“The perfect blend of heart and sass.”—Publishers Weekly for Holiday SpiceWith a dash of Christmas magic… Two people who have spent most of their lives being rivals…Learn a little something about following their hearts…Carter Montgomery broke the family mold when he went to culinary school. Now a successful restauranteur, he’s at a crossroads: should he continue on his successful path or … crossroads: should he continue on his successful path or look for a new challenge? What he needs is time alone to think things through. But his matchmaking family has other ideas…
Emery Monaghan’s no-good fiancé has embroiled her in scandal and she needs a way out. When mentor Eliza Montgomery offers her a refuge, she’s relieved—until she realizes that the deal means rubbing elbows with Eliza’s son Carter—Emery’s childhood nemesis.
The Montgomery Brothers series:
Wait for Me (Book 1)
Trust in Me (Book 2)
Stay With Me (Book 3)
More of Me (Book 4)
Return to You (Book 5)
Meant for You (Book 6)
I’ll Be There (Book 7)
Until There Was Us (Book 8)
Suddenly Mine (Book 9)
Dash of Christmas (Book 10)
Praise for Samantha Chase:
“Utter rock star perfection. I dare you to stop reading until the end.”—Rachel Van Dyken, New York Times Bestselling Author, for One More Moment
“Chase’s three-dimensional characters leap off the page, encouraging readers to sit down, put their feet up, and enjoy…charming.”—Publishers Weekly for Until There Was Us
“Chase just gets better and better.”—Booklist
more
Deck the halls and READ THIS BOOK! Nothing will get you in the spirit more.
Chase continues to charm hearts with real emotion and unforgettable characters. A Dash of Christmas is not only a romance, but a story of familial love. The Montgomerys are unpredictable, irresistible, heartwarming and hilariously, entertaining. This family invites us into their fold at the best of times, the worst of moments and all the drama in between. Add in a dash of matchmaking and an age old childhood rivalry and there is no getting better than that. Carter and Emery are reminder that sometimes less than perfect could turn out to fit just right.
A great Christmas story that has now put me in the mood for the holidays and comfort food.
A strong start with a drama no one needs, wants or should ever have to go through. It hooked me. I was anticipating a faster pace after that, however, it had to simmer a good while.
Emery Monaghan had to wade through the whole gamut of feelings–her place, her purpose, her goals in a life that had, up until now, been subtly dictated by her parents. A quick fix was not on the menu for her.
Carter Montgomery thought he knew exactly what he wanted in life. His goals and accomplishments were all falling right into place, until he came face to face quite unexpectedly, with the grownup version of Emery, his pain in the a$$ nemesis since the 5th grade, funny thing as Emery felt the very same way about Carter.
My, My, My how time can change so much, yet some things never change. The rivalry between these two really was like 20 years of foreplay. It was so fun to read their convos with sass and sizzle popping off the pages with LOL moments and chemistry, not in any classroom. Not to say, they didn’t have the serious discussions, they did. Both had unresolved issues, and were pretty open with each other.
This touched on ALL the emotions, included cameos of a lot of Montgomerys, hit on a few serious realities of today’s world, had sexy mild heat, and some of the best sounding food ideas that had my mouth watering.
I received an advanced readers copy thru #Netgalley from #Sourcebooks and am giving my honest opinion voluntarily
I absolutely adored this amazing book!
It’s a heartwarming, funny, sexy,
moving romance. The story pulled all
my heartstrings. It has great characters
& some incredible & touching scenes.
Carter & Emery, had competed & driven
each other crazy all throughout school.
Emery’s life is a complete disaster.
Carter’s life is stressed out.
When they see each other again,
years later, it is still the same.
Arguing about everything.
But their chemistry is undeniable.
The wonders of the season, the comfort
of family and a time to reconnect.
A Truly Wonderful Read!!
This is a cute romance, but it wasn’t exactly what I would classify as a Christmas romance.
A Dash of Christmas is Book 10 in Samatha Chase’s Montgomery Brothers series. I have faithfully read each and every one of these books (in order, which I think is the only way to do it.) Having the opportunity to open up and look into the latest characters is always worth the wait. Take the time to lose yourself in the Montgomery’s life and watch the action happen.
This book delves into the life of Carter Montgomery who is one of the few members of this illustrious family who adamantly chose not to go into the family business but rather buck tradition and go to culinary school. When he is reconnected with childhood friend Emery Monaghan through some not so subtle matchmaking by his mother, you have to wait to see if there are flames somewhere other than in the kitchen.
