A heartwarming Christmas story filled with the magic and miracles of the holiday season by USA Today Bestselling author, Nancy Naigle. Growing up, Liz Westmoreland dreamed of taking over her grandparents inn located in the small mountain town of Antler Creek only for it to be sold before she ever got the chance. While browsing the internet, she stumbles upon a listing for what looks to be the … what looks to be the picturesque inn and it’s set to go to auction. Liz places a bid, and by a miracle, wins the auction. But when she gets there she finds the property in significant disrepair.
When Matt Hardy narrowly lost the inn and property that butted his land, he just hoped it wasn’t another city slicker coming to make matters worse after the previous owners gutted the place for an art gallery. But the minute he recognized the sweet, freckle-faced girl from his childhood and heard her plans to reopen the inn, he jumps at the chance to help his childhood crush restore a place where he made so many fond memories.
While working on repairs, Liz and Matt discover her grandmother’s collection of angels in one of the cabins. When the angels start mysteriously showing up all over the inn, she begins to look at them as reassurance–that restoring the inn is what she’s meant to do. But when an accident leaves Liz feeling like she made a mistake, will Matt–and the residents of Antler Creek–be able to show Liz that she’s found a home? And possibly true love as well?
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Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle is a Christmas tale you won’t want to miss. Ms. Naigle has once again delivered a well-written book populated with a stellar cast of characters. Liz is great at her job, but her dream has always been to own a B&B like the one her grandparents owned. When she finds her grandparents B&B on an auction website, she jumps at the chance to own it. Matt lives on the property next to Angel Rest B&B and remembers Liz from when she would visit her grandparents. Liz and Matt’s story is packed with drama, humor and is a perfect holiday read. This book is appropriate for any age, a clean read. I enjoyed reading Christmas Angels and look forward to my next book by Nancy Naigle. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
Liz purchased her grandparents old lodge, sight unseen, and wasn’t fully prepared for the state of disrepair it was in. With the help of locals and Matt, an architect and local favorite who’s harboring a childhood crush on Liz herself, Liz starts working on restoring the lodge to its former glory. Seeking reassurance that she’s on the right track, Liz is constantly looking for signs to back up her hasty purchase. All is going well until an injury sidelines her and then she’s got plenty of time to sit, stew, and question if she’s bitten off more then she can chew.
I thought this was a really sweet, yet very slow read. I loved the locals, Maizey, Flossie, and Matt’s workers were a riot! Enter good gossip to the mix and I found myself laughing at the information highway! I also liked the concept of restoring the lodge and uplifting not just Liz, but the town itself too. However, I didn’t care for the romantic aspect. Matt’s interest in Liz was cute and in his defense, he worked hard to get her to notice him romantically, and I truly believe he had feelings for her. But Liz was a hard sell. She was wasn’t just wrapped up in the lodge. She lived and breathed it to the umpteenth degree. And she was completely oblivious to Matt. Even when the entire town clued her in, she still doubted his feelings. So when her about-face happened, it was hard pill for me to swallow. What kind of guy gives cheap labor, cooks great meals, checks on you in a snow storm, is available to you at all hours of the day and lets you keep his number on speed dial, and drags the whole town into a huge plan to cheer you up if he isn’t interested in dating? There’s being neighborly…and then there’s being neighborly!
I do have to mention Elvis, Matt’s dog, because he was my favorite character. I thought he had some of the cutest moments! This adorably, lazy puppy had a knack for presenting himself at just the right time and was appropriately named with his smirky smile and hip wiggling!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Heartwarming original Christmas small town romance.
I don’t read a lot of holiday stories but I’m so glad I chose to read Nancy Naigle’s Christmas Angels. The combination of hope, loss, spirituality, romance and joy made it a great read.
Liz and Matt were a great couple whose work relationship I loved watching slowly evolve to something much more. The authors’s wonderful secondary characters and description of Antler Creek brought the town and story to life. Even leaving the possibility of a spin off (I hope)and HEA for Matt’s sister Kristy.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.
Christmas Angels was a heartwarming holiday novel! I enjoyed the small town theme and the magical holiday tone. Liz bids on the inn that her grandparents used to own. She has fond memories of the days spent there in the summer and during the holidays. When she actually sees the house after she wins the auction, she is surprised to see what was done to the place. As she settles in to her new home, she gets to know the people who live in the town. She attempts to get everything fixed up but worries that it is all too much to do. But she doesn’t know that there are many surprises ahead for her!
Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle is a most delightful Christmas contemporary novel that will get you in the festive mood.
The novel is about following your heart’s desire and new beginnings. When God places a dream in your heart, you need to grasp it with both hands and hold on. When others come on board with your dream, amazing things can happen.
Nancy Naigle has perfectly captured small town living. Needs are met, warm welcomes wait, hearts are opened to stranger, family and friends. A warm atmosphere envelopes the reader as we catch the Christmas mood.
Nancy Naigle’s words evoke all that Christmas should be – snow, lights, festivities, family and friends. She lights the fire of the perfect Christmas within hearts.
Characters are recovering from bereavement. We all have that safe, go-to place in our mind where our memories live on. As an old inn is renovated and brought back to life, so a character is revived and fulfilled.
Christmas Angels was such a delightful, charming read. It was my first book by Nancy Naigle but I shall be reading more.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
Thank you in advance to JustRead tours and the author for a review copy. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
If you’re not into the “Hallmark”-esque movies, then this isn’t a book for you. It is a clean read, clean romance which means there is not much more interaction beyond kissing, holding hands – those things. There are some “Christian” elements, but the author isn’t preachy in her tone.
This is my first introduction to author Nancy Naigle. I LOVE a good, clean romance. I LOVE Christmas stories even more. And, when this was released in October, I HAD to have it. I could tell by the cover and the description this was a book I was going to LOVE!
The premise of this book is so cute!
“Growing up, Liz Westmoreland dreamed of taking over her grandparents’ inn located in the small mountain town of Antler Creek only for it to be sold before she ever got the chance. While browsing the internet, she stumbles upon a listing for what looks to be the picturesque inn and it’s set to go to auction. Liz places a bid, and by a miracle, wins the auction. But when she gets there, she finds the property in significant disrepair.
When Matt Hardy narrowly lost the inn and property that butted his land, he just hoped it wasn’t another city slicker coming to make matters worse after the previous owners gutted the place for an art gallery. But the minute he recognized the sweet, freckle-faced girl from his childhood and heard her plans to reopen the inn, he jumps at the chance to help his childhood crush restore a place where he made so many fond memories.
While working on repairs, Liz and Matt discover her grandmother’s collection of angels in one of the cabins. When the angels start mysteriously showing up all over the inn, she begins to look at them as reassurance—that restoring the inn is what she’s meant to do. But when an accident leaves Liz feeling like she made a mistake, will Matt—and the residents of Antler Creek—be able to show Liz that she’s found a home? And possibly true love as well?”
The cover is darling! Almost instantly I want to run off with it and curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and spend every moment I had with this book.
This book definitely has a “Hallmark” movie vibe about it – in a good way, complete with a small town with the cutest name – Antler Creek. You can almost close your eyes and hear/see it as it moves along. And, even one of the characters makes a “Hallmark Movie” remark in it. There are references to Hallmark in it. But, that didn’t detract from this cozy read.
I love how positive Liz was, despite the warnings from her co-worker about buying it sight unseen, and even after seeing the disrepair – still held out hope. There are some sad moments after the “accident”, but she had friends who wouldn’t let her give up.
It is a true “you know who your friends are when you face adversity” scenario with an honest “small town” scenario.
Not every character is perfect; then again, no real person is either. The characters are written like some people I’ve known and been around. Obviously the good/bad equal each other out.
The characters are real for the geographic area, and I could almost picture the town in my mind with the writer’s vivid writing style.
This is a simple little “feel-good” read for the holidays.
I received an ARC copy of the book from
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own
Definitely a fun and sweet holiday read. When Liz spots a real estate auction for her beloved Angel’s Rest she views it as a sign. She bids On The property sight unseen determined to rekindle the memories she shared with her grandparents. When she first visits the property she is disheartened to see the physical changes the previous owner did to the property.
Determined to fulfill her dream she begins to sketch ideas and make plans for restoration. Enter the handsome Contrractor Matt who remembers Liz from their childhood. Matt is determined to help Liz recreate the special place from their childhood. Will Matt win Liz’s heart? Can they do something to help the town?
