The Farmer's Unexpected Christmas Gift: An Uplifting Inspirational Romance

by Lillian Warner

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Expected publication November 24, 2026

About the author

Lillian Warner earned a master of arts in professional writing from the University of Massachusetts. After she retired from her federal career as an editor and webmaster, her next goal was to become a published author. She was thrilled when her first book was picked up through a Love Inspired blitz! When she’s not writing, Lillian is active as a performer and director in community theater on Cape Cod, where she lives with her husband and several rescue cats.

Reviews

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter]

I had been waiting for this one to become available on NetGalley after reading and enjoying Lillian Warner’s first book in the Love Inspired collection, so I was pleased to receive the eARC from Harlequin Romance via NetGalley and get to read it ahead of its November 24 publication.

I really enjoyed the story from a romance standpoint. It’s a sweet, clean romance, and while her first book was technically as well, this one is most definitely a Christian romance. That aspect is woven throughout the story and gives the plot an uplifting anchor that Christian romance readers will especially appreciate.

This is the perfect “Hallmark” read, complete with the predictable nature you can expect from the opening scene. Warner does a good job painting a picture of the environment the characters find themselves in, as well as the emotions FMC Lou is experiencing while dealing with amnesia.

If you’re an overly critical reader, there are a few places where you might stumble, but if you can set those aside and simply enjoy the Christmas, cozy, Christian, and Hallmark vibes, this is a sweet, quick addition to your holiday TBR.

[ARC Nerd]

This was an ok read. if you focus on the uplifting aspect you can let the challenges go a bit. Sort of like a Hallmark movie or in this case make the Up Network movies that you don't watch for their stellar acting.
There is a lot that just doesn't make sense and should have been fact checked. I feel like the editor, if there was one, did this author dirty. I also felt like the writing assumes the reader can;t remember things page to page as things are constantly repeated for no reason. Lastly, I know this was a Christian romance but i've read many books from this collection and I never felt like religion was being thrown in my face like this one. Maybe it was the odd writing that was overly simplified that made it stand out more that it would have otherwise. I am not sure.

I received a free copy of this arc through Netgalley.

[Kassandra Garrison]

I was really hoping to like this book when I read the description. However, there were so many glaring inconsistencies and unrealistic events that it felt like tropes and people were just plugged into AI for the sake of a dramatic story. The dialogue and relationships were stiff and each time there was hope of chemistry, it was abruptly interrupted by something unnecessary and awkward.