This is just one more book in a long line of Samatha Chase novels that are just to hard to put down and leave you wondering what is next on the horizon. I highly recommend this series.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Ruthie –
This is the ninth in the series and I have read and enjoyed them all; this is no exception. Fun and flirty, it mixes the usual blatant matchmaking with family and ultimately, love.
Emery is, to say the least, in a bind and so grateful when she is offered a safe place to hide, and just as importantly, a task to take her mind off her philandering, public figure of an ex-fiancé. That this means she will be spending time with her childhood nemesis, Carter Montgomery, is still preferable to being at home with the paparazzi at the door, and parents who think she should support the philanderer!
As she and Carter come to terms with the Christmas cookery book project and Carter has to acknowledge, at least to himself, that Emery is getting under his skin, we see the potential relationship becoming ever more likely. I loved how she managed to get from him a true view of what should be in the cookery book, that she took him back to a time when he was more positive about his life choices. She helps him realise the good, and consider how he puts to rest some of the issues arising from his relationship with his father.
It is all good stuff, and plenty of heat and passion spill over from their improving friendship and, well, Eliza may just have a success on her hands that she can crow about too!
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
A Dash of Christmas is Carter Montgomery and Emery Monaghan’s enemies to friends to lovers story! Loved the characters backstory-they were childhood rivals-and how Eliza Montgomery’s holiday cookbook project brought them together.
Emery learns that her politician boyfriend has been cheating on her. To add to her humiliation, he has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior. By employing this current events storyline, the author makes Emery a relatable heroine. Everyone understands being disappointed by friend or lover but, Emery has been embarrassed beyond belief. Eliza Montgomery offers Emery the perfect place to regroup and hide out from the media; her family’s condo in New York City and enlists her help in a charity project.
Eliza knows that her son Carter,who is helping her with the cookbook, is scheduled to stay at the condo. Eliza makes sure Carter and Emery are at the condo at the same time—she’s learned a lot about matchmaking from her sister- in -law! Sparks fly when the couple realizes they are both working on the same project!
I loved the dynamic between Carter and Emery—they are total opposites and their conversations are fabulous. Samantha Chase is an excellent storyteller—Emery and Carter’s story draws the reader in from the first chapter. Loved that famous chef Carter was appalled that Emery’s breakfast choice was chocolate pop tarts—I could imagine his expression- and that Emery nudged him by saying that grape jelly was her favorite fruit. Carter loved creating his fancy ingredient meals from scratch while Emery had no problem eating frozen pizza!
As Carter and Emery spend time together working on the cookbook-their mutual attraction sizzles and it’s such fun to have them fall in love while arguing about gouda, pop tarts and kettle corn! Their visons of a holiday meal are totally opposite; Carter wanted to create a fancy over the top meal while Emery wanted to eat a traditional turkey dinner with stuffing and mashed potatoes and a few cookies for dessert. Loved that Carter got Emery to try different foods and that Emery’s idea of simple, comfort foods resonated and inspired Carter.
A Dash of Christmas brings the west coast Montgomerys to New York for a mock Christmas dinner comprised of recipes from the cookbook. Loved that Emery spent time with Meghan, Summer, Gabriella and Maylene.
Carter and Emery’s story has all the feels—it’s a heartwarming celebration of family, food and love. I am sad that my favorite series has ended and loved that Ms. Chase gave the Montgomery family a perfect Christmas card ending!
Thank you Samantha for writing a fabulous series! I loved William Montgomery and his charming, over the top, matchmaking schemes, adored Gina and Mac, related to Summer, Maylene and Ethan’s romance and cheered for Zach to recover and realize that Gabriella was his perfect match! Megan and Alex’s story will always be special to me—it’s my comfort read. This series is a fan favorite because everyone needs a little magic in their life!
4 1/2 STARS!
A DASH OF CHRISTMAS is the next book in Samantha Chase’s beloved Montgomery Brothers series and brings us the story of restaurateur Carter and childhood nemesis Emery in a really adorable take on an enemies to lovers story.
Carter comes across as a bit cold and moody in the beginning, but it doesn’t take him long to warm a reader’s heart to his plight. He went against the family grain to become a chef and successful restaurant owner, so he is struggling with the right move when he wants to expand into something different.
