A Witch For Mr. Christmas

Witches of Christmas Grove #2

by Deanna Chase

Welcome to Christmas Grove, the town full of love, magic, and holiday miracles.

Ilsa McKenzie has only ever loved one man. But eleven months ago, he walked out of her life, leaving her heartbroken and her life changed forever. After leaving the magical town of Christmas Grove to regroup and get her life in order, Ilsa’s back, ready to face her past and start her future with or without him. There’s only one question. Will Zach want to be a part of her life or will he run again?

Zach Frost doesn’t love easily. He’s loved and lost before. All he’s ever wanted was to run his Christmas tree farm and start a family. And once Ilsa arrives in town, it seems he’s on the verge of making his dreams come true. But his past is complicated and it’s about to catch up with him. Can he make peace with his mistakes or will he let history repeat itself and lose his chance with the one woman who can make him feel whole?

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Christmas, Paranormal Romance, Holiday, Fiction, Magic

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2020

About the author

Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn't writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country. For more information and updates on newest releases visit her blog at www.deannachase.com.

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of second chances that quickly drew me in and kept me turning the pages. The story is sweet and would make a perfect Hallmark movie. I enjoyed following along on Zach and Ilsa’s journey to rebuild their friendship and more.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Witch for Mr. Christmas by Deanna Chase has Zach Frost getting the shock of his life when he discovers that he has a two-month-old daughter, Mia with Ilsa McKenzie. Zach wants to be a part of Mia’s life and he regrets breaking things off with Ilsa. The chemistry is still strong between Zach and Ilsa, but Ilsa has trust issues that will be hard for Zach to overcome. Things are further complicated when Zach’s ex-girlfriend makes an unexpected appearance. Santa is going to need a little witchy assistance to bring Ilsa and Zach together! A Witch for Mr. Christmas is a cute story. There is humor, romance, a lovable dog, a cute baby, and holiday magic. A Witch for Mr. Christmas contains Deanna Chase’s trademark writing which makes this magical tale easy to read. I enjoyed the humor that had me chuckling often. I also liked how Zach helped others. He used his special gift to do good during the holiday season. The story contains interesting characters, an enchanting town, and a Christmas tree farm. A Witch for Mr. Christmas is the 2nd tale in Witches of Christmas Grove series, and it can be read on its own. I think it would be helpful to read A Witch for Mr. Holiday first. I like catching up with Rex and Holly. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the magical holiday decorations. They were enchanting. I enjoyed reading this bewitching tale which had a sweet ending and hint of what is to come in the next Witches of Christmas Grove novel. A Witch for Mr. Christmas is a beguiling holiday story with a beautiful baby, miscommunication mayhem, a happy hound, fine friends, holiday happenings, and an enamoring relationship.

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. This series isn’t as fun as the witches of knitting hollow. This series deals with some heavy stuff in each book. I’m not won over and may not continue the series.

Rated: 2.5/3 Stars

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy and sweet Christmassy read that filled my heart with joy.
Yes, it's cheesy and yes it's predictable but I really enjoyed it and will be carrying on with the Christmas Grove series.

[A Turtles Nest Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

(𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦)

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had all the christmas vibes that I wanted. It did have more involvement with witches and exactly what I had wanted from the first book. Zach and Ilsa had so much chemistry, even though Ilsa was so entrusting. I enjoyed reading this. The humor, the doggy, and everything else made this book so enjoyable. Now I did like seeing Rex and Holly and how things were going for them. On to book 3 of this series.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022 bk 392 Sequel, but with the same 4 major characters. A year has passed and there is a new baby in town. Mix in a determined grandmother, a manipulative former fiance, a lonely boy, and Zach is caught between a rock and a hard place.

[Laura Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely Christmas story, I would have liked to have seen more story and back detail about the witch part. But a cute Christmas read

[Yvonne Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Christmas story! This is the second book in the series and is just so good. Zach and Ilsa was a great couple with lots of history. Surprise Zach Ilsa returns with Mia his daughter Surprise. Wow so much to overcome in this one and such a good read. I highly recommend you make time because you will not want to put down.

[Kat Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute little lively story between two unlikely people who’ve always had a crush on each other but never realized the other one felt the same way. With a surprise arrival, they begin to overcome all the trust issues between each other, a Christmas romance begins to bloom. Will all the outside secrets wreak too much havoc to move on. 😍

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute series. The second had a more interesting story than the first and the complications in the plot felt more realistic. I loved the holiday sentiment to both this and the previous book.

A good, light holiday read.

