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The Smokey Blues #6
Mistletoe
GETTING THE GIFT
Aspiring songwriter Caitlyn Murphy is tired of sister’s hand-me-downs. From toys and bicycles to men, it seemed like everything in Caitlyn’s life first belonged to her late sister. Roped into doing Christmas for motherless nieces, and entering into a pretend romance with their dangerously attractive father, Caitlyn soon finds herself falling in love with the girls, and the enigmatic Tanner Dyson. She resists the temptation and Tanner’s insistence that they make their pretend relationship real. She wants her own family, not the one her sister had first.
SHE ALWAYS WANTED
Tanner Dyson doesn't get why he is so attracted to his overweight, opinionated sister-in-law. She wants love and the whole romance thing, emotions that died with his late wife. He wants a woman who is nice to have around, and he can't understand why that isn’t that enough for Caitlyn. Worried their pretend relationship will wither and die come the new year, Tanner is surprised to find the magic of the holiday season gives them the gift of a new love neither expected, but both need.
Aspiring songwriter Caitlyn Murphy is tired of sister’s hand-me-downs. From toys and bicycles to men, it seemed like everything in Caitlyn’s life first belonged to her late sister. Roped into doing Christmas for motherless nieces, and entering into a pretend romance with their dangerously attractive father, Caitlyn soon finds herself falling in love with the girls, and the enigmatic Tanner Dyson. She resists the temptation and Tanner’s insistence that they make their pretend relationship real. She wants her own family, not the one her sister had first.
SHE ALWAYS WANTED
Tanner Dyson doesn't get why he is so attracted to his overweight, opinionated sister-in-law. She wants love and the whole romance thing, emotions that died with his late wife. He wants a woman who is nice to have around, and he can't understand why that isn’t that enough for Caitlyn. Worried their pretend relationship will wither and die come the new year, Tanner is surprised to find the magic of the holiday season gives them the gift of a new love neither expected, but both need.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2017
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Emily W Mims
37 books193 followersAuthor of over forty romance novels, Emily Mims combined her writing career with a career in public education until leaving the classroom to write full time. In addition to eighteen Candlelight Ecstasy Romances under the pen name 'Emily Elliott', she has written two series under her own name, the Texas Hill Country series and the Smoky Blue series, and has completed four books in the Durango Street Theatre series. The mother of two sons and grandmother to six, she and her husband Charles split their time between San Antonio and their lake home in the Texas Hill Country, and make frequent trips to Tennessee to see grandchildren. When not busy at the word processor, she plays the piano, organ and dulcimer. She plays her ukulele with two singing groups and has even been known to sing a song or two at the mic. She says, "I love to write romances because I believe in them. Romance happened to me and it can happen to any woman-if she'll just let it."
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 19, 2020
I have not read a bad book from this author yet and this book is no exception! The great plot and character development kept me so engaged throughout the entire book that I had a very hard time putting this book down until the very last page was turned!
December 7, 2017
This is the first in the series I've read so I'm not sure how much the previous stories might play into Caitlyn and Tanner's interactions. I'm sure they've made appearances but I'm not sure how much that should influence reader's reaction to their love story. Overall, though, the story does stand alone pretty well. Mims does a fantastic job of making sure that new readers like me can keep up with anything that might trickle in from those other stories.
There is definitely tension between the two. Caitlyn has never warmed up to her sister's husband - he's all around a little too much for her and she never felt like he was worthy of being her sister's husband.
I'm an only child so I have a pretty hard time grasping the intricacies of sibling relationships in stories like this. Caitlyn resents her sister and feels like she's always played second to her - getting all her hand-me-downs, big and small. But she also loves her and holds her in very high regard, going so far to think that the man her sister loved wasn't good enough to marry her. Logically it makes sense but there's just so much turbulence there and it bleeds over into her dealings with Tanner.
Who is having enough issues of his own dealing with life after the death of his wife. It's not been easy and he's now feeling pressure from his own (awful) parents, which leads him to falling into a fake relationship with his sister-in-law. He's very aware that she's never really liked him and having to rely on her help is complicated. Made even more so when he starts seeing her as more than just his wife's sister.