Emery feels a bit beaten down when she comes into the first scene, but a few days in Carter’s company has the sassy spitfire he used to deal with coming back to life and challenging him tooth and nail. His mom might think she’s being smooth trying to fix them up together, but there’s no way they can stop hating each other long enough to consider the dating potential … right?
I recommend this book to anyone loving a good enemies to lovers story with a strong, sassy dialogue between the characters. This entire series has been delightful, so you can’t go wrong picking up any book featuring a Montgomery.
Carter & Emery’s story has all the elements that you expect from a Samantha Chase book. It is hard to put into words the connections that a reader feels when they dive into one of her books, but if you love heartfelt romance stories, “A Dash of Christmas” is a page turner that leaves the reader in such a good place after finishing Carter and Emery’s story. Having read many of the their stories, I find it a bit sad that this is the last of the Montgomery books. Each is a standalone read, but once you read one of them, you will fall in love with the whole Montgomery family. A beautiful read for all ages, I would like to thank NetGalley & Sourcebooks for gifting me “A Dash of Christmas”. My review is based on my opinion of my reading. 5 Stars!
A Dash of Christmas is a great story. Carter and Emery make a great ending for the Montgomery series as much as I hate to see it end. Carter, a celebrated chef with three restaurants and another in the works. Emery the unfortunate victim of a lying cheating fiance.
Carter and Emery have known each other since childhood. They have always been in competition and snarky with each other. Now all grown up Carter and Emery are thrown together to work on a Christmas cookbook for a benefit that Carter’s mom is in charge of. From New York City to Nola Carter and Emery find they enjoy each other more than they thought they should.
The story was a fond farewell to the whole Montgomery family. The mock Christmas weekend was like a farewell to all. Definitely worth the read. This is a stand-alone novel but to really understand the whole family dynamic the series is awesome!
A Dash of Christmas!!
This book was a fun-filled story about Emery and Carter. Emery had gone along with her parents’ wishes and she was engaged to marry a man “suitable” for her stature and would help her parents be seen where they belong in the world. As it turned out, that’s exactly what happened when Emery left her cheating fiancé and her parents wanted her to support the louse.
With Carter’s mother and aunt’s help, Emery is hidden away and given a job helping to pull together a charity cookbook featuring Carter’s recipes. Carter doesn’t want to be involved in this project! And then he learns the girl he’d sparred with all through school is working to help his mother! And she’s staying at his apartment! Who knew their sparks were from attraction, not hatred!
I loved how Emery realized her family was not her support system, and how she refused to go back to an untenable situation despite the pressure to do so. I loved the slow burn between Emery and Carter, and how Carter too grew and understood what he wanted in his future all with gentle pushes from Emery. These two were made for each other. The Montgomery family looks to be growing exponentially!
Fabulous book! Highly recommend you 1 click this one!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.
A perfect ending to a fabulous series!
A delicious and swoon-worthy Christmas story <3 A great end to an amazing series 🙂
I Loved Carter and Emery! Great story line, so easy to get attached to all the characters in the story. You know with all the spunkiness of Emily that these are going to be explosive when they get together. Samantha did a great job with the enemies to lovers story.
I can’t wait to see what Samantha has in store for us next.
I loved this so so much!!
This story was tugging at my heart strings in more than one way. I can’t believe this is the last story in the Montgomery Brothers series, and I’m so sad to see it end!
What can I say about Emery and Carter. They had me cracking up with their banter, their fighting back and forth, and Emery’s love for junk food? She’s a girl after my own heart They both faced challenges throughout the story, and if I could reach through a screen and strangle a few characters, let’s just say Emery’s life would have been so much easier .
An amazing story to finish off this series that I would HIGHLY recommend!
5 He Has an Obsession with Gouda Stars!!!
I love a good enemies to lovers story and when you add in that this takes place in the Montgomery Brothers written by Samantha Chase and it’s a total win for me! This book revolves around Carter Montgomery who we’ve certainly met in all the previous books and Emery Monaghan.
From the moment I started this book with his mom Eliza planning her “matchmaking” I knew this was going to be a fun read… I mean it’s around the holidays, there’s food involved, hence the Gouda reference, and it’s discovering who you really are when faced with adversity.
The fact that Emery and Carter have known each other since they were little and always trying to taunt and tease each other provided for some comic moments in the book but the best is when they see each other by surprise late one evening, in the family apartment in NYC thanks to Eliza is one of the best moments in the book. I literally laughed out loud with the way they bantered back and forth!
