Married by Christmas

Smoky Mountain Matches #5

by Karen Kirst

An inconvenient wedding

Wherever Caleb O'Malley goes, trouble follows, and trouble is the last thing Rebecca Thurston needs. But when Caleb appears—gravely wounded—at Rebecca's Smoky Mountain cabin, she can't turn him away. His life depends on her kindness, but she never anticipated it would lead to an unwanted proposal.

Caleb never forgave himself for the accident that ended Rebecca's engagement and destroyed her life. He doesn't want to hurt her again. But after a week recuperating at her cabin, there is only one way for Caleb to protect both their reputations from scandal. Neither of them wants to tie the knot, but as Rebecca and Caleb spend time together, will they find there's more to their marriage than convenience?

Smoky Mountain Matches: Dreams of home and family come true in the Smoky Mountains

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Love Inspired, Historical, Historical Romance, Christian Fiction, Christian

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Karen Kirst was born and raised in East Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. A lifelong lover of books, it wasn't until after college that she had the grand idea to write one herself. The pursuit of her dream would take longer than she first anticipated...years, in fact. In the fall of 2010, she got the happy news that Harlequin Love Inspired Historical wanted to publish her manuscript-a true blessing from God. Now she divides her time between being a wife, homeschooling mom, and romance writer. She enjoys reading, hosting tea parties and spending time with friends.

Reviews

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now one of my favorite marriage of convenience stories! I love that Rebecca and Caleb had a childhood friendship and tumultuous history. The tension and chemistry is amazing but there are obstacles that need to be overcome as they fall in love and learn forgiveness of one's self and others.

(Thank you to Harlequin and Love Inspired Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review)

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caleb finally gets his story! I liked Caleb and Becca’s story. They sure had a lot of history to unpack and overcome and doing it At Christmastime made it even more romantic. This was a sweet romance.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for Caleb's story and was pleased with how it played out. Caleb is responsible for the accident that caused Rebecca's fiancé to break off their engagement. After he left town, Caleb took it upon himself to keep an eye on Rebecca and her little sister through his brother. The guilt he experiences is too great for anything else. When he is shot, his horse finds his way to Rebecca's and though she hates him, she won't let any man die. Soon they find themselves forced to marry and then spend time together. They do a whole lot of growing and learning together.

[Dorothy Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from the first page. Karen Kirst writes strong characters, believable conflict, a wonderful push/pull romance and adds a touch of danger that keeps you turning the pages. Have you ever invited killers into your home for coffee because of winter's bitter cold weather?

Because of the title, I expected a stronger emphasis on Christmas than I found in the book. I would have liked more. But, that opinion is from a true Christmas lover! Married by Christmas is a good, enjoyable read!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been intrigued by Caleb ever since 'meeting' him in Josh and Kate's story. I was curious about what had happened to make him so 'prickly'. We got some partial details, including an encounter with Rebecca (who clearly loathed him) in Nathan's story, and that made me even more curious about how his own story (and Rebecca's!) would play out.
This is definitely not a typical 'marriage of necessity' story. The fact that the reason Caleb ended up gravely injured on Rebecca's property because he'd been injured in the process of witnessing a murder ramped up the suspense just that much more. Not only did Caleb and Rebecca need to deal with their past hurts in their 'story', but needed to be on the lookout for those that would harm them without batting an eye.
I really enjoyed how this story played out, especially how being honest with herself led Rebecca to see Caleb and his role in a past situation that had 'ruined her life' in a different, more compassionate light. I also liked how she was willing to put her pride aside and ask forgiveness for how she'd mistreated Caleb, and how she encouraged him to not only forgive her, but to forgive himself for making mistakes. The scriptures used to remind us all of how God is faithful to forgive our sins when we repent were a wonderful addition.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caleb O'Malley witnesses the murder of a friend and is badly wounded in the process. He escapes but the cold and his wound is taking its toll. Rebecca Thurston is alerted by her dog that something is in the woods. When she investigates, she discovers it's Caleb. He was once a close childhood friend but Rebecca blames him for the accident that changed her life. She knows she must help him or he'll die, but she has no idea what helping him will mean to her future. Caleb has been plagued with guilt about the accident that changed the lives of his two best friends. Now he has brought trouble to Rebecca once again. Because they have been alone together (except for Rebecca's younger sister) for more than a week while she nursed him back to health, the town is demanding that they marry. Neither one wants to do that but Caleb doesn't want Rebecca or her sister to be the topic of gossip and he wants to somehow make up for the past by taking care of her now. The more time they spend together, the more they realize how much each of them has changed. Have they changed enough to forge out a future together or will they settle for only keeping the terms of their agreement?

