What do you think?
Rate this book
Almost Christmas
A quiet holiday getaway. One missing light display. A Christmas she never planned on.
When Reece Cannon escapes to snowy Hearthridge for a low-key holiday, she expects long walks, hot cocoa, and no responsibilities. Then the town’s beloved light display disappears days before the big ceremony, and Reece finds herself following a trail of clues from Main Street to the town square, determined to help this place she barely knows keep its holiday magic.
But as she searches, River’s End Bakery keeps pulling her back — and so does its green-eyed owner, widower Hunter Blackwell, who somehow appears exactly when she needs him. When his clipboard-toting eleven-year-old daughter, Amelia, joins the hunt, the three of them click like cinnamon and sugar.
With snow deepening outside and the countdown to Christmas drawing near, Reece has to face the choice she never saw return to the life that wore her down…or stay in the small town that suddenly feels like home.
A cozy, sweet, clean Christmas romance with a dash of mystery, found-family warmth, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after for anyone who’s ever wondered if it’s too late to begin again.
When Reece Cannon escapes to snowy Hearthridge for a low-key holiday, she expects long walks, hot cocoa, and no responsibilities. Then the town’s beloved light display disappears days before the big ceremony, and Reece finds herself following a trail of clues from Main Street to the town square, determined to help this place she barely knows keep its holiday magic.
But as she searches, River’s End Bakery keeps pulling her back — and so does its green-eyed owner, widower Hunter Blackwell, who somehow appears exactly when she needs him. When his clipboard-toting eleven-year-old daughter, Amelia, joins the hunt, the three of them click like cinnamon and sugar.
With snow deepening outside and the countdown to Christmas drawing near, Reece has to face the choice she never saw return to the life that wore her down…or stay in the small town that suddenly feels like home.
A cozy, sweet, clean Christmas romance with a dash of mystery, found-family warmth, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after for anyone who’s ever wondered if it’s too late to begin again.
- GenresChristmas
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2025
151 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 18, 2026
Almost Christmas is the first book in Laurel Leigh’s multi-book Heartridge Holidays series. Laurel Leigh was a new author for me. Detective Reece Cannon finds herself in Heartridge, North Carolina during a mandatory vacation. A vacation mandated by her boss, her physical state, her psychological state, and her emotional state. Solitary years of fighting criminals… throwing herself headfirst into her work… with no other interests… in a Spartanly sparse Tucson apartment… Reece found herself at a dead end.
Nestled in the sacred Blue Ridge Mountains, Heartridge is exactly opposite of Reece’s norm. Add in her spirited best friend, since college, Charlotte Villarrear, and Reece will unwind and have fun! Charlotte knows best and will accept nothing less! Within a couple days, Charlotte has Reece interacting with strangers… without using her mug shot memory database. Reece accidentally meets Amelia, an eleven-year-old dynamo and her single father Hunter Blackwell. Hunter with his brother Mike own a wonderful bakery housed in a centuries old building. Besides managing their bakery, Hunter has agreed to be in charge of the town’s annual Christmas tree and lighting extravaganza. A job his father performed for nearly four decades. Amelia has volunteered herself to oversee her father and the town’s show. Amelia was born with a very systematic brain. She’s incredibly smart, but not the normal kid. Reece immediately recognizes and applauds her! Reece has long used systematic thinking to solve crimes.
There’s an attraction between Reece and Hunter, but her temporary Heartridge status is concerning. Then tragedy strikes! The town’s entire warehouse full of decorations, lights, extension cords, etc. are stolen. Not a clue. Wiped clean. Floors swept.
Who are you going to call? Hint: not Ghostbusters
Call: Detective Reece Cannon!!!
Will the crime be solved? Will the lighting ceremony be saved? Will Reece and Hunter allow love to win? Will Reece, Hunter, and Amelia become a family? Almost Christmas was a sweet, fun story to read. Perfect for me… I was snowed in. Rating: 5 STARS!