Christmas Angels is the newest Christmas story from Nancy Naigle. I wanted to read this story as soon as it hit my kindle, but I needed to get a little closer to Christmas to be in the right frame of mind. I love Ms. Naigle has written Christmas stories over the past few years, and I always look forward to her newest sweet and emotional Christmas story each year.
I loved Liz Westmoreland from the moment she appeared on the page. She is such a strong woman, who knows exactly what she wants out of life and has worked hard for years so she can finally live her dream of owning her grandparents’ former inn Angel’s Rest. However, after arriving, she quickly realizes there is way more work needed than she had anticipated.
Luckily, Matt Hardy is back in Antler Creek and is the perfect person to help Liz with her dreams. I have to say I absolutely loved that Matt had a huge crush on Liz when they were kids and she would come to visit her grandparents. After learning about Matt’s background with his most recent ex, I really worried about him giving Liz enough of a chance as she was also from the city, but I was so glad I was wrong about how Matt would act.
I loved the fact that Matt and Liz totally were friends first, even though they both felt an attraction to each other. I also absolutely loved the townspeople of Antler Creek. Seriously made me miss my own small town hometown as I grew up in a town where neighbors helped each other all the time just to help out. I had all the happy sighs while reading Christmas Angels.
Christmas Angels is another winner from Nancy Naigle. As with so many of her other Christmas stories, I absolutely feel like I’m living in a Hallmark Christmas movie, and I love every single minute of each story. I adore Nancy’s voice in each new book and highly suggest her books to romance fans who love sweet and emotional stories.
Rating: 5 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher
I received an advanced copy of this book. This Is a great book, that I highly enjoyed and recommend. This one is set at an inn in the mountains. Liz has always dreamed of buying back the inn that her grandparents sold years ago. She has only fond memories of the place, and wants to make it as great as she remembers it to be. She happens upon a online auction and gets to buy it back. When she gets to town, she finds a great contractor and sparks begin to fly. They work at getting the inn back to the way they both remember, but she puts up roadblocks around her heart. Will she let them down enough to find love?
Christmas Angels is a sweet Hallmark-esk Christmas Romance it’s an easy romance and it I read through it in no time, I thought it was a lot shorter than 300ish pages. I really enjoyed this one it really leaves you with a Christmasy feeling. The main characters both love Christmas and have so much in common. Liz Westmoreland grew up in the city but she’s a small town girl at heart all she has ever wanted was to run the Inn her Grandparents owned. Matt Hardy loves his hometown of Antler Creek he’s never wanted to leave it he came back after college and lost his fiancee because she didn’t want to live in such a small town she wanted the big city and all it’s perks.
By sheer chance Liz finds her grandparents Inn up for auction and bids on it sight unseen, well recently unseen. Liz is the winning bid she takes a leave of absence from work, it helps that her best friend is her boss. It seems like every other person thinks Liz is crazy for doing this but Liz is determined this is the life she wants. Liz’s heart drops when she walks into the Inn to find it gutted the previous owners ripped just about everything out and turned it into an art gallery. Matt recognizes Liz almost immediately and since he didn’t get the winning bid for the Inn he’s glad it went to her. When they were younger and she would come to visit her Grandparents he had such a crush on her and now she’s back hopefully to stay; to help with that he puts in a bid to fix the Inn and the connected cabins. All of Antler Creek is happy to have Liz there and that she’s bringing back the Inn. When ever Liz is in doubt about her choice she seems to find one of her Grandmother’s angels laying around and it gives her hope that this is what she’s supposed to be doing, until disaster strikes and Liz really begins to doubt herself it’s up to all her new friends and Matt to show her she’s exactly where she needs to be.
Overall, it’s such a sweet read. I really hope Hallmark picks this one up. I can just imagine how beautiful Lights at the Lodge would look. It’s a great heartwarming story with great characters and I hope we aren’t done with Antler Creek yet it’s place I’d love to visit again.
A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. This one about Liz and her dream place and how Matt helps her with her dream. Since it is a small town it comes together to help as only you can by living in a small town.
