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Stone Creek #4
A Stone Creek Christmas
Stone Creek veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan communicates easily with animals, but men are another story. Especially rugged architect-turned-rancher Tanner Quinn. Olivia's uncanny bond with his daughter Sophie's pony, Butterpie, has him questioning her sanity, while she wonders if he's not just a drugstore cowboy. Then twelve-year-old Sophie conspires with Olivia to get Tanner into the spirit of Christmas with all the trimmings, including a tree-lighting ceremony and a man named Kris Kringle in a sleigh driven by seven reindeer…and a donkey. But will a holiday miracle transform the globe-trotting Tanner into a rancher--and family man--for all seasons?
217 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
124 people are currently reading
977 people want to read
About the author
Linda Lael Miller
553 books3,222 followersThe daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a spacious property outside Spokane.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold Fletcher’s Woman in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, mysteries and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Long a passionate Civil War buff, Linda has studied the era avidly for almost thirty years. She has read literally hundreds of books on the subject, explored numerous battlegrounds and made many visits to her favorite, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where she has witnessed re-enactments of the legendary clash between North and South. Linda explores that turbulent time in The Yankee Widow, a May 7, 2019 MIRA Books hardcover, also available in digital and audiobook formats.
Dedicated to helping others, “The First Lady of the West” personally financed fifteen years of her Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women, which she awarded to women 25 years and older who were seeking to improve their lot in life through education. She anticipates that her next charitable endeavors will benefit four-legged critters.
More information about Linda and her novels is available at www.lindalaelmiller.com, on Facebook and from Nancy Berland Public Relations, nancy@nancyberland.com, 405-206-4748.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 9, 2021
Yes, I read Holidays romance all year long. Supernatural elements in a contemporary is for me a hit or miss but it usually have better chance to work in a Christmas story. This one worked for me because the heroine's ability to communicate telepathically with animals made her dog Ginger an hilarious comic relief.
Veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan and widower contractor Tanner Quinn will fall in love this Christmas thanks to his daughter's depressed pony, a lost reindeer, an opiniated dog and a new mysterious townsfolk.
Veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan and widower contractor Tanner Quinn will fall in love this Christmas thanks to his daughter's depressed pony, a lost reindeer, an opiniated dog and a new mysterious townsfolk.
November 29, 2008
I'd probably give this book three thumbs up if I had three thumbs ;) It was a great, if short, read - fun and sweet, romantic and whimsical, with just enough emotional angst to keep it from being too light.
The book connects to LLM's McKettrick series and Stone Creek series (which are also connected to each other). Though this is called A Stone Creek Christmas, connecting it to the historical western Stone Creek series, it's a contemporary (i.e. modern) romance. And it more directly connects to The McKettrick Way (also a Silhouette SE release) in that the hero of that one is the brother of the heroine in this current book (and both are descendants of Sam O'Ballivan from the Stone Creek series).
A Stone Creek Christmas features veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan who has the unique ability to converse with animals. She can hear their calls for help when they need it. Tanner Quinn's not really sure he believes that, but he can overlook the oddity for a chance to get to know the pretty doc. Anything more than a little fun is out of the question, though. Tanner runs from commitment, and has ever since his wife was killed. But with the holidays approaching, Tanner gets a chance to see that maybe he's run long enough.
This was a fun book to read. It's quirky and cute, yet romantic and sweet. And I love books that have animals in them...and there was a lot of animal stuff in this one. Some of it had me laughing out loud. Ginger the dog was hilarious. And done discount Rodney the reindeer. Would have loved to see more of him.
Even though it's a short, sweet holiday story, there was still some substance to it with Tanner having to figure out what to do about the problems in his life. And Olivia and the rest of the O'Ballivan siblings have to face and issue from their past. Those things added some depth to the story so that it wasn't too light and fluffy.
So if you want to read a book that's full of holiday cheer, cute animals, and a nice romance, I'd definitely recommend this one. I loved it, and was smiling when I finished. Plus, if you're a reader of either of the two LLM series mentioned above, you'll probably want to read this one.
The book connects to LLM's McKettrick series and Stone Creek series (which are also connected to each other). Though this is called A Stone Creek Christmas, connecting it to the historical western Stone Creek series, it's a contemporary (i.e. modern) romance. And it more directly connects to The McKettrick Way (also a Silhouette SE release) in that the hero of that one is the brother of the heroine in this current book (and both are descendants of Sam O'Ballivan from the Stone Creek series).
