The SEAL's Christmas Twins

Operation: Family #5

by Laura Marie Altom

His Toughest Mission Yet 

Navy SEAL Mason Brown left Conifer, Alaska, and his broken marriage behind long ago. Until one call changed everything. His ex-wife has died in a tragic accident, and given custody of her twin baby girls to Mason and her sister Hattie. 

Hattie Beaumont always dreamed of having a family�and Mason�but never like this. Now those old longings seem like betrayal, especially since playing house with Mason comes naturally. She can tell he feels it, too, so why is he determined to leave? 

Mason knows Hattie and the girls are the greatest Christmas gift he'll ever get. But even though he's risked his life countless times, risking his heart again feels so much more dangerous.

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Christmas, Fiction, Military Fiction, Category Romance, Audiobook

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

After college, Laura Marie Altom did a brief stint as an interior designer before becoming a stay-at- home mom to boy/girl twins. Always an avid romance reader, when she found herself replotting the afternoon soaps, she knew it was time to try her hand at writing.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book is just a punch in the gut, and I mean that in the best way possible. It makes you feel intense feelings.

I love Harlequin Historical and Harlequin Blaze lines, usually American Romance is too sappy and tame for me, but Altom was really knocking it out of the park here.

Hattie's adored, beautiful, and thin sister Melissa and her husband die in a plane crash. Melissa leaves her two twin baby girls to Hattie and Melissa's ex-husband, Mason. Melissa cheated on Mason with his best friend 6 years ago, leaving him heartbroken and bereft.

Even worse, Hattie's always loved Mason - every since they were in grade school together. Now, she's been assigned to 'playing house' with the man she's been in love with all these years - who's ALSO her sister's ex-husband! She (as the hard-working, chubby, more homebody sister) has always played second-fiddle to Melissa in everything - from love to her parents' affections.

It would have been easy to dial this in, but Altom doesn't pull any punches. Hattie is this ball of shame and guilt for having feelings for her dead sister's ex-husband. Her parents HATE Mason and blame him for the divorce - even though their daughter cheated on HIM! They despise the fact that Mason and Hattie have custody of the girls. Cue tons of heavy family drama.

Mason, meanwhile, just wants out. He wants to sign away his rights to the girls immediately, and he is damn sure he can never love or trust a woman again after what Melissa put him through.

Can Mason ever learn to trust a woman again? Can he ever look at Hattie as more than just a sister-in-law? Can Hattie work through the intense guilt, shame, and hot mess of feelings she has regarding Melissa and Mason? Will Hattie's parents ever see that Mason is a good guy, or will they continue their hatred and despicable behavior towards him and their less-beloved daughter?

We're in Alaska! Bars, snow, Navy SEALs, and tons of outdoor fun! I love the setting.

And Altom is GREAT at writing babies. She never overdoes the "cutesy wootsy"-ness of the girls - something that romance authors seemingly cannot avoid. She doesn't use them as romantic props, and she doesn't do any icky baby envy (see: The Texas Christmas Gift) which turns my stomach. I can't believe she was able to rein it in so well, extra points to her. I've never seen babies written so well in a romance.

Also, Mason is noticeably not jealous, Altom even includes a scene where - when talking about men in her past - Hattie mentions an ex who was amazing in bed but horrible at holding down a job. Mason laughs and they talk about work ethic. He doesn't even blink upon hearing a woman discuss her sexual history and honestly saying another man was amazing in bed. This kind of thing is almost unheard of in romance. I can't stress ENOUGH how refreshing and relieving this is. Amazing, extra points.

AND ANOTHER THING, Altom does NOT overplay Christmas or make this too Christmas-y. Yes, Christmas is a big part of this story, but it's not over-emphasized and fetishized as it is in a lot of these American Romance novels. Again, even MORE extra points to Altom.

How's the sex, Carmen?

Ay, now here's the rub. Obviously, this being American Romance, the sex is less than perfect. I mean, Altom does her best within the constraints of this line - Mason is so cute. Not only is he a world-class flirt, but he does such sweet things like carrying her when she can't walk on her heels through the snow, fucking her up against a wall, and doing and saying really cute things to Hattie. But since the sex can't be described as explicitly as I like, this book just can't reach that five-star rating from me. If we kicked the sex scenes up a notch, I'd happily give this five stars, but if we kicked the sex up a notch, this wouldn't have been filed in the American Romance line.


