Maybe This Christmas: A Second Chances Holiday Romance

by Claudia Ambrose

FROM EXCITING AUTHOR OF SMALL TOWN HOLIDAY ROMANCE CLAUDIA AMBROSE

Book two in the Falling Leaves series

This Christmas was made for new beginnings.

Love is in the air when a big-hearted city girl and a grumpy divorced dad spend Christmas at a resort in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains…

Emma Dale’s big city dreams have gone bust. Two weeks before Christmas, she loses her job. Now, she’s fresh out of excuses to avoid moving to New York with her fiancé. Her heart tells her the relationship is over. So, when he agrees to join her on a last-minute trip to Sky House Lodge, it feels like a Christmas miracle.

It’s Caleb Ellis’s first Christmas since the divorce, and he’s depressed. His ex has the kids on the other side of the country, and all he wants is to hide until the holidays are over. His sister comes up with the bright idea of having him work at her and her husband’s resort. The job is an introvert’s activities director. It’s either that or dress up as Santa to help Falling Leaves’ busybodies—the biddies—with their annual toy drive. He knows his family means well, but he wishes they’d leave him alone to mope in peace.

It turns out that a new location only exposes the cracks in Emma’s relationship. After an argument, her (now ex) fiancé leaves her stranded in the mountains. She decides to spend the holidays at the resort anyway, postponing her problems until January. When the charming activities director catches her eye, she feels guilty, but he’s spending a lonely Christmas too, so why shouldn’t they find comfort in each other? After all, she’s single now and will head back to the big city after the holidays.

Or will she? The more time Emma and Caleb spend together, the more they realize that what they feel for each other is more than a passing fling. This might be forever.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Claudia Ambrose has loved writing for as long as she can remember. BUILD YOU UP is her debut novel. When she's not writing, she lives in Virginia with her husband and far too many cats.

Reviews

[RomanceLand65 · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great read about second chances. two wounded birds that find common ground with one another. this was a fantastic representation of starting as friends. letting your roots take hold. it definitely was not fast track to cringe. it flowed well with two people who deserved their own happiness. emma found have been a much more wounded character but she was actually very middle of the road. meaning her past life did not tragically affect her future. it played a role but I think that role was a healthy look at how it shaped her future.
caleb was very enjoyable even if he was grumpy. he broke out of his shell for his future. he could have been a bitter divorcee but he found a way to give his kids a better version of himself. it was refreshing to not have him be bitter and angry filled with emotion over his divorce. the author gave him a great back story and how it was the lead to a brighter future.

[Leah Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a lumberjack looking single dad ends up with a job at a lodge that’s owned by his sister and falls in love with the cute city girl? I guess you’ll just have to read this cute small town romance to find out. This was the perfect holiday read and had me fall in love with Falling Leaves!

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

"...sometimes family is what you make of it." pg 90

I received an ARC copy of Maybe This Christmas. In this story we get Caleb and Emma's story. We also get more of the Ellis family and the biddies form Build You Up. This is a closed door, second chance at love story.

Emma knows that her relationship with Davis is over, but neither one of them is willing to break it off. Emma books a Christmas vacation for them at Sky House in a last ditch effort to see if there is something to salvage of their relationship - but the trip is the final break for them.

This will be the first Christmas alone for Caleb after the divorce. He is missing his kids and just wants to hid away in his apartment until they return. Sabrina is having no of it and asks him to come help at Sky House since they recently lost their activities director.

From the first moment that Caleb and Emma see each other, there are sparks and a whirlwind romance begins!

While I did like the concept of the story, there are 2 big reasons why this book really wasn't for me.
1. While this is a closed-door romance, it is not a clean read as there is language including the F word. I really wish authors would realize that the F word is just not needed.
2. Caleb was constantly apologizing, asking if he was being weird, second guessing and overthinking his actions. While I get that we all have self esteem issues, his issues started to become over the top for me.

I received a complimentary copy. This review reflects my honest opinion.

[Kortney Liston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect small town Christmas vibe with the perfect love story! Claudia Ambrose made it so easy for you to play out this story in your mind as if you were watching the movie. The lodge and the cabins alone make me want to find an exact replica in real life and move there! Then you have the town of Falling Leaves, and it gives you the Gilmore Girls/Hart of Dixie feel only with a Christmas twist!
Emma really did deserve happiness in the end especially with the childhood she was dealt. Her independence and determination worked in her favor and came with a bonus dreamy lumberjack with a very pushy and nosy family! And we can’t forget the biddies!
Then you have Caleb who got forced into the world of dating while being a single dad. That’s always a tricky situation especially when said Dad is so committed to being a dad, son, and brother that he leaves no time for dating or himself. Of course he’s going to be grumpy!
All in all, it’s a great book that pulls you in, and drops you in to a Christmas love story!

