His Last-Chance Christmas Family

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars for this second-chance Christmas romance! Brynn is left reeling after learning that her husband died in a car crash – along with his mistress. She is trying to find the new normal while working and raising her 10 year old son on her own. Right before Christmas, her longtime friend Nick shows up with yet another of her husband’s mistresses. She has a baby in tow, says she is in a bad place and Brynn offer’s to let them stay the night. What will end up happening with the baby? And Nick?

Their second-chance at love was just too adorable. I loved the way Brynn and Nick both pined for each other, but Brynn just would not give in! I was rooting for Nick from the beginning and I am so glad I got the HEA I was after!

This is the third installment in the Welcome to Starlight Series. You do not have to read the previous books to know what its going on. The love stories from the previous books were mentioned, and it made me want to read them! I think I will be going back to start this series from book #1.

This is a perfect book for you if you love second chance at love stories, a little family drama, and HEAs!

Terrific friends-to-lovers/second chance story. Brynn recently lost her husband when he died in a crash – along with his latest mistress. After ten years of an unhappy marriage and putting a brave face on for the town, she is ready to take back her life. One part of her past is Nick, her best friend growing up, and her high school crush. Their friendship hasn’t been the same since then, and she misses it. Nick is now the police chief in Starlight but still feels like he hasn’t lived down his high school reputation. At that time, he was the town bad boy with a revolving door of girlfriends.

I was sucked into this story from the beginning. I liked Brynn. Her life hasn’t been an easy one, but she made it work. Getting pregnant just before high school graduation and marrying the baby’s father hadn’t been her preferred plan. I was impressed by her determination to be a good mother and how she kept working to improve her life. I loved that she kept her head up even when she was the subject of the town’s gossips. I liked Nick too. Yes, he’d been a selfish jerk in high school and not a very good friend to Brynn. But losing both his brother and his father in a short period of time changed him.

I liked the development of the relationship between Brynn and Nick. Brynn had never lost her old crush on him, and her encounters with him since Daniel’s death have added to the attraction she still feels for him. Nick regretted his high school idiocy for years. He stayed friends with Brynn and Daniel during their marriage but kept his feelings under wraps. Nick feels guilty over being the one who set Brynn up with Daniel and is now determined to do everything he can to help her, however she needs it. But he also refuses to do anything about those feelings for fear of hurting her again.

Their lives take an unexpected twist when one of Daniel’s girlfriends shows up with his baby, then disappears, leaving the baby with Brynn. Brynn falls in love with little Remi and wants to keep her, but circumstances place Remi with Nick as her foster parent. A fire at Brynn’s house sends her and Tyler to stay with Nick while their home is repaired. As the four of them settle into a pseudo-family, the sparks between Nick and Brynn continue to grow. I loved Nick’s connection with young Tyler, his unexpected bond with little Remi, and his yearning to make this temporary life permanent. I loved watching him overcome his fears and his sweet attempts to “court” Brynn. His biggest problem was his protectiveness and wanting to shield her from things that could hurt her.

Meanwhile, Brynn had been working hard at taking charge of her life. Her feelings for Nick continue to grow, fed by his care and belief in her. She’s just beginning to believe that they have a future together when an unexpected visitor blows a hole in that dream. I ached for Brynn and her feelings of betrayal and hurt. Her anger was believable, and I liked how she confronted Nick over it. I felt a little sorry for Nick because he hadn’t realized what he was doing and is devastated by what she said. Their misery oozed off the page, and I could feel their pain. I liked how their friends supported them while also pointing out some things neither Nick nor Brynn had considered before. I liked Nick’s big moment in the end and his heartfelt declaration of his feelings.

I liked the secondary characters. Brynn’s son Tyler was terrific. He’s a good kid with a big heart who is portrayed as a relatively normal ten-year-old boy. I loved his fascination with the baby, and he was adorable with her. He also had a few instances where he wasn’t quite so sweet, adding to the story’s realism. I also liked Brynn and Nick’s friends and both the support and the tough love they need.

After reading the book, I was a little confused by the back-of-the-book blurb. Brynn wasn’t returning to Starlight; she’s lived there her whole life. This is part of her self-confidence issue as she felt judged by others her entire life. As for Nick, I recall nothing about his parents discouraging him about Brynn. He blames it all on his selfishness and stupidity.

A heart warming Christmas second chance romance. Bryn and Nick were best friends in high school, fast forward, Bryn is a young widowed mom and Nick, the police chief has come to her rescue when her life turns upside down. This time Nick will not let anyone stand in front of him in regards to his feelings toward Bryn.

If you love second chances, kids, small town romance and the Christmas holidays this will give you all the warm fuzzies. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Perfect for fans of second chances and found families. Major’s latest will give you all the feels as she puts a smile on your face this holiday season. You won’t be disappointed in this holiday read.

Brynn got pregnant in her teens. She married Daniel, her baby’s father but it wasn’t a good marriage. He cheated on her a lot. Five months ago her husband died in a car crash along with his mistress. Well, one of his mistresses. Readers will get to meet the second mistress and her baby in this story. Brynn and her ten-year-old son Tyler are still finding their way after Daniel’s death. Then Nick Dunlap came back into Brynn’s life. They had been best friends and that morphed into Brynn having a major crush on Nick in high school. That didn’t lead to anything serious, especially after she got pregnant by Nick’s friend Daniel. Circumstances have brought them back together again. Brynn has to admit to herself that high school crush on Nick was really a matter of starting to fall in love with him. After all this time can he return her love is the question.

Nick Dunlap is the police chief in Starlight. When he left Starlight for college he had no plans to return but then his brother was killed in Afghanistan and six months after that his father had a massive heart attack and died. Nick returned for his mother’s sake. He’s had an okay life. Seeing Brynn after her husband’s death made him want to rekindle their close friendship but he can’t think that way. It’s all his fault Brynn got stuck with her cheating husband. He encouraged her to date Daniel back in high school. His friends keep trying to talk him into admitting he loves Brynn. Could he really love her?

His Last-Chance Christmas Family by Michelle Major is the third book in her Welcome to Starlight series. This story is a combination second chance/surprise baby theme. I was very surprised when baby Remi appeared in the story. This made for a super storyline. Both Brynn and Nick are very likable characters. Brynn is a super mom and how she steps up after her husband’s death is inspiring. Nick needed to realize what happened in Brynn’s life wasn’t his fault. Brynn owned up to her choices. I love this author’s voice and look forward to more of her stories.