Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marcia Lynn McClure grew up influenced by the reminiscent stories of rugged, rural Colorado farm life fascinatingly recounted to her by her parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts…tales of runaway buckboards, mule-drawn plows and dust pneumonia; verbalized images of stream-flooded meadows, frozen over in winter, where a child could peer through the crystal clear ice in wonder at the small fish, snakes and mice sealed in the meadow grasses beneath; stories of hardship and tragedy, love and loss. But always the stories, and the people telling them, bore evidence of the wonder and worthiness of simpler, yet sometimes brutal, times.
These influential people and the family legends they detailed, coupled with her own life experiences and utterly romantic nature, led Marcia to begin writing novels as Christmas gifts for her closest friends…friends who long for a breath of the past and miss the romance of bygone eras; friends searching for moments of distraction from the stressful, demanding times we live in.
And so, knowing that it is the breath of the past and the "take me in you arms and kiss me" kind of moments that so many women long to relive, Marcia spins her tales of love, life and laughter…adventures woven around those compelling, romantic instances that most appeal to a woman's loving heart. Marcia feels that if her readers close one of her books with a contented sigh and a delighted smile, feeling rejuvenated, cheerful and edified, then she has achieved what she set out to do…shower refreshment and happiness on anyone having experienced the story.
Marcia lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. There she writes her stories surrounded by her beloved friends and family...and the beautiful desert landscape of New Mexico!
I was in the mood for a Christmas book and thought I'd give this one a try. I enjoyed the wintery setting up in the mountains in a cozy cabin. Seems like a wonderful place to spend the holidays. Keeley is there for her family Christmas reunion. She falls for the handsom Sutter who works there. The Insta-Love romances aren't a favorite for me, I prefer when they gradually fall in love and has a bit more tension.
When Keeley Di Carlo learns that her family is doing a big family reunion at Snow Creek, she is worried that Christmas might be ruined. She's an introvert, and the loud, large get-together, while fun, will inevitably overwhelm her.
What Keeley doesn't plan on is meeting Sutter, an employee who seems to understand her almost immediately, and go out of his way to make her comfortable.
This book had some of the hallmarks of the classic MLM books: great kissing scenes (that didn't happen immediately), supportive and hilarious parents, a hero who was manly, and used minor cuss words when the situation warranted it, and an enchanting setting.
Sutter and Keeley's relationship did develop quickly, within a week, but I was pleased that they weren't instantly in love on the first day. I could accept their sweet and quick romance more easily because Sutter was so good at anticipating Keeley's needs, and being so considerate of her. I loved the family relationships in this book, from Keeley's sister Paisley who has a crush on Jack Sparrow at the age of six, to Keeley's parents who tease her about going owling.
A quick and delightful Christmas read. It was perfect for an afternoon or evening by the fire.
Content: some kissing, some swearing (milder cuss words, 5 instances or less)
I'm partial to Idaho and a cabin set in a winter wonderland sounds divine. I'd be the one staying inside with the cocoa and popcorn, though I suppose a handsome hero (my hubby, of course!) could lure me out for a sleigh ride and some "owling."
12/25/23 I love this fast worl wind romance in a wintry wonderland escape. Seriously the jingle bells in a one-horse open slay with a cowboy and even the snot (LOL).
11/27/22 I'm a little early but it's okay, I wanted a cozy quick read and this one was perfect. I just love the down the earth reality of this one. Some may not say it's reality at all, but I do. It's a sweet Christmas cozy romance. Oh, and did I mention it has boom boom yummy in it! LOL! You'll have to read it to get the reference.
Previous years I loved this little piece of boom boom yummy! It was soooo sweet and delectable. I like reading these kinds of books in winter however, it was just as yummy in cold sort of wintery Idaho. I have to admit, don't hate me, but I didn't actually like one particular Christmas song, 1- until a married couple sang it at a ward party. Then reading this book actually. I did not know the references at all just the way certain people sang it gave it that kind of feel to it. I will be listening to that song in a much different light now. Thank you Marcia. Your books just make me want to write, especially your kissing scenes.
Very cute book. I enjoyed the escape and the romance was clean and satisfying. Highly recommend this book! I thought while reading that perhaps there would have been more history between Keely and Sutter because she had visited the cabins before but it didn't and that was good to!
This is not the author's best (probably my favorites of hers are "Kissing Cousins" and "The Visions of Ransom Lake"), but it's still her classic style, for the most part, so it's great when you want to enjoy a simple relationship development romance with steamy kisses.
The hero winks a bit much, and the heroine gets a little annoying with her giggles - and the cutesy stuff is also overdone to the point it's almost cloying. The dialogue & actions between the characters actually feels like a throwback at several points. I'm not referring to the manners but more like the plot shifts. I have nothing against the 50's style stories, but it almost feels like a caricature in places.
Happily, Sutter and Keeley are a likeable couple that are easy to root for, so the happily-ever-after is satisfying. And the author's notes are interesting as usual. I'm glad it's available on Kindle Unlimited, though.
Clean romance level: steamy kisses, a few minor swear words
Fast read with cute characters. Loved that Sutter protected Keys after what Judd did. Keys needs to learn to be more vocal and not so turtlish about how she feels about things. Sutter is her champion from the very beginning. But a 72 hour romance? Only happens in stories
A fun, light, happy, feel good story. It was one of those books where you just smile and think that was cute and fun. Very fast and easy read and it just made me smile
While this wasn't the best that Marcia has written, I thought it was very cute. The beginning was a little choppy, which is why I gave it 4 stars, but everything smoothed out towards the end and I was hooked. I'll admit, I was going to say I was disappointed in the cussing in this book, despite there only being a couple of swear words, but after reading her explanation at the end of the book...I get it. While I still don't approve of cussing even if it seems to fit the situation, I do understand that different people have been raised differently. My own grandpa used a few cuss words in daily conversation, and I know I use words that I don't think are bad but other people do. So, take that as you will. This is a very cute book and I think I will end up reading it at least once each winter. Great job Marcia! I love it! Thanks for making me laugh!
Such a wonderful Christmas book to read during Christmas time. Such a romantic, sweet, fun adventure and romance. Love the boom boom foxy part haha. Thanks for a wonderful book to read after my surgery I had. Needed this book.😊💖
This sweet contemporary romance is well written. The characters are likable. There is quite a bit of "barnyard" swearing but reading this was a fun way to get into the romantic holiday spirit.
Clean, except a few appropriate cuss words. Nice, romantic love story. A few editing issues, but not many. I really love this authors sense of humor. Fun story.
A cute little Christmas romance novel. I love that it's clean, but still enjoyable. Everyone end up happy in the end. I love happily ever after. I recommend this for 13 and up.
This was a perfect start for the winter Christmas season for yummy love. Keeley and Sutter are the epitome of boom boom foxy romance in the snow season. Such a wonderful winter wonderland love story. I love it. But I'm a sucker for a great love story.