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Country and Cowboys #2
A Down Home Christmas
A rising star,
a down-to-earth teacher,
and a Christmas touched by wonder…
Country music star Kris Trabeau heads to Charming, Mississippi, to convince his aging aunt to sell her farm and move into a nice retirement community. She’s not having it, and she enlists her neighbor Tory Odom to help her remind Kris why the farm means so much…especially at Christmas.
After being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Tory’s not feeling the holiday spirit. Still, she agrees to co-chair a children’s concert and silent auction to benefit the after-school center where she volunteers. As Kris helps her with the concert and spends time with the kids, the attraction between them becomes harder and harder to ignore. Can he trade spotlights and city lights for the place where the music began?
This funny, emotional romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies.
a down-to-earth teacher,
and a Christmas touched by wonder…
Country music star Kris Trabeau heads to Charming, Mississippi, to convince his aging aunt to sell her farm and move into a nice retirement community. She’s not having it, and she enlists her neighbor Tory Odom to help her remind Kris why the farm means so much…especially at Christmas.
After being dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Tory’s not feeling the holiday spirit. Still, she agrees to co-chair a children’s concert and silent auction to benefit the after-school center where she volunteers. As Kris helps her with the concert and spends time with the kids, the attraction between them becomes harder and harder to ignore. Can he trade spotlights and city lights for the place where the music began?
This funny, emotional romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies.
284 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2019
77 people are currently reading
1070 people want to read
About the author
Liz Talley
69 books931 followersI unashamedly read, write and love romance books. I adore the weight of a book in hand and the anticipation of a happy ending. I love the journey, the word play and the magic of story. Nothing's better than reading a good book...except writing one. You can learn more about me and my award-winning romances at http://www.liztalleybooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
December 12, 2021
Was in such a mood for an holiday romance and the blurb sounded to good to pass up. Happy to report that I wasn't disappointed one bit by the story. Pleasant story, charming characters and a sweet romance
July 2, 2019
Country music star Kris Trabeau heads back home to Mississippi to convince his aunt it's time to sell the farm but she refuses and enlist her neighbor Tory to help remind Kris what the farm means. Especially during Christmas. Soon sparks fly between Kris and Tory and they can't fight their growing attraction. This was a wonderful heartfelt romance. I loved every bit of it. It's full of southern charm and includes a delish new recipe to try. A perfect Hallmark Christmas novel. I hope it becomes a movie.
I was given a copy by the publisher for my honest review.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Review
Novels N Latte Book Club
Hudson Valley NY
I was given a copy by the publisher for my honest review.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Review
Novels N Latte Book Club
Hudson Valley NY
December 21, 2020
I really enjoyed this holiday romance set in Charming, Mississippi. A school teacher and a country star - what an unlikely pair, but they work really well together. Really fun read at the holidays!
January 1, 2021
I've always wanted to see Mississippi, so reading this little book about a country music star, Kris Trabeau, who goes back to Mississippi to help his injured grandmother in her store gave me an idea of what it's like. Small town, southern style, just so charming a story. When Grandma enlists the help of Tory, naturally it's pretty predictable that sparks will fly between her and Kris and they do. Theirs is a sweet attraction, even as they fight about selling his grandma's farm. This is a fun and heart-warming Christmas story.
September 29, 2019
I loved Liz Talley’s Superromances and I’m sad and sorry that category line is no more. I was glad to see Talley on my Netgalley shelf, however, and with one of my favourite settings, Christmas! I figure if Costco can set up its Christmas tree display next to the lurid Hallowe’en costumes, I can certainly read a Christmas romance in September …
A Down Home Christmas is a most christmasy of holiday romances, with Christmas cookie baking, the crooning of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, massive-tree buying and decorating, and a pageant. It’s also the story of rediscovering roots and finding one’s way when all feels lost. Though less quirky and sexy than Talley’s categories, A Down Home Christmas still had her signature humour and heart. Unlike her categories, however, Down Home is hero-centric and the rediscovering and finding one’s way belong squarely to the hero. The heroine is settled and sure and knows exactly what she wants. It’s Kris Trabeau’s journey we follow, as the country music star returns to his hometown of Charming, Mississippi, for the holiday season, ostensibly to visit his Aunt Tansy, the woman who took him in and brought him up when his parents were killed in an airplane crash. The opening scene is a hoot: as he arrives at his Aunt’s and his ancestral farm, he’s greeted by a great floppy dog, scampering chickens, and a barefoot beauty in pursuit.
It’s a delight of a meet-cute, but Talley’s romance is a light touch. The novel’s focus is Kris Trabeau’s journey to home and hearth after many years and successes away. Kris arrives with plans to convince his sole living relative, his aunt, to move to a seniors home in Nashville, where he lives. He wants to take care of her, to show her the same love she showed him. But Aunt Tansy is as feisty a bird as her chickens and she sets out, with the help of the barefoot beauty, high school science teacher, Tory Odom, and Charming’s denizens, to show Kris what matters in life: home, belonging, community, family, and love.
I liked Kris. He wasn’t hopped up on success, wasn’t greedy, or vain. He was a genuinely decent, caring person whose memories of Charming were warm but also fraught. He and his aunt quarreled over his leaving the family farm for a life of road trips and rootlessness. Kris’s career eventually took off, but he now arrives in Charming suffering from songster’s block. The words and music won’t come and Kris feels off-kilter. He doesn’t realize how much coming home, re-establishing connections, reconciling with his aunt, and getting to know a science-dork beauty will renew his faith in music and help the words and notes flow. Tory involves Kris in her after-school project, working with disadvantaged kids. She asks him to help a shy, talented girl find her voice to perform in the project’s Christmas variety show and auction fundraiser. Friends make their way to see Kris at Tansy’s farm, Kris rehearses with the children, bakes cookies with them and Tory, works around the farm, decorates a Christmas tree and renews himself in the balm of human connection, physical labour, and putting others before self.
A Down Home Christmas is romance-lite. While I believed in Kris’s journey, we didn’t see enough of Kris and Tory together. They talked, flirted, and walked beneath the stars, but Talley’s novel is mainly about Kris’s growth. Tory has a broken heart to recover from and she starts the novel as a Scrooge, but her story isn’t as developped and rich as Kris’s. Talley can still write a marvelous scene, however. The confrontation between Kris and Aunt Tansy was terrific. The character of the precociously musically talented Bria, who rehearses with Kris throughout, was beautifully drawn. Tory’s righteous anger at Kris’s dismissal of his ancestral farm as a place to be sold off was fiery and fun. I did yearn for the old romance Talley, but the romance world moves on and we have to accept an author’s new voice. I like the new Talley, but I’ll always miss the Super-romance one. With Miss Austen, we find “real comfort,” Emma, in A Down Home Christmas.
Liz Talley’s A Down Home Christmas is published by Hallmark Publishing. It was released on July 2nd and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Hallmark Publishing via Netgalley.
A Down Home Christmas is a most christmasy of holiday romances, with Christmas cookie baking, the crooning of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, massive-tree buying and decorating, and a pageant. It’s also the story of rediscovering roots and finding one’s way when all feels lost. Though less quirky and sexy than Talley’s categories, A Down Home Christmas still had her signature humour and heart. Unlike her categories, however, Down Home is hero-centric and the rediscovering and finding one’s way belong squarely to the hero. The heroine is settled and sure and knows exactly what she wants. It’s Kris Trabeau’s journey we follow, as the country music star returns to his hometown of Charming, Mississippi, for the holiday season, ostensibly to visit his Aunt Tansy, the woman who took him in and brought him up when his parents were killed in an airplane crash. The opening scene is a hoot: as he arrives at his Aunt’s and his ancestral farm, he’s greeted by a great floppy dog, scampering chickens, and a barefoot beauty in pursuit.
It’s a delight of a meet-cute, but Talley’s romance is a light touch. The novel’s focus is Kris Trabeau’s journey to home and hearth after many years and successes away. Kris arrives with plans to convince his sole living relative, his aunt, to move to a seniors home in Nashville, where he lives. He wants to take care of her, to show her the same love she showed him. But Aunt Tansy is as feisty a bird as her chickens and she sets out, with the help of the barefoot beauty, high school science teacher, Tory Odom, and Charming’s denizens, to show Kris what matters in life: home, belonging, community, family, and love.