[Sandy]

A Witch for Mr. Christmas by Deanna Chase is a wonderful story about second chances. It immediately drew me in from the beginning to the end. Absolutely love the Christmas sentiment and would love to see this made into a Hallmark Movie. Waiting patiently for the next book

[Melissa T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun installment in this series. My husband got me this and gave it to me as an early Christas present. I'll definitely keep reading this series, it's almot tradition to, now.

[Black Butterfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

CUTE LIKE A HALLMARK MOVIE, NOT SEXUALLY EXPLICIT. ;D

[Sandra Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good holiday story

Ilsa and Zack make a great couple, add Mia, a beautiful little baby girl the family is complete. When both of their ex's try to step in to disrupt the balance of a happy home, both ex's get a rude awakening. You can't tear apart what is fated to be.

[Diane Selander- maglioli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Witch for Mr. Christmas

This book was such a wonderful light love story. The characters had great personalities and scenery descriptions made you want to be there.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely to read!

A fun, quick-paced story with several happy endings! I will love to read the series very soon! This is a great book

[Jamoz23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this due to the ending of book one which had me surprised, but found myself quite annoyed by Zach.
I don’t like secret baby tropes but this one wasn’t too bad as Isla had tried to do the right thing and was pretty blameless in what happened.
Zach though, oh boy, did I want to kick him in the pants.
He is untruthful and not honest with himself, continuing an unhealthy relationship for six years with a woman who was once pregnant with his dead cousins’ baby.
I could understand he wanted to support the baby as he was a relative, but to actually have a long term relationship with such a manipulative piece of work. Lacking balls comes to mind.
He actually goes running on this other woman’s whim, bemoaning that he cannot ignore her but can ignore Isla.
He states he does not have strong feelings about Isla at that point in time, okay that is understandable, but was happily having sex with her for three days and then just blows Isla off to once again respond to this manipulative woman’s wishes.
The problem is that in book one it is implied that Isla and Zach were dancing around each other for a while.
Zach was especially not honest with Isla about a few things.
Found Isla just a bit too sweet and weak. Her easy acceptance of Zach’s surprise news, after his furtive lack of explanation, especially as it doesn’t come out till very near the end, was just too simple. No one would forgive that easily.
I actually wish she had stood up for herself, got on her own two feet job and house wise and then made Zach prove his feelings were true.
It feels like she settled for the easy option.
Zach is meant to come across as this nice guy due to the sweet things he does, and yes the raffle thing was great, but I just found him weak and untrustworthy.
He was weak in regards to Whitney and her manipulations of both him and her own son and he was untrustworthy due to his lack of honesty with Isla.
He had so many chances to tell Isla the truth about his “cousins son” but she once again gets blindsided by his actions.
This is after we have also had another woman having dinner, decorating his Christmas tree with him and kissing him, which Isla sees.
I also wondered why Zach was dad and not Uncle Zach to Vin, which would have been more appropriate.
He says ‘THEY’ lost a lot of time but it was due to HIS ignoring of Isla’s attempts to talk to him that the year with his daughter was lost.
Not as magic based as it could have been.
Read through Kindle Unlimited.
Will read reviews on next book first but as my review is in the minority on this book, it may just have to be a read a see.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

✮✮✮½

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wish I could give this book a higher rating because I like Chase's writing, but I just can't. For the first half of this book I absolutely hated Zach because he was a self-centered asshole. That isn't to say that he "grew" in the other half; instead he had a complete 180 around 75% of the way through. The ending is only satisfying if you can suspend your belief to truly believe that he is in love with Ilsa and doesn't just want the "family" he has always dreamed of having. Zach never has to fight for her, earn her forgiveness, or prove his feelings for her (not just their daughter). I also really dislike it when the epilogue or last chapter of a book is really just an intro to the next book in the series. I don't like being manipulated into continuing a series.

[Heather Huth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing as always

I have never been disappointed in a Deana Chase book and this one does not disappoint. Lisa and Zach start out bumpy but the development of their love story is magical. An exceptionally seasonal and heart warming holiday read.

[Cathie Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Betryal

Barely a note let alone a story, Guys. This breaking one good book into several novellas, it's a bad trend. Most of us who have graduated 3rd grade can see through it. Want to sell a book for more, make it several small books!
R

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ilsa McKenzie and Zach Frost, stars of Deanna Chase’s A Witch for Mr. Christmas, enjoyed a very steamy love affair last Christmas. But Zach just learned that their affair resulted in a bouncing baby girl. After being jerked around by his ex once again, Zach had stepped back from Ilsa and didn’t return any of her calls, so he wasn’t aware of her pregnancy. Now Ilsa and their daughter, Mia, have come home for good, and Zach desperately wants to make amends to Ilsa and be a part of their lives. Of course, Ilsa has major reservations about opening her heart back up to the man that ignored her when she needed him most (even if Zach didn’t realize just why Ilsa needed him). Zach, for his part, has serious trust issues stemming from his relationship with his ex Whitney, and Ilsa has her own relationship baggage because of the man she was involved with before Zach. But deep down they both want to find a way to put their pasts behind them and build a family together with their daughter. As Ilsa and Zach try to navigate dating while co-parenting, both of their exes reappear to threaten the future of this new little family.

