Ugh, Christmas. Not a fan. So why am I wearing a Santa suit and letting frisky moms paw me at a reindeer ranch? It might have something to do with the family crisis that drew me home between tours as a career Marine. Or maybe it’s my urge to cozy up with the prickly reindeer rancher whose curves give me visions of something way hotter than sugarplums. Jade King isn’t thrilled I’m here, and she’d … King isn’t thrilled I’m here, and she’d be less thrilled to know her sister hired me to keep an eye on things. Someone’s set on sabotaging the ranch, so I’ve got a built-in excuse to get close to Jade.
I could swear the attraction’s mutual, but something’s holding her back. Some secret in her past that has her pushing me away like a bad batch of eggnog. It’s almost as baffling as all these accidents at the King sisters’ place. Seriously, who’d screw with a reindeer ranch?
Between sexy Santa suit malfunctions and risqué Christmas cookies, Jade and I keep ending up under the mistletoe together. Is there any chance we can mesh our Christmas wish lists, or will it all crash down like a fat man in a cast iron sleigh?
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I totally enjoyed this story!
Book one in the Ponderosa Resort series is a blast. Jade King and her sister Amber are determined to get their new reindeer business off the ground, but mysterious things have been happening around the ranch. Jade refuses to believe anything is wrong, but Amber hires a man to keep an eye on the property. As part of the ruse, he’s also playing Santa Claus, which draws all the flirty moms in town to Jade’s ranch.
Hometown football hero and decorated Marine Brandon Brown is back home to visit his ailing father, and he takes the job as Santa in an attempt to fight the demons in his past. Though he went to high school with Jade a decade earlier, he doesn’t remember her, but he’s determined to get to know her now. Jade, however, remembers him and his jerk friends very well, which hangs over their new relationship like a dark cloud.
I like the story, as well as the H/h. Jade was horribly bullied back in school, but grew up to be a strong, self-assured woman. Brandon had a bad home life, but put on a brave, cocky face at school to pretend he was fine. He’s now kind and honorable, fully aware of the mistakes he’s made, but he was pretty blind to Jade’s pain. On the flipside, she kept the pain to herself, so they’re both at fault for that.
There are few loose ends that I really wanted tied up. For example, after Brandon finally learns how his friends tormented Jade in school and how they still did to a lesser degree as adults, is he still gonna be all friendly and chummy with them? I hope not.
The secondary characters were really great, Amber especially. The reindeer were awesome, and I just love Tammy to death—such a good, protective Mama!
I normally don’t read romantic comedies or 1st person narrative, but this story was equal parts hilarious and heart wrenching, and I didn’t feel lost when reading all the “I” pronouns. Book two in the series is Sean (Brandon’s cousin) and Amber’s story, and I would love to read it.
4 Stars
I loved this, it was so much fun.
We meet Jade and Brandon, she handles a reindeer ranch with her sister; and he’s back from war for good. Anyway, the girls needed a guy to play Santa and Brandon it was, lol.
Guys, I LOVED Jade, like whoa, she showed so much strength. I wanted to hug the hell out of her during her HS time and every time she remembered those times. 🙁 But I loved that she never lost her awesome asskicking abilities. 🙂
Brandon was a cool guy, he was truly a nice guy, and exactly what Jade needed. He was super clueless back in HS, but it was understandable when you hear his story.
All in all, this was a sweet, fun and funny story (Tammy for the win!), and I REALLY want to know what’s the deal with Amber and Sean. 😉
This was perfect for this season.
*Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion*
Loved it!
This is my first book by Tawna Fenske.
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Dual POVs
Part of a series: Ponderosa Resort
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue
I look forward to reading more from this author and the next book in this series.
3.75 stars–STUDMUFFIN SANTA is the first instalment in Tawna Fenske’s contemporary, adult PONDEROSA RESORT ROMANTIC COMEDIES series. This is US Marine Brandon Brown, and reindeer ranch owner Jade King’s story line.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Brandon and Jade) STUDMUFFIN SANTA follows the building relationship and romance between US Marine Brandon Brown, and reindeer ranch owner Jade King. Brandon Brown is on leave from the Marines working part time as the seasonal Santa at the Jingle Bell Reindeer Ranch for sisters Jade and Amber King. Following a series of questionable events, Brandon finds himself protector and guardian for Jade King, a woman who remembers a different Brandon Brown from years before. What ensues is the building friendship and relationship between Brandon and Jade, and the potential fall-out as Jade struggles with what was, and what continues to be.