I liked Kris. He wasn’t hopped up on success, wasn’t greedy, or vain. He was a genuinely decent, caring person whose memories of Charming were warm but also fraught. He and his aunt quarreled over his leaving the family farm for a life of road trips and rootlessness. Kris’s career eventually took off, but he now arrives in Charming suffering from songster’s block. The words and music won’t come and Kris feels off-kilter. He doesn’t realize how much coming home, re-establishing connections, reconciling with his aunt, and getting to know a science-dork beauty will renew his faith in music and help the words and notes flow. Tory involves Kris in her after-school project, working with disadvantaged kids. She asks him to help a shy, talented girl find her voice to perform in the project’s Christmas variety show and auction fundraiser. Friends make their way to see Kris at Tansy’s farm, Kris rehearses with the children, bakes cookies with them and Tory, works around the farm, decorates a Christmas tree and renews himself in the balm of human connection, physical labour, and putting others before self.
A Down Home Christmas is romance-lite. While I believed in Kris’s journey, we didn’t see enough of Kris and Tory together. They talked, flirted, and walked beneath the stars, but Talley’s novel is mainly about Kris’s growth. Tory has a broken heart to recover from and she starts the novel as a Scrooge, but her story isn’t as developped and rich as Kris’s. Talley can still write a marvelous scene, however. The confrontation between Kris and Aunt Tansy was terrific. The character of the precociously musically talented Bria, who rehearses with Kris throughout, was beautifully drawn. Tory’s righteous anger at Kris’s dismissal of his ancestral farm as a place to be sold off was fiery and fun. I did yearn for the old romance Talley, but the romance world moves on and we have to accept an author’s new voice. I like the new Talley, but I’ll always miss the Super-romance one. With Miss Austen, we find “real comfort,” Emma, in A Down Home Christmas.
Liz Talley’s A Down Home Christmas is published by Hallmark Publishing. It was released on July 2nd and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Hallmark Publishing via Netgalley.
December 25, 2019
What a charming story! I simply adored this book, from its hilarious opening scene to the sweet happily ever after. The story was adorable and I loved the humorous lines throughout the book. This was a perfect Christmas romance read. Very highly recommended!
February 16, 2020
There’s an enjoyable, metronome-like rhythm that runs through Liz Talley’s “A Down Home Christmas.” From its start—as it unfolds through not only physical humor and life situations but also through simple revelations and charming writing—that story beat plays out as more than just simple scales for the reader. Rather, the way in which Talley introduces her characters, to the particulars that enable them to work their way into each other’s heart (and the reader’s), her ability to pen a Hallmark-esque, holiday romance is wonderful.
Having an overall “home-is-where-the-heart-is” Christmassy theme, Talley’s novel tells the story of returning-to-his-roots, writer-blocked, singer-songwriter Kris Trabeau. Not wanting to be a one-hit-album wonder, Kris sets to follow the advice of others. It’s here where Talley begins to orchestrate a symphony of heartfelt storytelling. Enfolding Kris’s music life with his quick-witted and snappy, “incapacitated,” chicken-raising, musically-talented Aunt Tansy, and her “reclusive,” dog-rescue owner, fiancé-less, heart-of-gold schoolteacher neighbor Tory Odom, Talley’s story comes to bright, exciting, and special life on every page until the book’s end.
With home repair, realization, a new belief system, care, and love nicely complementing the paths of the characters in this novel’s blessing-at-Christmastime message, a true, tender, romance read for all is not far behind. A nicely-wrapped yuletide tale with all the Tannenbaum trimmings, this uplifting story will make any day feel like Christmas!
I had received an ARC from the publisher of “A Down Home Christmas,” in exchange for my honest review. Talley’s sweet, warmhearted holiday novel is one that I recommend!
Having an overall “home-is-where-the-heart-is” Christmassy theme, Talley’s novel tells the story of returning-to-his-roots, writer-blocked, singer-songwriter Kris Trabeau. Not wanting to be a one-hit-album wonder, Kris sets to follow the advice of others. It’s here where Talley begins to orchestrate a symphony of heartfelt storytelling. Enfolding Kris’s music life with his quick-witted and snappy, “incapacitated,” chicken-raising, musically-talented Aunt Tansy, and her “reclusive,” dog-rescue owner, fiancé-less, heart-of-gold schoolteacher neighbor Tory Odom, Talley’s story comes to bright, exciting, and special life on every page until the book’s end.
With home repair, realization, a new belief system, care, and love nicely complementing the paths of the characters in this novel’s blessing-at-Christmastime message, a true, tender, romance read for all is not far behind. A nicely-wrapped yuletide tale with all the Tannenbaum trimmings, this uplifting story will make any day feel like Christmas!
I had received an ARC from the publisher of “A Down Home Christmas,” in exchange for my honest review. Talley’s sweet, warmhearted holiday novel is one that I recommend!
May 18, 2019
I’m not one to read Christmas books this early in the year…but I am so glad I read this one. Liz Talley has you from the first page to the last. When newcomer winner to Country music, Kris arrives back home in Mississippi to look after the aunt who raised him when he was a young boy, she had an accident and broke her leg. He thinks his aunt should give up the family farm and come live in Nashville, but his feisty aunt has other plans. She wants to have a real down home Christmas like she had when she was and girl and sweet talks Kris and their neighbour the lovely and broken hearted Tory, to help her with this plan. Just what Tory does not want to do, celebrate Christmas and Kris is in the same mind. But neither of these people who love and care about Aunt Tansy and don’t want to disappoint her.
Tory is up to her neck in the Tinsel Ball, that she was talked into co-chairing at the Community Centre where she tutors and mentors trouble youth and she talks Kris into helping her with a young girl who has a beautiful voice, but is scared to get up in front of an audience. This was a sweet and heartwarming story. The sexy heartthrob country singer and the beautiful and nerdy teach and a quirky aunt and kids who will steal your heart. Will Christmas magic be just what Santa is bringing for these four, who need a down home Christmas…
I adored this book and it gives you faith that when all things around you are spinning out of control, being home with those who love you can bring you peace and love.
Tory is up to her neck in the Tinsel Ball, that she was talked into co-chairing at the Community Centre where she tutors and mentors trouble youth and she talks Kris into helping her with a young girl who has a beautiful voice, but is scared to get up in front of an audience. This was a sweet and heartwarming story. The sexy heartthrob country singer and the beautiful and nerdy teach and a quirky aunt and kids who will steal your heart. Will Christmas magic be just what Santa is bringing for these four, who need a down home Christmas…
I adored this book and it gives you faith that when all things around you are spinning out of control, being home with those who love you can bring you peace and love.
July 2, 2019
This was such a treat to read. Tory and Kris are lost souls at Christmas, but for different reasons. Tory has a broken heart from a recently ended engagement and Kris lives in Nashville but can't seem to find home in his heart. Thrown together for the Christmas fundraiser, they find working together, helping children, and music to be a way to find the joy in Christmas again. And, somewhere in the midst of all the Christmas chaos, they find love.
When Kris is called out of town unexpectedly, and things are looking bleak, Tory fears the worst for the fundraiser, and for her heart. All that's needed is a Christmas song to find one's way home again--if it's not too late?
**Received a review copy on Netgalley**
When Kris is called out of town unexpectedly, and things are looking bleak, Tory fears the worst for the fundraiser, and for her heart. All that's needed is a Christmas song to find one's way home again--if it's not too late?
**Received a review copy on Netgalley**
April 27, 2019
I loved this book from the first scene, that had me laughing, to the last, that had me swooning. Sweet Christmas stories are my favorite, but this one by Liz Talley has something special. Not only because of the chicken wearing a sweater, or the cookie recipe in the end, but because the characters are warm and loveable yet imperfect and working through their issues. I love quirky Aunt Tansy, and hearing her point of view as an older, wiser character, and Kris, of course, is perfectly imperfect. Tory is smart and independent, and has the best dog ever. Heartwarming, easy read that will grab you from the first page!
