  Each has issues that need to be dealt with, each needs to move on from the past… the question becomes will they move toward happiness together.

Christmas at First Creek Farm is the type of story that draws you in from the beginning with believable characters, problems to deal with that are realistic and the possibility of a really good life together if the couple can go beyond their stubbornness and fears.  Fia is almost too good to be true, and I liked her, a lot.  Gib has to face his fear from the past and move on, his attraction to Fia is the beginning.  He’s letting her in but will it be enough to keep her.  I liked this couple, and watching them work out the troubles that stand in their way was an enjoyable journey.  I had fun with this one, and I believe you will, too.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher 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.*

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