A Stone Creek Christmas features veterinarian Olivia O'Ballivan who has the unique ability to converse with animals. She can hear their calls for help when they need it. Tanner Quinn's not really sure he believes that, but he can overlook the oddity for a chance to get to know the pretty doc. Anything more than a little fun is out of the question, though. Tanner runs from commitment, and has ever since his wife was killed. But with the holidays approaching, Tanner gets a chance to see that maybe he's run long enough.
This was a fun book to read. It's quirky and cute, yet romantic and sweet. And I love books that have animals in them...and there was a lot of animal stuff in this one. Some of it had me laughing out loud. Ginger the dog was hilarious. And done discount Rodney the reindeer. Would have loved to see more of him.
Even though it's a short, sweet holiday story, there was still some substance to it with Tanner having to figure out what to do about the problems in his life. And Olivia and the rest of the O'Ballivan siblings have to face and issue from their past. Those things added some depth to the story so that it wasn't too light and fluffy.
So if you want to read a book that's full of holiday cheer, cute animals, and a nice romance, I'd definitely recommend this one. I loved it, and was smiling when I finished. Plus, if you're a reader of either of the two LLM series mentioned above, you'll probably want to read this one.
March 1, 2020
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liked it!
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June 15, 2016
Schon auf den ersten Seiten, war ich sehr angetan von der Tierärztin Olivia. Wer Tiere in Not nach sich rufen hören kann, der kann nur meine Sympathien im Sturm gewinnen. Ich liebte es mit ihr und ihrer Hündin in die eisige Kälte aufzubrechen und habe mich auch zusammen mit ihr, für den Architekten von nebenan begeistern können. So fiel ich geradezu kopfüber in die Seiten.
December 5, 2015
Good read.
January 2, 2025
This was a cute Christmas book! A little country romance and Christmas magic.
October 4, 2009
4th in the Stone Creek series and also connected to the McKettrick series--it follows the 9th book in the series, The McKettrick Way (about Brad O'Ballivan and Meg McKettrick). This is the first modern day Stone Creek book.
Olivia O'Ballivan, descendant of Sam O'Ballivan, is the town veterinarian. She is jokingly called Dr. Doolittle for her ability to communicate with animals. She really does communicate with them, too. Olivia is taken with her new neighbor, Tanner Quinn, who is the contractor for her new animal clinic in town.
Tanner Quinn is a widow who tries to keep his 12-year-old daughter safe by storing her away in boarding schools. Problem is, she misses her dad and her pony, who also is depressed without her. Tanner doesn't attach to anyone or anything since he lost his wife, but Olivia has him thinking twice about her and his daughter.
The book is a little goofy...Olivia's talking with her dog and the other animals is a little bit out there. Still, it is cute. It reads like a Christmas movie-of-the-week. I could totally see this one on Lifetime.
I have read all the Stone Creek books, but have only made it through a few of the McKettrick books (I think I am through the first 4), so I was a little lost with all the McKettrick talk (Brad, Meg, Sierra was mentioned, etc.). It didn't hurt the story for me a bit, but I was trying to put the pieces together a lot. To make it easier, reading the current day McKettrick books (especially McKettrick's Way) would be good.
Cute and Sweet...a good read to get into the Christmas spirit.
Olivia O'Ballivan, descendant of Sam O'Ballivan, is the town veterinarian. She is jokingly called Dr. Doolittle for her ability to communicate with animals. She really does communicate with them, too. Olivia is taken with her new neighbor, Tanner Quinn, who is the contractor for her new animal clinic in town.
Tanner Quinn is a widow who tries to keep his 12-year-old daughter safe by storing her away in boarding schools. Problem is, she misses her dad and her pony, who also is depressed without her. Tanner doesn't attach to anyone or anything since he lost his wife, but Olivia has him thinking twice about her and his daughter.
The book is a little goofy...Olivia's talking with her dog and the other animals is a little bit out there. Still, it is cute. It reads like a Christmas movie-of-the-week. I could totally see this one on Lifetime.