July 7, 2019
Very good, heartwarming book. I laughed and cried and cheered for everyone to have the Christmas that brought them joy. Kris is headed home to Mississippi with several issues snapping at his heels. First is his need to make amends with his Aunt Tansy, who raised him after his parents died when he was ten. They had a falling out when she didn't approve of his desire to go to Nashville and pursue a singing career. He's finally on the road to success, with a bestselling album and the title of Country Music Newcomer of the Year. He worries about his aunt, alone on the farm, especially since she recently broke her leg. He is determined to get her to sell the farm and move to a retirement community near Nashville. Second, he has been having problems trying to write some new songs. Nothing he has tried will make the words come, so as soon as he deals with Aunt Tansy, he's headed for some peace and quiet in Texas to try to get his mojo back. This is a problem because, third, he has a contract for a new album, and the record label has definite ideas of what they want. Unfortunately, those ideas don't mesh well with what Kris sees as his strengths.
The book started with a hilarious scene involving a sweater-wearing hen being chased by a large dog, who is being chased by a young woman. I loved the first encounter between Kris and Tory, who captivated him with her somewhat nerdy self. Tory is the head of the high school science department, a volunteer tutor at the local community center, and a woman who looks at life in a very practical way. She is also avoiding as much Christmas celebration as she can, as a recent breakup with her fiancé has killed her Christmas spirit.
Aunt Tansy is thrilled to have Kris home. She has missed him dreadfully and regrets the argument that they had. Though he only plans to stay a few days, she hopes to convince him to stay through Christmas. When she stumbles on his plan to move her off the farm, Tansy is first heartbroken, then angry. She can see that Kris has lost his connection to his roots and is determined to show him where he has gone wrong. Tansy is a pretty devious old lady, and I loved watching her efforts. When she notices the sparks between Kris and Tory, that gives her more ammunition to break through Kris's defenses. It was great fun to see her find ways to throw Kris and Tory together, while at the same time reminding Kris of the importance of family.
I liked Kris, in spite of his blindness when it came to Tansy. He has a good heart and hasn't let fame go to his head. I liked how he did the work around the house and farm himself instead of paying someone else to do it. I ached for him with the problems he had with his music as it left him feeling somewhat lost. He is so focused on getting to Texas for his self-imposed isolation that he has trouble seeing that what he needs is to remember where his love of music started. He is unexpectedly drawn to Tory, something he tries to resist because he isn't going to be there for long.
Tory is equally attracted to Kris but has her own reasons to resist. She knows he isn't going to stay around, so getting involved is not a good idea. She's still recovering from the end of her engagement, and a new relationship is not in her plans. Plus, why would a good-looking, talented guy like Kris be interested in a nerdy girl like her? It just wouldn't make sense. Besides, she has her hands full with the Christmas fundraiser for the community center.
I loved seeing Kris get more deeply involved with life in Charming every day. He keeps telling himself that he'll be gone in a few days, but can't stop himself from volunteering to help Tory. I especially enjoyed seeing him work with the girl Bria, whose home life is a mess. She has the most beautiful voice, but no confidence in herself. It was sweet to see how both Kris and Tansy worked with her to give her the confidence to perform at the show. There were a couple of exciting twists that had me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see how it was going to turn out.
The hardest thing was watching Kris try to force himself into the role he thinks he has to fill, even though he knows it's a bad fit. I disliked his manager and the way that he blew off Kris's concerns over the new album. I was especially disgusted at the way he ignored Kris's wishes for his return to Charming after his television interview. I was pleasantly surprised by the talk show host and his candid conversation with Kris after the interview. It made a big impression on Kris and got him thinking about what was really important. I loved Kris's meeting with the record label people the next day and seeing him finally stand up for himself. I held my breath, hoping that he would make it back in time.
It warmed my heart to see the changes that Kris experienced during his stay in Charming. I liked seeing his eyes opened to the importance of family and roots and having someplace to go when you're hurting. I loved his big moment at the end, especially showing Tory that not everything has to make sense, especially love.
The book started with a hilarious scene involving a sweater-wearing hen being chased by a large dog, who is being chased by a young woman. I loved the first encounter between Kris and Tory, who captivated him with her somewhat nerdy self. Tory is the head of the high school science department, a volunteer tutor at the local community center, and a woman who looks at life in a very practical way. She is also avoiding as much Christmas celebration as she can, as a recent breakup with her fiancé has killed her Christmas spirit.
Aunt Tansy is thrilled to have Kris home. She has missed him dreadfully and regrets the argument that they had. Though he only plans to stay a few days, she hopes to convince him to stay through Christmas. When she stumbles on his plan to move her off the farm, Tansy is first heartbroken, then angry. She can see that Kris has lost his connection to his roots and is determined to show him where he has gone wrong. Tansy is a pretty devious old lady, and I loved watching her efforts. When she notices the sparks between Kris and Tory, that gives her more ammunition to break through Kris's defenses. It was great fun to see her find ways to throw Kris and Tory together, while at the same time reminding Kris of the importance of family.
I liked Kris, in spite of his blindness when it came to Tansy. He has a good heart and hasn't let fame go to his head. I liked how he did the work around the house and farm himself instead of paying someone else to do it. I ached for him with the problems he had with his music as it left him feeling somewhat lost. He is so focused on getting to Texas for his self-imposed isolation that he has trouble seeing that what he needs is to remember where his love of music started. He is unexpectedly drawn to Tory, something he tries to resist because he isn't going to be there for long.
Tory is equally attracted to Kris but has her own reasons to resist. She knows he isn't going to stay around, so getting involved is not a good idea. She's still recovering from the end of her engagement, and a new relationship is not in her plans. Plus, why would a good-looking, talented guy like Kris be interested in a nerdy girl like her? It just wouldn't make sense. Besides, she has her hands full with the Christmas fundraiser for the community center.
I loved seeing Kris get more deeply involved with life in Charming every day. He keeps telling himself that he'll be gone in a few days, but can't stop himself from volunteering to help Tory. I especially enjoyed seeing him work with the girl Bria, whose home life is a mess. She has the most beautiful voice, but no confidence in herself. It was sweet to see how both Kris and Tansy worked with her to give her the confidence to perform at the show. There were a couple of exciting twists that had me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see how it was going to turn out.
The hardest thing was watching Kris try to force himself into the role he thinks he has to fill, even though he knows it's a bad fit. I disliked his manager and the way that he blew off Kris's concerns over the new album. I was especially disgusted at the way he ignored Kris's wishes for his return to Charming after his television interview. I was pleasantly surprised by the talk show host and his candid conversation with Kris after the interview. It made a big impression on Kris and got him thinking about what was really important. I loved Kris's meeting with the record label people the next day and seeing him finally stand up for himself. I held my breath, hoping that he would make it back in time.
It warmed my heart to see the changes that Kris experienced during his stay in Charming. I liked seeing his eyes opened to the importance of family and roots and having someplace to go when you're hurting. I loved his big moment at the end, especially showing Tory that not everything has to make sense, especially love.
May 18, 2019
I’m not one to read Christmas books this early in the year…but I am so glad I read this one. Liz Talley has you from the first page to the last. When newcomer winner to Country music, Kris arrives back home in Mississippi to look after the aunt who raised him when he was a young boy, she had an accident and broke her leg. He thinks his aunt should give up the family farm and come live in Nashville, but his feisty aunt has other plans. She wants to have a real down home Christmas like she had when she was and girl and sweet talks Kris and their neighbour the lovely and broken hearted Tory, to help her with this plan. Just what Tory does not want to do, celebrate Christmas and Kris is in the same mind. But neither of these people who love and care about Aunt Tansy and don’t want to disappoint her.
Tory is up to her neck in the Tinsel Ball, that she was talked into co-chairing at the Community Centre where she tutors and mentors trouble youth and she talks Kris into helping her with a young girl who has a beautiful voice, but is scared to get up in front of an audience. This was a sweet and heartwarming story. The sexy heartthrob country singer and the beautiful and nerdy teach and a quirky aunt and kids who will steal your heart. Will Christmas magic be just what Santa is bringing for these four, who need a down home Christmas…
I adored this book and it gives you faith that when all things around you are spinning out of control, being home with those who love you can bring you peace and love.
Tory is up to her neck in the Tinsel Ball, that she was talked into co-chairing at the Community Centre where she tutors and mentors trouble youth and she talks Kris into helping her with a young girl who has a beautiful voice, but is scared to get up in front of an audience. This was a sweet and heartwarming story. The sexy heartthrob country singer and the beautiful and nerdy teach and a quirky aunt and kids who will steal your heart. Will Christmas magic be just what Santa is bringing for these four, who need a down home Christmas…
I adored this book and it gives you faith that when all things around you are spinning out of control, being home with those who love you can bring you peace and love.
