This Christmas season Sarah has to fill bakery cases of her coffee shop in Gull Harbor. Recently widowed, she needs brisk sales to catch up on late taxes. Her brother-in-law Ryan volunteers to help with the baking. But how can she put up with a man who’s been nothing but trouble? Her two little boys don’t agree. Nathan and Justin adore Uncle Ryan and scheme to make him the man of Mom’s dreams.
Ryan’s motorcycle accident changed his life. So did the loss of his brother, and he made Jamie a promise he intends to keep. Mastering lemon bars and gingerbread men begins as a duty and ends as a mission. He didn’t count on sweet Sarah stealing his heart. Can she see him as more than a guy with a history of bad decisions?
As Ryan turns out cookies and turns on the charm, Sarah wavers. Would Jamie approve of this growing attraction? After tromping through a snowy woods with Ryan, her little boys pick out the most pathetic Christmas tree ever. Maybe they see what the tree can become, not what it is. And maybe that’s the lesson of hope and love Sarah will learn this Christmas season.
Barbara Lohr writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction, often with a humorous touch. Her series include Windy City Romance, Man from Yesterday, Best Friends to Forever and Romancing the Royals. In addition to romance, her work often explores family relationships. She believes that no man or woman falls in love without family influence, for better or for worse. Dark chocolate is her favorite food group and she makes a mean popover. When she's not writing, she loves to bike, kayak or golf. Barbara lives in the South with her husband and a cat that claims he was Heathcliff in a former life. Visit her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barbaralohrauthor.
What a sweet, touching holiday read! The first thing that hit me was the two little boys, Nathan and Justin, five and three years old respectively. They had me at “I hate winter”. Their mom, Sarah, is really struggling this holiday season because she lost her husband, Jamie, and she wants to be upbeat and festive for her boys. Jamie was also her partner in running The Full Cup, more a bakery than coffee shop, and she is trying to juggle all the life and work balls to keep them in the air. Of course, it’s not happening as smoothly as she’d like but therein lies the story. Ryan, Jamie’s younger brother, is trying to help her any way he can. He does some chores to try to help but he has been learning to bake and is in the bakery every day, before his regular work, baking bread and learning to make the pastries as well. The whole story centers around Sarah and Ryan dancing around one another, neither one wanting to overstep or hurt the other, but they make such a great team that you know a relationship will work out. There is more to the story, of course, however I can’t do it justice. We get to visit with some old friends, from previous stories, but know this is a standalone. I really enjoyed Christmas Dreams and Santa Schemes with its ups and downs, adorable munchkins, and a touching, growing love story between Sarah and Ryan. I loved them both and felt for them while they worked thru the personal hurts in their pasts. I recommend.
A very sweet and heartwarming story with a delicious, wounded Beta hero – he’s a mechanic but he bakes for the heroine during Christmas! - two wonderful boys and even an older couple romance. The writing style really appealed to me with its talented handling of limited third person point of view. I loved the sense of humor. The matchmaking is adorable, made me laugh sometimes.
Christmas Dreams and Santa Schemes by Barbara Lohr Man From Yesterday #7
Sweet holiday romance that was filled with holiday cheer. I enjoyed watching Sarah and Ryan try to figure out whether or not they could be together as her deceased husband Jamie was Ryan’s brother. Ryan was helping Sarah out in the bakery and with more time together they ended up seeing one another in a different light. Add in a romance for Sarah’s mother, a scraggly Charlie Brown Christmas tree and a whole lot of baking and you have a feel good romance with a HEA that warms the heart.
Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.
I loved this book it was a clean romance. It showed how people could go on no matter their past. You must read to find out what happens while working in a bakery. Also great advertising when you take cookies to the library. A must read, laugh, cry and enjoy.
We have Sarah and Ryan, she’s a widow who was married to Ryan’s brother. She still doesn’t get her husband out of her mind (obviously), so she doesn’t even consider that she could love again.
Ryan has a limp after a motorcycle accident, so he considers it makes him unavailable to all women, I mean, who would want a guy like that? Well, Ryan, you’re in for a treat!
I enjoyed reading these two, I loved how they both gave love a chance. It didn’t mean they loved their husband/brother any less.
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of, was that at times there were too many details on some scenes. It made me skip a few scenes that I felt didn’t add much to the story.
Still, an enjoyable read overall.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*
I loved this sweet Christmas tale. Barbara has written a magical story of second chances and scheming kids. There are moments when you want to cry for the loss they have endured and other times you are laughing out loud. I have never read a story by Barbara I have not loved and this one is no different.
Sometimes what you need is right under your nose. Sometimes what you don't see is right in front of you. Sometimes you have to believe that Santa will deliver.
If you love a sweet and tender romance then Barbara is your gal.
I love Cheistmas stories, especially romance. This is a nice clean read. Yet, I felt the author could have done a bit better. Don’t get me wrong, part of me enjoyed the book but I just didn’t get the chemistry between Sarah and Ryan. The pace was a bit slow. There were a few times the tense appeared to change and I presumed it was meant to be a thought and not narrative, but it left the sentences awkward. And there is a lot of telling and not showing. But all in all, it gripped me enough to make me want to finish the book.
This time around Lohr strolled off with my heart and I found myself too floored to ask for it back. Christmas Dreams is a tale of family, lost and found. A new beginning for a broken heart and a romance that thrives on surprises. I couldn't help falling in love with these beautifully written pieces of hope.
