Holiday in Stone Creek: A Stone Creek Christmas / At Home in Stone Creek

Stone Creek #4 & 6

by Linda Lael Miller

A Stone Creek Christmas

Stone Creek veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan communicates easily with animals, but men are another story. Especially rugged architect-turned-rancher Tanner Quinn. Olivia's uncanny bond with his daughter Sophie's pony has him questioning her sanity, while she wonders if he's not just a drugstore cowboy. Then twelve-year-old Sophie conspires with Olivia to get Tanner into the spirit of Christmas. But will a holiday miracle transform the globe-trotting Tanner into a rancher—and family man—for all seasons?

At Home In Stone Creek

Everyone in Ashley O'Ballivan's life is marrying and starting families—except her. But why bother dating when no one can compare to Jack McCall, the man who left her heartbroken years ago? Now he's back in town —and maybe he isn't who she thinks he is.

While recovering from a dangerous mission for the DEA, security expert Jack rents a room in Ashley's bed-and-breakfast. For both their sakes, he tries to keep his distance, though neither can deny the growing spark between them. But when his past catches up with him, he'll have to leave again…just as he realizes where he's always belonged—in Stone Creek.

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Westerns, Holiday, Contemporary, Western Romance

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.

Reviews

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 sterren - Nederlandse paperback 🦋🦋🦋

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Gevonden in een minibieb en gelezen na de Boekendief en ik ben Pelgrim. Was er even aan toe, zo een feel good romannetje.
In de tas ging hij mee naar het ziekenhuis wanneer ik weer eens op controle ging.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have stopped when the heroine in the first book started telepathically communicating with every animal in a 10 miles radius.

Just...no

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having previously read book 4 it was a reread/refresher introduction to the town and characters who call Stone Creek home. Olivia/Dr. Doolittle is probably one of my favorite female leads because of her ability to talk to animals, both domestic and wild. In her capacity as a country vet it is a valuable asset.

In the 6th book younger sister Ashley takes the lead. Billed as a Martha Stewart type she is the consumate homebody whose love for baking, cooking tasty meals and all other arts of a homemaker give her great satisfaction.

Two tales of laughter, love and small town life.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holiday in Stone Creek:

I love this town and these people. I'm sure I'm missing a lot because I haven't read the previous books, but I still loved it.

Olivia can talk to animals? I want a whole series about her! Her interactions with her dog were so perfect. And her abilities brought every part of the story together. It brought her to Tanner because of Buttercup, which helped Sophia who just wanted to be where her dad was, it helped make everyone's Christmas just a little more magical when she found Rodney.

And don't get me wrong,I love the story of Olivia and Tanner but my favorite part was bringing Sophia home and keeping Tanner and Sophia together. That little kid was amazing. Resilient and heart wrenching all at once.

It's the perfect Christmas story about family and what brings us together.


A Home in Stone Creek:

I wish since this book was tied to the other that they were both Christmas but we can' t have everything.

In this story Ashley is brought back together with Jack McCall, the mercenary that loved her and left her. Somehow Olivia talking to animals seemed more realistic to me. Jack has just rescued a young girl who was kidnapped by her crime boss dad and he's deliriously sick from something the bad guys injected in him.

Not so delirious that he can't have sex with Ashley numerous times though.

Then the bad guy threatens the mom and daughter and Jack as sick as he is springs into action. While telling all of the of hallo and that he will leave and never come back.

Well old family and new have some stuff to say about that vow.

The part after the email and Jack wakes up in the hospital really do make up for how strange I thought the first part was. And there is some Christmas at the very end.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoyed these two Christmas stories. The O'Ballivan family are a hard headed bunch. I got really teary eyed reading At Home in Stone Creek. Both stories are about men who are tired of roaming all over the earth and want to settle in one place. But is that possible? When the strong women who fall in love with them make it impossible to leave, they find a way to do it. Loved both stories.

[Gwen Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable characters, I liked the communication of animals.

I have always enjoyed talking to my animals and have thought they understood me. However, never thought I was very good at understanding much of what they thought beyond joy, sadness, and guilt. These two stories were very good.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Dr. Doolittle and you like your slightly x-rated trashy romance novels to be set in AZ and have a touch of Christmas magic, this is the book for you. It was a little ridiculous, but it was also charming, so I didn't care.