Mims does well by Caitlyn. I think she finally gets a chance to put some of her emotional demons to rest and come to terms with her feelings about herself. It's hard for her to face certain things after so many years but she does. I think Tanner does a good job of facing a few of his own issues (although he does have a few fabulous man moments that make you want to smack him a little). His own childhood and history has given him a few doubts and unfortunately a lack of good communication skills on both their parts just feeds into that, and for Caitlyn as well. They eventually get things figured out but it takes a bit and some soul-searching for them to get there :)
There's a lot of drama on everyone's part in Mistletoe and quite a few people need to learn to talk AND listen. Quite a bit of their troubles could have been avoided with a little better communication but Mims gives us very human characters with very human faults. (I know I'm AWFUL about communicating some things!) It makes it real and difficult and, most of all, enjoyable to read.
*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
There is definitely tension between the two. Caitlyn has never warmed up to her sister's husband - he's all around a little too much for her and she never felt like he was worthy of being her sister's husband.
I'm an only child so I have a pretty hard time grasping the intricacies of sibling relationships in stories like this. Caitlyn resents her sister and feels like she's always played second to her - getting all her hand-me-downs, big and small. But she also loves her and holds her in very high regard, going so far to think that the man her sister loved wasn't good enough to marry her. Logically it makes sense but there's just so much turbulence there and it bleeds over into her dealings with Tanner.
Who is having enough issues of his own dealing with life after the death of his wife. It's not been easy and he's now feeling pressure from his own (awful) parents, which leads him to falling into a fake relationship with his sister-in-law. He's very aware that she's never really liked him and having to rely on her help is complicated. Made even more so when he starts seeing her as more than just his wife's sister.
Mims does well by Caitlyn. I think she finally gets a chance to put some of her emotional demons to rest and come to terms with her feelings about herself. It's hard for her to face certain things after so many years but she does. I think Tanner does a good job of facing a few of his own issues (although he does have a few fabulous man moments that make you want to smack him a little). His own childhood and history has given him a few doubts and unfortunately a lack of good communication skills on both their parts just feeds into that, and for Caitlyn as well. They eventually get things figured out but it takes a bit and some soul-searching for them to get there :)
There's a lot of drama on everyone's part in Mistletoe and quite a few people need to learn to talk AND listen. Quite a bit of their troubles could have been avoided with a little better communication but Mims gives us very human characters with very human faults. (I know I'm AWFUL about communicating some things!) It makes it real and difficult and, most of all, enjoyable to read.
*** I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s. ***
December 17, 2017
This was one of the sweetest Christmas stories I’ve read in a while, and I loved it!
So, we’ve got a secret fake relationship that very quickly starts to feel real, a gutsy heroine who refuses to take any crap and will stand up for herself (I am kind of jealous of her boundary-setting abilities), and a hero who misses his first wife, and doesn’t think he’s going to be able to give another woman the sort of romance they shared.
Add in some family drama (because it’s the holidays! ;) ) and you have the perfect mix.
I really enjoyed the large family dynamic—coming from a family of six, I totally understood Caitlyn’s complicated feelings toward her sister, and that she might feel reluctant to share them, because of what that would say about her. She was so strong in so many other areas - pursuing her music, standing up for herself to her employers, not just falling for a pretty face and wanting all of the romance. She’s definitely one of my fave romance heroines.
One small note that was totally realistic, but still kind of sad, is what the heroine has to go through due to not being a traditionally-sized gal. Which I loved because it was nice to see another body type represented and still get her HEA. But I still wanted to slap the hero every time he commented on it. Which I guess shows how much I was invested in the story...
For people who are interested in a sweet (but with some definite hot moment!) Christmas romance, I definitely recommend Mistletoe.
So, we’ve got a secret fake relationship that very quickly starts to feel real, a gutsy heroine who refuses to take any crap and will stand up for herself (I am kind of jealous of her boundary-setting abilities), and a hero who misses his first wife, and doesn’t think he’s going to be able to give another woman the sort of romance they shared.