I have read all the Stone Creek books, but have only made it through a few of the McKettrick books (I think I am through the first 4), so I was a little lost with all the McKettrick talk (Brad, Meg, Sierra was mentioned, etc.). It didn't hurt the story for me a bit, but I was trying to put the pieces together a lot. To make it easier, reading the current day McKettrick books (especially McKettrick's Way) would be good.
Cute and Sweet...a good read to get into the Christmas spirit.
April 6, 2023
The communicating with animals put me off the first time I read this book, but now that I've read the McKettrick books back-to-back, I have a better handle of what is going on here. When I read the book about Meg and Brad, my main thought at the end was that I wanted to know more about Olivia, Brad's sister. Here it is. A bit of fantasy, but this time I really enjoyed it. I also liked Tanner and his cluelessness about raising a daughter. There was little bit of "It's a Wonderful Life" tone to it, which I also enjoyed.
August 28, 2015
this one was really a fairy tale, with dogs and horses and reindeer talking... I liked it like a tale.
June 10, 2021
I won this book in a contest and I am so glad I did.
Olivia is a vet who can talk to animals. She loves her work and it has become her entire life. She has an older brother and twin younger sisters. She loves her family, but because of their family history she has kept herself just a little bit separate from everyone.
When she realizes there is a pony on the ranch next door who is in need of attention she drives over to see what she can do to help.
She runs into a friend of her brother’s. Tanner, is an architect and contractor who works all over the world. The pony belongs to his daughter, Sophie. Tanner has sent Sophie to boarding school and not only does the pony feel lonely and heartbroken, but so does Sophie. Tanner doubts that Sophie can communicate with animals….but he is so attracted to her he doesn’t care.
This is a family story. Olivia’s family and Tanner’s family both have histories which have influenced lives. The past comes back to make people aware of how little control they have and how easily the past pain can come back and feel brand new..
The reader sees Olivia, Tanner, Sophie and all the characters as complete human beings. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws and each of them are likable and fun to meet.
It has been awhile since I have read a book by Ms Miller and that is a shame. She is a talented author who creates plots and characters which hold a reader tightly.
The second story in the book is a light short story about love and finding the perfect person with whom to spend your life. Caro Carson is a new to me author who obviously enjoys writing as much as her fans enjoying reading what she has written.
Olivia is a vet who can talk to animals. She loves her work and it has become her entire life. She has an older brother and twin younger sisters. She loves her family, but because of their family history she has kept herself just a little bit separate from everyone.
When she realizes there is a pony on the ranch next door who is in need of attention she drives over to see what she can do to help.
She runs into a friend of her brother’s. Tanner, is an architect and contractor who works all over the world. The pony belongs to his daughter, Sophie. Tanner has sent Sophie to boarding school and not only does the pony feel lonely and heartbroken, but so does Sophie. Tanner doubts that Sophie can communicate with animals….but he is so attracted to her he doesn’t care.
This is a family story. Olivia’s family and Tanner’s family both have histories which have influenced lives. The past comes back to make people aware of how little control they have and how easily the past pain can come back and feel brand new..
The reader sees Olivia, Tanner, Sophie and all the characters as complete human beings. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws and each of them are likable and fun to meet.
It has been awhile since I have read a book by Ms Miller and that is a shame. She is a talented author who creates plots and characters which hold a reader tightly.
The second story in the book is a light short story about love and finding the perfect person with whom to spend your life. Caro Carson is a new to me author who obviously enjoys writing as much as her fans enjoying reading what she has written.
December 6, 2024
This was your basic romance story, but only the very basic one. Boy meets girl, boy and girl like each other, boy asks girl to marry him. Very, very little to dress this skeleton of a story line. I mean the vet being able to “talk” to animals was sort of interesting, but considering the dog appeared to be able to hear the animals from the ranch next door, I think more interesting things could have been done there. Having a smart kid myself, if Sophie was taking college classes at age 12, Stone Creek middle school would be utterly inappropriate for her. She would be completely out of sorts with middle schoolers. And small town middle schoolers would not have accepted her as quickly and easily as these seem to have. I get that the story asks you to suspend disbelief, Kris Kringle making that obvious, but this story felt a bit empty, which was too bad, because I loved the general frame work. It felt like the author had to knock out a story to make some deadline, and this is the only thing she could come up with. Too bad, really.
