A Firefighter's Christmas Gift

Holidays in Heart Falls #1

by Vivian Arend

This firefighter has the perfect gift for a single mom and her little girl—if they’ll take him.

A holiday story from New York Times bestselling author Vivian Arend.

All Bradley Ford wants this holiday season is a date or three with sweet Hanna Lane. He’s the new fire chief, recently returned to Heart Falls to help his father after an accident. And while he wasn’t expecting to find someone like Hanna so soon, Brad’s certain that Hanna—and her adorable daughter, Crissy—are perfect for him and his plans to settle down.

Hanna’s been taking care of herself since she became a single mom at sixteen. The only pure, honest love she trusts is her little girl’s, but for the first time in eight years, her libido flares to life. Something about Brad draws her like a moth to a flame—which is always a bad idea for the moth.

When a fire leaves Hanna and Crissy homeless, Brad offers them shelter at his family’s homestead. Crissy insists they’ve moved in with Santa. Hanna’s not sure how she keeps ending up under the mistletoe with Brad. And Brad? He’s hoping for the best Christmas gift of all…

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Holiday, Fiction, Firefighters

186 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2018

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Vivian Arend loves to share the products of her over-active imagination with her readers. She writes contemporary, western, and light-hearted paranormal romances. The stories are humorous yet emotional, usually with a large cast of family or friends, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. Vivian lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband of many years—her inspiration for every hero and a willing companion for all sorts of adventures.

Reviews

[Leo (Queen of the Rants and Spoilers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars Because it’s sweet hero and sweet heroine.
I love Christmas books so authors have started to release them. For me it’s never to early for them! 😜

Anyway... Hero was all in and he wanted a future with the heroine and her daughter. He didn’t want to pressure her, he gave her time. They went on a few dates but she just couldn’t commit to say yes to a relationship with him because she didn’t want her daughter to get hurt. Sometimes I felt like she didn’t have any feelings for him because she didn’t show them as often. She’s been hurt and i totally understand where she was coming from. She needed to protect her daughter from anyone. As a mother myself I understand this even though the hero never wanted to hurt her or her daughter.

This was another book of a huge teddy bear of a man being sweet to the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Just like his father. His father a damn good man, I’m sad that his wife died because he seemed lost without her.
Some will probably say that this book is a boring it’ll all the depends on the one who reads it. But since I’m so tired of double standards, slut shaming, mom shaming, anything shaming and this book has none of that (well hero’s brother called the heroine a floozie but he later apologized.)
It’s a huge win for me when hero and heroine doesn’t do the slut shaming.

This a free drama book. So if you’re looking for a drama filled book this might not be for you.
Also there’s no epilogue but I’m glad both have their HEA.

Safety:He had seen her around town when he visited his father but he doesn’t officially meets her until a few months ago. There’s zero mention of his sexual history. Heroine has been celibate for some time. I wish she would have been more sexually experienced.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

He’s too perfect, she’s too perfect, Grandpa’s too perfect, it’s very sweet but uninteresting, and I’ll have forgotten it ten minutes from now. Elevator music in print form.

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

It’s always hard for me to get into reading Christmas books when it’s high nineties with horrid humidity, but I have to give Vivian Arend a lot of credit for taking me away and immersing me into a winter wonderland with her heartwarming story A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift. I loved that there was little angst, a whole lot of endearing moments, and so much Christmas magic not to mention a lot of well placed mistletoe.

Since moving home to Heart Falls following his mother’s death to help out his father, firefighter Brad Ford has had his eye on single mom, Hanna Lane. They’ve managed a handful of dates and while Brad longs for more he is willing to take things slow because he believes Hanna and her daughter, Chrissy, can be his forever.

Despite becoming a single mom at 16 and after being kicked out by her parents, Hanna has made a life for herself and her 8 year old daughter in Heart Falls. She has worked hard her whole life and while they might not have everything, she has respectable employment cleaning offices at night and they have a nice little apartment and everything they need, but when a fire takes their home suddenly Hanna must rely on the kindness of others.

In this day and age of everything moving at warp speed, I loved that this couple were taking things slow. It was obvious that while Brad wanted a physical relationship he was old enough and man enough to know that he had to move slowly with Hanna. Hanna was skittish having been abandoned by her daughter’s father and her parents she was afraid to put her heart on the line and get it stomped on again. I love the way Brad took them under his wing, the way his father Patrick swooped in to make them feel completely comfortable and at home, and the way Chrissy blossomed under the attention and love they gave her. While it took longer for Hanna to trust, it was easy to see that with each and every day she adored the two men who helped them and her ever growing feelings for Brad.

The magic of the holidays, a lot of good old fashioned wooing, some surprising sexy times, and mischievous black cat made A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift an enchanting holiday story!