Liz Westmoreland and Matt Hardy were kids when they spent time at her grandparents’ inn. So many years later, Liz learns that the inn is up for auction, and she buys it. It was always her dream to own it and run it someday as her childhood memories kept that dream alive. However, never seeing it before buying it, she learns that it is in such disrepair. She hires Matt’s as her contractor, and he restores it to its former glory allowing her dreams to come true along with the Christmas traditions her grandparents instilled in her. As Liz’s dreams materialize, so are Matt’s as he realizes that Liz is what he’s been missing all his life.
CHRISTMAS ANGELS is another warm, cozy and delightful romance novel which has all the feel-good emotions of love blooming and the glad-tidings of the Christmas season. Put those two together and you get a classic Nancy Naigle holiday novel which is very appealing and keeps readers coming back for more. I always look forward to reading her holiday novels and enjoy her books that are made into Hallmark movies.
Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by Nancy Naigle’s “Christmas Angels.” I thought it would be a light, sweet Christmas romance, in the vein of a Debbie Macomber or Emily March novel. Instead, it turned out to be a cheesy, relatively boring story with annoying, underdeveloped characters and very little relationship development between the main characters, Liz and Matt.
I was annoyed by Liz in particular because she seemed to be living so much in the past and relying on “signs” to decide everything for her. She was so fixated on re-creating her grandparents’ “perfect” life that she never really seemed to get a life of her own. I didn’t feel like I got to know Liz very well outside of her relationship with her grandparents, either. For example, her divorce was mentioned a few times in passing, but there was zero detail or explanation to go along with it. It seems to me like that would have been an important part of her life, and might have helped explain why this project was so important to her. In addition, Liz’s “friendship” with Dan didn’t make any sense to me. On several occasions, she went out of her way to say how much she “treasures” it, but constantly complained about how everything was always about him, and that Dan was selfish, didn’t support her, etc. If that’s the case, why would she be friends with him in the first place? His character didn’t seem to serve much purpose in the story anyway, other than to create unnecessary drama.
I didn’t feel like I got to know Matt very well, either. For example, it’s mentioned a few times that he’s an architect, and I think it was also mentioned that he’s based in Chicago, but I was very confused about how he was able to take so much time off to spend working on the renovations to Liz’s house in North Carolina. Is he self-employed? Further, I found it to be incredibly cheesy that Matt’s first reaction upon seeing Liz was to say to his friends, “She’s the woman I’m going to marry.” I don’t understand how he could possibly have known exactly who Liz was based on just her first name, and then, knowing nothing else about her, decide that he was going to marry her. After so much time had passed, her personality and interests could have been completely different from those of the girl he once knew.
Additionally, there were a number of plot points that didn’t really make sense to me. For example, why would Liz take the rest of the year off to fix up the house when it was supposed to be about 30 days before it would be legally hers? It would be stupid to start working on the house before then in case the sale fell through. (Of course, she bought it sight unseen, so she already didn’t seem like the brightest bulb.) Further, after her fall in the woods, Liz started worrying about not having liability insurance, and interpreted that as one of the “signs” that she wasn’t meant to re-open the lodge after all. Almost immediately after that, however, she decided to allow a strange couple (with a small child, no less!) to stay on the property, which was a giant construction site complete with an open trench. Again, that doesn’t seem very smart to me if one is trying to avoid liability issues.
Finally, I hated the “big misunderstanding” between Liz and Matt at the end of the book. It seemed stupid and unnecessary to me, and like the author felt a need to create drama for drama’s sake. What bothered me the most about it was that it didn’t even make sense for Matt to believe the rumor. He knew Liz’s long-term plans and that she was about to hire a caretaker for the property, so why would she also be planning to sell the lodge?