May 31, 2020
Although this is a Christmas story, I enjoyed reading it during this troubling time. Country music star Kris Trabeau heads to Charming, Mississippi, to convince his aging aunt to sell her farm and move into a retirement community near him, and away from everyone else she cares about. She is hoping that she can convince him that this is where she and he need to be, by providing him with a "Down Home Christmas". Tory Hudson, his grandma's neighbour was dealing with a broken heart and Christmas celebrations were the last thing she wanted to participate in, but when the community center she volunteers at needs her help organizing their biggest fundraiser of the year, she is forced to get involved in Christmas Festivities.
I enjoyed this feel-good, happily ever after, new beginnings story. Both Kris and Tory need to figure out what they want out of life and admit to what they feel for one another. I liked the characters in this story from out main ones right down to the kids in the Christmas show. It was a feel good, small town romance that I love, Hallmark's speciality. I enjoyed the humour, the banter and especially Aunt Tansy. She was spunky, smart, independent and a lady I would love to know. Without any real pressure, she is able to get both Kris and Tory to celebrate the holiday in a wonderful way. She also had some baggage to overcome which made me love her all the more. This is a definite Christmas romance and I hope we will see it in the Hallmark lineup this Christmas. I definitely want to try the cookie recipe in the book as well.
I enjoyed this feel-good, happily ever after, new beginnings story. Both Kris and Tory need to figure out what they want out of life and admit to what they feel for one another. I liked the characters in this story from out main ones right down to the kids in the Christmas show. It was a feel good, small town romance that I love, Hallmark's speciality. I enjoyed the humour, the banter and especially Aunt Tansy. She was spunky, smart, independent and a lady I would love to know. Without any real pressure, she is able to get both Kris and Tory to celebrate the holiday in a wonderful way. She also had some baggage to overcome which made me love her all the more. This is a definite Christmas romance and I hope we will see it in the Hallmark lineup this Christmas. I definitely want to try the cookie recipe in the book as well.
July 3, 2019
Country music star Kris Trabeau heads to Charming, Mississippi, to convince his aging aunt to sell her farm and move into a nice retirement community. She’s not having it, and she enlists her neighbor Tory Odom to help her remind Kris why the farm means so much…especially at Christmas.
Liz Talley's books are like warm cobbler with ice cream, pure comfort for the senses. A fun, sweet book with characters one can relate to and a bonus recipe of Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies.
Liz Talley's books are like warm cobbler with ice cream, pure comfort for the senses. A fun, sweet book with characters one can relate to and a bonus recipe of Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies.
November 27, 2019
I loved this book! Read it will my daughter was at volleyball clinic for 5 hours. Kris a country music star heads home to see his aunt and well convince her to move to Nashville to a senior living facility. Aunt Tansy loves her Mississippi farm, chickens with sweaters from Pintrest and all. Tory's is liviing next door, healing a broke engagement. You totally can feel the chemistry between these two and can see this playing out on the Hallmark Channel.
December 19, 2023
It was totally predictable, as well as completely charming, a perfect holiday read. I believe it is directly connected to a Hallmark movie, if not, it should be. A country music star who has lost his priorities and the teacher who has recently been dumped by her fiance that has moved in next to the star's aunt meet and all work together on the community center fund raiser at Christmas. It was a wholesome, festive little novel, and bonus--a recipe for Jingle Bell Cookies is included...trying them out today!
July 1, 2019
Christmas is my favorite holiday so any excuse to celebrate Christmas makes me happy. I thought this book was so good. I love a good story that reminds you about what's important in life, family, friends,and the comfort of home.
It's a feel good Christmas book I really enjoyed. :)
It's a feel good Christmas book I really enjoyed. :)
April 29, 2019
The perfect pick-me-up!
I don’t usually read holiday books, but I love Liz Talley’s stories and a DOWN HOME CHRISTMAS was the perfect pick-me-up good for anytime of the year.
Liz Talley hit all the sweet spots that make a Hallmark holiday movie (even though this is a book) a tale that fills us with love and happiness reminding us of better days and that family, friends and home are the most important things in life. However, the author didn’t stop there, she kicked it up a notch or two by bringing us a fabulous cast from the main characters right down to the fur and feathered side-kicks.
I think a lot of readers could relate to Kris and his desire to succeed, while wanting to take care of his aging aunt. My heart went out to Tory with her kind and giving heart. The sweet romance between these two was fun, flirty, and just so perfect. Then there was Aunt Tansy…what a hoot! Not to mention tough but sweet Bria and the rest of the cast including Edison and Loretta Lynn the sweater sporting hen.
If you’re looking for a feel good read then look no further because this book will make you laugh and smile and leave you feeling like Santa just left you everything on your wish list no matter what time of the year it is.
I don’t usually read holiday books, but I love Liz Talley’s stories and a DOWN HOME CHRISTMAS was the perfect pick-me-up good for anytime of the year.
Liz Talley hit all the sweet spots that make a Hallmark holiday movie (even though this is a book) a tale that fills us with love and happiness reminding us of better days and that family, friends and home are the most important things in life. However, the author didn’t stop there, she kicked it up a notch or two by bringing us a fabulous cast from the main characters right down to the fur and feathered side-kicks.
I think a lot of readers could relate to Kris and his desire to succeed, while wanting to take care of his aging aunt. My heart went out to Tory with her kind and giving heart. The sweet romance between these two was fun, flirty, and just so perfect. Then there was Aunt Tansy…what a hoot! Not to mention tough but sweet Bria and the rest of the cast including Edison and Loretta Lynn the sweater sporting hen.
If you’re looking for a feel good read then look no further because this book will make you laugh and smile and leave you feeling like Santa just left you everything on your wish list no matter what time of the year it is.
June 23, 2019
A Down Home Christmas
Liz Talley
July 2, 2019
It’s Christmas in June for me as I read this novel with the sun shining and the eighty degree temps outside. It was a great book to read at this time of year.
Kris Trabeau is an up and coming musician. His latest album took a Grammy for New Artist. He was thrilled but with all of the parties and celebratory splash he knew he had to start working on the next. That meant writing new songs. He decided to take his holiday time off to check on his Aunt Tansy, then head to Texas where he rented a cabin for time to be alone and spin new music. Tansy was the woman who raised him when his parents died in an auto accident when he was just a boy. Tansy had recently fallen and had to have surgery for her fractured leg. He was concerned for her welfare but also knew that she would not be able to handle the large farm while she was recovering. He knew the hired hand who did much of the work was gone as he had quit not long ago. It was a long drive to the town of Charming, Mississippi. He was in his new Mustang enjoying the drive but his mind continued to fret over the future for the farm and Tansy. He was hoping to find a way that she would sell the farm and move into a retirement home near Nashville, his home base. He pulled onto the road entering Trabeau Farms when chickens in sweaters, a huge dog and a beautiful woman came running down the road. It was then he met Victoria Hudson, a tall, lanky redhead. She was pulling on the leash of her dog, Edison. Standing in front of the house of his Aunt Tansy worrying over the survival of her chickens.
This is a fun book that takes the coming of winter holidays and brings us the love of family and the romance of a down home girl and a country recording star. It didn’t seem possible to either Kris or Tory but in their short time together love happened.
I always enjoy a good Hallmark romance in a book or film. The Down Home Christmas will be published on July 2, 2019 by Hallmark Publishing. It is a good one to pick up and enjoy. I hope this will be made into a movie next year. It’s a great read and would be a heart-warming movie.
Liz Talley
July 2, 2019
It’s Christmas in June for me as I read this novel with the sun shining and the eighty degree temps outside. It was a great book to read at this time of year.
Kris Trabeau is an up and coming musician. His latest album took a Grammy for New Artist. He was thrilled but with all of the parties and celebratory splash he knew he had to start working on the next. That meant writing new songs. He decided to take his holiday time off to check on his Aunt Tansy, then head to Texas where he rented a cabin for time to be alone and spin new music. Tansy was the woman who raised him when his parents died in an auto accident when he was just a boy. Tansy had recently fallen and had to have surgery for her fractured leg. He was concerned for her welfare but also knew that she would not be able to handle the large farm while she was recovering. He knew the hired hand who did much of the work was gone as he had quit not long ago. It was a long drive to the town of Charming, Mississippi. He was in his new Mustang enjoying the drive but his mind continued to fret over the future for the farm and Tansy. He was hoping to find a way that she would sell the farm and move into a retirement home near Nashville, his home base. He pulled onto the road entering Trabeau Farms when chickens in sweaters, a huge dog and a beautiful woman came running down the road. It was then he met Victoria Hudson, a tall, lanky redhead. She was pulling on the leash of her dog, Edison. Standing in front of the house of his Aunt Tansy worrying over the survival of her chickens.