[Tiffany B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book but not my favorite in the Creed series. It went a little too fast for me and the love story wasn't as romantic as stories from this author usually are. Still, I enjoyed how it tied together the storyline from previous books I liked. My favorite is a Creed in Stone Creek!

[Delwyn D. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I have loved all Linda Lael Miller's books. This is no exception. Fun reading and don't want to put it down.

[charmaine White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read

Linda Lael Miller is one of those authors whose books always leave you feeling good.I'll be coming back to her again and again.

[Sara Vazquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute and quick

[Betty Davey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two heartwarming stories. Really enjoyed them.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 nice stories. I hope to find Melissa's story now.

[Andrea]

Couldn’t get into it. Boring

[Pye · Rating 1 out of 5]

2nd attempt - still couldn't finish it. I just couldn't take seriously an otherwise "normal" book when the main character can talk to animals. The further into the book, the more ridiculous it was.

[Peggy Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Linda's book. It is a fast pace book about two please who did not hit it off so well at first. But things change and a friendship begins.

[Jen]

I'm so annoyed with many things in this.....I'm not feeling very holly or jolly.
So....DNF

[Aquilla Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Lael Miller's 'Holiday in Stone Creek' is a heart-warming story of home and family and taking a chance on love!

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars!

Two old favorites. Perfect for the Christmas season. These stories have been published before but I loved reading them again.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun holiday read

[Judy Zimbelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery but not very deep. Mostly a romance of discovery for sisters Olivia and Ashley. Small town girls with deep wounds of mother abandonment.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and what I can always find in a LLM book.

[Christi Snow]

A Stone Creek Christmas
My Rating for this book: B


Story Overview:
Stone Creek veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan communicates easily with animals, but men are another story. Especially rugged architect-turned-rancher Tanner Quinn. Olivia's uncanny bond with his daughter Sophie's pony has him questioning her sanity, while she wonders if he's not just a drugstore cowboy. Then twelve-year-old Sophie conspires with Olivia to get Tanner into the spirit of Christmas. But will a holiday miracle transform the globe-trotting Tanner into a rancher—and family man—for all seasons?


My Review:
This was simply a sweet old-fashioned Christmas love story, featuring a broken-hearted widower (Tanner,) his 12 yo daughter (Sophie,) and the town veterinarian (Olivia.) There was a special sense of holiday magic in this book because Olivia can talk to animals which leads her to a lost reindeer at the start of the story. As a result, a character named Kris Kringle appears periodically and mysteriously throughout the novel. It adds a touch of whimsy to the novel, that at times, went a bit too far for me, but it was all for Christmas fun, I know.

I really liked what Sophie added to the story, but there were times that Tanner's overprotectiveness just didn't seem to make sense. Tanner's over-the-top reaction to her supposed danger, just didn't ring true to the actual circumstances. I don't think that it would have been that hard to fix the issues within that story and made this a really superb book, but as it stands, it just seemed a little off to me.

I did enjoy this book. There were little things that niggled at me, but overall it was a fun holiday read.

At Home in Stone Creek
My Rating for this book: A-
Story Overview:

Everyone in Ashley O'Ballivan's life is marrying and starting families—except her. But why bother dating when no one can compare to Jack McCall, the man who left her heartbroken years ago? Now he's back in town —and maybe heisn't who she thinks he is.
While recovering from a dangerous mission for the DEA, security expert Jack rents a room in Ashley's bed-and-breakfast. For both their sakes, he tries to keep his distance, though neither can deny the growing spark between them. But when his past catches up with him, he'll have to leave again…just as he realizes where he's always belonged—in Stone Creek.

My Review:
This is Jack and Ashley's story. Jack is a covert contractor whom Ashley has been involved with off and on since her freshman year in college. But he comes in and out of her erratically and usually breaks her heart when he leaves suddenly (many times without even a goodbye) because of the nature of his job. In this book, his last job went badly and he is suffering the life-threatening effects of a toxin that was injected into him as he escaped. Out of his mind with the accompanying fever, he shows up on Ashley's doorstep of her B&B.

There is a lot of emotion in this book. Jack is more than likely dying from the toxin. As far as his family knows, he has been dead for many years (the military killed off his original identity so that he could work covert ops for them without endangering his family.) His illness makes him question his choices that he has made especially in regards to them.