Married by Christmas is an excellent story! Karen Kirst really has a remarkable talent for writing a heartwarming story, loaded with lots of romantic tension, lively characters and even some edge-of-your-seat moments. I read the first book in the Smokey Mountain Series (The Reluctant Outlaw) awhile ago and just loved it. When I saw this was up for review, I knew it was a must read. I can only say that I absolutely loved it! Caleb is a tortured hero who is haunted by past mistakes. His kind and gentle ways made him completely swoon-worthy! Rebecca was a woman of great strength and spunk, yet she really had a soft and tender heart. Together they were pure magic! I loved the whole theme of forgiveness and second chances running through the story. We know that the Lord forgives us, but sometimes it's hard for us to let our mistakes go. The verse listed in the beginning of the story was Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." That really fits the story well. I also enjoyed the element of danger in the story and thought it was nicely played. The O'Malley's are a great group and I now want to go back and read the ones I missed. Married by Christmas is a story with Christmas in it but can be enjoyed any time of the year. It's one I highly recommend and one I would definitely read again.

*This complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *

Series: Love Inspired HistoricalSmoky Mountain Matches
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (October 7, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0373282834
ISBN-13: 978-0373282838

For more information about this book or other books by this author, I recommend you visit her website at http://www.karenkirst.com/

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an e-ARC free from Netgalley. Below is my review.

This is the 5th book in a series though it can be read quite well as a standalone. Caleb, Rebecca, and Adam: best friends and playmates, betrothed couple and best friend, jilted bride and broken man, antagonists. They have run the gamut of relationships. When the story opens, Rebecca is alone, save for her younger sister, having been set aside by Adam and then having lost her parents in an accident. Broken and hurting, she gets through each day but that's about it.

Caleb is the youngest in his family, the scapegrace, the ne'er-do-well, the mischief maker, the lost sheep no one expects much from. His live a little" attitude has cost him both his best friends.

Now his reckless behavior has gotten him shot and nearly killed. It's Rebecca who saves him, Rebecca who nurses him back to health. But in their small 1880s town, they've been together unchaperoned and the push to marry is intense. They finally agree to marry, in name only.

But that band of outlaws that nearly killed Caleb has come calling and they want to finish what they started. It's up to Caleb and his family to protect Rebecca and her sister.

This is a Love Inspired historical, so there is a lot of prayer, a lot of talk about God, and some talk of how God inspires forgiveness. Rebecca and Caleb must learn to forgive each other and themselves in order to make their marriage work. Forgiveness is the central theme of the book, and it makes appearances not only in Rebecca's and Caleb's marriage, but also in their relationships with Adam and in the story of the outlaws. There are some anachronisms in the language and in the responses to events that can be a bit disconcerting. Overall, a good read."

[namericanwordcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of the conflict. How do you overcome such bitterness? The writer does a good job with that piece but some of the other drama of the plot overwhelms the romances and the religious aspects are awkward.

I will try another book by this author but I wan't a huge fan of this one. I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it.