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half
I found this to be a really sweet romance set at Christmas so a lovely way to just escape harsh reality and sink into a warm and happy place. Set in a small western town it follows the budding relationship between hunky firefighter Brad and the man shy office cleaner Hanna . Now Hanna has good reasons for staying single and one of them is her sweet and trusting daughter Crissy but Hanna sure does like what she sees when she looks at Brad . Brad doesn’t want to scare Hanna off so is prepared to patiently go at her pace but when Hanna and Crissy need a temporary home there’s no way he will turn them away at what could be the most wonderful time of the year !
This was easy to follow and although it fits in with other books the author has written it worked very well as a stand-alone. I loved little Crissy and Brads Father Patrick was such a sweetie. Unfortunately there wasn’t really any issues or suspense in this story which I kind of had expected. In fact there’s a reason why Hanna finds herself homeless which could have led to intrigue but no the author chose not to go that way. I understand that many readers just want a simple romance but for me this story lacked a little something. Still if you follow her books it’s a worthy addition that’s sweet with a festive feel .

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars..

This is one of my favorite times of the year when I can start early with Christmas by reading the various romances of this genre. And what made this book even better is that is is by one of my favorite authors. Vivian Arend is one of the authors I have read almost every book by. That says a lot because she has an excess of 40 published books. My love for her writing started with the Six Pack Ranch series and only grew from there. If you are already a fan of her writing then you already know you will love this book.

A Firefighter's Christmas Gift is part of her latest series, Heart Falls, which is interconnected with the Six Pack Ranch series, taking place in the same "world" however a different local.

A Firefighter's Christmas Gift brings together Brad and Hanna. And let's not leave out adorable, little Crissy. Without giving away spoilers, I'll tell you that Hanna is a single mom and wary of being in a relationship. Hanna does not want to bring a man into her life and have her daughter get attached, only to have the relationship end leaving both Hanna and Crissy with a broken heart. I really liked Hanna. While she was understandably cautious, I respected her completely. Hanna was definitely attracted to Brad while he was completely smitten by her. Their relationship starts of slow. When the story begins, Brad and Hanna have already been on a couple of dates. Brad would like many more however, Hanna is being cautious. I was not frustrated with the time it took them to get together. The book's pace was perfect. Christmas is in the air and a fire at Hanna's apartment ends up giving this couple the push they needed to move ahead. Little Crissy and Brad's father add more depth and sweetness to an already lovely story. There is even a bit of Christmas spirit thrown gifted to Brad's brother. Speaking of which, I hope the author will see fit to give him a book as well. I definitely feel there could be a story there!

If you're looking for a heart-warming story staring a sweet, sexy and completely swoon-inducing firefighter/cowboy and a independent, caring and likable heroine with a sweet daughter wrapped up in a perfect Christmas romance, than I absolutely recommend this book!

This is my honest and unbiased opinion. Thank you for taking the time to read it. :)

[SB*needs low angst books* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hanna Lane is a single mother to her 8 year old daughter Crissy. She is very gun shy about relationships due to her past but that hasn't stopped Bradley Ford from pursuing. Brad knows that he must take his time with Hanna especially since she also has a daughter. But he knows what he wants and time he can give her. But when a fire destroys her and her daughters home and leaves them without a place to turn, Brad offers his home he shares with his father. Spending time and seeing the kindness in both men, Hanna begins to wonder if she is finally ready to try letting people in again.

So honestly, this would be one I loved. It had a great hero, a sweet heroine, a nice father and daughter. It is set around Christmas and small town. Unfortunately it may be a me thing but it just didn't truly work for me. I felt because it was short the draw out of the heroine not wanting to try a relationship was so long. I wanted couple time and it felt they never truly had any without the daughter or father around. I know they had been on dates but they were off page and not to mention the heroine returns no feelings toward him much except to say he was good looking and his kindness. So I could never get into their romance because it felt a lot had to do with the whole small town not many options thing. Or it felt a little more from the hero than the heroine. Also the daughter felt younger than 8 for some reason for me in how she came across for me in the book.

[Kahea · Rating 5 out of 5]

***5 Stars***

If you’re looking for a feel good Christmas themed romance then this is the one for you. It was a fun, sweet, low on angst, but high on heartwarming moments read that I devoured in no time flat and wanted more of even after there no more words to read.

I adored Brad and Hanna. ADORED. Brad is simply a good man. When he decides that he wants something he doesn’t back down, but for all his stubborn determination he isn’t overbearing. He takes in everything that is going on and goes with the flow. Hanna is a strong woman. Getting pregnant as a teen and being a single parent hasn’t been easy, but she’s done everything she can to ensure her daughter is happy and healthy. She’s sassy and sweet and despite the hurt that she carries on her heart, she doesn’t allow it to turn her bitter.

