Enjoy the humor and spice of a sexy holiday romance sure to warm up your winter.Ex-NFL star Deacon Flashman had the perfect woman in the palm of his hands…and dropped the ball. Considering Deacon’s past performances, that isn’t news. An injury cut short his football career, and then he got taken for millions by a greedy ex-wife. But Deacon’s luck has changed. He’s got a great job, and he’s … But Deacon’s luck has changed. He’s got a great job, and he’s recently become an uncle again. With the holidays close, he’s getting a second chance. Nora Nielson, the woman who got away, is back. Now he needs to figure out a way to get into her good graces. A relationship with Nora is everything he wants…and everything that scares him. But to let the past go, he’ll have to go big or go home. And the stakes have never been higher.
Note: The cover is new but this is the same holiday romance.
HOPE’S TURN HOLIDAYS
Any Given Snow Day
The Christmas Sneak
more
This book was too cute. I love the Snark from both Nora and Deacon. I left throughout so much of this book. It had plenty of heat, a little bit of worry, and lots of funny!
An amazing, feel good, holiday love story. Not quite enemies to lovers, two people find their way through their baggage and into a happiness neither expected, with help from family, friends, and two conniving teens. Fans of Harte’s contemporary romance work will not be disappointed.
Nora and decon forced to spend time in a cabin together after getting snowed in. Sparks fly and things happen but will what started in a cabin carry on when their both home?
Not my sort of read but this was OK and was easy to read.
This was a fun read, full of snark and wit. Nora and Deacon kinda hate each other but are still attracted to each other. Both have major trust issues. Add in a dash of meddling teenagers (who behave wiser than most teenagers I know) who connive to get the hero and heroine together and you have a fun holiday romp. Deacon is loveable, even if a little clueless, and Nora is sarcastic and their banter is amusing. They agree to have just sex in the beginning. By the end, neither of them can fight the feelings and they get their HEA. The sexy times could’ve been spicer for me, but that’s a personal preference. Overall, I would say yes, cozy up in front of a fire with a snuggly blanket, a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows (obvi), and enjoy the book.
Can this Christmas bring extra joy to Deacon and Nora? They have a second chance at love, but both have major issues giving their trust to each other. I liked Deacon, and I was waiting for Nora to get past her issues and he flighty tendencies. This was a sweet with heat romance and good for the holidays.
This was like a feel good hallmark movie but better! Perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter’s day! The Christmas sneak had it all, great story, witty, sarcastic, funny, steamy and a HEA! Couldn’t ask for more! Marie Harte checked all the boxes for a perfect book!
The Christmas Sneak is Deacon & Nora’s journey to finding each other. We first meet them in Any Given Snow Day (I highly recommend reading this book first to thoroughly enjoy Deacon & Nora) as supporting characters. What Deacon and Nora deal with in their lives are real life events that we can all relate to or have experienced ourselves. As they tell each other constantly in their book, they are not perfect; that “not-perfect and their history” makes them all the more endearing. Marie has such a huge gift for creating world-building in all of her stories…that you as the reader can count on supporting characters eventually having their own books AND past favorite characters showing in her new stories. OF COURSE this newest story has all the themes you have come to associate with Marie Harte’s work: blistering hot sex, love, romance, sizzling chemistry, laugh-out-loud family & friend moments, drama, snarky humor and all the emotions you can want. Marie Harte does not disappoint in her latest book. *I received an ARC for my honest review.
Deacon and Nora get their 2nd chance with the help of Simon and Jenna. The two teens conspire to steer the couple together. While stranded they finally start the healing of past hurts and insecurities. Enjoyable 2nd chance romance story that’s heartwarming from start to finish.
I told myself I wasn’t going to read any Christmas stories this year, but I got the chance to read this one and I’m glad I did. Nora and Deacon went out once, then he ghosted her, which didn’t sit too well with her because they had a connection, and she was greatly ensconced in his family so they were always running into one another. Two teens intervened playing the part of matchmaker, and all of a sudden Nora and Deacon are in a cabin reconnecting.
This was an entertaining, well-written book. Nora and Deacon have both been hurt in the past, but it might be worth the risk to try again. The book was fun and fast-paced, and I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
The Christmas Sneak is a cute holiday romance that’s not all wrapped up perfectly with a bow. Deacon Flashman and Nora Nielson are two characters with intense attraction to one another but deny it every step of the way. Deacon is gun shy when it comes to women because he’s been burned in the past. Nora has issues with Deacon that both of them are going to have to work through. Their love/hate relationship produces some killer chemistry that neither want to acknowledge at first, but as they come together for the birth of a new family member, the denial is almost too much for them to bear. When the bickering stops and they actually talk to each other, wonderful things begin to take shape.