Jade King was bullied and teased throughout her high school years but Brandon doesn’t remember the woman with whom he will fall in love. Struggling with painful memories, Jade battles between head and heart, between then and now, when the past comes full circle. Thirteen years in the Marines, and Brandon is ready to retire. With his father’s health continuing to fail, Brandon’s memories of Christmas pasts continue to haunt his present.
STUDMUFFIN SANTA is a story of family, friendship, obsession and love. We are introduced to Brandon’s cousins Bree and Sean Bracelyn, as well as Jade’s sister Amber. The premise is sexy and fun but also intriguing and suspenseful; the characters are sassy and strong; the romance is passionate and hot.
Book Review: Studmuffin Santa
Author: Tawna Fenske
Four Stars
Running a Reindeer Ranch takes a lot of time and energy. But to keep someone from sabotaging all of their endeavours takes even more.
Jade and her sister, Amber, are trying to get things going and the first order of business is to have a Santa on hand to do pictures for the kids and to make things work with this Christmas season.
What Jade doesn’t know is that there has been some suspicious activity on the Reindeer ranch and Amber is doing all she can to not let her sister stress any more than she already is. Hiring the Santa, Brandon a former Marine, is one part business sense and second part security. Brandon is trained in all things like security and having him around will hopefully help find who is trying to sabatoge thier business.
Jade and Brandon get off to a rocky start, having went to school together, they have a lot of memories that get in the way sometimes.
This book is pretty good. Nice light read with a mystery and a romance all together.
Kelli Harper
Loved it! Great storyline with strong characters and the Christmas season to make this a very emotional and sweet book. I highly recommend.
Another sexy romp
Tawna Fenske is one of my go-to writers for lighthearted, sexy distraction with characters I care about and distinctly different stories. Otherwise, a Santa theme would be so “yawn.” The lovers in this story are especially engaging and totally hot and the circumstances will often tickle your funny bone. Buy this book and read it.
I have to admit the title and first page were all I needed to grab this little gem, and I enjoyed it to the end.
It’s a fun, lighthearted holiday story that was quite different from ones I’ve read before. The characters were well-fleshed and the interaction and drama between them nicely done.
I’ll be looking into more of this author’s books as it takes a lot for me to laugh, and the humor and dialogue came across naturally, and found myself enjoying the story very much.
Funny and lighthearted, it also addresses the ramifications of bullying on the emotional character of a person. I also learned a lot about reindeer, I never knew. This couple will make you laugh , while trying to figure out the strange things that are happening on the reindeer ranch.
Lovely Christmas story. Jade and her sister Amber are starting a reindeer farm and Amber hires studmuffin Brandon, to play Santa and provide security. Jade and Brandon find their way to love. HEA.
Sexy Santa
Well, Merry Christmas indeed!!
This book was a fantastic holiday story!! I love Brandon and Jade and all of the others introduced. I can’t wait to pick up the rest of the books in this series!!
I really enjoyed this book. Loved all the characters and ready to get to know more.
Super cute and funny read! Amber and Jade are sisters running a reindeer ranch. They hire ex-marine Brandon to work as their Santa. Since he is Studmuffin Santa, all the local moms bring out their kid, hoping that Santa will also grant their wishes. Jade isn’t thrilled that her sister hired him, but cannot deny that he helps increase sales. Both Brandon and Jade feel an instant attraction, But try to fight it. Great start to a fun series.
So So cute and sweet with a touch of spice is how I describe this book. It was laugh out loud funny as well as touching. It reminds you that how we are treated as children often affect what type of adults we become. You can take the negative in your childhood and use it as a positive in adulthood but insecurities still sometimes rear their ugly heads. Brandon and Jade overcame painful things in their childhoods to become great caring adults. The supporting characters were also great. I’m looking forward to their stories. By the way Tammy the reindeer is a hoot.
What could be a better Christmas setting than a reindeer ranch?
Jade and her sister, Amber, were working to get their new business, Jingle Bell Reindeer Ranch, running. As a veterinarian, Jade took care of the animals while Amber handled the administrative side. So it was Amber who hired Brandon as Santa. But he was a marine and their age, so not your typical Santa. That turned out to be good for business, though. Thanks to Brandon’s looks, there was a lineup of moms taking their kids to see Santa. Jade wasn’t happy that Amber hired Brandon because she remembered him as a jock in high school. All the girls had loved him – including Jade. He was quite a player but didn’t notice her back then. He sure noticed her now!
This story was not what I expected from the cover. I thought it would be quite steamy. Even though there were some hot moments it’s basically a sweet love story with an HEA. But it was suspenseful, too. Mysterious things were happening around the ranch that endangered the livestock and made things tough for the women. Who was doing this? I was surprised to find out.
While I was reading this book, I was caught up in the suspense and was chuckling, too. Loved, loved, loved the ending. Thank you for writing such a sweet, sexy and funny Christmas book.
5 Santa hats for this book.
What a fun, sexy read! Jade and Brandon are perfect for each other from the start. But don’t tell Jade that…she’s convinced he’s the self absorbed jock he was (or she thought he was) in high school. He can’t possibly really want to play Santa at their little ranch…can he?
Brandon has an ulterior motive for wanting this job, but there’s no denying he feels the chemistry with Jade. And he’s handy to have around with the weird things that have been taking place at the Jungle Bell Reindeer Ranch. Now he just needs to convince Jade to give him a chance…outside the suit!
Funny, laugh-out-loud dialogue, some sexy times and a hint of mystery makes Studmuffin Santa a sweet Christmas treat. My favorite Fenske read…and considering I’ve loved everything else I’ve read by her, that’s saying something!
Seriously, Five Fantastic Stars! From the cover, the reader may think they’re simply getting a sexy Santa story. Personally, why I would ever doubt that Tawna Fenske wouldn’t bring more than that is a wonder, because she never fails to deliver SO. MUCH. MORE.
In a novella-length story, this author delivers poignancy, mad writing skills and a sweet romance along with the funny and sexy. Not surprisingly, since Fenske’s humor speaks to my comedic soul, I laughed out loud numerous times. What took me by surprise were the little bit of tears I shed. Gah! I WASN’T expecting that. No less than 5 stars for a story that gives me all the “feels” and lots of depth in such a small package. No pun intended!
Studmuffin Santa is book #.05 in the Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies series by Tawna Fenske. I’ve been stalking this series for awhile now. I mean, just look at this cover. I thought it would be a fun, light hearted read. While it was fun, it was so much more. The characters were so easy to love, both with pasts that haunted them. And there was the bit of suspense added in as well. There was actually quite a lot in this little book, and I loved it.
Jade King and her sister Amber are trying to get their new business, Jingle Bell Reindeer Ranch, off the ground. Jade is a veterinarian and takes care of the reindeer while her sister is mostly dealing with the business side of things. They needed a santa for their Christmas season and Jade’s sister didn’t hire an older man with a beard and big belly. No, she hired a sexy man Jade remembers from high school, the football quarterback, the object of her teenage fantasies.
Brandon Brown has spent the last thirteen years in the marines. But the failing health of his father has brought him home. It was time, though. Christmas does not hold good memories for Brandon. But when Amber tells him that little things have been going wrong on the ranch and that she would like him to both be their santa but also to try to figure out what is going on, he accepts the job. A santa/security guard job is perfect while he figures out what is next for him.
The first time Brandon saw Jade, he was taken in by her. Her eyes drew him in unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He doesn’t remember her from high school at all but is anxious to get to know her now. Jade does remember Brandon. She was bullied in high school and still carries the scars from it. But she’s a different woman now. She had such a crush on the high school version of Brandon but this is a different man. The more she gets to know him, the more she wants him. But, so does every other female within a hundred mile radius. He does look good in that santa suit!
While these two get to know each other, things continue to go wrong on the ranch. And then something happens that makes their past collide with the present. We also get to meet Brandon’s cousins who own the Ponderosa Resort. I’m already in love with this family.
This was fun, sexy, sweet and just wonderful. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This is only my second book by Tawna Fenske which I need to quickly rectify. I am definitely going to continue this series. The next book is Brandon’s cousin, Sean and Jade’s sister, Amber’s story in Chef Sugarlips. I can’t wait to read it.
I love this series and this is a fantastic prequel. It’s funny and sexy and just a Christmas delight!