December 27, 2025
A veterinarian that can talk to animals! How amazing! Better yet, a story where the main characters have a love of animals and helping all animals. Promoting 'Adopt Don't Shop' and animal rescues saving animals and helping them to find their forever homes. My kind of book - all wrapped up in a romance! Among other things - protection of the environment - Christmas trees in pots for replanting. Santa Claus. Flying reindeer. Christmas miracles. Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here! All positivity, except for the part about watching CNN, because they never tell the truth!
The free edition of "The Cowboy's Wish Upon a Star" by Caro Carson was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't into reading another book at the time, but went and did so anyway. Finished it to the end and enjoyed it.
The free edition of "The Cowboy's Wish Upon a Star" by Caro Carson was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't into reading another book at the time, but went and did so anyway. Finished it to the end and enjoyed it.
December 2, 2025
This was a short holiday romance. Olivia is a vet who can talk to animals. She hears the call of a depressed pony next door and runs into Tanner. Tanner is a contractor who restores homes and then sells them, so he is not anywhere long-term. These two bond over a sad pony so much that Tanner is thinking about never leaving. This was a cute story. I liked both the characters. The story was short, so they fell in love way too soon. Other characters I have long ago forgotten were in the story as well, but I enjoyed it all the same.
June 13, 2017
Un hombre enamorado
Una historia que no puedes dejar de leer.emotiva ,linda y muy realista.Tánner tiene miedo a entregar su corazón después de haber perdido a su esposa.olivia tiene un don especial con los animales pero también a perdido mucho y juntos encontrarán el coraje para darse una oportunidad .
Una historia que no puedes dejar de leer.emotiva ,linda y muy realista.Tánner tiene miedo a entregar su corazón después de haber perdido a su esposa.olivia tiene un don especial con los animales pero también a perdido mucho y juntos encontrarán el coraje para darse una oportunidad .
August 23, 2019
I was lucky to find several of LLM's Christmas stories at our local library book sale and saved them for December. The whole month of December is dedicated to reading Xmas stories for me, it gets me into the spirit of the season and I don't usually finish all of them until sometime in January.
Great author, good story.
Great author, good story.
December 16, 2025
Nice light read for the holiday. A little on the cheesy side, but I love cheese. It actually made me cry. I'm also an animal lover so her ability to "talk" to animals made this ever so much more enjoyable. And of course, I met my husband country line dancing, so I obviously have a thing for cowboys. It checked all the boxes for me. Loved it.
September 24, 2025
I absolutely love this writer. It has been years since I read one of her books, she always makes me feel I am living in the wrong era. I love her details in that you feel as if you are standing in the story yourself.
October 24, 2025
4.5 rating
I liked this book - the characters were likable, the plot held my attention, and of course, had a happy ending. The book is complete with a vet who can actually talk to animals, a lost reindeer, and a real Kris Kringle. A fairly short, easy read.
I liked this book - the characters were likable, the plot held my attention, and of course, had a happy ending. The book is complete with a vet who can actually talk to animals, a lost reindeer, and a real Kris Kringle. A fairly short, easy read.
December 1, 2017
I am enjoying this series
January 5, 2019
Sweet romance with the happy ending everyone wants at Christmas. Very Hallmark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2019
A love story of two people who suffered loss in the past, but find each other at Christmastime. I had a problem with the talking animals, which is why I gave it a three-star rating.
January 8, 2020
I like the talking dog.
December 2, 2020
a great book
library
July 30, 20215
November 21, 2022
Good read
December 7, 2022
I've been reading the Stone Creek series in order. Although this is listed as book 4, you don't need to read it 4th. This book takes place about 100 years after book 3 and 85 years after book 5. The last names of the protagonists are the same as in previous books so I assume they are grandchildren or great grand children of the leading characters in books 1, 2, 3. If you are looking for a light Christmas fantasy/love story this is the book for you.
January 4, 2023
It was only half the book, the other half is a different story. The main guy Tanner isn't a real cowboy, he's a city guy who has 2 horses and bought a ranch. But afun, sweet, mushy Christmas story.
January 8, 2023
Loved this family celebration of the holiday and all the things that unexpectedly happen!
November 22, 2023
3.5 stars
Q - MC - Tanner Quinn
Q - MC - Tanner Quinn
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews