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Holiday, Inc #1

Noelle's Golden Christmas

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Noelle hates everything about Christmas, including her own name!

Christmas has only brought heartache for Noelle, year after year. Since her tragic breakup two years ago, Noelle fears God may want her to remain single forever. Then she finds the love of her life… a Golden Retriever named Abby.

The sudden attention of two men from her father’s company is both enticing and confusing. But who can compete with the undying devotion of a dog?

Reeling from yet another tragic loss during the holiday season, Noelle determines the best way to deal with the painful reminder. Run!

In the spirit of Hallmark movies, this sweet Christian romantic comedy tells the story of a believer, struggling to implement her faith in her everyday walk and battling fear to find the agape love that drives it away.

176 pages, ebook

First published November 3, 2015

953 people are currently reading
878 people want to read

About the author

Tamie Dearen

51 books391 followers
USA Today bestselling author Tamie Dearen has published more than twenty books, including The Best Girls Series and the Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance Series. Tamie believes real life is already full of enough heartache, so she gives her book-characters happily-ever-afters, no matter how difficult their paths.

Tamie Dearen lives in Texas with her incredibly romantic husband and two dogs. She hates dusting and exercising and loves anything musical or artistic. When she's not writing books, you might find her playing with her grandkids or drilling on someone's tooth.

Join Tamie Dearen's VIP Newsletter and get a free book as a welcome gift. Copy and paste: http://www.tamiedearen.com/enter-to-win/

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5 stars
492 (44%)
4 stars
314 (28%)
3 stars
219 (19%)
2 stars
55 (4%)
1 star
27 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
Profile Image for Shawna Finnigan.
748 reviews361 followers
February 2, 2025
TW// cheating, mention of fatal drunk driving crash, mentions of death (including mother, fiance), bulimia, mention of self harm

Promise of Love is a Christian holiday romance that follows Noelle who has given up on love. When two brothers move into town, she finds herself stuck in somewhat of a love triangle with them and she has figure out how to balance her desires with her Christian identity.

I always think that Christian books will work for me since I’m Christian, but unfortunately most of the time they don’t.

The reason why Noelle gets involved with James was really disingenous and it’s a tactic that causes a lot of people to actually turn away from religion. It’s this idea that she can “fix” him with religion. Shoving religion on someone as a way to fix them isn’t the way to convert someone. It comes off as really overbearing. Furthermore, pursuing a relationship for this reason alone isn’t being entirely honest with the other person so it’s not a strong foundation to build a relationship on.

Then after her first makeout session with James, she immediately goes and kisses his brother. She’s more scandalized about kissing the man that she’s dating than the fact that she cheated on her boyfriend with his own brother. This was the part of the book that irked me the most. The cheating should’ve been what she felt lots of shame for instead of the kissing, especially since her past engagement ended when she was cheated on by her fiancé.

At first I really resonated with Noelle’s feelings of blaming herself with everything bad that happened to other people, but by the end of the story, I was mad at the inclusion of that plotline. This constant self guilt is a sign of something that needs to be worked through in therapy, but instead she is called selfish for struggling with self guilt and her own parent tells her that it’s a waste of money for her to go to therapy. These are really toxic ideas that ignore the real struggle that people experience with guilt.

I also had issues with some of the writing in the story. There would be a sentence or two in every chapter that came across as gross and cringeworthy. Here’s just a few:
-“His jaw was broad and strong, covered with the short stubble of beard that screamed masculine.”
-“But there was something else… a hint of spicy-musky scent, so masculine she felt like growling.” (We get it - he’s masculine. There’s no need to constantly emphasize it.)
-“Your biological clock is ticking.”
-“Tick-tock, tick-tock, goes the biological clock…” (It’s almost as if her sister cares more about Noelle having a biological kid than whether or not she’s truly happy with her life.)
-“…or at least the male equivalent of beautiful.”
-“Then a scent wafted past her nose—fresh snow and spicy male—“
-“…while the brothers sliced each other up with testosterone glares.”

The concept of a Christian romance where the main character has given up on love is one that could make for a good story, but Promise of Love wasn’t great and it needs a lot of changes in order to make the story work.
Profile Image for Alaina.
7,345 reviews203 followers
December 5, 2018
Okay, I mostly picked this book because of the adorable dog on the cover. Anything with dogs and I'm sold.

