Margaret Snow doesn’t believe in fairy tales, but as a devoted mother she’s determined to give her five-year-old daughter a Christmas filled with heart-warming memories. The once successful LA swimsuit model returns to her small upstate New York town to buy back the foreclosed trailer she once called home. Her menagerie of rescue animals travel with her.She doesn’t expect to see her former high … high school sweetheart, the athletic, ever-popular, and decisive Fernando Brandt.
Sparks fly when she realizes that the teenage hockey star is now a successful Realtor who is also interested in her dilapidated trailer for reasons of his own.
But can she resist the handsome, charismatic Prince Charming a second time?
And can she surrender her insecurities and accept the true gift of Christmas, finally feeling worthy of unconditional love?
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I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Margaret returns to her upstate New York hometown for Christmas with her daughter. She meets up with her childhood sweetheart Fernando and things start to heat up. But should they? Lots of things can happen at Christmas. Would recommend Good read.
This is a really good and warm Christmas story by this wonderful and talented author. I loved the hero and the heroine and her sweet young child. This story has a lot of emotions and struggles to get to a great HEA. I promise you will love this story and if you have read any of Josie’s stories before you know this will be good as well. I highly recommend this wonderful story.
A Snowy White Christmas
Good storyline with interesting characters. Margaret and Fernando were high school sweethearts and lovers in a small town. Margaret leaves suddenly right after graduation. Returning several years later with their daughter, she immediately runs into Fernando who doesn’t know Amelie is his daughter. Their romance is rekindled but Margaret doesn’t know Fernando has a fiancé. Read the book to see what happens.
This was a fun read even while I was shaking my head at some of Margaret’s choices. The characters in this book are well developed and have all made choices that could have been improved. Funny how caring can be interpreted too often as controlling. I recommend this book.
A good Christmas novella to read.
A young single mother returns to her hometown and her teenage crush finds her again with lots of questions. This story deals with wealth, poverty, disabilities, health issues, and determination to take care of families.
This would make a good Hallmark Christmas movie.
A tender second chance romance!
Everyone thought Margaret and Fernando would get married after high school – everyone except Margaret who believes Fernando’s plans for their future is just another attempt to control her. She left the small town of Owanda in upstate New York to chase her dream of becoming a Hollywood star, leaving a broken-hearted Fernando behind. Now, years later she is back and bringing her young daughter Amelie. Her dreams have not gone as planned and her daughters’ frequent illnesses have used most of her money. Margaret is hoping to make enough from a temporary holiday job to pay her mounting expenses.
Fernando is now a successful businessman and engaged to the spoiled daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the area of Florida around Owanda. Diane is nothing like Margaret but she fits into Fernando’s plans for the future except for her attempts to lure him away from his close relationship with his mother and twin brother, Michael. He encounters Margaret when he brings his brother to Christmas Elf auditions for the mall. She is as beautiful as ever, with her Snow White looks, but she cannot wait for him to leave before he finds out about Amelie.
This is a beautiful second chance romance with a Christmas theme. The characters are relatable and the storyline is clean and touching.
Wonderful story of second chances, forgiveness and redemption. The secondary characters are delightful. The rescue pets the heroine seems to collect are precious, (my favorite was when the deaf parrot spoke). Throughout the story I laughed and I cried and wanted to shake the hero and the heroine a time or two. The story had twists and turns and a feel-good, heartwarming ending.
Cute little novella. I listened to the audio version of the story and thought that the narrator did a good job reading it even though I struggled with enjoying the ups and downs of the story.
There was a lot of angst between Margaret and Fernando and feelings that were confusing for me to follow. I guess a lot of Margaret’s decisions didn’t make sense to me throughout the novella and that bothered me as I listened. I was happy that Margaret and Fernando were able to find their happily-ever-after, though.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
A Lot Going On, But Didn’t Ring My Bell
I have read several books by this author, and I have usually enjoyed them. I had a hard time getting into this book for some reason, though. There’s a lot going on in this story, both currently with the characters and with their backstories. Perhaps it was a little confusing at first to get and keep it all straight. I absolutely loved the little girl; the author was able to write her character very well. I didn’t quite understand why the heroine didn’t want the child’s father to know about her. She was back in her hometown, he was there… why wouldn’t he have the right to know? Some obstacles between them felt too contrived. While I normally love a Christmas romance, especially when a darling child is involved, this one just didn’t quite do it for me. I will continue to check out titles by this author, though, because this is the only story of hers so far that I have not enjoyed.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
A Snowy White Christmas by Josie Riviera
Starts out with Margaret and she’s back in town where she grew up hoping to buy the mobile home she was raised in. She gets a part time job being an elf at Christmas at the store with others in hopes to save the money for the sale.
Story also follows Fernando, her love from high school. She had left shortly after school ended to the west coast to model but she has other secrets she keeps from him.
He is into real estate and he has secrets he hides from her. Some things just don’t make it into their conversations.
They do get together for meals and visits with his family but she has her own life. Part of his secret comes out at the sale. She is devastated.
Felt story was a bit rushed at the end when secrets are revealed as to who Emmy’s father is.
Like this book because of how hard each of them is struggling-her with taking care of her daughter who has disabilities. He has given his brother (who has disabilities) a kidney and they are recovering still.
Glad she realizes over time what’s really important as things are revealed.
Love hearing of the holiday festivities, how children handle being disabled and fit into society, charity and caring for others in this story set in Upstate New York.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
The storyline was okay, but I was frustrated that the heroine kept trying to hide her daughter from her father, and that the hero had a ‘fiance,’ but as soon as his ex-girlfriend shows up he is determined to see her again. The heroine is exceptionally beautiful, and there is a secondary character that would be considered a dwarf, but fairytale fans will not find ‘Snow White’ here. Overall the writing style, especially conversations, felt choppy and difficult to follow. There was implied sex, but no details; overall a clean read. I was given this copy in multi-author give-away.