Tl;dr - The agony!!!!! She's loved him all these years, but he married her thinner, prettier, princess-acting sister. Her sister's DEAD, and she's making eyes at her sister's ex-husband! Oh, the guilt! The shame! And he's LEAVING! He doesn't want custody of the girls and he's in the Navy! Her parents hate and despise him and vow to never allow him in their lives ever again! Never will they accept that their daughter was the one who destroyed the marriage. SO MANY FEELINGS.

Wow, this was an unexpected gem. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sex could have been stronger, but this is the American Romance line we're talking about, I'm surprised it was as good as it was. o.O

4 out of 5 romance stars. 3 real stars.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Mason hasn't been back to Alaska since the end of his marriage, until the death of his ex-wife sends him back to take joint custody of her twin girls. The other half of the agreement is his ex's sister Hattie who had once been a good friend to him. Mason's feelings of betrayal still run deep and he has no interest in keeping to the custody agreement. But until he can relinquish his rights he's stuck caring for them. Spending time with Hattie creates feelings in him even stronger than those he had felt for his ex-wife, but he's not sure he can open himself up to that kind of risk again.

I really liked both Hattie and Mason. Hattie always felt like second best around her sister, who was thin and beautiful and popular. Except around Mason who was always nice to her. Hattie developed a mad crush on him that lasted even after their marriage and divorce. Now she's suffering from terrible guilt because she has her sister's children and her sister's husband. Having Mason around helping her with the babies makes her feel like she's part of a real family. It's making that old crush grow into real love, but it's tearing her apart. Hattie also has terrible self esteem because she sees herself as fat and doesn't believe anyone would ever see her as beautiful. I loved seeing the way that she went from terrified to fantastic with the girls. Mason's presence gave her confidence the boost it needed for her to feel that she can take care of them. They had terrific teamwork and Hattie could see how wonderful it could be if they were able to be together. I also thought she had wonderful inner strength to be able to do everything she did and still cope with the nasty attitudes of her parents. I often wondered how she could keep her temper when her mom said all those terrible things. It was hard to see her allow her guilt to keep her from what she really wanted. I really liked the way that Hattie took charge of her life at the end.

Mason still feels the betrayal of his ex-wife and best friend. He is stunned to find out he has joint custody of their girls with Hattie. He doesn't want it and can't wait to turn it all over to Hattie. Because there will be a delay, he ends up sharing the house and child care duties with Hattie. He is surprised by what a beautiful woman she has become and shocked by the attraction he feels for her. He knows nothing can come of it because he can't wait to leave and there's no way Hattie will leave. I really liked the way that he saw her beauty, inside and out, and tried to get her to see what he saw. I also loved seeing him learn to care for the babies. He had always been one of the ones who didn't understand his teammates who got married and had kids and now he's starting to fall also. There were some great scenes with him learning what to do and treating it like a military mission. He had some great moments where he was trying to come to grips with his growing feelings for his "friend" and trying to reconcile them with what he still felt about his ex. When he finally admitted his feelings he was stunned by her response. I didn't blame him for running to escape his pain again. I really liked his reaction at the end.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seal's Christmas Twins is book five in the Operation: Family series by Laura Marie Altom. Navy Seal Mason Brown left Conifer, Alaska after the break down of his marriage and promise to himself that he will never return. After six years away, Mason Brown return to Conifer, Alaska to listen to the reading of his ex-wife Will. However, he did not expect to have joint custody of his ex-wife's twin girls with Hattie Beaumont. The readers of The Seal's Christmas Twins will follow Mason Brown and Hattie Beaumont to find out why happens.

The Seal's Christmas Twins is the first book I have read of Laura Marie Altom, and I enjoy reading this book. I love Laura Marie Altom portrayal of her characters and the way they interacted with each other throughout the book. The describing of Seal's Christmas Twins settings done fantastically by Laura Marie Alton. The Seal's Christmas Twins well written and researched by Laura Marie Alton.

The readers of The Seal's Christmas Twins will learn about running a pub in Alaska. Also, the readers of The Seal's Christmas Twins will learn about living in a small rural settlement in Alaska.

