Not without Noelle: A Secrets of River Hollow Novella

Secrets of River Hollow

by Dulcie Dameron

Noelle Mills is a screw-up. At least, that's what she's been led to believe. But starting over in River Hollow is supposed to be her new leaf. Her one way of redeeming herself and showing everyone that she isn't just a product of her past mistakes. And when she secures a job working for the town's new mayor, everything goes according to plan. Until she rams her truck into the back of the handsome local photographer's Jeep.

Oh, joy.

The Smug Scrooge, Danny Hetrick, isn't impressed with Noelle's lighthearted attitude or her clumsy ways and lets her know it. But when they're forced to work together on a Christmas project and things start to heat up, will they be able to overcome their differences and find their happily ever after?

Genres: Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Novella, Closed Door Romance, Holiday, Contemporary

113 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2023

About the author

Dulcie is a wife and mother who channels her free spirit into the stories she pours onto the page. Her romance writing obsession turned day job is fueled by caffeine, sarcasm, and kisses from her bearded grump. If you love stories with sizzling tension minus the spice, add her books to your never-ending TBRs.

Find her on Instagram at @dulciedameron

Reviews

[Heather Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adorable enemies to lovers novella is just the thing to read during the holidays. It's sweet without being boring and has a smidge of mention of a spiritual walk at the end.

[Alicia (aliciasalwaysreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GENRE
-Christmas contemporary romance with light Christian themes

CONTENT:
-🤬: none
-❤️: just kisses
-⚠️: none

This was a really sweet novella. I haven't read any of the other books in the series but after seeing Dulcie mention this was a Christmas novella, I decided now was the perfect time to read it.

Noelle feels like she's constantly screwing things up. That's what she's been told anyway. After moving to River Hollow, Ohio for a fresh start, she continues to have some blunders...including crashing her car into a grumpy man's on her first night there. Of course, she happens to move into the apartment across the hall from that grump, Danny. After guilt convinces him to go apologize, he realizes that he and Noelle actually click.

I loved the caretaking that Danny did during this story and how he helped Noelle to realize her worth! Very sweet.

Favorite Quotes:
-A few mishaps weren't enough to overshadow the whole of who she was and who God saw her as.

-"Sweetheart, you are not a burden. Not to me and not to anyone who knows you."

[Annah Conwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a sweet Christmas novella! I loved the grumpy/sunshine trope and all the small town vibes. Highly recommend for a short and fun read!

[The Squeaky Clean Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, adorable, and so swoony!

I love the grumpy sunshine trope and this story pulled it off perfectly.

Noelle is all things sunshine with a dash of clumsy. It puts her in hilarious situations that just make Danny go wild.
I love that she isn't perfect and neither is Danny.

I love both of their growth in this book. Moving from being grumpy and annoyed to open and loving for Danny, and how Noelle's confidence grows back.

I loved the Christmas aspect and want to go visit my own little town of Bethlehem activity because it sounds awesome!

Don't even get me started on the swoony kisses 😍 I loved how they were focused on feelings and not physicality. So well done!

💋Swoony kisses
⚠️Noelle's parents are divorced. Danny found his biological father's side of the family recently and is learning to let them in

[Erralee Hendrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute Novella set during the holiday season. Noelle needed a new start and Danny wants to be near family. They are so different and both need to work on a Christmas project together. The syptiry is well written and attention getting. Worth reading this short novella.

[Tawni Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute Christmas novella! It’s like a Hallmark Christmas movie but better! With the Christian themes, small town vibes, and Christmas vibe, this is a sweet romance you don’t want to miss! Danny is the perfect grump to Noelle’s sunshine. And Noelle is lovable from the very start! I highly recommend this book and everything written by this amazing author!

[Samantha Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet novella

I enjoyed being back in River Hollow and meeting Noelle. She was a good match for Danny. A novella doesn't always allow for much character growth, but the author did a superb job with this one. It was lovely to see Danny coming out of his shell and becoming the kind of man Noelle could fall for.

A sweet novella I would definitely recommend.

[Jennifer H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute love story!!

Who knew being a clutz could bring you your Prince Charming? I love River Hollow and all of its characters! Read this novella in one sitting! Dulcie never disappoints! I've loved all her books! Check this one out now!!!

[Melmo2610 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dulcie’s books have been on my TBR pile for awhile. This is my first read by her but it won’t be my last! This story was sweet and charming and I really want more of the story that brought Danny to River Hollow so reading the earlier books in this series will be a priority for me.