Noelle's Golden Christmas was an okay book. I just couldn't get behind any of these characters or Noelle's family. It was very faith driven, which I have nothing against.. but the way Noelle viewed her life and how she was cursed with god, love, and basically christmas.. was just unbearable. I have no idea how many times I rolled my eyes.. but let's just say - they can't wait to go to bed.

They needed a break from this book (or two) and I just had to finish it. Mostly so I could be done with it. I, somewhat, wanted to see how everything was going to play out - like, would she find love? Will her relationship with her dad/family get better? Will she stop blaming herself or making other people feel guilty for her? WHO TF KNOWS - well I do but it was a frustrating process to get there.

All I really cared about was Abby. She's the dog and my all-time favorite character.
Profile Image for -`ˏ maci ˎ´˗.
59 reviews43 followers
December 26, 2017
“Real love—agape love, the eternal kind that comes from God—that kind of love is worth all the pain you’ll ever experience. And without it, your life is empty.”

Let me start off by saying that I have such mixed feelings about this book. The plot was great, but it didn't exactly reach my expectations. The characters were enjoyable (especially David.. yum ;)), but I didn't have much of a connection with them. But I still liked this book well enough to give it three stars. So here we go...

The story starts off with Noelle Holiday, a hater of all things Christmas, meeting David (Sexy Tex) at her job. She hasn't dated anyone in two years—not since Carl, her ex-fiancé. She has an instant connection with him but is scared of falling in love again. She laters meets David's brother, James. Except, Noelle doesn't know they're brothers... (Although it was extremely obvious,but whatever..) She goes on a date with James and finds out David and James are brothers. She dates both of them at once and calls herself a slut for doing so—which confused me, like why was she slut-shaming herself? And that's not even slutty?? But okay...

David and James were hot, even though I kind of hated James at first. But past their physical features and sexy words, they were pretty one-dimensional.

“Is it possible your behavior might glorify God, while your motivation might not?”

The Christian-based plot was great. I love Christian romance. That may be the only thing keeping this three-stars.

Noelle was whiny and too overbearing. Everything was always "her fault," and that got annoyed the crap out of me. Oh, and she was so awful about her father, when she should've been thankful... Yet, she was still generally a likable character.

The love triangle wasn't that interesting. I knew she would end up with David. It was obvious. But yeah...

Overall, this was a cute Christmas read.

Merry Christmas!!! 🎄

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lisa Lewellen.
51 reviews42 followers
March 13, 2016
Such a Heart-Warming book to get you in the Christmas spirit! If you surrender everything to God, everything in your life will come full circle as He intends. God's Love never fails. Being an animal lover, I love it when an author adds animals as an important character in the store. I love how this Golden Retriever was one of the reasons this couple came together. I was able to relate to Noelle very well. I've been known to be a worry wort. With God's daily guidance I am learning to put everything in God's Loving Hands.
623 reviews3 followers
May 21, 2018
Nice sweet romance

David and Noelle' s story is a good Christian romance. I like how the author showed Noelle's struggle with her guilt and temptation.
899 reviews
December 10, 2017
I really enjoyed this clean Christmas read. Poor Noelle is born on Christmas eve and has a Christmas name. Not only that but her mother dies close to Christmas so she doesn't like to celebrate Christmas. Noelle works as a dental hygeniest and one day in walks a cute guy from Texas. Her co-worker ends up working on him and they start to date. Noelle is disapppinted, because she thought they had a connection. Noelle's sister, Lisa, invites her over for a Christmas party and unbeknownst to her it is the cute guy from Texas brother. Read the story for all the twists and turns in this Christmas story.
Profile Image for Cindy S.
101 reviews2 followers
November 20, 2015
Imagine being miserable during the Christmas season! Noelle Holiday has felt this way since her sixth birthday, December 24th, when her mother passed away. Years later, her former fiancee Carl dumped her the week before their planned wedding , forcing her to save money to pay her father back for the wedding costs that had to be cancelled. Noelle was convinced that the Christmas holiday was a cursed period for her, and she would just have to cope with it the best she could. It would be quite a task for her this year, as her younger brother was already engaged, and her sister was not only married to a very successful man, but was about to announce her first pregnancy to the family. This year might be different for Noelle because out of nowhere, she is being wooed by 2 very attractive hunks, but she is certain that it won't last. No matter how she feels about either one of the men, she believes that both relationships will end badly. The best idea for her heart, is to approach each date as only casual. No hopes equal no disappointments!
Fostering a shelter dog from the animal organization where she volunteers, will keep her mind busy and help fight loneliness. Noelle has it all figured out!

