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Sea shells on Christmas trees, a firefighter, and the woman who broke his heart ten years ago … what more could you want this holiday season? Emily Times wouldn’t admit that Tom Kent was the one who got away. No, she would never admit that. Number one, because she’d turned him down. And, number two, because she didn’t have time to think about the past. Until she’s stuck at her boss’s wedding in Maui and her boyfriend ditches her at the last minute. When Tom Kent wins a trip to Maui, he has mixed feelings about going by himself and is over the moon happy when his professional football player takes time off to go with him. He never imagined he’d run into the woman he proposed marriage to ten years ago. And he really never imagined she would ask him to be her date for a wedding? No way! But when his brother ends up going back to Denver and all he can think about is how bad Emily must be hurting, he makes a deal with her. He attends the wedding and she goes with him on the excursions already booked. Neither one of them could have anticipated how it would feel to dance again. Hold hands again … kiss again. When old feelings start to surface, they must make a trust in each other or walk away and lose the dream they always wanted.

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2018

480 people are currently reading
142 people want to read

About the author

Taylor Hart

212 books631 followers
★ USA TODAY BESTSELLER, AMAZON BESTSELLING AUTHOR, and TOP KINDLE ALL STAR! ★

Taylor Hart writes inspirational and Christian romance and is a best-selling author of over eighty-five books with fans in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and all over the world.

A note from the author:

Thanks for visiting my Goodreads page.

I wanted to tell something meaningful about myself, but let's start with the important stuff--I love swoon-worthy heroes. The kind of heroes that are strong and would take a bullet for you, but also want to open your door and listen to you pour out your heart.

What else? I grew up moving. If you’ve read my books, you won’t be surprised by this. I have a lot of moving themes through my books centered around characters experiencing pain from someone moving.

It was hard. But, I believe there’s always a seed of good that comes out of everything hard, so I think the best thing that came from it was that I learned to love books.

And I had to learn a lot of mad skills on friend making. It gave me a love of people…good people, compassionate people. Interesting people of all kinds.

What else about me? I am a mother and wife! I have four amazing boys that are like little ninjas running around. I love them so much and I’m so grateful for my amazing husband who doesn’t get intimidated by all the billionaire men in my life.

I have a fierce love of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for Him and for the healing and forgiveness I’ve gotten to experience in my life. This is a theme in many of my books.

I love being an American. I am so proud of the men and women that support and preserve our freedom. This is another theme you will find in my books.

I am so grateful for my fans and for the support and love you all show me! Don’t stop reading!

Hugs-

Taylor

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5 stars
210 (60%)
4 stars
83 (23%)
3 stars
42 (12%)
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9 (2%)
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6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Love.
1,747 reviews5 followers
October 20, 2018
Charming Romance

This is a beautiful and charming little romance with sweet and adorable characters that will steal your heart and really refreshing adventure on the way to happily ever after.
Profile Image for Babs.
Author 15 books188 followers
November 8, 2018
Emily and Tom were school sweethearts and when he proposes she is excited. But she runs from him leaving him heartbroken. Ten years have passed and Emily finds herself in Hawaii at her bosses funeral. She is hoping for a job promotion and bonus. Her boyfriend Brent, stands her up saying he can’t make it.

Tom and his brother Will arrive in Hawaii as Tom won a prize. He doesn’t have a girlfriend so he brings his brother along. As they are out walling Will swears he sees Emily and they try to drive after her. They loose her and head back to the hotel.

Finally they see each other and pain and love come back or what they think is love. Emily just broke up with her boyfriend and some strange man keeps following her. Will she get the bonus and promotion? Will she get her second change with Tom or will she run again?

A great story with some twists as they go along. I liked both characters and the fact that Tom never gives up is wonderful. Emily was fighting some fears any woman can relate to.
Profile Image for Cami Checketts.
Author 297 books1,131 followers
October 20, 2018
Loved it!