[Alize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so grateful to have been a beta reader for this book. I read this book before having read "Build You Up", and I must say apart from wanting to know Brandon and Sabrina's story, it doesn't affect the plot that much. And if you want to have a sweet Christmas read, this is the perfect book for that, it's fast paced, giggly clean romance, that just makes you fall in love with the all the characters-baring Davis, he can rot in the depths of hell.

"Maybe This Christmas" was filled with the perfect amount of sweetness and holiday cheer that I needed. It has amazing movie vibes, and is written really well. I loved the story, and how Emma made her dream come true and got the happiness and peace that she absolutely deserved. And I might have disturbed my sleeping family on multiple occasions by giggling and laughing like a dying donkey🤦‍♀️.

There was only a few things that I wished could've been seen more;

***SLIGHT SPOILERS***
Emma meeting the girls. It would have been really good, even if in just the epilogue, that Emma actually interacted with Caleb's daughters. Because even though one of the tropes is "single dad", it didn't feel much like it.

[Jennifer Wortman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story read like a Hallmark movie and honestly, I am not mad at all. It was super sweet, adorable and a hunk of a man whose sweet, patient and willing to respect choices and boundaries? I loved how the author described the lodge, the small town and the people with-in it, as it sounded like a place I'd love to live. Our MMC, Caleb is introverted as can be, sad his kids aren't home for Christmas and Emma trying to fix a failing relationship couldn't of been a better duo to have a great Christmas together and learn how to love again.

-Second Chances
-Grumpy(ish) x Sweet
-Closed Door

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute and sweet romance story. Emma loses her job and is at a crossroads in her life. She books a spur of the moment trip to a Christmas lodge and her fiancé, Davis, reluctantly goes along. It soon becomes clear that their relationship is well and truly over. With Davis gone, it isn't long before Emma ends up falling for Caleb and getting swept up in the Christmas magic of Falling Leaves.

I loved the characters and the small-town vibes. The lodge sounds amazing and I'd love to go somewhere like that in real life!

A fun and cute, closed door romance with Hallmark movie vibes. Perfect light-hearted Christmas read.

[Bekah Roederer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claudia did it again! This is my second Claudia Ambrose book and once again she sucked me into her world.

If you want a sweet and heart warming holiday romance this is for you., This book makes you wanting more and wanting to go find your own Emma or Caleb!

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect festive read, romance, healing and second chances, I really enjoyed this.

[Bibliomania143 · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK 2 IN THE FALLING LEAVES SERIES AND YES, I WAS IMPATIENTLY WAITING...

The moment I stepped back into Falling Leaves, it felt like coming home. The Christmas magic, the cozy small town vibes, the resort tucked into Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains… immaculate. I genuinely wanted to pack my bags and live there forever. No questions asked.

We meet Emma, who is freshly unemployed, stuck with an absolute walking red flag of a fiancé, and completely unsure about her future. Enter Caleb. Recently divorced, grumpy, emotionally done, and very much not in the mood for Christmas cheer.

And somehow… these two just work.

Their relationship unfolds slowly and beautifully, going from friendship to something deeper in a way that felt natural, warm, and incredibly satisfying. No rushed feelings. No forced drama. Just two people finding comfort and love when they least expect it.

And can we talk about the side characters? Because they once again stole my heart. Ever since I read the first book, I’ve been obsessed with Falling Leaves and its people, and this book only made that love stronger. Everyone feels alive, familiar, and impossible not to adore.

✨ Final thoughts ✨
This is a cozy, feel-good friends to lovers romance set in the most picturesque, Christmassy small town. It’s funny, heartwarming, comforting, and perfect if you’re craving low angst and all the cozy vibes.

Highly recommend if you love:
• Small town romance
• Friends to lovers
• Christmas vibes
• Found family energy
• Closed-door romance

Honestly… Falling Leaves has my whole heart. 🎄📚💙

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thoughts:

Very sweet Christmas story. Loved the romance, but wish there was more. Their awkwardness rivals mine 🤣 Very quick read!

[Tania Percy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute, relaxing small town holiday romance! Love a small town read, and Falling Leaves didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed reading this book, especially as I needed a mostly fluffy read.
Great characters, with good banter from the whole family.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is an easy, heartwarming holiday romance read — full of family support, second chances, and a dash of small-town meddling (because what’s a holiday romance without a few well-meaning busybodies? )

I loved the charming town setting, complete with a lodge that hosts all kinds of festive events — from crafting, movies, sledding and Bingo. It really made me want to pack up and spend the holidays here with that Holiday Hallmark movie vibe.

This small town romance follows Emma, who just lost her job in the city and is looking to get away for the Holidays. Her fiancé agrees to the time away but the cracks that have been in their relationship grow bigger. Caleb is a recently divorced Dad of 2 girls who is alone for the holidays and missing his kids.
The story unfolds quickly from there, part of the joy of the story.

[April Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a heartfelt story! I felt like I was reading a Hallmark movie. I could envision everything that the author was describing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Would recommend.