A delightful Christmas romance about finding the perfect recipe for love.After years of mistakes and regret, Colin Renwycke finally has a plan: Hone his baking talent at the Denver Culinary Institute and embark on a new career as a pastry chef. If he’s lucky, he might even manage to earn back his family’s respect. But despite his skills in the kitchen, Colin’s a mess in the classroom and his … a mess in the classroom and his ongoing disasters are proving too much for his prickly instructor. If he loses his spot at the school, he’s out of backup plans.
Culinary school instructor Rylan Jefferson has the chance to reclaim her dream of running her own bakery. But she only has until Christmas Eve to come up with the perfect recipe to impress an eccentric investor. She has no time for holiday parties or family plans . . . and especially not for the unruly student baker who couldn’t follow a recipe if his life depended on it.
But Colin has the one ingredient Rylan needs most—talent. Lots of it. And when he makes a proposal that just might solve both their problems, Rylan can’t say no—even if it does mean traveling all the way to Iowa. It just might be that the snow-covered plains and a charming small town full of postcard Christmas cheer are exactly what her hungry heart needs . . . along with a man who is much more than he seems.
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So good! I loved this one even better than the first one! At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to like Colin after the first book, but the author did an amazing job of making me like and relate to both Colin and Rylan! I also liked getting a little more about the secondary characters, others in Colin’s family. Even though the romance felt a little quick and a little physically-based at the beginning, it was satisfying to see them go beneath and love each other’s messy layers. I also thought the humor was even better, maybe because of the banter.
Favorite quotes:
“How many times did a girl have to watch a dream die before at last discovering an open door?” (p. 8)
“Sugar Lane. Of course Ryland Jefferson lived on Sugar Lane. It fit her profession, if not her personality.” (p. 12)
“‘Come with me. You’ll come up with the perfect recipe, and you might even have a little fun in the process. And you’ll be so grateful you won’t kick me out of your class.’ He grinned again. ‘What could possibly go wrong?'” (p. 24)
“‘Little tip: Scowling doesn’t work nearly so well for you first thing in the morning. The behead completely ruins the effect.'” (p. 44)
“Not that Rylan had given much of anything away. It was as if she’d had professional training in deflecting questions.” (p. 57)
“…how wonderful might it feel to be the spark that ignited someone else’s passion? Not Colin’s, of course. Of course. But … someone.” (p. 75)
“‘You shouldn’t hide so much of yourself all the time, Rylan. You’re depriving the people around you of the gift of actually knowing you.'” (p. 119)
“I’m realizing I think I actually get more joy from helping the people I love do their thing than I ever have with any of my own botched attempts at some kind of professional ambition.'” (p. 141)
One Enchanted Eve is a sweet and funny novella from the ever charming Melissa Tagg. Well-written with vivid characters and lots of heart, it’s a perfect read for Christmas time. You simply don’t want to miss out on this enchanting visit to Maple Valley!
One of the best novellas I’ve ever read.
I’m not going to say that I took Kindle Unlimited up on their $30 for 6 month deal because I somehow had book two in this series for free (bookbub deal maybe?), and I right this minute needed to go back and read book 1 and then read book 3 because I was falling in love with this family. But just because I’m not going to say it doesn’t mean its not true! I’m rolling in Christmas books, and I’ve been reading a few pages and then moving on to the book looking for just the right thing. I fully intended to continue until I realized that this was a novella and I was 2 chapters from the end. I inhaled this thing before I even realized I had started. AND I NEED A LEMON POPTART!!! Do I know how to make pastry? No. Am I considering channeling my inner Great British Bake Off star to make a lemon poptart? Maybe! And Colin and Rylan are super sweet too! Enjoy this one!
This one pulls at all the heartstrings! I absolutely love it!
I read this as part of the Enchanted collection, and I have to say, although I loved and highly recommend all three novellas, this one was my definite favorite! There’s just something about Colin, as he grows from seeing himself as the kid who never did anything right to a maturing man who wants to be there for his family and for others. And the insecurities Rylan faces are so relatable. Not to mention the fun, small-town setting of Maple Valley!
I love how Ms. Tagg reveals the layers of her characters throughout each book, their hurts and hang ups, their quirks, the good and the bad, all the things that make them who they are. You feel like you really know the characters by the end of the book. One Enchanted Eve is no exception. It’s full of fantastic character development and I love being able to actually see a believable change in the characters. There are lovable characters with insight into their hearts and minds that just might give you insight into yourself or someone else you know and a wonderfully satisfying ending to the story.