The author produced two very likable, very flawed characters. Putting their vulnerabilities out in the open created realism, relatability, and a story readers will be able to appreciate and sink themselves into. I was engaged in the story from the beginning, even through some parts that made me cringe. No relationship is perfect and sometimes one person has a hard time talking to the other. It happens and has happened to me. Opening up to another person, no matter how much you know them, are comfortable with them, or want to get to know them, is difficult, in the best of scenarios. When both characters have issues (Deacon’s is trust and Nora’s is loneliness, and a bit of depression at where her life is currently versus where she thought it would be by her age), working through them is harder.
I loved Deacon and Nora’s story. Sometimes people don’t see the spark, the circumstances aren’t right, or life takes them in a different direction the first time. Other times, the spark is there burning bright, and one person is scared. The author did a wonderful job bringing Deacon and Nora back together and showing how second chances really can be magical.
4.5 stars – This was such a fun read. It was a bit painful to watch at the beginning as Nora and Deacon denied their feelings and dealt with past hurts. Once they started getting through that, it was like the skies opened to a beautiful day!
I love the playfulness and sarcasm and it’s not just between Nora and Deacon. Both sides of their families are frequently in on the action. The puns (which are often bad) and banter between all of the characters are absolutely fantastic!
Oh, and let us not forget the serious amount of heat those two generate! It is FANTASTIC! I’m surprised the snow sticks when they’re in the vicinity. It’ll be fun to see what happens in the next story if the series continues (which I hope it does!). I’m voluntarily reviewing an ARC of this steamy book.
I love a great second chance romance and this book provided it. The characters were great and it was a good holiday read.
Four and a half stars
The Christmas Sneak is the second in the Hope’s Turn Holidays series by Marie Harte, set in the charming little town of Hope’s Turn.
In it, former NFL star Deacon Flashman and his virtual sister-in-law, Nora Nielson, dance around a mutual attraction and an unfortunate tendency toward foot-in-mouth. Both of them have had reason to be cautious in relationships, and between that and some not-the-smoothest comments, they have more than their share of trouble connecting despite the clear shared interests and compatibility. Their loving families and friends conspire a bit to give them a nudge, in hopes that the season will bring everyone what they want most.
Marie Harte’s story is heartwarming and lovely. I was charmed both by their oh-so-relatable awkwardness and clumsy missed connections and their growing friendship when they’re able to let their guard down a bit. I also appreciated the sense of community, that despite sometimes their best efforts, neither Deacon nor Nora are islands but have warm ties to people who love them and want the best for them. I really enjoyed The Christmas Sneak and would definitely read more in this setting!
Love the second book in this series. Deacon is the best hero
THE CHRISTMAS SNEAK by Marie Harte is the second Hope’s Turn book I’ve read. Such a fun Christmas story with two teenagers acting as matchmakers. Deacon Flashman is a retired NFL quarterback turned microbrewery owner in Hope’s Turn, Oregon. Deacon was burned by his first wife who took him for everything, but most importantly destroyed his trust in women. Deacon has only had casual relationships since his divorce until he meets Nora Nielson, his sister-in-law’s cousin.
Deacon asks Nora out and they have a good time. He really likes her, but that scares him from asking her out on a second date.
A year later, Nora is still hurt he took her out once then dumped her. The problem is, she really likes him and can’t stop her silly heart from wondering what if. Her teenage nephew and his girlfriend decide it’s time to give Deacon and Nora a shove in the right direction and get them together at an isolated cabin in the mountains.
Deacon and Nora spend a week together and tell each other it’s only about sex, but Deacon knows he wants more than a casual relationship. The challenge will be convincing Nora he’s her forever guy.
Nora has feelings for Deacon that go deeper than a casual relationship too, but she’s afraid of trusting him and her feelings. She’s about to turn 35 and afraid a husband and family may be out of her reach if it doesn’t happen soon. She’s so anxious for a husband and family, she’s afraid she’s not making her decision based on love.
Deacon and Nora have both been burned by people they loved, but they both find the courage to take a chance on love. Not only does this story deliver a happily ever after, but it’s a Christmas romance that every reader wants to experience.
This second chance romance was a holiday treat. Marie’s fans were begging her for Deacon’s story from Any Given Snow Day. Deacon is the older brother of Snow Day’s hero Mitch. The heroine of this book is Mitch’s Becca’s cousin Nora. It was so much fun revisiting Hope’s Turn and seeing teens Simion & Jenna matchmaking and maneuvering Nora & Deacon’s lives so they’d finally get together. Marie has a gift of seeing family and friends interaction as so believable. I found myself right there while this story unfolded. I always enjoy Marie Harte’s stories. Such a Christmas present to her fans.