Add in some family drama (because it’s the holidays! ;) ) and you have the perfect mix.
I really enjoyed the large family dynamic—coming from a family of six, I totally understood Caitlyn’s complicated feelings toward her sister, and that she might feel reluctant to share them, because of what that would say about her. She was so strong in so many other areas - pursuing her music, standing up for herself to her employers, not just falling for a pretty face and wanting all of the romance. She’s definitely one of my fave romance heroines.
One small note that was totally realistic, but still kind of sad, is what the heroine has to go through due to not being a traditionally-sized gal. Which I loved because it was nice to see another body type represented and still get her HEA. But I still wanted to slap the hero every time he commented on it. Which I guess shows how much I was invested in the story...
For people who are interested in a sweet (but with some definite hot moment!) Christmas romance, I definitely recommend Mistletoe.
December 20, 2019
When Tanner’s wife passes away suddenly, he’s left with an empty heart, two daughters, and businesses to run. He doesn’t expect, a year later, to be attracted to his sister-in-law.
On the other hand, his sister-in-law, Caitlyn, has never particularly liked Tanner. He’s too tattooed, too rough around the edges, just too much—he didn’t deserve her gorgeous sister. Caitlyn begins to fall for Tanner, nonetheless, but has reservations: she’s tired of getting her sister’s hand-me-downs—clothes, bicycles, and even men. So she refuses to get involved with him despite increasing sexual tension.
When they’re set up in a “fake relationship,” the reader knows the relationship is doomed and doesn’t see how these two can overcome their differences.
Though this is Book #6 in Mim’s Smoky Blues series, it stands alone quite well. Mims does a good job bringing in enough backstory from the prior books to keep her readers oriented in the new story. Caitlyn is a strong woman—“prickly” by most men’s standards—but she isn’t afraid to fight for herself. For the most part, Mims’ characters are genuinely human with human qualities, good and bad. Though these two characters could have had better communication, their attraction is believable. With touches of Christmas, Mistletoe is a nice holiday story.
On the other hand, his sister-in-law, Caitlyn, has never particularly liked Tanner. He’s too tattooed, too rough around the edges, just too much—he didn’t deserve her gorgeous sister. Caitlyn begins to fall for Tanner, nonetheless, but has reservations: she’s tired of getting her sister’s hand-me-downs—clothes, bicycles, and even men. So she refuses to get involved with him despite increasing sexual tension.
When they’re set up in a “fake relationship,” the reader knows the relationship is doomed and doesn’t see how these two can overcome their differences.
Though this is Book #6 in Mim’s Smoky Blues series, it stands alone quite well. Mims does a good job bringing in enough backstory from the prior books to keep her readers oriented in the new story. Caitlyn is a strong woman—“prickly” by most men’s standards—but she isn’t afraid to fight for herself. For the most part, Mims’ characters are genuinely human with human qualities, good and bad. Though these two characters could have had better communication, their attraction is believable. With touches of Christmas, Mistletoe is a nice holiday story.
July 1, 2020
A hauntingly accurate story of the emotion and how they shape our lives and relationships. Things shape us by how we feel about them, each action that we experience creates an emotional reaction in us. We internalize those feelings and we then interact with others based on those internal beliefs we have.
This story teaches us that those internal feelings can stunt our interactions with others in ways that stop us from achieving our best life if we let them.
I loved Caitlin and felt the tension she lived with because of her insecurities and how they held her in there grip.
Tanner is a strong man who tries to protect himself and his girls from more loss and hurt like they have lived with since the loss of his wife and their mother.
I could not put it down and read straight through the night and finally went to bed at 8:30 am when I finished.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story teaches us that those internal feelings can stunt our interactions with others in ways that stop us from achieving our best life if we let them.
I loved Caitlin and felt the tension she lived with because of her insecurities and how they held her in there grip.
Tanner is a strong man who tries to protect himself and his girls from more loss and hurt like they have lived with since the loss of his wife and their mother.