Nestled in the sacred Blue Ridge Mountains, Heartridge is exactly opposite of Reece’s norm. Add in her spirited best friend, since college, Charlotte Villarrear, and Reece will unwind and have fun! Charlotte knows best and will accept nothing less! Within a couple days, Charlotte has Reece interacting with strangers… without using her mug shot memory database. Reece accidentally meets Amelia, an eleven-year-old dynamo and her single father Hunter Blackwell. Hunter with his brother Mike own a wonderful bakery housed in a centuries old building. Besides managing their bakery, Hunter has agreed to be in charge of the town’s annual Christmas tree and lighting extravaganza. A job his father performed for nearly four decades. Amelia has volunteered herself to oversee her father and the town’s show. Amelia was born with a very systematic brain. She’s incredibly smart, but not the normal kid. Reece immediately recognizes and applauds her! Reece has long used systematic thinking to solve crimes.
There’s an attraction between Reece and Hunter, but her temporary Heartridge status is concerning. Then tragedy strikes! The town’s entire warehouse full of decorations, lights, extension cords, etc. are stolen. Not a clue. Wiped clean. Floors swept.
Who are you going to call? Hint: not Ghostbusters
Call: Detective Reece Cannon!!!
Will the crime be solved? Will the lighting ceremony be saved? Will Reece and Hunter allow love to win? Will Reece, Hunter, and Amelia become a family? Almost Christmas was a sweet, fun story to read. Perfect for me… I was snowed in. Rating: 5 STARS!
December 14, 2025
Reece Cannon goes to a small town to spend a few days with a friend, Charlotte. It is near Thanksgiving time, but holidays have not been her favorite for the past 15 years. The people in this town are really friendly and welcoming. The Sunday after Thanksgiving, is to be the lighting of the town's Christmas tree. The Blackwell family has been made this a celebration for all for many years. Hunter and his brother own the local bakery called, "Rivers End".
When they go to do inventory on all the lights for the celebration, they were all gone. Hunter has a daughter name, Amelia, who is quite disappointed. Why would someone take lights that mean so much to the town? Now the mystery begins, it is know that Reece is a detective in her line of work. They ask Reece if she will take on this case and get to the bottom of it. Reece gets along with Hunter and Amelia well. So the hunt begins for the suspects in the "Christmas Light" caper. Many questions and getting to know the town people with answers for her.
As this investigation goes on, Reece, is really liking the town. The people give her the feeling of belonging. With this mystery she gets to know Hunter and Amelia well, and just maybe there is more to this new friendship then we think. Amelia has taken a real liking to the detective. She seems to notice that her Dad is happier since Reece came to town.
I really enjoyed this novella and all the wonders a small town can bring to someone, especially when life has been so lonely for them. Do read this book and it will brighten your spirits of how a town can really work together. Looking forward to reading more of Laurel Leigh's other books.
When they go to do inventory on all the lights for the celebration, they were all gone. Hunter has a daughter name, Amelia, who is quite disappointed. Why would someone take lights that mean so much to the town? Now the mystery begins, it is know that Reece is a detective in her line of work. They ask Reece if she will take on this case and get to the bottom of it. Reece gets along with Hunter and Amelia well. So the hunt begins for the suspects in the "Christmas Light" caper. Many questions and getting to know the town people with answers for her.
As this investigation goes on, Reece, is really liking the town. The people give her the feeling of belonging. With this mystery she gets to know Hunter and Amelia well, and just maybe there is more to this new friendship then we think. Amelia has taken a real liking to the detective. She seems to notice that her Dad is happier since Reece came to town.
I really enjoyed this novella and all the wonders a small town can bring to someone, especially when life has been so lonely for them. Do read this book and it will brighten your spirits of how a town can really work together. Looking forward to reading more of Laurel Leigh's other books.
December 30, 2025
I picked up Almost Christmas purely because the cover stopped me in my tracks, absolutely gorgeous. This was my first read by Laurel Leigh, and I loved that it was wrapped in holiday charm right from the start.
I connected with Reece almost immediately. She’s a strong, independent woman whose life revolves around her career, and her journey felt genuine and relatable. When she heads to Hearthridge for the holidays, I completely fell for the town. Friendly people, full-on Christmas spirit, and that cozy small-town magic? That’s exactly how I’d want to spend the holidays.