I really enjoyed this book. Because of the nature of Jack's job and his medical condition, it read a lot like a romantic suspense novel and I LOVE those. There were moments when the story turned a bit cheesy and unbelievable (like Ashley just rolling over when older brother Brad issued his edicts...*argh*,) but overall, I truly loved the story and enjoyed it a LOT!



This book was a re-issue of two earlier novels, but I am so glad that I picked it up. These two books feature two sisters from the O'Ballivan family. Their older brother Brad has obviously been featured in a book too. I will have to figure out which book it is so I can read his story. The last O'Ballivan sibling to still need an HEA is Melissa (Ashley's twin) and her novel is A Creed in Stone Creek. I have this book and the other two Creed novels in that series, but I haven't read them yet (they were released over the summer.) I can promise you that they are moving to the top of the TBR very soon after Christmas (I have to finish all my Christmas-themed reads first.)

[Julie Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I haven't read any of the series but that didn't matter. The author makes you feel like you personally know all of the characters! It was a great story and easy read.

[Julie Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these two books brought together in one volume, we meet the O'Ballivans, a couple of generations after Sam and Mattie and the stone Creek we got to know when the West was wild. Stone Creek is still a small town, and it's easy to still imagine the things we read about in previous books.
The first book focuses on Olivia, the area's veterinarian. She also has a unique way with animals, able to communicate with them in a way most people can't. She endures the odd looks and remarks of her family, but when Tanner moves in next door, he doesn't know her like they do and is surprised to find her in his barn talking to his daughter's pony. Before that, in the middle of the night, she was awakened by a reindeer's call for help at the bottom of her driveway. A reindeer? What the heck? But Olivia is used to these occurrences, even if they can be annoying and disruptive. Convincing Tanner she's not totally insane wouldn't be easy though.
Tanner is used to a nomadic sort of lifestyle. Ever since his wife died, it was just easier to send his daughter to a boarding school where she'd be safe and not a target for terrorists like his wife had been. He was a contractor and had been contracted to build the new animal shelter for Stone Creek. He hadn't met the one yet who would be responsible for running that shelter...or at least not until he meets Olivia in his barn, communicating with his horses and knowing way more about him than she should, considering they'd never met. She was talking to the horses and they were telling her these things? No way! He was way too smart for that stuff.
But it was true, and this story had a magical feel to it, with the reindeer and all, and of course it has Linda Lael Miller's flair for both Westerns and romances. Of the two in this book, I think this one has to be my favorite, but the other one was good too.
In that one, we get to know Ashley better. She and Melissa are the two youngest of the O'Ballivans and Twins. Ashely runs a bed and breakfast financed with the help of her brother Brad. He held the mortgage and she just paid him, which made her more dependent on him than she'd like but she had her business and she loved it. Her family called her a Martha Stewart clone and maybe she was, but she had a simple life, was an old-fashioned sort of girl...probably someone Mattie and Sam would have been proud of. Her life was easy and predictable and she liked it that way...or at least it was until her old flame shows up on her doorstep via an ambulance, needing a place to heal before he'd undoubtedly be off again on another mission she didn't understand. One thing was for sure, she knew very little about Jack's true life, present and past, but she was about to find out.
This one wasn't magical like the first but was homey and felt like family. I like both types of Christmas stories so I liked this one too.

[MK · Rating 3 out of 5]

These two books are simple, fun reads but careless throw-ins are frustrating.

For example, Tanner's late wife was apparently a pediatric cardiac surgeon, but of course she gave it up to follow him. Reality check: in order to become a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, one needs 1) a bachelor's degree 2) medical school 3) five year general surgery residency 4) additional 2-3 year cardiothoracic residency 5) a 2-4 year pediatric fellowship. That's an absolute minimum of 17 years of training after high school. Does it really make sense that someone would just walk away from that? Further, that also means such a surgeon is just starting an independent career in his/her mid to late 30s. Unless Tanner was far younger than his wife, that puts him at almost 50 years of age given that he has a 12 year old daughter, but that doesn't match the story. Yeah, I know, it's fiction, but foolish crap like that bugs me. It would have been just as easy to say she had a different, more reasonable career.

Same thing with the twins' birth in "At Home in Stone Creek." First, the character is said to be two weeks overdue with twins. Um, no. Modern medicine would never in a million years allow that. And then the twins are born in a clinic. Right. No clinic would deliver and keep a mom with one or two babies - they would transfer them to an actual hospital as soon as humanly possible. Rural medicine just doesn't work that way. Finally, a woman in her twenties who doesn't know how to use a computer.

I know these are details, but they are really obvious, easily discoverable details.

So, overall a quick enjoyable read, but plenty of eye-rolling things. I enjoy her historicals much more.

[Jessica Alcazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading the Creed series and jumped to this book after I got done with Tyler's story because as I began to read A Creed in Stone Creek, I realized that the book made references to both Olivia (A Stone Creek Christmas) and Ashley (At Home in Stone Creek) as married with kids and the last time I read about them in Brad and Meg's story (The McKettrick Way) they were single. I learned my lesson when I read the McKettrick series in the order in which the website has them which is totally convoluted and wrong in my opinion (I would not have jumped from the 1800 to the present as much as they do, it almost turned me off from reading any other of Linda Lael's books).
So anyways, about the stories ... I loved both love stories, but I gotta say, Linda Lael does not disappoint in her 'way out there' themes! As I was reading A Stone Creek Christmas, I didn't shake my head when Olivia 'talked' to animals because I already knew from reading The McKettrick Way, but it is one thing to make her eccentric and quite another to make Rudolph and Santa part of her story....SERIOUSLY?! LOL ... And what's with turning the page and WHAM, she's in love....no lead in, no development, nothing... 3 Stars at best!
but now At Home in Stone Creek is another story all together. That's a 5 star (if not more) all around. The only thing I would have preferred, but it did not take away from this story, was to have Jack's character better developed and their on and off love story as well. They deserve a 'real' 400 page book of their own. But they still get 2+ thumbs up! :)

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Stone Creek Christmas - Stone Creek #4
Olivia O"Ballivan is a psychic veterinarian. She can communicate mentally with them. She gets a message of pain at the ranch next to where she lives. A horse misses Sophie. A man comes out to the barn and demands to know who she is. She wants to know who Sophie is. His name is Tanner Quinn and Sophie is his daughter. Olivia and Tanner end up having a night of passion on Thanksgiving. Sophie runs away from school in NYC. Tanner has his friend Jack bring her to Arizona. She talks him into letting her stay until after New Year's.
He has dreams of his dead wife. She tells him that she cannot stay anymore. Then Tanner starts dreaming of Sophie being grown up and alone. He knows he needs to change. Will Olivia be the woman for him and Sophie?
Olivia wants a family of her own and has fallen in love with Tanner. But she knows he never stays around. He builds his projects and leaves. Will he stay for her?

At Home in Stone Creek - Stone Creek #6
Ashley O'Ballivan has had a couple of flings with Jack McCall since college. He is sick and has come to Stone Creek to be with her. He rescued a little girl kidnapped by her drug running father. One of the men guarding her injected him with a poison. Ashley and Jack took up where they left off. Then the mother of the rescued child called him. She thinks the bad guy found her. He arranged for them to come to Ashley's B & B. He asks Ashley to leave until it's over. He is going to go after the bad guy.
What will happen next?

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for A Stone Creek Christmas




The first story is the best in my opinion. I loved Tanner and Olivia and his daughter Sophie also. Tanner is doing his best for Sophie he just doesn't realize what he's doing is the wrong thing until Olivia appears in his life. Olivia has a special gift and being a vet is her life until she meets Tanner and Sophie they show her what it means to be alive. I really liked this story it was fun and heart warming. It is the first Christmas book that had a Santa sub plot going on that added to the book. Olivia is the kind of woman you want as a friend and Tanner is the kind of man you just want.







Review for At Home In Stone Creek




A little of this couples story was told in the first book which was both good and bad to me. I say good because you got some of their back story and bad because when they talk about their past it doesn't match with what was mentioned in the first story. A example would be in the first book they say they split up because he cheated on her and then in this book it's for a whole different reason and never mention the waitress he cheat with. When you get to this story it's been two years since the first. I didn't care for this at all you missed Ashley forgiving Jack which takes away from the story to me. I felt like I read half the story and missed all the good parts. I just didn't feel invested in them ending up together or not.