Don’t miss this fabulous firefighter romance. I loved Tom and Emily and what could be better than romance and Christmas in Maui!
Profile Image for Courtney.
4,298 reviews
February 13, 2019
Excellent

This was a lovely story with a realistic plot. The characters which led this story and held together everything which made up this novel were fantastic at what they set out to accomplish. If you would like to place yourself into a book, to become that character, then this is the novel for you.
Profile Image for Marsha Keeper Bookshelf.
4,290 reviews88 followers
November 17, 2018
Reviewed at Romance Is Ageless

Married by Christmas is one of The Legendary Kent Brothers stories which crosses into several other series. In a way, reading one of these Kent Brothers’ stories is like getting a taste of other series that you might want to also dive into. The cover description gives a very good idea of the story you are about to get lost in… but doesn’t touch on the emotions you’re about to experience.

Once Tom and Emily were high school sweethearts, with their future ahead of them – together. Until two things happened that changed everything. Emily was willing to bypass her full ride scholarship to Yale in order to stay with Tom at a smaller college… but Tom had followed his family’s tradition and enlisted in the Army. Emily was terrified of being left again, she could not face the possibility of his death in combat… so she abruptly ended their one day old engagement and left town. Neither would be able to truly move on from each other over the years. Regret was always a companion on some level. Until fate or a winning entry gave them the chance to reconnect… maybe for a lifetime.

It was very easy to fall into Emily and Tom’s romance, or re-romance. The chance encounter on Maui gave them the chance to open up the past, reluctantly on Emily’s part and move on. Tom had never stopped loving Emily, so it was with a lot of hope that he agreed to be her plus one at her boss’s wedding. With touches of suspense, danger, and a jerk of an ex-boyfriend Married by Christmas gives us a delightful second chance romance wrapped up with the beauty of Maui… and the magic of Christmas. If you enjoy second chance romances then you’ll adore Married by Christmas.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Profile Image for Pam.
4,625 reviews68 followers
May 19, 2019
Married by Christmas: Park City Firefighter Romances: The Legendary Kent Brother Romances is by Taylor Hart. This is a cute novel about the youngest of the Kent brothers.
Tom and his girlfriend Emily graduated together. At the bonfire that night, he intended to propose to her and they would be “married by Christmas” as they had always planned. Instead, he told her he had enlisted and would leave for boot camp at the end of the week. She then told him she had received a full scholarship to Yale. Tom told her that would be great. They could be married at Christmas Break and she could continue at Yale while he finished his tour of duty. It might be a long-distance marriage; but they would work it out. He convinced her he was right and proposed. She accepted. The next morning, he received a note from her that she had changed her mind and would not marry him. She had left early that morning. Tom had never gotten over her although he tried.
Tom entered a drawing at his fire station and won a trip to Hawaii. Having no one else to take, he took his brother Will who was on leave from the NFL until his shoulder healed. It wasn’t a perfect vacation; but if he had to go with someone, he would just as soon have Will along. As they were sightseeing, Will thought he saw Emily; but Tom told him he was wrong. He often “Saw Emily” only to see it wasn’t her. The next morning, Tom ran into Emily on the beach. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and had no one to take to her boss’s wedding. With a little nudge from Will and her sister Trina, Tom decided to go with Emily as her date to the wedding.
Would this chance meeting lead to something more between them?
667 reviews
October 21, 2021
Emily and Tom