Sarah has lost her husband and has 2 young sons to raise. She is working at the Family bakery with her mom. She is being assisted my her brother in law Ryan . Ryan comes in before and after his shift at the garage he works for. He makes the bread and assist with other items also. He is showing a more responsible side that Sarah is not use to. He has a limp from a motorcycle accident due to racing. Sarah starts to notice changes in her mom . Mom has gotten her hair died and she finds out she is hanging out a bit more at the library. Apparently this is due to Stuart. She takes some cookies to the library for people to sample. That helps business a good bit. Stuart and Ryan also talk to Mom and Sarah about updating their coffee choices to up more business. Sarah starts to see Ryan in a new light. She doesn't want to be attracted to her husbands brother. Ryan also starts to see Sarah in a way he feels he shouldn't. Neither one think the other is attracted to the other. Sarah's sons are scheming to get Ryan as their new Daddy. At the end of the day Sarah takes a picture of Jamie and tells him about her day. She is asking for signs to let her know what to do about Ryan. Jamie has become a very important part of her life and the boys. After a few hit and misses they finally end up as a happy loving family I always enjoy Barbara's books. This one like the others I have read have great characters and story lines. Never disappointed I was given this book as a ARC in exchange for my honest review
This is my first book for 2020. It is a Christmas novella. Sarah is a widow with two small boys. She is helping her mother manage the family coffee shop/bakery. Money is a problem but she is able to rely on her brother-in-law Ryan. However, the attraction between the two as they work side by side in the bakery is growing too fast for her peace of mind. Not to be outdone, her young sons are playing match-maker as they adore their Uncle Ryan and desperately want a daddy in their life. Added to that her mother's sudden romance with the town substitute librarian and it makes for a wonderful holiday treat. An enjoyable read that is short and sweet!
A Perfect Christmas story with a wonderful ending. Sarah lost her husband to war, and she is trying to raise her two young sons and run the family business--a coffee shop/bakery. Her husband's brother is there every day to help her. Ryan was the wild one in the family, but he seems to have settled down. He loves his nephews and cares about his sister-in-law. When he plays Santa his malfeasance a very special Christmas wish. It's up to him to fulfill it. Lovely story. A clean romance. I loved it.
I love all of Barbara’s books and this is no exception. It’s a beautiful Christmas read with all the needed elements. There are two small boys, a young Widow who is trying to keep a bakery going as well as raising the two boys. There is the brother of her deceased husband who comes to help and a magical. Christmas tree. All of which blend together to make a wonderful story. It’s a bread read any time.
I was hooked by the end of the first page. An absolute MUST read for any true romance reader. Barbara Lohr weaves a magical tale of hope and love that brings Christmas joy to life. I adored each characters individual personality. I was so engrossed in the book, I read it straight through. I didn't want to wait another day to discover what happened. Looks like MANY more of Ms. Lohr's books will be finding a forever home in my library.
A bit of a slow starter, but when it did get going I really did enjoy reading this book. I’m used to reading ‘smut’ so the “cleanness” of this book was a pleasant surprise. I did get a tad confused as to wether Jamie was on manoeuvres or not but that soon became clear. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good book to read.
A wonderful story about a widow and mother, Sarah, who is learning to navigate her life and bakery business after the loss of her husband. She is helped along the way by her brother-in-law Ryan, but all that time spent together leads to them both developing feelings for each other. A story about Christmas, family, new love and a happily ever after.
Wonderful Christmas story. Ryan is helping Sarah at her bakery to get her through the Christmas rush. Their attraction grows but is especially complicated as Ryan is Sarah’s deceased husband’s little brother. Side romance of her mother and the temporary librarian. I love the Christmas tree the boys choose and Jamie’s sign. Sweet and clean. A lovely story.
Family sharing the lost of a loved one.To help her with the bakery and two young boys a brother of her husband steps in. The holiday time could this be the beginning of a new family. Nice heart warming story of second chances.
She was a new widow. Her mom was one too. Plus they owned a coffee shop/bakery. Mostly bakery. Money was tight as she had 2 young boys to raise also. But her brother-in -law became a great bread baker that began the better times
Thought the book was cute and romantic it had romance which made it more enjoyable to read. Sarah and Ryan fell in love despite their guilt over Sarah being a widow and Ryan being her brother-in-law.
She was trying to keep things together since her husband died. Her Mom and brother-in-law were helping with the bakery. He wasn't sure she would ever see him as any thing but a brother-in-law. His boss and friend had a few suggestions they seemed to work
This story was so good to read. I read it from front to back without putting it down. Sometimes in life it is alright to let go and move forward on life as they did in this story. You could not have asked for a better ending to a story than this one.
What a sweet, heartwarming little book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short story. Reading about Christmas on July 17th was a little strange, but fun. Needs a little better editing to be perfect!
One of those dreamy stories that you can't believe all that turned out. Characters that pulled that story off have wonderful flavor, yes flavor, their yummy and spicy and come with a cheering squad!
This book had me wanting more. Ryan is a real hero. He just steps up and takes care of family. Even things that are out of his comfort zone are not too much for him
Was a wonderful story about a widow and her Brother-In-Law!!!!!!! Had a hard time putting it down. Sarah and Ryan were meant to be together. Nathan and Justin wished his Mom and Uncle Ryan would get married and become a family!!!!!
Cute book! It had wholesome family vibes like you would expect from a Hallmark movie. The matchmaking boys make it sweet and a theme of redemption from your past mistakes and hope for the future after experiencing the loss of a loved one make this a great read!
This was a delightful Christmas story. I loved the characters. This is my first book from the Gull Harbor series and I will definitely look for more. WONDERFUL!
This is a sweet Christmas romance that will have you reaching for a box of tissues at the end, it's just that good! Definitely recommended for everyone!