This is a fun book that takes the coming of winter holidays and brings us the love of family and the romance of a down home girl and a country recording star. It didn’t seem possible to either Kris or Tory but in their short time together love happened.
I always enjoy a good Hallmark romance in a book or film. The Down Home Christmas will be published on July 2, 2019 by Hallmark Publishing. It is a good one to pick up and enjoy. I hope this will be made into a movie next year. It’s a great read and would be a heart-warming movie.
July 7, 2019
Down Home Christmas
By Liz Talley
July 2019
Rising country music star, Kris Trabeau, returns to Charming, Mississippi with one goal in mind; to convince his fiercely independent, elderly Aunt Tansy to sell the family farm and return with him to Nashville. He does not anticipate that a chance meeting with, Tory Odom, recently jilted local science teacher and his aunt’s neighbor, may complicate his plans.
Aunt Tansy strictly opposes Kris’ plans for her and decides to use Tory as a means to change her nephew’s mind about Charming and his legacy, to avert her selling the farm and moving away. While Tory is not initially impressed by Kris’ star status, she enlists his help with the children’s holiday concert and auction benefit, at Tansy’s prompting. Tansy also enlists Tory to work with Kris on a Trabeau Farm Christmas decorating project.
As Kris and Tory spend more and more time together, to Tansy’s delight, they begin to sense a shift; an attraction between them. However, Tory is bent on protecting her still recovering heart from another heartbreak and Kris sees falling in love and settling down as incompatible with his lifestyle. Will their minds find reciprocity with what their hearts are telling them?
Down Home Christmas’ romance plot has strong appeal. It does not fall short in its portrayal of the unscheduled, unexpected and even inconvenient nature of falling in love. Its characters are colorful and relatable in their day-to-day, small, rural community life. While, for me, the story triumphs at the end, the first half was difficult for me as the prose lacked the fluidity needed to convey chemistry between Tory and Kris in a way that resonated with me. It was also hard for me to visualize an old woman with a broken leg getting around independently as Tansy does, on crutches. I found that there were a number of inconsistencies within and between some of the scenes and some transitions were not smoothly staged.
Thankfully, I had faith in Ms. Talley’s skill and never gave up on reading this work. The latter part of the book made up for the shortcomings of the first, delivering the characters’ emotions with more dynamism and more resonance with me; the chemistry between Tory and Kris becoming more alive, raising my anticipation of the romantic climax afoot. Ms. Talley’s work exudes the importance of family ties, establishing or restoring a child’s sense of self, worth and faith in him or herself, the importance of community and the strength that arises from collaboration. She also shows the importance of acknowledging and understanding the past in order to gain clarity on the present setting the stage to build a brighter path to the future. I also loved her use of quirky, informal language, consistent with the locale being portrayed. This book has a wide audience appeal and I strongly recommend it. It is a heartwarming Christmas tale that may also be considered for a stocking-stuffer!!
By Liz Talley
July 2019
Rising country music star, Kris Trabeau, returns to Charming, Mississippi with one goal in mind; to convince his fiercely independent, elderly Aunt Tansy to sell the family farm and return with him to Nashville. He does not anticipate that a chance meeting with, Tory Odom, recently jilted local science teacher and his aunt’s neighbor, may complicate his plans.
Aunt Tansy strictly opposes Kris’ plans for her and decides to use Tory as a means to change her nephew’s mind about Charming and his legacy, to avert her selling the farm and moving away. While Tory is not initially impressed by Kris’ star status, she enlists his help with the children’s holiday concert and auction benefit, at Tansy’s prompting. Tansy also enlists Tory to work with Kris on a Trabeau Farm Christmas decorating project.
As Kris and Tory spend more and more time together, to Tansy’s delight, they begin to sense a shift; an attraction between them. However, Tory is bent on protecting her still recovering heart from another heartbreak and Kris sees falling in love and settling down as incompatible with his lifestyle. Will their minds find reciprocity with what their hearts are telling them?
Down Home Christmas’ romance plot has strong appeal. It does not fall short in its portrayal of the unscheduled, unexpected and even inconvenient nature of falling in love. Its characters are colorful and relatable in their day-to-day, small, rural community life. While, for me, the story triumphs at the end, the first half was difficult for me as the prose lacked the fluidity needed to convey chemistry between Tory and Kris in a way that resonated with me. It was also hard for me to visualize an old woman with a broken leg getting around independently as Tansy does, on crutches. I found that there were a number of inconsistencies within and between some of the scenes and some transitions were not smoothly staged.
Thankfully, I had faith in Ms. Talley’s skill and never gave up on reading this work. The latter part of the book made up for the shortcomings of the first, delivering the characters’ emotions with more dynamism and more resonance with me; the chemistry between Tory and Kris becoming more alive, raising my anticipation of the romantic climax afoot. Ms. Talley’s work exudes the importance of family ties, establishing or restoring a child’s sense of self, worth and faith in him or herself, the importance of community and the strength that arises from collaboration. She also shows the importance of acknowledging and understanding the past in order to gain clarity on the present setting the stage to build a brighter path to the future. I also loved her use of quirky, informal language, consistent with the locale being portrayed. This book has a wide audience appeal and I strongly recommend it. It is a heartwarming Christmas tale that may also be considered for a stocking-stuffer!!
Read
November 21, 2019Good Evening my Fellow Book Dragons! Are you ready for a bit of whimsy? Something fun and lively and bit of holiday cheer? Our Gem this evening is quite beautiful and fun and lighthearted. See how pretty it is.. prism like in appearance, it gleams red one way and green the other, absorbing the light around it and then releasing it back into the room. One could spend hours watching it twist and turn and flash and sparkle.
This is “A Down Home Christmas” by Gem Maker Liz Talley. It is the story of Kris Trabeau, up and coming country music singer and Tory Odom, Science teacher. Kris has a lot going on. His new recording company is pushing him around on his new album, he now has a therapist, and he’s tired. He has a nice two week vacation worked out for himself, he just has one tiny task to care for before he goes. He needs to go home just before Christmas, to his elderly Aunt Tansy’s house, the woman who raised him, with the very definite idea of having her move into the city with him. He sees her as too old to live by herself anymore. Everything he sees only reinforces his idea: she has a broken leg, the house needs repairs, she’s knitting sweaters for chickens…meanwhile..
Tory isn’t crazy about Christmas this year. She’s single after breaking up with..okay after being DUMPED by her boyfriend. What an awful way to describe the ending of love..ah these modern times. She’d rather sit the holiday out. But she’s agreed to co-chair the local children’s concert and auction to benefit the after-school program where she volunteers. Concert, music, she doesn’t know any musician or singer whose recorded anything since 1975, but she’s willing to give it a go for her kids.
So how do these two end up meeting? Tory is Kris’s Aunt Tansy’s next door neighbor (in the country,for those of you who are city folk, yes, a half mile away counts as next door) and helps her when she needs a hand. She and her dog Edison, happen to be on hand the day Kris shows up.
This was a sweet, tender, at times funny and light read. The magic of Christmas is in this book. There are truths here, but nothing extremely heavy or over done. This book was meant to bring a little holiday spirit into our lives and Liz Talley has put the star on the top of the tree with this one! If you are looking for a book to put you in the holiday mood, need a secret Santa gift or if you or someone you know who loves Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies, look no more. This is available on Amazon in four different mediums: print, audio CD, kindle and audiobook. Grab one today, curl up with a cuppa, a throw and your favorite pet, turn on the music and let the fun begin.
Until tomorrow, I remain your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
This is “A Down Home Christmas” by Gem Maker Liz Talley. It is the story of Kris Trabeau, up and coming country music singer and Tory Odom, Science teacher. Kris has a lot going on. His new recording company is pushing him around on his new album, he now has a therapist, and he’s tired. He has a nice two week vacation worked out for himself, he just has one tiny task to care for before he goes. He needs to go home just before Christmas, to his elderly Aunt Tansy’s house, the woman who raised him, with the very definite idea of having her move into the city with him. He sees her as too old to live by herself anymore. Everything he sees only reinforces his idea: she has a broken leg, the house needs repairs, she’s knitting sweaters for chickens…meanwhile..
Tory isn’t crazy about Christmas this year. She’s single after breaking up with..okay after being DUMPED by her boyfriend. What an awful way to describe the ending of love..ah these modern times. She’d rather sit the holiday out. But she’s agreed to co-chair the local children’s concert and auction to benefit the after-school program where she volunteers. Concert, music, she doesn’t know any musician or singer whose recorded anything since 1975, but she’s willing to give it a go for her kids.
So how do these two end up meeting? Tory is Kris’s Aunt Tansy’s next door neighbor (in the country,for those of you who are city folk, yes, a half mile away counts as next door) and helps her when she needs a hand. She and her dog Edison, happen to be on hand the day Kris shows up.
This was a sweet, tender, at times funny and light read. The magic of Christmas is in this book. There are truths here, but nothing extremely heavy or over done. This book was meant to bring a little holiday spirit into our lives and Liz Talley has put the star on the top of the tree with this one! If you are looking for a book to put you in the holiday mood, need a secret Santa gift or if you or someone you know who loves Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies, look no more. This is available on Amazon in four different mediums: print, audio CD, kindle and audiobook. Grab one today, curl up with a cuppa, a throw and your favorite pet, turn on the music and let the fun begin.
Until tomorrow, I remain your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
July 2, 2019
Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf
If you love Christmas Romance at any time of the year (like me) but especially in the lead-up to all the Christmas releases we can be looking forward to from now ’til next January — well, I’ve got a great Christmasy story to steal your heart and make you wish for snowfall with twinkling lights.
I suspect we all have an Aunt Tansy in our family tree, mine is passed now but I certainly had the love and the frustration of a quirky, adorable, means well even if you don’t agree relative.
Aunt Tansy still runs the family farm even though she’s getting on in years, the work is a bit harder, and she recently, most annoyingly broke a bone so she’s somewhat sidelined at the moment. But that does not mean her schemes are going to be laid up with her. Nope. She’s about to convince her nephew Kris that although he might be a rising star in the Country Music world, he’s still a country boy at heart and he needs to remember his roots.
Aunt Tansy isn’t about to be shipped off to a fancy retirement home so she enlists the aid of her neighbor Tory who has recently gone through a rough break-up. One old-fashioned Christmas celebration, just like back in “the old days of her youth” is exactly what Aunt Tansy wants for Christmas this year. And she has two perfect people to help her get ready for the celebration – and if she has her way, do some falling in love this Christmas Season.
A little matchmaking, a quirky aunt, two stubborn people who swear they are not perfect for each other… oh, and a sweater-wearing chicken named Loretta Lynn. If all that doesn’t catch your funny bone, your romantic heart or your Christmas spirit I don’t know what will.
I had such fun with A DOWN HOME CHRISTMAS. I laughed until the tears were streaming, my heart was engaged by Kris and Tory who fell in love in spite of themselves, was totally immersed in Christmas at every turn, and simply had a wonderful time with this Christmas tale. I strongly recommend this one for any reader who loves the Christmas Season with all the trimmings, enjoys a good laugh along the way and loves a really good Romance as well.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
If you love Christmas Romance at any time of the year (like me) but especially in the lead-up to all the Christmas releases we can be looking forward to from now ’til next January — well, I’ve got a great Christmasy story to steal your heart and make you wish for snowfall with twinkling lights.
I suspect we all have an Aunt Tansy in our family tree, mine is passed now but I certainly had the love and the frustration of a quirky, adorable, means well even if you don’t agree relative.
Aunt Tansy still runs the family farm even though she’s getting on in years, the work is a bit harder, and she recently, most annoyingly broke a bone so she’s somewhat sidelined at the moment. But that does not mean her schemes are going to be laid up with her. Nope. She’s about to convince her nephew Kris that although he might be a rising star in the Country Music world, he’s still a country boy at heart and he needs to remember his roots.
Aunt Tansy isn’t about to be shipped off to a fancy retirement home so she enlists the aid of her neighbor Tory who has recently gone through a rough break-up. One old-fashioned Christmas celebration, just like back in “the old days of her youth” is exactly what Aunt Tansy wants for Christmas this year. And she has two perfect people to help her get ready for the celebration – and if she has her way, do some falling in love this Christmas Season.
A little matchmaking, a quirky aunt, two stubborn people who swear they are not perfect for each other… oh, and a sweater-wearing chicken named Loretta Lynn. If all that doesn’t catch your funny bone, your romantic heart or your Christmas spirit I don’t know what will.
I had such fun with A DOWN HOME CHRISTMAS. I laughed until the tears were streaming, my heart was engaged by Kris and Tory who fell in love in spite of themselves, was totally immersed in Christmas at every turn, and simply had a wonderful time with this Christmas tale. I strongly recommend this one for any reader who loves the Christmas Season with all the trimmings, enjoys a good laugh along the way and loves a really good Romance as well.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
June 26, 2019
Kris Trabeau hasn't been home to Charming, Mississippi and the aunt who raised him after his parents' death for a number of years. Kris and Aunt Tansy had a nasty argument over Kris leaving to pursue a country music career in Nashville. Now he is returning to Charming after being named CMA's New Artist of the Year and proud of it after years of hard work pursuing his dream. Right now though his goal is to convince his aunt to sell Trabeau Farm and move into The Hermitage Retirement community outside Nashville. As he is driving down the long potholed drive leading to Trabeau Farm he has to slam on his breaks to avoid hitting a chicken wearing a sweater being chased by a dog whose owner is running behind trying to catch her dog. A chicken wearing a sweater! What's going on here? Kris helps the dog's owner, Tory Odom catch the dog and rescue the chicken. Thus begins the Christmas fun.
It's Christmastime and Aunt Tansy has been looking forward to Kris spending Christmas with her on the farm for years. Every other year he always had an excuse to not be there. When she finds out Kris' plans for her she decides to remind him how important home and roots are by throwing together a Christmas like all the wonderful family Christmas gatherings from the past. Even though Tory, who is getting over being dumped by her long time boyfriend, is not celebrating Christmas due to her breakup, she agrees to help Tansy with her down home Christmas. After all this gives her the opportunity to spend more time with Kris who she is attracted to.
A Down Home Christmas by Liz Talley is the "real deal," a Christmas story with all the elements to give the reader a warm Christmas glow. There's decorating, Christmas tree shopping, Christmas cookie baking, lots of Christmas music and a Christmas show and auction to rise money for the children's progams at the community center, Common Connection. This story brings a cozy warmth as the love and true meaning of Christmas as well as discovering roots and love of home and family blaze off the pages. I loved all the characters but especially enjoyed the antics of Tory's dog, Edison and how Tory, Kris and Aunt Tansy give Bria, a young girl at the community center a boost in self-confidence and a sense of being loved. Reading this story will leave the reader with a warm glow of happiness and Christmas cheer.
It's Christmastime and Aunt Tansy has been looking forward to Kris spending Christmas with her on the farm for years. Every other year he always had an excuse to not be there. When she finds out Kris' plans for her she decides to remind him how important home and roots are by throwing together a Christmas like all the wonderful family Christmas gatherings from the past. Even though Tory, who is getting over being dumped by her long time boyfriend, is not celebrating Christmas due to her breakup, she agrees to help Tansy with her down home Christmas. After all this gives her the opportunity to spend more time with Kris who she is attracted to.
A Down Home Christmas by Liz Talley is the "real deal," a Christmas story with all the elements to give the reader a warm Christmas glow. There's decorating, Christmas tree shopping, Christmas cookie baking, lots of Christmas music and a Christmas show and auction to rise money for the children's progams at the community center, Common Connection. This story brings a cozy warmth as the love and true meaning of Christmas as well as discovering roots and love of home and family blaze off the pages. I loved all the characters but especially enjoyed the antics of Tory's dog, Edison and how Tory, Kris and Aunt Tansy give Bria, a young girl at the community center a boost in self-confidence and a sense of being loved. Reading this story will leave the reader with a warm glow of happiness and Christmas cheer.