Emily and Tom are the town's greatest love story or so everyone kept saying. So on graduation night Tom asks her to marry him! Married by Christmas was what they had always wanted. Only now she has been accepted to Yale! She just has to find a way to tell him. Tom also has something to tell her, he has enlisted, something they had talked about and agreed he wouldn't do! The next morning she's gone and left him a note with the ring. 10 years later he and his brother Will are in Hawaii for the vacation he won! His brother keeps telling him he sees Ems and he doesn't think it's funny until he actually sees her and kisses her! Only not all is as it seems. Will they be able to get past the hurt of her leaving? Of his enlisting? Will she get the promotion she needs for the bonus, which is one of the reasons she's there? Is her ex-boyfriend Brett really her ex? What about the guy she keeps seeing? What does he want? Only one way to find out, read this great story by Taylor Hart.
Profile Image for Debbie Kolins.
370 reviews7 followers
December 31, 2021
Tom & Emily have known each other for a long time but, they haven't seen each other in 10yrs. At some point Tom and Emily discussed and he decided that he wouldn't enlist. Then Emily gets accepted to Yale and now has to figure out how to tell Tom. On Graduation night Tom decides to ask Emily to marry him and they were going to be married by Christmas. Tom tells Emily that he enlisted even though they had talked about it and he said he wouldn't enlist. The next day Tom finds a note with the the ring. Tom is heart broken. 10yrs later: While Tom and his brother Will are on vacation in Hawaii Will thought he saw Emily [Ems] and Tom doesn't believe him, then he sees her and they kiss. Emily is in Hawaii for her bosses wedding which would get her a big promotion but, since she broke up with her boyfriend Brett she has no date for the wedding. Emily ends up having a stalker. Who is Emily's stalker? Does Tom go to the wedding as Emily's date? Does Emily get the promotion she wanted? To find out you really need to read the book!!
305 reviews
October 30, 2018
Married by Christmas

Married by Christmas - Two people, destined to be together, are separated for a decade by a hasty decision. That's ten years of failed relationship attempts, loneliness, and emptiness. By coincidence they end up in Maui at the same time and everything feels right again. The sparks are there. But, to be together, sacrifices will have to be made. Sacrifices that involve more than just the two of them. A decade apart has given these two a bit more maturity in making a lifelong commitment along with the other decisions that need to be made. This book has all the feels. For real. Plus a little bit of suspense. I had to read it all in one sitting. 😊
1,139 reviews2 followers
December 21, 2025
Young love. Do we really “know” who we love as a teenager? Tom and Em were best friends as children and as they grew into adolescents. She had abandonment issues, since her father had abandoned his family when she was young. At graduation, Tom enlisted into the Army, wanted to follow in his father and older brothers’ examples. Em was not ready and felt him abandoning her, even though he proposed. She ran to Yale. Ten years pass. She is a lawyer in New York and he is out of the Army and now a firefighter back in their home town. Circumstances bring them together in Hawaii. Old feelings arise and, well, one things leads to another. I enjoyed this read.
1,428 reviews12 followers
December 20, 2021
This is an interesting book by Taylor Hart. The Kent brother’s books are a great series. This one features Tom Kent a firefighter who wins a trip to Maui where he happens to meet up with his former girlfriend, Emily Times who is there for her boss’s wedding and in need of a date since she broke up with her boyfriend. This book is about issues of trust and broken promises and they both have decisions to make about their futures and what is most important to them.
Profile Image for Shauna Jones.
716 reviews16 followers
April 12, 2025
She rejected him ten years ago, what happens now?
A sweet second chance at love. Emily accepted Tom’s proposal, then ran away the next morning. Now ten years later Emily is in Hawaii for a wedding and needs a date and Tom is there after winning a trip. When they meet on a beach the sparks of attraction rekindle and Tom agrees to be her date. Healing seems within reach but life demands and changes, as well as a stalker, threaten to derail their happy ending.
Profile Image for Lynn Smith.
2,682 reviews8 followers
October 29, 2018
Married by Christmas

Tom knew Emily was the only one for him since they were young. After graduation it all fell apart. Now ten years later who would think he run into Emily while on vacation in Hawaii. Is this their second chance.
Loved the story. You can feel the love between Tom and Emily. A
Profile Image for Heather Green.
Author 9 books11 followers
December 25, 2018
Not my fave of the Kent bros, but still a good read

This one felt scattered and flighty to me. Spontaneous, but reckless. Felt like the stalker aspect was unnecessary and just thrown in for some unknown reason. Liked that it was clean. Although it did allude to premarital sex. I was glad to see Tom get his hea. Love the Kent bros relationship/ friendship.
351 reviews2 followers
Read
February 12, 2019
Give Us A Second Chance