Little did they know that this meeting would change both their lives in so many ways and going on this journey with them was fun at times, heartbreaking at others. What can’t be denied however, is their pull towards each other. Emery is a woman that hasn’t had the pleasure of a family that wants only what’s best for their child whereas we know how the Montgomery’s stick together…although there’s some revelations in this book about Carter and his father that brought me to tears, so being drawn into a cause she believes in and getting to spend time with people who see her and who she is, has Eliza realizing that she’s lovable just as she is with no changes needed.
I adored how Carter loved her and how his life changed after spending time with her and had him making some changes that reflected in how he lived his life and allowed him to remember why he became a chef in the first place.
Like I said in the beginning, not only is this a love story, but it’s a story of redemption, discovery and most importantly a love that is never ending and going along on this ride was one that I’d gladly take again and again as long as Ms. Chase wants to keep giving us more of the Montgomery Family because they’re all that and a slice of Gouda!!!
What a great story, just enough to get you in the mood for Christmas, and fall in love with the main characters at the same time! 5 stars for this one!
Meet Carter Montgomery, hot chef! When his mother asks him to help do a cook book for a worthy cause, he tries to get out of it, then decides how bad could it be, throw some recipes together and boom she gets her book. But his mom has other intentions, throwing in Emery, who’s going through a rough time publicly in the media due to her fiance’s wandering hands and eyes.
Emery & Carter used to be very competitive since the fifth grade, can these two work together to get the project done or will they fight at every turn.
This story was so good, I could not put it down. Grab this it’s available NOW!!
Ms. Chase definitely has the recipe for a great story!! Love, love, LOVED A Dash of Christmas!!! It has absolutely EVERYTHING a romance reader could love with a dash of Christmas (yeah, tongue in cheek, I had to go there) thrown in!!! A Dash of Christmas by Samantha Chase is the 9th book in Samantha Chase’s Montgomery Brothers Series. When this book hit my tablet, I could not wait to start it.
Emery Monaghan has had enough from the cheating low life she was engaged to. She forgave his butt when she found out about that girl, he had cheated on her with. He said it was the only time, and he would never do it again. Now, she knew the truth, and the reporters would not leave her alone so she could deal with her pain and humiliation in peace. Emery knew she had to get away. When Eliza Montgomery, a family friend, offered to let her stay at the family’s condo in New York, and a job working on the cookbook with her son Carter’s recipes fundraiser, she jumped at the chance.
Carter Montgomery has been running non-stop between all of his current restaurants and his newest venture being built in Montauk for a very long time. He NEEDS a break in the worst way. And, he is determined to do that in Montauk after a brief stop at the family condo in New York. Yep, the same condo that unbeknownst to Carter, Emery is staying at….
Emery and Carter grew up together and have had a bit of love hate relationship. However, the sparks were always there but neither wanted to admit it. Emery and Carter were both smart cookies in school, but Emery hated that everything came easily to Carter, but she had to work her butt off.
I loved watching the sparks fly when they started working together at the condo before Carter left for Montauk. Then, when her ex’s lawyer shows up threatening to give up her hiding spot to the press, Carter steps in and brings her to Montauk to hide out there with him. And the sexual tension really starts.
One of the things I really loved about this book, and one of the reasons I loved this series is the sense of family. How they care so much about each other, and once you become one of the family…sigh.
I loved the whole book/series, but I think my favorite part of this book were the Christmas Cards… Sorry Ladies, you will have to read this wonderful book to find out what I am talking about, no spoilers.
I was first introduced to Samantha Chase’s wonderful books when I was at my library looking for a new book to read, when I read the blurb to Meant for You the 5th book the series, I knew I had to read it. I fell in love with Samantha Chase and her story writing abilities when I read this book. I went back and binged on the first 4 books; I could not wait for them to hit my Kindle. I have been a fan of this series ever since and this is why I am sad to see it end. I have also bought the audio versions of all of the books released thus far and have pre-ordered this one too, because I have loved it so much. Ms. Chase and her books have become one of my go to authors when I need a pick me up when I am having a bad time. So, thank you, Ms. Chase from the bottom, or rather ALL of my heart for all the “pick me ups” your stories give me. <3
Thank you for reading my review. I hope I helped you make the decision to purchase this book. In my opinion, I think you will love this book as much as I have.