Bottom line, this book just didn’t work for me. It could have been interesting given the HGTV-like elements involved in fixing up an old house, but IMO the annoying, underdeveloped characters and weak plot overshadowed all of that.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Liz’s grandparents owned an Inn that she dreamed of one day taking over. Located in the small mountain town of Antler Creek it holds beautiful memories that she has always held close to her heart. When she comes across the Inn up for auction she throws caution to the wind and bids on it sight unseen. She is beyond thrilled when she wins the auction and is ready to make big changes in her life. Matt lives in the town of Antler Creek and was looking forward to bringing its old Inn back to life. The only problem is that he lost the bid to someone else and his dreams of bringing it back to life are dead. He hopes that the new owner will do the place justice and not turn it into something unseemly. He soon gets a surprise when he learns the granddaughter of its previous owners is the one who bought it. He has great memories of her and the time she spent in Antler Creek with her grandparents. Liz soon takes on Matt as a contractor and the two hope to turn the Inn back into the wonderful show place it was. As the two work together sparks start to fly and feelings pop up between them. Will the two make a leap, and trust each other and how they feel or will they let love pass them by? What a wonderfully written holiday romance that will definitely bring forth the Christmas spirit. It will have you falling in love with not only the setting but the well written characters as well. I look forward to reading more from this author and can’t wait to see where she transports me next.
This book was just okay for me for several reasons. There was way too much repetition about Liz’s dreams and what Angel’s Rest meant to her, how much it meant to Matt and how happy the town was about the re-opening of Angel’s Rest B&B. The writing is good and Liz does have a pleasant personality as does Matt but without all that repetition there would have been plenty of time to create some much needed flirting and romance to the story while still keeping it PG rated. When I can’t see into a character’s heart I just can’t get into the story and I had to force myself to read it so I could write my review. I have read other books by this author and I have to say that this book pales in comparison. I read an early copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.
3.5 stars
I wasn’t a huge fan of Christmas Angels. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the romance part of it. Thought that was well written and sweet. It was just that I couldn’t connect with Liz. I thought she was taking unnecessary risks on a place she hadn’t seen in decades. I also thought the town rallying behind her (like their livelihood depended on her reopening the inn) was a bit much. But, I did enjoy where the book was set (an hour from where I live) and I loved that it was set between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
This was a great story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was almost like watching a Hallmark movie in book form. While I really enjoyed the story, it just didn’t feel like a romance story to me until the very end.
Liz Westmoreland discovers that her grandparent’s inn, Angels Rest, is going to be auctioned off the next day. It has always been her dream to own it. She wins the inn and goes to Antler Creek to start the renovation process. She comes across Matt Hardy at the restaurant in town. He is drawn to her to the point that he suggests the ham sandwich for lunch as she is perplexed as to what to order for lunch. Matt submits a bid to be the contractor to help bring back the inn to life as the former owners gutted the interior into an art galley.
I fell in love with quite a few characters (Krissy, Matt’s sister and Grady, the sheriff) so I hope there are a few more stories in Antler Creek. This book is written in a dual POV format. With this, I could see Matt falling in love with Liz (he basically loved her when they were kids) but I couldn’t feel it on Liz’s part. She is going through so much on her own that it didn’t come across for me. But like I mentioned earlier, it is a great story.
This is a sweet, clean romance. If you like Hallmark movies, then you should read this book.
I am a Christmas story lover; so this one was a perfect choice for me. It’s funny, that as I am reading the story; in my mind, I kept saying to myself that this would make a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie. Then within the story, the author mentions Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel and I had a good chuckle.
This is a wonderful story about “coming home” again. It is a beautifully written holiday story about 2 people; Liz & Matt, that met as youngsters and then meet again adults; strangely enough bidding on the same piece of property in Antler Creek in an on-line auction site. Matt remembers Liz; but, Liz doesn’t recall Matt. Matt had a huge crush on Liz; way back when….
This is such a lovely story about small towns and a community that truly embraces their neighbors and helps out whenever and wherever they might be needed. I loved the small town charm of Antler Creek and its people.
The perfect heartwarming Christmas romance to read this season. Liz has always dreamed of owning her grandparent’s inn and when it comes up on auction, she bids unseen and wins. Upon arrival she can not believe the condition of the inn. She soon makes friends with Matt, who also wanted the property but he offers his services to get the inn back up and running. Little did Liz know, Matt had a secret crush on her when she would come visit her grandparents. After Liz suffers an injury, Matt will gather the community in helping getting the inn ready for Christmas.
This story will sure get you in the mood for Christmas season from homemade cookies, Christmas angels and all of the decorations. Loved the heartwarming romance that develops between Liz and Matt. This would be the perfect Hallmark movie!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Beautiful Christmas story that restores ones faith in humanity. A lifelong dream comes true for the main character and the people in this small town take her in with open arms. Well written, easy to follow storyline.