I recommend this book.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seal's Christmas Twins was a very, very good book. Navy Seal Mason was divorced six years ago and left the area. His wife cheated on him. His ex remarried and had three month old twins when she and her husband died in a plane crash. His ex left the twin girls to her sister, Hattie, and to Mason jointly. Hattie has loved Mason since she was a teenager. Mason didn't know it. Mason has a trust issue after the divorce. Grandparents were not happy with the will. A lot goes on in this story before they get together in the end.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Sweet, but with lots of chewy angst. The twins in question are the children of the hero's ex and the guy she cheated on him with, which just blows up all kinds of ways when the hero is named co-guardian of the babies. The heroine is the ex's sister who had a crush on the hero back when and now doesn't trust that she's grown out of her ugly duckling phase. Then, there's the parents and the issues they bring to the table. It's just a good, emotional, angsty, satisfying read.

[Jennifer Clanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

this book was great, you really feel like you are in the story and at times you may feel the urge to cry from the injustice of it all.

[Yazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The SEAL’s Christmas Twins by Laura Altom, Mason Brown left his hometown Conifer, Alaska after his divorce from the woman he thought he loved with everything in him. He worked hard as a fisherman to provide for her, but after she lost their baby and he had to go out to work he returned to find her in bed with his best friend.

After enduring the looks from the people in town who either pitied him or blamed him for her infidelity he decided to join the Navy. He has worked hard and now he is a SEAL, and happy to be part of something so important, even if he does risk his life every time. Until he receives a call from Hattie Beaumont, his ex-wife’s sister to tell him that his ex-wife has died and that he has to go home since he was mentioned in her will. Read More...

[Harlequin Books]

"It's easy to fall for this hero, who has no desire to be one, in this sweet story of a heroine having to stand against her own family to do what she feels is right." RT Book Reviews, rated 4 stars
Miniseries: Operation: Family

[LaSibila · Rating 2 out of 5]

El titulo te cuenta todo lo que necesitas saber. Facil lectura para Navidad o feriado. Romance empalagoso.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first for me by this author and I enjoyed it alot. Will be looking for more of her stories.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to the Operation: Family series. A Seal is called home when his ex-wife dies and leaves him and her sister in charge of her infant twins.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously? It´s all about ¨Saint¨ Melissa

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Very predictable and I swear this plot line was already a movie.

[Rellim · Rating 1 out of 5]

A woman dies (along with her husband) and in a letter gives custody of their (the deceased couple’s) twin girls to her sister and her (the dead woman’s) EX-husband. BECAUSE her sister has always had a crush on the ex-husband.

So I have to suspend belief on relevancy of all of these points just to keep going:

1. He’s NOT biologically related to these children in any way.

2. He’s full time active military.
2b. Stationed across the country.

3. He hasn’t seen anyone in this family since the divorce. 5+ years earlier.
3b. He’s never seen these girls. EVER.

4. All four (maternal & paternal) grandparents are alive.

5. Dead woman talked to her sister repeatedly about being a Godmother and sister never felt she was able to handle it.

I couldn’t even continue because I couldn’t get past the most ridiculous plot set up ever.

[Sue Lauzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is highly unusual for me to give a Harlequin romance novel a 4 star rating. I really really liked this one. The story caught my interest early on and kept it right to the end (even though all Harlequins have the happily ever after). I do have to admit though that signing custody (via a will) of your twins over to your sister and your ex husband was a little odd. Her sister I can understand but ex husband??

[Dorel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I read by Laura Marie Altom. I loved ❤ this book's storyline. This book's storyline was sad 😞. I loved ❤ the hot 🔥 & steamy scenes. I loved ❤ Mason's character. I loved ❤ Hattie's character. I loved ❤ Vivian & Vanessa. I didn't like Hattie's parents. I loved ❤ the ending. Awesome job Ms. Altom

[Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story, but didn't really get much of the 'childhood crush' vibes. Or maybe it's just because the entire story has the backdrop of the loss of a close person, which would explain the lack of cheesiness. Overall a good read.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great start .. i had hopes of 4 star rating .. but it really meandered until a nice ending.
3.5 stars.