Emily and Tom were engaged 10 years ago. She changed her mind and went off to Yale. Tom left for the service. Tom won a trip to Hawaii and runs into Emily who is in Hawaii for her bosses wedding. Will they be able to give themselves a second chance at love. Well written story with strong and believable characters.
1,831 reviews12 followers
December 4, 2020
Tom & Emily have known each other for a long time with a 10 yr. gap. Now they are on Maui where they were to honeymoon way back. Emily is still putting up roadblocks. Tom is so sweet & not willing to let her go again. There is a little mystery with a guy stalking Emily. & you won't believe who marries them. It's a cute story that I enjoyed.
Profile Image for Rick  Farlee.
1,146 reviews9 followers
September 26, 2024
Believe in destiny? Some things are just meant to be… Separated by several years, this couple ran into each other while in Hawaii and their relationship just picked up right where it left off. It’s a feel good type of Christmas romance storyline and the author does a good job of pulling it all together. RECOMMENDED.
Profile Image for Joan.
1,315 reviews
October 25, 2018
Christmas wedding

Taylor Hart never disappoints! Tom Kent, a firefighter hero, is for sure a good guy. Emily Times, a girl with plenty of hang-ups, is definitely a great gal. Can they work out their issues and get together? I loved all the little surprises along the journey!
Profile Image for Teya Teya.
Author 9 books103 followers
October 26, 2018
What a sweet reconciliation story. Finding each other after ten years. I was confused over the child thing but figured after a bit that it was her sister's child, right?
Anyway so stuffed with story in only a few pages. The confrontation at the end. Kinda funny.
1,097 reviews2 followers
November 4, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A strong stubborn woman and the poor firefighter.
This author has really given me a book that kept me reading. There is some suspense along with the clean romance (one suggested bedroom scene).
151 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2018
Enjoyable

A sweet romance that leaves you feeling good. Not a new plot for a romance book but you still feel like you have to keep reading and pulling for the two to find true love.
864 reviews7 followers
November 11, 2018
Good story

An entertaining, good story about Tom Kent. The story includes a stalker & kidnapping plus angst trying to figure out their thought about an old engagement & what it could mean in the present. Also includes a bit about returning to faith.
Profile Image for Barbara.
251 reviews2 followers
November 11, 2018
An enjoyable story of two people once in love that went their separate ways. Running into each other in a tropical paradise brings back so many feelings. To learn how this turns out, you have to read the book!
Profile Image for Huanne Woodward.
339 reviews9 followers
November 14, 2018
Please be married by Christmas!

I love these Kent brothers! And the baby one helps make love and second chances even more exciting. Taylor Hart has a writing style that keeps you wanting more!
Profile Image for Shauna  K. Spencer.
169 reviews5 followers
November 27, 2018
Tugs at heart strings!

I loved the chemistry between the characters & how they had to come to terms with the last before they could be in the present. You never know until the very end who wins her heart!
Profile Image for Susan.
2,455 reviews13 followers
November 30, 2018
Very entertaining!

This story has wonderful characters and a wonderful story line. I love the setting. The road to happiness for this pair is rough and twisty. A very enjoyable book.
Profile Image for Patricia.
2,958 reviews17 followers
April 1, 2020
Rating 3.5. Silly me. I didn’t realize this was about one of the Kent brothers. I think I have read the rest of their stories. Nice story. However, I felt Em was pretty rude to Brett at the end—uncharacteristically so and Tom, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Zoey.
312 reviews1 follower
December 9, 2020
I found the characters and their flip-flopping emotions incredibly frustrating. At nearly the 50% mark the plot had moved maybe an inch from where it started. I skipped to the end, which, fortunately, is happy, if abrupt.
Profile Image for Linda Lavoie.
1,186 reviews12 followers
December 12, 2021
Second chance romance ❤️

Just love a second chance romance that started in their childhood and life gets in the way. Then the second chance comes and it is a perfect storyline that goes directly to my heart, just love love Love! I highly recommended it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews

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