I could not put it down and read straight through the night and finally went to bed at 8:30 am when I finished.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 20, 2020
This is the first book in the series that I have read, but I had no trouble following the story. It's a sweet Christmas story that illustrates how close family relationships can really play a part in shaping our lives. Caitlyn comes from a big family, and she is used to being second to her sister in all things, which really played into her insecurities in addition to fact that she is a bit curvier than most. After her sister passes, she finds herself attracted to her brother-in-law Tanner, but she is doesn't want to be. Circumstances force them into a fake relationship, and things start to get complicated. I loved how Caitlyn stood up for herself and wouldn't settle for second best. Really lovely story and I would definitely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 28, 2018
Emily Mims is a strong writer, and has added another compelling love story to her Smoky Blues series. Ms. Mims always delivers a delightful romance, and she has a habit of keeping the reader guessing what convention she's going to turn on its head. Perhaps that's the hallmark of a good writer. In Mistletoe, we meet Caitlyn Murphy, a curvier than average heroine, and Tanner Dyson, the proprietor of a not-so-appropriate business. They're good at butting heads, and the reader is never sure if either of them can move beyond the restraints of the past to forge a future together. I think you'll enjoy this story as much as I did.
July 15, 2020
Musician/Songwriter Caitlyn is a curvy woman who has always been second best to her older sister who has passed away leaving her handsome husband Tanner and twin girls. When his critical parents threaten to take his girls from him her aunt tells them he is in a relationship with Caitlyn. Tanner has always dated beautiful slim women and would never be attracted to plus size Caitlyn but it does not take long for them to go along with the fake relationship and even fall for each other. Loved Tanner and Caitlyn together and how he made her feel that she is number one to him.
October 17, 2020
A loss hurts for more than a season, for some it is years. Tanner is a strong man who does what he can to protect his is daughters and is heart after the loss of his wife. Caitlyn, Tanner's wife's sister, is strong but with her own ghost she needs to overcome. When tension turns to more, but can they leave the past in the past and move on.
This is a well written story that a some family drama right in time for the Christmas season.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a well written story that a some family drama right in time for the Christmas season.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 3, 2020
Caitlyn has always played second fiddle to her sister and even though she loves her she also resented her. Tanner is Caitlyn's brother-in-law and when his wife dies Caitlyn steps in to help. There are many emotions involved in this story and a lot of twists and turns but i really enjoyed reading it as it was well written by Emily Mims and i recommend you read it as it is well worth it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 9, 2020
This is the story of Caitlyn and Tanner. She wants something of her own that isn’t one of her sister’s hand me downs. When her sister Megan passes away unexpectedly, her brother in law Tanner needs help with the twin girls. Caitlyn offers to help but what happens next surprises them both. I enjoyed this sweet entertaining romance. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 17, 2020
(Warning: part of a series, but each have different sets of main characters within their world, each book has its own HEA)
I cannot get enough of this author and this series!
Intensely sensuous, wrought with emotion, and so well written that I absolutely could not put it down!
Each book has been cohesive and enlightening to the overall theme between these characters.
This review has been voluntarily submitted for your consideration.
I cannot get enough of this author and this series!
Intensely sensuous, wrought with emotion, and so well written that I absolutely could not put it down!
Each book has been cohesive and enlightening to the overall theme between these characters.
This review has been voluntarily submitted for your consideration.
July 19, 2020
Her sister is dead and her kids are left with out a mother. Caitlynn steps up to help her nieces and Tanner. She never thought Tanner was good enough, to much ink and roughness for her prefect sister. But what starts out as a fake relationship slowly develops into so much more. Great read and great family dynamics and realistic people are portrayed
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 19, 2020
The sixth book in The Smokey Blues a well written story with a very good storyline, by an Author I have not read before. This is Aspiring songwriter Caitlyn Murphy and Tanner Dyson her deceased sister's husband, and his daughters Annie and Audrey's story. I enjoyed seeing their story come together. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 10, 2020
What an amazing and well written book. I loved this story so much and glad they worked through their issues. The storyline was awesome, chemistry amazing and glad they got their HEA!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews