Cam has moved his family (his mother, Maddie, and son) to Montana where he bought some land and intends to build a house. But, in the meantime, they are camping out - living in a trailer and other makeshift dwellings. When he strikes up a conversation with Kirstin while having a drink, he has no idea she's the daughter of his crazy neighbor, Sam Conacher.
Sam has a reputation for running off and ruining any suitor that even thinks about dating his daughter. Cam and Kirstin can't ignore the attraction they feel, so they begin seeing each other in secret.
Since Sam's wife died six years ago, he's been a totally different person. Almost all of his ranch hands have quit. He's lost contact with all his friends. When he discovers his daughter has been seeing Cam, he explodes and ends up confronting Maddie, who is a tough older lady and doesn't take any crap from Sam.
We end up with a double romance in The Christmas Room--the older and younger generations trying to make their way into a relationship. Maddie has been recently widowed, so surviving and grieving after losing a spouse is a strong theme.
I enjoyed watching it all play out. The characters are interesting, all having their faults. Nothing is easy, but love prevails. My only complaint is that I didn't really consider this a Christmas story. Christmas isn't even mentioned until well into the second half of the book. I kept looking at the cover and thinking, "This looks like a Christmas book, right?" The book ends at Christmas, and there are some Christmas surprises, but I didn't get enough Christmas to satisfy my need.
I enjoyed The Christmas Room, but I'll be looking for another Christmas novel that I hopefully can get to before the holiday. This is the first book I've read by Anderson, and I won't hesitate to pick up her others when I'm in the mood for a romance.
Published by Berkley, September 26, 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
432 pages
Rating: 4/5
Disappointing to expect one thing and get another, even if you enjoy the book :-)
ReplyDeleteThe cover of this one is super cute, but you're right -- I'd expect it to be very Christmas-y. Interesting that it's not. Sounds like a sweet novel, though. I'll have to check it out!
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