[Hazel Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT

I have enjoyed all of the books I have read by Karen Kirst. I have never been disappointed. This story is about forgiveness. Rebecca hated Caleb for wrecking her dreams of becoming Adam's wife. God had other plans for them. God's plans are always better than ours.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This line has the best covers - I want that cloak, damn it. I liked other books in this Smoky Mountain series better - I sympathized for Caleb and Rebecca, but didn't really care about them.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Married By Christmas was a sweet, light read. It didn't have much depth and a lot of it was quite predictable (typical for most Love Inspired books), but I still enjoyed it.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas 2024 - Nice enough

Caleb and Rebecca have a very tumultuous past, and she has vowed to hate him forever. But she finds him one night outside her cabin, where she lives with her young sister. He is unconscious, having been shot by criminals, and she has no choice but to take him in and nurse him back to health. So, she's compromised. And they have to get married. This would have been fairly enjoyable except for the endless dragging on, after they both realized they loved each other all along, of the "but he/she couldn't really want to be with me" misunderstanding. I really lost my patience with it and it lessened the satisfaction when they finally end up together.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caleb O' Malley collapses with a grave injury outside of Rebecca Thurston's cabin. Thanks to the close-minded townspeople they are forced to marry.

Interesting characters who felt very real with their faults and frailties. The main characters had to work through their past history and overcome bitter feelings. The story had a little bit of suspense and had me wondering how things would turn out.

[Hana Bilqisthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

the character feel real and it is written well, but I kinda confused how Caleb is healed despite Becca knew little about medicine? how Caleb Rebecca make money and how can they survive? and how Amy live while Caleb and Rebecca got kidnapped ??

[Lyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

constant physical attraction/fixation. the only thing I found admirable was that when the heroine was a teenager, she put up strong boundaries to a friendship when she felt it crossing a line, in order to be faithful to her boyfriend/fiance. Everything else was a whole lot of Yikes.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Wins Out

Becca, Adam and Caleb had been friends since childhood until the night their lives stood still. Many things could have happened sooner if only they each one had listened for the still small voice inside of them.

[Courtney Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great. Loved the characters as usual.

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good.

[Vicky Sluiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it!

[Mary Shreffler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caleb, shot and landing in Rebecca cabin. He tried to help a sheriff from being killed. Rebecca has not like Caleb since he and his friend were accidentally hurt. Ending works though

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read. This is my favorite of this series so far

[Alexis Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was easy to understand and kept your attention. I will share it with friends and family.

[Meghann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow burn. Super cute story

[Bt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've avoided this publisher (LIH) because all the books look so cheesy. But it's Christmas, and I just wanted something happy and Christmas-ful to read, and my sap tolerance goes way up at Christmas. And I saw Heidi Robbins's positive review.

I enjoyed this book at the beginning and liked the characters and the setup. Danger! Outlaws! Nursing! Christmas! Mysterious meat! But the book started getting very repetitive, and it got annoying how the leads refused over and over to take a chance and be frank with one another. This book would have been much better if it was 35% shorter. Also, the danger/outlaws didn't turn out very scary or interesting. And by the time they finally made their move, I was bored and skimming/speedreading anyway.

[Njkinny (Njkinny's Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Married by Christmas by Karen Kirst is the fifth book in Smoky Mountain Matches series but the first that I have read. Though we meet some characters from the previous books, overall I felt that I could easily read this book as a standalone. However, it is always best to read books of a series in order so you understand the back stories better. I know I will be reading the previous books.

This is the story of Rebecca and Caleb who have a history. Caleb did something that led to Rebecca's engagement getting broken. Now wounded, he is saved by Rebecca who nurses him but then they are faced with a difficult situation where the only way to save their reputation is to marry each other.

I enjoyed both these characters who are both good people who suffered due to circumstances being against them. This book is about second chances, forgiveness and the power of faith.

The setting for this story is Gatlinbury, Tennessee December 1881

There is also suspense, danger and the simple celebration of Christmas with the focus on the Savior's birth.

The story is fast paced and I enjoyed Karen's writing style. She sketches 1881 so beautifully that I could easily visualize the world as it was then.

All in all, Married by Christmas by Karen Kirst is a sweet love story about love, forgiveness and having faith in God. 4 out of 5 to it and recommended to all Christian romance and historical romance lovers.

I received the book from the publishers via Netgalley and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.

Read this review and others on: http://www.njkinnysblog.com/

[Carol MacInnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from a contest on Goodreads.

