It’s December, and Mary Delaney has little to show for her tenth year at Wood Smoke Lodge. Her business has been steadily dwindling. Her relationship prospects, too. But, her sister, Anna, has an idea that just might change Mary’s luck. Unfortunately, their own sisterhood might be working against them. Worst of all, it’s all coming to a head during the holidays, making Mary feel lonelier than ever.
Meanwhile, Kurt Cutler is living the high life in the tech world. Fresh on the heels of wild success in the uncharted world of cryptocurrency, he looks for a way to ensure his young company doesn’t lose its grip. When his right-hand woman suggests a get-away at her sister’s snowy mountain retreat, he jumps on the opportunity to unplug and unwind.
If Mary’s sister, Anna, can back off, Mary has every chance of enjoying the magic of the holidays. But when Mary and Kurt have to choose between love and their own priorities, what will win?
Find out if a wintry weekend can become more for people from two opposite worlds in Elizabeth Bromke’s cozy romance, Christmas on Maplewood Mountain.
Elizabeth Bromke writes women's fiction and heartwarming romance. In her stories, she weaves together family dynamics and the triumphs and trials of modern relationships. Echoes of the past flavor her books with nostalgia.
Elizabeth lives in the mountains of Arizona. There, she enjoys walking, reading, and cooking with her husband, son, and their sweet Golden-mix, Winnie.
Mary lives a very simple life, running a sporadically booked B&B in the middle of nowhere Arizona. Her sister, Anna, comes up with a brilliant idea for her company's retreat to be held there. That's all Mary needs to gain a new breath of life in her mundane world. Anna's boss, Kurt, takes an immediately liking to Mary and is completely fascinated with her.
In a classic case of love at first sight and opposites attract, Mary's and Kurt's worlds collide. There is a great romantic tension that smolders, leaving an incredible urgency for that first kiss to happen, while being isolated and unplugged from the world. And I loved seeing the exactness and excitement of the retreat events.
If I could choose only one word to describe this story, it would be quaint. Yes, quaint, and it's mainly because of the characters. Don't get me wrong--I adored that aspect of the story. Mary has such an old-fashioned and methodical way of doing things, yet her inner (and outer) beauty shines through in all she does. She captures the joy in the simple things in life. Kurt is an enigma, as his company thrives because of his driven nature, yet he is able to slow down to enjoy life. He has values and priorities set in an family-oriented way and is a great and compassionate leader. Mary and Anna have a semi-confusing relationship and I wanted more resolution on where they truly stood with each other.
And that ending? I need more! I'm desperately hoping for another installment.
Content: mild, sweet romance
*I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
Opposites do attract and you sometimes you do know you are interested in someone at a first glance.
This is a really cute book set in a rural setting at Christmas. Mary owns a small lodge set in the Mountains. It is rustic and perfect for a quiet getaway. Unfortunately, she is struggling to make ends meet. Her sister recommends her lodge for her companies retreat. Sparks fly between Mary and the companies owner, Kurt. The attraction is instant, but it felt right in this story. It is about two souls finding a perfect fit and acting on their attraction.
It isn't all easy, there is a jealous sister, an office community, and obstacles of dealing with guests at Christmas time. I found this book to be sweet. It was an easy book to read and provided a virtual getaway for me.
It’s hard to believe this is Elizabeth Bromke’s first published novel. She has a true knack for slowly and deliciously building tension between her protagonists. I love how this book came together and adore its sweetness. Mary has more self-restraint than I’ll ever possess, and her fortitude and self-respect is so admirable. She makes Kurt work for her affections for she knows her worth, and waits to see if he is truly the man for her. Filled with humour and romance, this book is a delightful read and a great start to what is sure to be a fabulous series.
Christmas On Maplewood Mountain by Elizabeth Bromke is a charming contemporary romance that will warm the reader’s heart. December and snow are always a winning combination that would not be complete without the addition of hot chocolate. This novel is a real assault on the senses. Elizabeth Bromke has perfectly captured the atmosphere in an inn at Christmas. The reader experiences the novel due to comprehensive descriptions. The novel has the theme of work colleagues bonding over a weekend. The activities such as tree dressing really appeal to the reader. The landscape is fresh and clean in contrast to the city where the firm is based. A sisterly relationship is explored. In spite of the love there is a tension that is straining the relationship. The characters are wonderfully drawn. A light hearted feel good mood pervades the novel. Christmas On Maplewood Mountain is a real joy to read at any time of year. I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
This book played out like a Hallmark movie. It was a delightful Christmas story set in a small mountain town at a quaint little lodge.