Overall, I enjoyed A Witch for Mr. Christmas. I appreciate that Zach immediately accepted his responsibilities as a father and that he had genuine love for Mia from the start. Zach and Ilsa have terrific chemistry, but I liked that Ms. Chase had both characters put Mia first when considering their future as a couple. Both of them wanted to make sure that any relationship between them would always have Mia’s best interest at heart and not risk their ability to co-parent. And one of my favorite parts about reading a series is getting to catch up with characters from earlier books, so I loved seeing how Rex and Holly were doing and finding out more about their life together. Ms. Chase does a great job in this book of weaving together multiple plot points (including the set-up for the next book) into a very en#joyable Christmas romance.

My biggest complaint about A Witch for Mr. Christmas concerns Zach’s ex Whitney and her hold over him. Zach and Ilsa have known each other since they were young and grew up in Christmas Grove, a small town where everyone supposedly knows everyone. I find it difficult to believe that Zach could have had this complicated relationship with Whitney for all these years and that Ilsa never heard anything about it. Plus, according to the first book, Holly thinks of Zach like a brother, and since Ilsa is Holly’s best friend, that makes it seem even more unlikely that Ilsa would be completely in the dark about Whitney. And the same could be said for Zach not knowing about Ilsa’s relationship with Kevin. It felt like the long-standing connections between some of the characters were conveniently forgotten to create some of the tension in the plot line. But those complaints aside, I still enjoyed how Zach and Ilsa dealt with their exes and the resulting dramas they created.

I recommend this book. I received an ARC of this book from the author, but that did not influence my decision to review this book.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilsa McKenzie has returned to Christmas Grove and is staying with her best friend and her fiancé. She had left town after spending a memorable night with the only man she has ever loved, Zach Frost, who then walked out on her to avoid commitment. Their night together resulted in a daughter, Mia Renee Frost, currently 2 months old and meeting her daddy for the first time. He adored his child immediately as she had reached her arms out to him and cooed and seemed almost to laugh. He tentatively asked Ilsa how long she would be staying, relieved to hear she was back for good. To his surprise, he told her she and Mia should stay with him! But Ilsa needed time to think. He had ghosted her and never made contact in almost a year, so why should she trust him now? Zach then tried to blame his best friend, Rex, for not telling him she was pregnant. Rex told him it was not his place to do that, and reminded Zach that he had asked him several times to call her, that he would regret it if he didn’t. So Zach backed off. Ilsa didn’t want him back if all he felt was obligation. She wanted him to love her.

Zach Frost doesn’t fall in love easily. The two of them now have to build trust and figure out if they can make this work out. His past is complicated and is about to catch up with him. Can he resolve his problems and get another chance with the woman he needs in his life? Can they come together and be a loving family at last?

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Ilsa and Zach's turn to find their happy place and...well, Zach has a lot of making up to do after dropping Ilsa like a hot rock and letting things slide for eleven months. A LOT of making up.

More than that, though, he has to come to terms with the time he lost with someone special. All because his complicated past reared up and he pushed aside the blossoming relationship between him and Ilsa to deal with it. And then he didn't make ANY effort to reconnect with the lady who rocked his world. So, really, everything that happened is his fault and, again, A LOT of making up.

As for Ilsa, she's rallied and fortified her heart after Zach's sudden emotional turnaround the year before. She has things happening in her life and chasing after Zach when he's basically turned her back on her isn't her main priority. While she's fully aware she's going to have to face him and their past when she makes the choice to return to Christmas Grove, she's put up enough walls around her heart that she's (fairly) sure she can handle it.

Turns out neither of them can. Because they still have chemistry. Smoking hot chemistry.

Quirk, the holidays, two people figuring out how to make things work when life throws up continuous roadblocks, and a little magic. I'm enjoying this town and all the wacky inhabitants.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Janet Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Witch For Mr. Christmas is book 2 in the Witches of Christmas Grove series. I have to admit, when I pre-ordered book 3 in this series and realized it won't be out until November 16th of 2021, I was disappointed because I wanted to read it NOW. Then I realized that the Witches of Christmas Grove series is the perfect beginning to the Christmas season, and I now hope that there are many more Christmas seasons that begin for me with a book from this series.