Rebecca Thurston, Caleb O'Malley and Adam Tierney were best friends growing up and seldom seen apart. So much so that Rebecca and Adam became engaged, much to Caleb's disdain, as Caleb loved Rebecca from afar and never told either Rebecca or Adam. But then a stupid prank that Caleb goaded Adam into doing with him went awry leaving Adam in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. At this point Adam broke off the engagement to Rebecca and Rebecca blamed everything on Caleb and swore never to forgive him. Since Adam's accident Rebecca & her little sister's parents were both killed in an accident leaving Rebecca to look after the farm and raise her sister. But one day, suddenly during a bad snow storm, Rebecca finds a badly hurt Caleb on her property. Rebecca naturally took him to their cabin to tend to his wounds otherwise he would have froze to death or died of his injuries. Since the storm prohibited Rebecca to reach Caleb's family or even a doctor, she tended to his injuries herself as best she could for a week in their cabin. But word got out, and in a small town tongues began to wag and the minister visited them telling them in order to keep their heads held high they must/should marry. But how could Caleb marry this woman he's loved so long when he's done his best to avoid her bearing the guilt of the accident and Adams and her breakup? And how can Rebecca ever be with the man that caused her so much pain and heartache?

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Married by Christmas is a nice story. I have not read other books in this series so have not connected to a lot of the characters. It has drama, action, faith and prayer.

I like Caleb, Rebecca that they are willing to sacrifice to protect Amy, and save each other. Rebecca is so angry with Caleb for something that happened a year ago. She finds him wounded by a gunshot and drags him into the house.
Caleb is close to dying but Rebecca fights to save him.

Because Rebecca had Caleb at her cabin with just her and her sister people think she should marry him. For most of the time Caleb was out of it with high fever. Rebecca refuses to marry him but then her sister suffers for it. So they agree to marry in name only.

The setting for this story is Gatlinbury, Tennessee December 1881

Rebecca and Caleb have to deal with forgiveness of each other and themselves. Plus Caleb witnesses a murder and was shot trying to save the marshal. The outlaws are on the lookout for him, while the law is looking for the outlaws.

I love the simple Celebration of Christmas. Homemade gifts or items that are really needed or wanted. The focus on the Savior's birth.

If you have read other Smokey Mountain Matches you will probably see a lot of old friends.

I was given this ebook to read and in return agreed to give a honest review of Married by Christmas. Received ebook from Net Galley and Harlequin.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Married by Christmas

Author: Karen Kirst

Series: Smoky Mountain Matches book 5

Chapters: 27 plus Epilogue

Pages: 285

Genre: Christian Historical Romance Love Inspired Historical

Rating: 5 stars

Married by Christmas is the fifth book in the Smoky Mountain matches. This time its Caleb O’Malley’s turn for a chance at happy ever after. The only problem is he doesn’t think that he deserves to be happy not after what he did to his best friend. Causing him to call off his engagement to Rebecca Thurston.
When a Snow storm causes an injured Caleb to be nursed by Rebecca Thurston the town of Gatlinburg insist that they marry to protect Rebecca’s reputation.

I enjoyed all of the Smoky Mountain matches books but I was looking forward to Caleb’s story. Since the firsts books Caleb’s been seen as the black sheep of the family. Married by Christmas gives light to Caleb’s story and you finally start to understand him. I cannot wait until the next book in the Smoky Mountain Matches series.


I was given an e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the 1880s in eastern Tennessee, the heroine blames the hero for ruining her life, for causing the accident that took her fiance out of her life. She would like to blame him for the death of her parents in a wagon accident, but can't. That wouldn't be fair or true. And when he turns up gunshot in the middle of a blizzard, she can't leave him out in the cold. She hauls him into the cabin her parents left to her and her younger sister and tends his wounds until the storm abates and neighbors come to check on them. By the time the doctor and the sheriff show up, to tend to the wound and hear about how the hero got it, gossip about him staying there is already spreading. The preacher comes with the others to let them know that marriage is expected. But the heroine isn't about to forgive the hero any time soon. It's a good story, though eastern Tennessee seemed a whole lot more like the wild West than an eastern state. I suppose it was plenty wild in the mountains and "hollers" but it just didn't seem very Tennessee-ish to me. Plus it was the 1880s. It was an entertaining story about the power of forgiveness and love. I liked it.