The main protagonists, Mary & Kurt, are very likable characters and I found myself rooting for them. I felt their story ended too soon and definitely left me wanting more. I look forward to reading the rest of the series in hopes of getting an update on Mary and Kurt.
The downside to this story was the antagonist, Anna, Mary’s sister and Kurt’s business partner. I didn’t care much for her character at all. I felt like there was a unknown reason for her sharp edge and she could have been fleshed out a bit more. Maybe I’ll find out more about her in the next installment.
I enjoyed reading about the small town mountain life and the Christmas season is always fun to be a part of.
I read this at the request of a friend... I usually don't read romances and certainly not sweet and wholesome romances. I was pleasantly surprised. The author weaved a very compelling story and developed the characters so well that I was instantly hooked! I am excited to read the next installment in the series.
I simply loved this little story! It reminds me so much of a Hallmark movie, which I just adore as they are my favorite kind of movies. Mary is wonderful and I think Kurt is great too. I also love that the point of view changes between the two main characters! I really enjoyed reading this. Once I started, I got sucked in and finished it in a couple of days. I can't wait to read more about Maplewood Mountain! When is the next installment?!
I really enjoyed this book but felt it ended a bit abruptly. I hope there is going to be another book as I'd like to find out what happened between Mary and Kurt.
Mary runs an inn on Maplewood Mountain. Her sister Ann works for an Tech company and arranged for the team to spend a retreat at her sister’s inn. Kurt the owner of the company sees Mary’s picture and can not wait to meet her. They instantly fall for each other but Ann seems to be upset and determined to come between them.
This is just the beginning of their story. It is the first book in the sweet, clean, contemporary series, Maplewood. The characters were interesting, genuine and full of personality. I found myself glued to the story right to the end. The book has a great narrative that describes both of their points of view allowing the reader to understand their emotions state, background, insecurities and motivations. The storyline flows smoothly and the romance was sweet. I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series.
I really liked this book. The mc’s, Kurt and Mary, worked well together and the author added in a bit of tension via the sister. The character development is well written, and you get the feel of maplewood, to the degree you want to stay there. POV changes are clear and begin at each new chapter and the author doesn’t repeat the story in the other POV. At one point the pace slowed a bit too much for me, but soon picked back up. And I hope we get to re-visit this couple, as I’d like to see if they make things work. However, Elizabeth as made her mark as a author with this book.
This is my first time reading Elizabeth Bromke and it was a great clean romance and I am going to read the rest of the series. I especially liked Kurt and Mary’s personality build up and am hoping that this will flourish into a fun scale romantic relationship. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves romance novels. Now I’m going to read “Maplewood in Love”. I do not rehash the story for you. Read the back cover or write up and if you find it interesting like I did, read it!
3.5 Stars -- This was a cute (somewhat) believable Christmas romance. It was not a insta-love romance, but I felt that it left me wanting more from this couple (gave an additional .5 star after I found out the story continued in a short novella). I found Mary's sister to be overly obnoxious and wishing the bits with her were at a minimum. All in all a nice easy read for the holidays. I will consider picking up another one of Elizabeth Bromke's books in the future.
This was a fun sweet Christmas read where Mary the owner of the not so busy Wood Smoke Lodge needs more business so her sister Anna orgainses for her works retreat to be held there after the original place falls through. The consequences of the booking means Anna, Mary and Kurt have to deal with Kurt's attraction to Mary which ruffles Anna's feathers. I loved the family dynamic and how Kurt isn't your typical rich guy but one you who is sweet and down to earth.
Falling in love at first sight is not all it's cracked up to be when both parties live in different cities, there's a vast difference in career types,etc. Add in a bit of sibling/ sister jealousy or rivalry and the chances of a HEA ending diminish rapidly. You will drawn into the lives of Kurt and Mary and the threads and web of their backgrounds and past. Beware- ends in cliffhanger!
This is a new author to me. I enjoyed the story, but there were some errors that better proofreading should have caught. And I’m not sure how Mary expected to run a successful business in this day and age with no website, advertising or internet connection as well as spotty phone connection, etc. Overall, it was a sweet story.
This is the first book I have read by Elizabeth Bromke. I liked the story between Mary & Kurt. I did not like Anna at all. She was immature and very unprofessional. The story is about two people who meet at the Wood Smoke Lodge during a retreat. Mary and Anna are sisters. Mary runs the lodge and Anna works for Kurt. Fun book if you can get past Anna.
This book gave me such a warm Christmas Hallmark feeling! The small town lodge coming back to life and finding that love at first sight was heart warming!
This first book by new author, Bromke was fun to read, and fast and delightfully fresh. I wanted it to go on a little longer though. I can't wait to read her next book which is coming out soon. I like the fact that it is a standalone book. (can be read with or without reading the others.).