I was provided this book in return for an honest review. If you like the Christian romance genre, this book is for you! And lets be honest, who doesn't relish a Christmas love story! Enjoy! (Should be on sale on Amazon for 99 cents next week!)
Profile Image for Lorraine Adair.
Author 1 book2 followers
December 1, 2015
I read Noelle's Golden Christmas for free through Kindle Unlimited. I enjoyed it so much, I turned around and bought it.

Tamie Dearen writes wonderful and wonderfully flawed characters. Noelle is no exception. Underneath her many defense mechanisms, Noelle is loving and caring, and very vulnerable. She's been hurt, and is so afraid of getting hurt again. And her reality is more than a little bit skewed. Don't we all know someone like that?

More than just a romance, Noelle must confront both her fears and her misconceptions as she weathers temptation, heartache and a spiritual crisis—finding herself in the process.

One of the things I really liked about this book was the ability to weave faith in the story without the need for lengthy prayers or blocks of scripture sprinkled liberally throughout. It's romantic fiction, not a sermon, yet the love of the Lord is apparent and the end of the book is uplifting.

Profile Image for Diane Rapp.
Author 18 books111 followers
December 14, 2015
Sure to Win Over Readers' Hearts!

Noelle might have a name perfect for Christmas, but she hates everything about the season---until two half brothers start courting. This is a really enjoyable Christmas Romance, perfect for anybody. There are no blush-worthy scenes, no violence, and lots of romance. Root for you favorite brother as they vie for Noelle's affections. There is even an injured Golden Retriever that she takes home from the shelter. This classy CLEAN romance is sure to win over readers' hearts. It got mine! Get your copy and enjoy it with hot chocolate, petting the head of your favorite critter.
1 review
November 4, 2015
Ready to get in the Christmas spirit? Then pick up Tamie Dearen's latest book, Noelle's Golden Christmas- it will not disappoint! I enjoyed the honest characters, the smart humor and the way the characters look to God and the Bible to help with their everyday issues. I laughed out loud and teared up with happy tears- that's one of the measures of a good book for me! Read it today and find out for yourself- you'll recommend it to YOUR friends and will ask yourself, "Where can I get another book by Tamie Dearen?" (PS- it will be on sale next week for 99 cents!!)
Profile Image for Dana Michael.
1,401 reviews179 followers
November 4, 2015
Ok, so when the author of Her Best Match writes a novella for Christmas...you gotta read it!! I absolutely love the fun wit and banter that Tami Dearen uses in her books and this book was no exception. I literally read this book in one day. It was so sweet and endearing. She had a few scenes in there where I laughed out loud while reading it. I love books like that. Life is hard and sometimes you just need a fun romance that has charm and wit to escape from reality. Please get a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy this book. It will get you in the Christmas spirit!!
Profile Image for Kara.
836 reviews12 followers
December 21, 2017
Cheesy, preachy, predictable waste of time. I should have quit but I felt compelled to finish for some reason. Thankfully it was a free kindle book so I didn’t feel bad deleting it.
Profile Image for Lucía Herrero.
Author 20 books61 followers
December 13, 2018
El comienzo me pareció bastante prometedor, con una protagonista que odia la Navidad por una serie de desdichados sucesos que le acontecieron en esas fechas, por lo que está convencida de que tiene una especie de "maldición navideña". No soy una gran amante de los animales, pero un perro abandonado como desencadenante también me parecía que sería una buena baza. Al final Aby (la perrita) da menos juego de lo que yo había esperado, y la novela me ha provocado sentimientos encontrados.
Noelle es una chica atractiva que se siente un patito feo y va de víctima por la vida. Me ha puesto de los nervios casi toda la novela. Parece que el mundo gire a su alrededor, en un sentido un poco peculiar, porque se siente culpable absolutamente de todo. Quizás no me habría resultado tan irritante de no ser porque además es una persona creyente y practicante, que según ella misma dice, pone a Dios en el centro de su vida. Mentira. Que una persona católica y joven piense que todo lo que le pasa es un castigo de Dios incluso por algo tan nimio como un sentimiento o un pensamiento incontrolable que le ha durado tres segundos resulta casi absurdo. Como si Dios no tuviera cosas más importantes de las que ocuparse.
Está catalogada como "Romance cristiano", por lo que no es de extrañar que no haya mucho roce y apenas pasen de unos besos. Pero bien, encaja con la historia. Las diferencias entre los dos aspirantes a hombre de su vida me han parecido un poco caricaturescas. La ¿difícil? (¡ja!) elección ha conseguido mantener mi interés lo suficiente como para llegar al final del libro, aunque es obvio cuál de los dos es más compatible con ella. Lo demás son ganas de ejercer de salvadora (cosa que además, debería empezar por aplicar consigo misma).
En fin, que la historia es entretenida y tiene su toque de magia navideña y de ternura, aunque creo que la perrita está claramente desaprovechada y sobra un montón de culpabilidad y otro tanto de sermones. Probablemente no era mi tipo de novela navideña después de todo.
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,191 reviews15 followers
October 5, 2019
I accidentally read Haley and Gavin's story first. The Noelle in that book and this one were very different. It was neat to see how much Noelle had grown. If you don't think Noelle has changed enough by the end of this story, you need to read Haley's story and see how her faith has grown.