Their journey to their HEA was a lot of fun to experience. While the reason why they ended up cohabitating was heartbreaking, their journey definitely fell on the low on angst side of the spectrum and I loved watching as they got to know each other. It was definitely slow burning, but well worth it to watch as they showed each other who they were and realized how well they fit together in every way.

This was a fun, sweet read and had everything in it that I love about the author’s writing. Clean, no muss, no fuss romance and filled with characters you come to love. Crissy, Hanna’s daughter was absolutely adorable and Patrick was awesome! I loved hanging out with the Heart Falls crew and cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!

~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~

[Romancing the Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jen
Book provided by the author
Originally posted at Romancing the Book.

I’ve been getting the itch to start reading Christmas themed books, so when the chance to review A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift came across my desk, I didn’t have to think twice. A Christmas story and one of my new favorite authors… I’m totally in.

A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift revolves around Brad and Hanna. Brad’s the local fire chief and is seriously attracted to Hanna and wants the chance to get to know her and see what happens. And then there’s Hanna. She’s a single mother with limited, and negative, experiences with men. She’s not sure what to make of Brad’s attention and is a little wary.

The romance between these two is cute. I really like how Brad was gentle with Hanna. He took his time, didn’t pressure her, made her feel important and cherished. Hanna, while starting out pretty skittish, realizes that Brad has some honest intentions and opens up to the possibilities. It was enjoyable to see her bloom under his attention and the love grow between them.

In all honest though, I think the stars of the story could be the secondary characters. Patrick, Brad’s dad, and Crissy, Hanna’s daughter, just made me smile. These two rounded out the story and actually enhanced the story. And then throw in all those warm Christmas feelings, and I was happy to be peeking in on this moment in their lives.

This book is part of a new holiday series and fits into Ms Arend’s Heart Fall series. It definitely stands on it’s own and I know I can’t wait to read more about this town. If you’re a fan of small town romances, you might want to check this one out.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so sweet, just what you want in a feel good holiday story. I like that Hanna and Brad had a base of slowly dating when fire up ended Hanna's life. I liked how when Brad offered a place to stay, he mentioned that he wasn't going to push Hanna and their fledgling relationship more, that he was going to be happy just seeing her more.

I loved how Crissy was with Brad and Patrick. She took things in stride, but then again what kid wouldn't love going to a new place with horses and kittens. Of course it helped that Patrick was in her classroom weekly volunteering, so he was familiar.

It was great seeing the 4 of these people slowly start to build a family and love being in each other's company.

I loved the ending, loved the declaration that Hanna made, loved the question that Brad had, but most of all I loved that Chrissy's letter to Santa came true!

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift is a short holiday romance by Vivian Arend.

Hannah is a single mom to 8 year old Chrissy, separated from her parents and struggling to make ends meet while holding on to several jobs. Brad is a firefighter and someone who is very interested in dating Hannah. Fate brings them together when Hannah’s apartment burns down forcing her to stay at Brad’s place for a while.

This was a fun read overall. I liked the characters and the maturity they had about them. There was no bullshitting anywhere. Just one tiny little hiccup was how abrupty the tone of the book changed whenever they got intimate. I could not make that jump with their personalities and it became a bit awkward.

However, I really liked the way Patrick connected with Chrissy and was happy when the characters announce their engagement.

[Suzi (Obsessive Reading Disorder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect holiday story. Snow, sledding, "Santa"......steamy chemistry.

We meet this couple in the previous Heart Falls books but this is easily a stand alone. I found myself cheering for the couple through out the story. Heart meltingly sweet!

[QuinnReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mischievous Mistletoe



I love that Bradley "Brad" Ford and Hanna Lane had already been on a few dates when circumstances for her and Crissy, her 8-year-old daughter, changed in a flash.

Leaving nearly killed him, but that moment was enough to make one thing very clear. Everything was going to be okay, because he would do whatever it took to be sure that was true for Hanna and Crissy in the future.

Whatever it took.
-- Brad Ford

This is such a sweet and wonderful book. Yes, things heat up a time or three, which I love, but there's so much heart. The way that Crissy and Hanna fit in with the Ford men so easily, with Patrick taking to the grandfather role like he had been that all along, is so special. I do love this book.

If your looking for a bit of Christmas magic, you've come to the right place. I will be revisiting this, I just know it. ❤️💚

I read along with the audio book. The narrator is Tatiana Sokolov. She is a consistently good narrator to listen to.

Story: 4.5 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.8x

H = 30s; h = 24ish

[Karina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kept waiting for some actual plot or problem to reveal itself, but none appeared.

[BleuBelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF Chapter 5.
Couldn't hold my interest. Didn't feel the connection/chemistry between the Hero and the Heroine and the 8 year old daughter sounded much younger than her age.