[Michelle L. E. Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

adorable

Loved Danny and Noelle, the curvy lead - this was a perfect little holiday read! Short, but packed a darling story.

[Mekayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and quaint

I love Christmas love stories and I enjoyed this sweet story. It was fun to see Danny open up. Darling story.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet Christmas novella! It was fun to go back to River Hollow and see beloved characters again. Noelle and Danny were a great grumpy/sunshine couple. If you need a short, sweet, fun read, then this is a great story to get lost in!

[Edwina Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story. It is a Christmas romance. It is clean and fun. I enjoyed this book so much.

[Latisha Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect Christmas novella featuring all of our favorite characters from River Hollow! I was so excited that this book featured Danny from the previous book. Noelle was adorably sweet and so clumsy. I laughed so many times. Also, all of The Office references made me smile.

[Manee Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance level: kissing.

Before I start, you should know this is a very short novella that would make more sense if you've read the series or at least the last book.

Their first meeting was funny 🛻. I loved Danny. Since the last book in which he was introduced, I was intrigued by him. I'm so happy to get to read his story.

Noelle was this small bundle of joy and energy that pushed all of his buttons✨. She drove him nuts! I was all here for it.

Danny was super grumpy, but he was such a cinnamon roll too. He knew when he reacted badly & I love how he wanted to clear the air between them. His ideas to get near her were super sweet🧁.

I loved how he could sense her mood swings & emotions. Seeing Danny with Indy again was super special, as well as his father. This whole town is the best, loved seeing previous couples💞.

The chemistry between Noelle & Dan was really cute😍. I loved how he needed to fight his fears, alongside his family, to finally choose to take the leap. Noelle had to deal with a lot of personal stuff too, which it was sweet to see her overcome.

Wrong assumptions were resolved quickly. Waiting for them to trust each other was worth it.

Even though this book had a little bit less talks about God, He was still involved in the story & I love it. I just can't get enough of this town! I hope I get more!

⚠️TW: loss of a loved one.

[Cherith Altares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute novella, i just felt like the pacing was off. Pretty good slow burn at the beginning but then everything was wrapped up in the last chapter and the epilogue. There were a lot of things said in the epilogue that were brushed on way too fast (like Noelle’s relationship with her parents and her relationship with God). I get that this is a novella so it’s meant to be shorter but I feel like the pacing could have been improved. With that said, I’ve enjoyed this author’s writing and I’ll be trying her other books!

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE seeing the continuation and growth of River Hollow! And now Danny's story? 😍 Why is it that each subsequent book becomes my favorite? Of course, Christmas books are always a win in my eyes, but Dulcie's writing just keeps getting better and better-and it was no slouch to start with!

If you want a funny, swoony Christmas novella, look no further than Not without Noelle!

[Lesley Barklay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet grumpy/sunshine novella with all the Christmas vibes. This book would be perfect to read in the winter, curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa. Also, I love the author's obvious obsession with the office :-D

[Debbie Knisleu · Rating 5 out of 5]

wanted: One accident prone lovely lady

From their first “run-in”, the sparks started. It was fun watching their relationship grow, stumbling, but surviving with the help of God and caring friends and family.

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Danny joined the River Hollow gang in the last book and Noelle crashed into his life - literally - in this book. It's cute and fun, just super short for my liking. But, I will miss River Hollow and all of its eclectic characters!

[Katrinalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I liked the sweet romance between Danny and Noelle. The nice thing about a novella is how we get to the good part quickly. I didn't notice this is book 5 of a series I haven't read but I could tell from all the character placement that I'd missed something.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was cheesy at times (as expected for this genre) but overall a sweet story.

[Rhiannon Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!

What you'll find inside:
*Christian characters
* Enemies to more
* Found Family
* Clean romance
*Christmas in a small town

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!

This book was so entertaining. There were no unnecessary misunderstanding and all the characters were lovable. I definitely recommend it.

[Eliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunshine feat grumpy

[Caitriona Riding · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a short & cute little Christmas novella. I enjoyed getting back into the town of River Hollow & seeing some Christmas festivities, along with the dynamic of our two MC’s.

❗️Content & Trigger Warnings: closed door, kisses only, tension, mention of past death of a parent.

[Summer Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was boring and predictable. I don't love giving harsh reviews but this just was not it for me.