In this story Noelle has a few hangups and misconceived notions and is still struggling to find herself. She meets two men who are quite different, but each helps her discover things about herself and come into her own. I liked Noelle's character and her desire to do right even if she fails at times. Aren't we all like that at times? I wish we'd gotten to know David a little more. I felt I knew James better and wanted more real conversation between Noelle and David. That's my only complaint about this book. It's a beautiful story and helps remind us that we are all sinners and we can all change thanks to our Savior.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
3,201 reviews99 followers
November 15, 2017
Great

Noelle doesn't like Christmas much. Christmas Eve is her birthday and also years later the day her mom died. She works as a volunteer at a pet shelter and a golden named Abbey was brought in after being hit by a car. She decides to foster her after surgery and they become close. Little did she know one of the two men working for her is the owner.
20 reviews
November 29, 2017
Golden Christmas a keeper

Very good Christmas story, especially because of Abbey, the Golden Retriever., who loved her way into Noelle's heart. I read it in two sittings it was that good.
Profile Image for Jan.
751 reviews23 followers
January 2, 2020
This is a unique Christmas book. The main character was born on Christmas eve and hates Christmas. She also deals with a lot of guilt and worry. It is very well written. Great message.
65 reviews
November 14, 2017
Loved it

It was a really cute story and a super fast read. I always love happy endings and this one delivers.
Profile Image for Kevin Travis.
Author 21 books23 followers
November 13, 2017
Great book

I really enjoyed the book. I especially liked the humor in it. Readers wanting a nice Christian romance should read this, especially between now and Christmas.
Profile Image for Tracy Fritts.
1,474 reviews36 followers
November 25, 2017
Good storyline

I really enjoyed reading about Noelle and I thought it was a heart warming book. I look forward to reading the next book.
Profile Image for Danielle.
99 reviews1 follower
November 26, 2017
Holiday happiness

This book made me smile. It sweetly illustrated living the Christian life, with very real struggles. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
1,915 reviews9 followers
December 30, 2018
December isn't filled with the magic of Christmas for Noelle, just the looming dread she's about to lose something else dear to her. Will she ever be rid of her Christmas curse?
Profile Image for Carol Kidd.
427 reviews2 followers
November 24, 2017
Wow

This book was amazing to read. Simply put I couldn't put it down. Love the characters and I love the story line.
Profile Image for Midge.
121 reviews
November 22, 2017
I love a sweet fun romance and this fits the bill. I like how the dog Abby brings people together and how the characters interact.
396 reviews13 followers
November 15, 2017
Faith and love at Christmas (with a good dose of humor)

It was so refreshing to read a romance story that is not afraid to make God an important part of a relationship. I really like that Noelle wanted to keep her faith as a priority in her life and that she was willing to stay single if that is what God wanted. However if she was in a relationship she wanted God to be part of the relationship as well.

I laughed through many of the comments and antics in the book but yet I appreciated the characters and their desire to please God even when it was hard.

Sex - none
Language - none
Violence - none
Religion - lots of talk about God, most definitely a Christian story as indicated in the description
Profile Image for Jen.
62 reviews
November 21, 2017
On to book 2! This was a great book to start of my christmas reading.
Profile Image for Tressia Avellar.
269 reviews3 followers
November 19, 2017
Rescued dog returns favor.

Loved this cute story and how the author shows how not everyone has an easy time of it emotional wise at Christmas time, but that God does love us and cares for us and about us if we are but willing to let him fill the dark places. Liked how the dog rescue played into her live story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews

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