[Zee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

this is cute but the story was very rushed and I didn’t feel like there was any conflict to make the story intriguing.

[Cheryl Whitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I’ve been on trip to Heart Falls, and I enjoyed every minute. On this trip we went to visit Hanna, a single mother with a daughter named Chrissy. The new fire Chief Brad who has come back to  Heart Falls look after his father.
When he first saw Hanna and her beautiful daughter he realised he was looking at his future.
Hanna has had no one, and had been on her own since her parents disowned her when she became pregnant at sixteen. Hanna is nervous of men, so Brad was so patient with her. This is a wonderful love story, and it was a magical Christmas story. It was great to celebrate the holiday with the residents of heart falls. Vivian Arend really knows how to create great community. I just loved Brad with Hanna it was so sweet and it was great meeting some more of the local community.

[Whit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet! Sassy! Suspenseful!

Hanna was not only betrayed and abandoned by Crissy's father but then rejected by her own parents, because she dared to get pregnant at a young age! So glad they will never know what a sweetheart Crissy is.
I, just like Crissy, am grateful to Santa for bringing Brad into their lives. The innocent faith of children is powerful indeed.
Brad gave Hanna all the time she needed to agree to a relationship. He and his father were wonderful and treated Hanna and Crissy like family, which they really needed. And what the neighbors and their friends did for Crissy and Hanna, for Christmas, had me searching for the tissues!
Awesome story!!!

[Mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a book by this author and I enjoyed her writing. If you’re looking for a feel good love story then this is the book for you!

[Annette Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Santa with Love

Most of my favorites in one book...brave, caring hero, strong, independent heroine, kids, extended family and animals... Oh, and don't forget the holidays!

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Miranda Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 1 in the Holidays in Heart Falls series and can be read as a stand-alone book. This is one holiday story that you won’t want to miss because it will definitely put you in the holiday mood of giving. Brad is a firefighter and moved back to Heart Falls after the death of his mother so that he can help his father. There he meets Hanna and her daughter, Chrissy. Hanna has had a hard life since she was kicked out of the family when she became pregnant at 16 years old. She’s worked hard and made a good life for her daughter but now things out of her control are happening. Brad knows what he wants but he knows that he must go slow and not spook Hanna. If you love a sweet, slow burn type of romance, then you need to get this book. Vivian Arend has put her awesome touch to her writing again and gives you a book that you can’t put down.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bradley Ford has had his eye on Hanna Lane for a long while. She's a single mom whose very protective of her daughter. She's struggling to make ends meet but doing ok until tragedy strikes. When the her apartment burns to the ground it gives Bradley a chance to help Hanna and get close to her. If your ready for a Christmas themed romance this is a great place to start. Bradley is this huge hulking firefighter and Hanna this delicate cautious women whose had to do it all on her own since she was 16. I loved this story. It made me laugh it made me cry. I loved Hanna's daughter and Bradley's father that brought the awe to this book. It's one of those story that make's you believe in hope and in general just makes you feel good.

[Nate Brightman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I don't have enough Scrooge in me to give this Christmas story anything less than 5 stars. I loved Hannah Lane the brave single mom struggling to get bye cleaning offices at night and I loved her daughter Crissy. I even had a man crush on Brad the great big firefighter with a heart of gold who is willing to pursue the skittish Hannah at her own pace because he knows instinctively she's worth it. His dad was also a great character. As a bonus we got to see a little of the Stones: Caleb, a very pregnant Tamara, Emma, Sasha and Walker and soon to be a Stone Ivy, and Ivy's sisters and Tamara's sister Lisa. Just a really sweet feel good Christmas time love story. Now I wished I'd waited a few months to read it to get into the holiday spirit.

[Dar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brad and Hannah were wonderful together! Add in Chrissy and Patrick, and this little story was overflowing with holiday charm and sweetness <3 Turned way from everyone who should have cared for her, Hannah has been making her own way for so long, she really needs to decide if she wants to let anyone in her heart. Brad has wanted Hannah since he has seen her, but just for the attraction he feels for her, but for the woman she is overall. A nice slow build-up, and no waffling from either of these two once they make their decisions 😊

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Disappointing Ending

This storybis about Hanna and Brad, but the last chapter are about Brooke and Mack, clearly the characters in the next book in this series.

To me, this is a cheap ploy: get the reader so interested in the plot that she will ignore quality of the book. Either a book works as a stand-alone or it doesn't, IMHO.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Cait · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem I have with the shorter Christmas stories is that they're just too rushed. There isn't enough time for a relationship to build. So this story was just okay.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice feel good Christmas romance

This is a light, fluffy, sweet "awwwwwww" Christmas story. No more, no less.

Standalone. 3rd person dual pov. No violence. Steamy.