Deacon Flashman ‘s NFL quarterback career was cut short by a shoulder injury that ended his career. His now ex-wife was in for the money and divorced him during his injury recovery taking him for millions. At his lowest point his old friend Roy Thompson reaches out to his old friend and offers him a partnership in his pub expansion back home. Deacon takes him up on it and finds a place for himself home in Hope’s Turn. Unfortunately his love life is full of bad choices that never last. He and Nora had one date that he didn’t follow up on with no explanation. She scared him as he knew she was serious relationship about to happen and he wasn’t ready to face that yet. Deacon sees himself as a two-time loser between career & family and not the rich NFL star he saw himself becoming.
Nora is Becca’s cousin, an only child, and they were raised as sisters. Family is everything. The problem is she’s turning 35 with no baby or husband and no prospects with her career goals, to be a novelist. She’s lonely and on the outside watching Becca find happiness twice. She is hurt that Deacon dumped her so suddenly and their lives keep intersecting with family. Thanks to the holidays they are finally pushed to talk to each other and get things straightened out enough so they can at least be friends for the sake of family. When Nora takes off for the family’s cabin in a snowstorm for soul searching Becca’s teen son Simon and girlfriend Jenna get involved and manipulate Deacon to go check on her because of the coming bad weather. They get snowed in and things heat up in the cabin. They talk and see they have a lot in common and have the same hopes in life.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Great that Ms Harte has turned ANY GIVEN SNOW DAY in to a series.
Lovely story with likeable characters plus we get to spend time with Becca, Mitch and Simon too.
In this second book we get the follow-on from two characters we came to know very well in book one. The older brother of Mitch, Deacon and Becca’s best friend and quasi sister Nora.
Deacon has had a rough time. Like his brother he was a pro athlete but injury curtailed his career early on. His nasty ex-wife, who is thankfully not in this story, took him to the cleaners in a long drawn out divorce. We never know why.
Deacon and Nora had one date then Deacon ghosted with no explanation. This is basically due to the fact he got scared as he had feelings for Nora. He has then dated every woman around.
Nora is off course upset and angry at him and when he tries to get back in her good graces, she rightfully gives him the cold shoulder.
We then get a great story of meddling nephews and family.
Cannot say I loved Deacon but I did understand why he was so gun shy and warmed up to him at the end.
I loved Nora, down to earth, honest and with her head screwed on. She was actually thinking of moving away to try to find fresh dating potential, as she really wanted what her parents and Becca and Mitch have, love, companionship and family of her own.
This is my honest review of this book.
Enjoyable holiday story with quirky (and funny!) Nora Nielson and ex-NFL star Deacon Flashman, both thrown together by circumstances: Deacon’s brother is married to Nora’s cousin (whom she is close to like a sister). With the antics of Nora (and Deacon’s) nephew Simon and girlfriend Jenna in trying to get Nora and Deacon together, this is both a funny and yet touching story. While Deacon certainly has his scars from his previous marriage, Nora has been hurt by other relationships and even Deacon, in the past.
Can they both give each other a chance instead of just verbally sparring at one another?
Definitely true: humor and spice – an enjoyable holiday romance story!
At Christmas time I like to re-read some holiday favorites and, this is one of those books that is special. Nora’s ultimate Christmas wish hangs in the balance between head and heart. Her journey towards her dream, a future with Deacon, is full of sarcasm, sassy quips, lots of pleasure and hope. This is a beautiful romance that makes you feel good.
Original review – I love a book that you fall right into because the characters so fun, interesting and full of life and love. Deacon and Nora are all that and more. Their snarky personalities and hidden vulnerabilities add to their obvious attraction to make this romance entertaining. The fact that Deacon can’t seem to say the right thing to Nora is so realistic and the fact the Nora tries to hate Deacon for it is completely relatable. The secondary characters are amazing. Simon, Deacon’s nephew is such a typical teenager but, with a heart of gold looking for everyone to have their happy endings. Mitch, Deacon’s brother has his brother’s back while his wife, Becca who is also Nora’s sister-like cousin supports Nora in every way. It is a really supportive group of family and friends that also know how to laugh at themselves.
The darker side of this holiday romance is how people can feel so alone no matter how many people are around them, especially this time of year that it puts an ache in your heart. It is a very profound element in Deacon and Nora’s story and I think the raw honesty between these characters is a very special part of their romance. It is where they find something in common and it builds a foundation for what’s to come.
I recommend this book for the steamy hot fun, the heartfelt emotions and finding love right under your nose. Add the Christmas setting and it’s a beautiful romance full of heart and family.