July 2, 2019
Christmas is for family
RITA-award finalist and contemporary romance writer Liz Talley presents "A Down Home Christmas" which was published by Hallmark Publishing. Kris Trabeau, a country music singer, wishes to succeed in his own way. One of his plans is to convince his aunt Tansy to sell the family farm and to move her into a retirement community close to Nashville where he is living, but will this plan succeed? And what will he do with the other challenges thrown in his way? His aunt Tansy, a former singer, is fiercely independent and is the owner of Trabeau family farm in Charming, Mississippi. She raised Kris since he lost his parents at the age of ten through and accident. She is also the owner of sweater wearing hens. Tansy is not at all willing to sell the farm and move anywhere, although she acknowledges that she might need some help. Tansy's neighbor, Tory (Victoria) Odom, is the owner of the dog Edison who sometimes lacks discipline and likes to chase Tansy's hens. She is not only teaching at the high school, but is also the head of the science department. Tory decided, in order to get to know the community, to help "Common Connections", a non-profit community center in Rankin County. She had not planned to do Christmas this year because her fiancé abandoned her, but she is suddenly enrolled into it in various ways. She gets stuck to EMCEE the fund-raiser "Tinsel" for the center and needs creative ideas for the program because the band cancelled. Can she turn the evening into a success in spite of the many challenges and last-minute surprises?
This was the first book by Liz Talley which I read. I highly recommend it with its believable characters. It is funny, emotional, and offers some unexpected surprises. The Christmas romance is clean and wholesome, easy and fast to read. The author underlines the importance of home, family, and friends. Lastly, Hallmark Publishing included the recipe for "Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies that are made by Tansy and others in the story.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#ADownHomeChristmas #NetGalley
RITA-award finalist and contemporary romance writer Liz Talley presents "A Down Home Christmas" which was published by Hallmark Publishing. Kris Trabeau, a country music singer, wishes to succeed in his own way. One of his plans is to convince his aunt Tansy to sell the family farm and to move her into a retirement community close to Nashville where he is living, but will this plan succeed? And what will he do with the other challenges thrown in his way? His aunt Tansy, a former singer, is fiercely independent and is the owner of Trabeau family farm in Charming, Mississippi. She raised Kris since he lost his parents at the age of ten through and accident. She is also the owner of sweater wearing hens. Tansy is not at all willing to sell the farm and move anywhere, although she acknowledges that she might need some help. Tansy's neighbor, Tory (Victoria) Odom, is the owner of the dog Edison who sometimes lacks discipline and likes to chase Tansy's hens. She is not only teaching at the high school, but is also the head of the science department. Tory decided, in order to get to know the community, to help "Common Connections", a non-profit community center in Rankin County. She had not planned to do Christmas this year because her fiancé abandoned her, but she is suddenly enrolled into it in various ways. She gets stuck to EMCEE the fund-raiser "Tinsel" for the center and needs creative ideas for the program because the band cancelled. Can she turn the evening into a success in spite of the many challenges and last-minute surprises?
This was the first book by Liz Talley which I read. I highly recommend it with its believable characters. It is funny, emotional, and offers some unexpected surprises. The Christmas romance is clean and wholesome, easy and fast to read. The author underlines the importance of home, family, and friends. Lastly, Hallmark Publishing included the recipe for "Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies that are made by Tansy and others in the story.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#ADownHomeChristmas #NetGalley
March 22, 2025
A Down Home Christmas is that small-town holiday comfort read where big-city problems get fixed by twinkle lights, Christmas concerts, and a well-timed plate of cookies. Kris Trabeau is a country music star on the brink of burnout. The spotlight is bright, but his inspiration has gone dim, and he’s in desperate need of a reset. So he heads back to his hometown of Charming, Mississippi, with one mission: convince his fiercely independent Aunt Tansy to sell the family farm and move into a cushy retirement community. But Aunt Tansy? She’s not going anywhere — and she’s got backup.
Enter Tory Odom, Aunt Tansy’s neighbor, who’s been through her own heartbreak and isn’t exactly brimming with holiday cheer. Still, she’s stepping up to co-chair the town’s children’s Christmas concert and silent auction — and ropes Kris into helping. Between rehearsals, decorating, and dodging well-meaning neighbors who absolutely cannot mind their own business, Tory and Kris start to form a gentle, unexpected connection.
Kris’s journey is the heart of the story. He’s not arrogant or flashy — just a guy who’s lost sight of what makes life meaningful. Through community, family tug-of-wars (the showdown with Aunt Tansy is chef’s kiss), and spending time with kids who remind him why music matters, he starts to rediscover himself.
Tory’s arc is quieter but steady; she’s the calm presence nudging Kris toward the realization that maybe home isn’t a place you outgrow. Their romance is soft and sweet — more Hallmark glow than swoon — but by the end, you’re smiling and craving a mug of hot cocoa.
4 stars — gentle, warm, and charming in all the right ways. A Down Home Christmas is about coming home, finding what matters, and maybe falling in love between cookie baking and Christmas carols. Cozy up, and don’t skip the recipe for Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies at the end.
Enter Tory Odom, Aunt Tansy’s neighbor, who’s been through her own heartbreak and isn’t exactly brimming with holiday cheer. Still, she’s stepping up to co-chair the town’s children’s Christmas concert and silent auction — and ropes Kris into helping. Between rehearsals, decorating, and dodging well-meaning neighbors who absolutely cannot mind their own business, Tory and Kris start to form a gentle, unexpected connection.
Kris’s journey is the heart of the story. He’s not arrogant or flashy — just a guy who’s lost sight of what makes life meaningful. Through community, family tug-of-wars (the showdown with Aunt Tansy is chef’s kiss), and spending time with kids who remind him why music matters, he starts to rediscover himself.
Tory’s arc is quieter but steady; she’s the calm presence nudging Kris toward the realization that maybe home isn’t a place you outgrow. Their romance is soft and sweet — more Hallmark glow than swoon — but by the end, you’re smiling and craving a mug of hot cocoa.
4 stars — gentle, warm, and charming in all the right ways. A Down Home Christmas is about coming home, finding what matters, and maybe falling in love between cookie baking and Christmas carols. Cozy up, and don’t skip the recipe for Jingle Bell Fruitcake Cookies at the end.
July 21, 2019
A Down Home Christmas is a feel-good festive read with a cheery country vibe. A heartwarming love story enlaced with a deep message about community volunteer work and the education of foster children.
I really enjoyed reading about how rising star Kris Trabeau navigated the pits and falls of the music industry to find a good work-life balance. On a quest to find much-needed inspiration for his second album, Kris ends up back in Mississippi to convince his injured lonely aunt to sell the family home and move closer to him in a specialised facility in Nashville. Surely, nothing goes his way and while dealing with a demanding hot-shot career, Kris has to face an unwilling aunt and a new love interest with pretty neighbour Tory, a science teacher.
The budding relationship between Tory and Kris first comes across as an impossible love story between a celebrity and an ordinary small-town girl, but the way the author described Tory’s inner turmoil (her lack of confidence and insecurities due to a past heartbreak) was very subtle and sharp, giving the final happy end twist much credibility and authenticity.
I thought the writing style was pleasant and flowing, allowing the novel to unfold seamlessly. The stakes were interesting and genuine. The only flaw I found was the choice of visually similar names for two main characters: Tory and Tansy. I always prefer when the names are visually more identifiable for each character. Tory’s full name is Victoria (used once in the book by the character’s mother). It would have been a bit less confusing form the get-go to retain her full name everywhere.
I really enjoyed reading about how rising star Kris Trabeau navigated the pits and falls of the music industry to find a good work-life balance. On a quest to find much-needed inspiration for his second album, Kris ends up back in Mississippi to convince his injured lonely aunt to sell the family home and move closer to him in a specialised facility in Nashville. Surely, nothing goes his way and while dealing with a demanding hot-shot career, Kris has to face an unwilling aunt and a new love interest with pretty neighbour Tory, a science teacher.
The budding relationship between Tory and Kris first comes across as an impossible love story between a celebrity and an ordinary small-town girl, but the way the author described Tory’s inner turmoil (her lack of confidence and insecurities due to a past heartbreak) was very subtle and sharp, giving the final happy end twist much credibility and authenticity.
I thought the writing style was pleasant and flowing, allowing the novel to unfold seamlessly. The stakes were interesting and genuine. The only flaw I found was the choice of visually similar names for two main characters: Tory and Tansy. I always prefer when the names are visually more identifiable for each character. Tory’s full name is Victoria (used once in the book by the character’s mother). It would have been a bit less confusing form the get-go to retain her full name everywhere.
June 30, 2019
If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, you’ll really enjoy A Down Home Christmas! The author did a great job describing the characters and the scenes so perfectly that I could easily picture them in my mind. I mean, who could not love an elderly aunt that knits “clothes” for her chickens and names them after country music stars, ie: Loretta Lynn. Add a young attractive neighbor, Tory, and an up and coming Country Music Star, Kris, the nephew and these are all the ingredients you need for a fun time down on the old farm home place.
Kris is only there for a short time to convince his aunt to sell the generations old farm and move to Nashville to be closer to him (and safer, in his mind). The sparks begin to fly! Tory is a high school science teacher and afternoon community volunteer to a group of kids that have many needs. She was such an awesome character with lots of love for these kids and of course for her faithful companion Edison.
Aunt Tansy tries her best to convince Kris he belongs on the farm by preparing an old fashioned down home country Christmas with the help of Tory. Will she succeed or will Kris continue to follow his career dreams? Is there a fine line between what’s your dreams for yourself or are they simply to show another person you were right?
I do hope this is seriously considered for a Hallmark Christmas movie. It would be a delightful and touching movie to prepare for the holiday season.
I received a complimentary copy ebook from Hallmark Publishing but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.
Kris is only there for a short time to convince his aunt to sell the generations old farm and move to Nashville to be closer to him (and safer, in his mind). The sparks begin to fly! Tory is a high school science teacher and afternoon community volunteer to a group of kids that have many needs. She was such an awesome character with lots of love for these kids and of course for her faithful companion Edison.
Aunt Tansy tries her best to convince Kris he belongs on the farm by preparing an old fashioned down home country Christmas with the help of Tory. Will she succeed or will Kris continue to follow his career dreams? Is there a fine line between what’s your dreams for yourself or are they simply to show another person you were right?
I do hope this is seriously considered for a Hallmark Christmas movie. It would be a delightful and touching movie to prepare for the holiday season.
I received a complimentary copy ebook from Hallmark Publishing but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.
June 17, 2019
It does feel a bit odd reading a Christmas story in June, but the weather is atrocious at the minute, so with a little Christmas background music on I soon felt like it was December and not (supposedly!) summer.
This was a very sweet story about an up-and-coming country music star and how his aged aunt, who brought him up, reminded him that success wasn't everything and you should never forget your roots.
Kris has returned home to Charming to try and persuade his aunt to sell their farm and move to an assisted living facility nearer him where he feels she will be better looked after. He isn't doing it for the money, he honestly does just want her to be looked after. But his Aunt Tansy is having none of it and starts a campaign to show him just how important Trabeau Farm is to their family, and has been over the generations. Kris kind of lost track of that a bit in his quest to become a country music star.
Tansy also involves her teacher neighbour Tory in this. Tory has recently split with her partner and so isn't into the Christmas spirit at all, but soon gets involved in the holiday festivities with being persuaded to help Tansy decorate the farm for the holidays, and is also persuaded to help organise the Tinsel Ball at the centre she volunteers at for youngsters who need a bit of extra help.
A really lovely Christmas-feeling story with feisty characters, this book will definitely get you in the Christmas mood!
This was a very sweet story about an up-and-coming country music star and how his aged aunt, who brought him up, reminded him that success wasn't everything and you should never forget your roots.
Kris has returned home to Charming to try and persuade his aunt to sell their farm and move to an assisted living facility nearer him where he feels she will be better looked after. He isn't doing it for the money, he honestly does just want her to be looked after. But his Aunt Tansy is having none of it and starts a campaign to show him just how important Trabeau Farm is to their family, and has been over the generations. Kris kind of lost track of that a bit in his quest to become a country music star.
Tansy also involves her teacher neighbour Tory in this. Tory has recently split with her partner and so isn't into the Christmas spirit at all, but soon gets involved in the holiday festivities with being persuaded to help Tansy decorate the farm for the holidays, and is also persuaded to help organise the Tinsel Ball at the centre she volunteers at for youngsters who need a bit of extra help.
A really lovely Christmas-feeling story with feisty characters, this book will definitely get you in the Christmas mood!
July 20, 2019
This delightful novel, A Down Home Christmas, fits perfectly with Hallmark. You meet the country sensation Kris who has returned to his southern home in an attempt to convince his Aunt Tansy to move to Nashville with him. Tansy, a lover of music and former performer, is steadfast in keeping the farm that’s been part of their family for generations.
Her neighbor, the whip-smart Tory (and her rambunctious pup Einstein) is roped into helping Tansy throw a good ole fashioned Christmas to convince Kris to keep the farm. Of course, Tory has a few issues of her own to deal with, namely a charity fundraiser for the disadvantage kids she helps. This includes a young girl by the name of Bria who turns out to have a remarkable singing voice. Tory convinces her to preform for the fundraiser, but Bria insists she’ll only do it with Kris.
Kris, his mind torn between his career and this sudden interest in Tory, is called away to do an interview in LA. He swears he’ll be back in time to help Bria. But will he? Will he finally admit he loves Tory? Will she accept the fact that she’s fallen in love with him?
A Down Home Christmas is a wonderfully written, captivating tale. It’s easy to imagine it playing out on the Hallmark channel as one of their fabulous Christmas movies. If you’re a Hallmark fan, read this! If you love sweet Christmas romances, read this! If you just enjoy a good book, read this!
Her neighbor, the whip-smart Tory (and her rambunctious pup Einstein) is roped into helping Tansy throw a good ole fashioned Christmas to convince Kris to keep the farm. Of course, Tory has a few issues of her own to deal with, namely a charity fundraiser for the disadvantage kids she helps. This includes a young girl by the name of Bria who turns out to have a remarkable singing voice. Tory convinces her to preform for the fundraiser, but Bria insists she’ll only do it with Kris.
Kris, his mind torn between his career and this sudden interest in Tory, is called away to do an interview in LA. He swears he’ll be back in time to help Bria. But will he? Will he finally admit he loves Tory? Will she accept the fact that she’s fallen in love with him?
A Down Home Christmas is a wonderfully written, captivating tale. It’s easy to imagine it playing out on the Hallmark channel as one of their fabulous Christmas movies. If you’re a Hallmark fan, read this! If you love sweet Christmas romances, read this! If you just enjoy a good book, read this!
June 8, 2019
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Words cannot describe how much I enjoy reading each title from Hallmark Publishing. And "A Down Home Christmas" is no exception.
After receiving word that his Aunt Tansy has broken her leg, Kris Trabeau is coming home to help out with her property...and to finally convince her to come and live next to him in the big city. Small town life never suited Kris, that's why he left in pursuit of his music career and never came back. But changing Aunt Tansy's mind is going to be a process. She's fiercely against moving and insists that she will never sell the property. After all, it is part of Kris's heritage.
Tory isn't sure what to make of the country star that has invaded the town. He seems nice enough but distant. But then again, what's it to her? After things get back to normal, he will leave and never give the town a second glance. Her job for now is to put together this year's Christmas program and to not fall for the handsome country singer who keeps running into her.
This was a sweet romance novel that I highly recommend reading if you are a fan of Hallmark movies. As always, these books are free from language, violence, or sexually explicit content and is appropriate for all ages.
Words cannot describe how much I enjoy reading each title from Hallmark Publishing. And "A Down Home Christmas" is no exception.
After receiving word that his Aunt Tansy has broken her leg, Kris Trabeau is coming home to help out with her property...and to finally convince her to come and live next to him in the big city. Small town life never suited Kris, that's why he left in pursuit of his music career and never came back. But changing Aunt Tansy's mind is going to be a process. She's fiercely against moving and insists that she will never sell the property. After all, it is part of Kris's heritage.
Tory isn't sure what to make of the country star that has invaded the town. He seems nice enough but distant. But then again, what's it to her? After things get back to normal, he will leave and never give the town a second glance. Her job for now is to put together this year's Christmas program and to not fall for the handsome country singer who keeps running into her.
This was a sweet romance novel that I highly recommend reading if you are a fan of Hallmark movies. As always, these books are free from language, violence, or sexually explicit content and is appropriate for all ages.
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