In A Witch For Mr. Christmas, Zach sees Ilsa for the first time when she returns to Christmas Grove after being gone for a year. Zach walked away from Ilsa and ghosted her when she tried to call him after she left almost a year ago. If only he had know why she had been calling, he probably would have answered her calls. Ilsa returns with her daughter, Mia. Zach's daughter. 

As with any HEA, Ilsa and Zach don't have an easy way to their HEA. They both have pasts that they have to confront. Both in baggage that causes trust and communication issues, and exes that they both have to deal with before they can reach that place where they can finally be a happy little family. 

I not only highly recommend A Witch for Mr. Christmas, I also highly recommend all of Deanna Chase's books. I read my first Deanna Chase book I don't know how many years ago and I haven't looked back. I read every new one that comes out.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second book of the Christmas Grove series we read about Isla and Zack...in the first book they had a one night stand that left Isla alone because Zack couldn't commit to a relationship...
Isla is back and she's not alone. She is staying next door to Zack with Holly and Rex....but Isla has a secret to tell Zack and she is not quite sure how to do it...
Once Zack finds out that baby Mia is his....he is all in! He goes above and beyond because he missed the first 2 months of Mia's life and he won't be missing any more time.
Isla and Zack has a wonderful story to tell and Deanna Chase hit another one out of the ballpark. I have always said "How does Deanna do it? How can she make me love each and every book thinking it's the best one then another book comes out and I say this is the best one? Each and every book Deanna writes is full of love, compromising, and understanding! I fell in love with this story but I know when the next one comes out I will fall in love all over again!

If you haven't read Deanna's books I highly recommend them!
This series would make a great Hallmark Christmas movie!!!

I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest opinion....

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilsa McKenzie had a big surprise for Zack Frost; or rather, a little surprise. Their relationship abruptly ended eleven months ago with no explanation from Zack. Ilsa ran to Sacremento to learn more about management, but to also get away from Christmas Grove and Zack Frost. Only to find herself, and her baby girl, returning to Christmas Grove to build a life.

Zack Frost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Ilsa standing outside of his best friends Rex and Holly's house. The woman he pushed out of his life 11 months ago was standing before him. It wasn't until a beat later that he realized she was not standing there alone. She had a baby with her. HIS baby, as Ilsa explained. Zack was floored, but knew one thing. He wanted to be a part of his little girl's life. He and Ilsa had a pretty hot affair, but he ended it when his ex, Whitney, wanted to work things out. It didn't work out, and he left a few months later.

With baggage in both of their pasts, including serious trust and abandonment issues, can Zack and Ilsa make their little family work? Another great story full of wonderful characters in the magical town of Christmas Grove.

[Fraxinus · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the year rounds to a close, my family and I are binge-watching Hallmark movies to get ourselves in the spirit of Christmas and this book is like a Hallmark Movie... with ACTUAL magic. Ilsa and Zach's story is sweet. After having a crush on Zach for years, Ilsa finally let's Zach into her heart only to have him tell her they "can't be together," leaving her heart-broken and pregnant. A year later, Ilsa moves back home and lives with her best-buddy Holly and Zach's best buddy Rex who were featured in the first book and introduces Zach to his daughter, Mia.

This book reminds you that love, like all things in life, is a choice. After wasting a year not communicating, nor trusting the other, they both choose to make their friendship work. And, it is not easy. They both have to swallow their knee-jerk reactions, digging deeper to meet each other, not in anger but in trust and hope. It is a beautiful story that is just right for the holidays.

I can't wait to read the next one. I received an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Heather Rainwater-Alvarado · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has taken me a while to get used to the almost cheesy Christmas themed names and personality quirks, but it has now turned into a fun easter-egg hunt for me to find them all. The plot and characters are well thought out and developed. I love how each story focuses on a new couple, yet the entire series ties together so well. You really do need to read the previous book to understand the plot and characters fully. It still amazes me how you know that Deanna Chase’s books always end up with a happy ending; yet her storytelling is so well done that you don’t really expect all the twists and turns she takes you through to get you there. This book was much better than the first which was very predictable to me; and it showed a lot more raw emotions. I think this really was my favorite out of all Chase’s Witches of Keating Hollow AND Christmas Grove which is saying something. And as always, these books always have a sweet spot that makes me bawl like a baby, and draws you in with the hook about the next witch we can expect in the upcoming book set in Christmas Grove.