Amelia, though, stole the show for me. She was hands-down my favorite character and reminded me so much of what I imagine my own granddaughter, Emelia, will be like at that age, which made her scenes even more special.
I absolutely loved this book and plan to jump into the next one in the series as soon as possible. It ends on a soft cliffhanger, and paired with the author’s vivid writing style, one that makes you see the story as you read, it was more than enough to have me reaching for the next book immediately.
This was a solid 4.5-star read for me, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of Laurel Leigh’s work.
Loved it.
I connected with Reece almost immediately. She’s a strong, independent woman whose life revolves around her career, and her journey felt genuine and relatable. When she heads to Hearthridge for the holidays, I completely fell for the town. Friendly people, full-on Christmas spirit, and that cozy small-town magic? That’s exactly how I’d want to spend the holidays.
Amelia, though, stole the show for me. She was hands-down my favorite character and reminded me so much of what I imagine my own granddaughter, Emelia, will be like at that age, which made her scenes even more special.
I absolutely loved this book and plan to jump into the next one in the series as soon as possible. It ends on a soft cliffhanger, and paired with the author’s vivid writing style, one that makes you see the story as you read, it was more than enough to have me reaching for the next book immediately.
This was a solid 4.5-star read for me, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of Laurel Leigh’s work.
Loved it.
December 5, 2025
𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕-𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚!!! 😊😊😊
𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒑-𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒊 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆!!! 😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩
𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒑-𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒊 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆!!! 😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩
December 7, 2025
Enjoyable story
This was an enjoyable holiday story. Reece is burnt out with her job and life, but hasn't admitted those facts to herself. This book is about her discovering what is missing, embracing friends and maybe finding love, taking chances. A little mystery is thrown in for the detective to help solve while she is on vacation in Heartridge. I found the book entertaining and I loved Amelia's character and her part in this story.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review
This was an enjoyable holiday story. Reece is burnt out with her job and life, but hasn't admitted those facts to herself. This book is about her discovering what is missing, embracing friends and maybe finding love, taking chances. A little mystery is thrown in for the detective to help solve while she is on vacation in Heartridge. I found the book entertaining and I loved Amelia's character and her part in this story.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review
December 15, 2025
This is book 1 of the Hearthridge Holidays series. This book features Reece, a burnt out detective, Charlotte, her bff, Hunter, the town baker, and Amelia, Hunters daughter and math/engineer extraordinaire at 11 years old.
I really enjoyed the transformation that Reece had over the course of the book. And Amelia is an amazing character! I LOVE her color coded lists, her diagrams, her organization, and how analytical she is.
While a theft mystery, there’s a lot more about finding yourself and making/finding a new place to belong.
I really enjoyed the transformation that Reece had over the course of the book. And Amelia is an amazing character! I LOVE her color coded lists, her diagrams, her organization, and how analytical she is.
While a theft mystery, there’s a lot more about finding yourself and making/finding a new place to belong.
December 30, 2025
She needed a break and headed to Heathridge, North Carolina, where her longtime friend lived. It was the holiday season; she would be alone once again and probably working long hours at the precinct where she is a detective. Reece Cannon would once again be without friends or family. A text from her college roommate and longtime friend was a possible salvation for her to leave her job in Tucson and travel east for Christmas. Done! It was a fun adventure where she met someone who counted. Great storyline!
January 21, 2026
Almost Christmas
Loved this mystery romance that was absolutely fantastic. A detective that is in need of a much needed break from her stressful job and a mountain town with their traditions have a mystery to solve. Love the characters and their charming town. Enjoy
Loved this mystery romance that was absolutely fantastic. A detective that is in need of a much needed break from her stressful job and a mountain town with their traditions have a mystery to solve. Love the characters and their charming town. Enjoy
December 4, 2025
Cute story
I loved this story but it made me miss the old time Christmas when it was more than presents and showmanship. I would love to spend a holiday place like this.
I loved this story but it made me miss the old time Christmas when it was more than presents and showmanship. I would love to spend a holiday place like this.
January 3, 2026
Hard pass. Not even worth a look.
February 18, 2026
Sometimes we have to get away from the norm to find ourselves. Nice easy holiday read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews