Hem till jul

by Nora Roberts

Äntligen är Jason tillbaka igen. Hans barndomsstad är sig lik efter alla år. Frågan är om allt annat också är oförändrat? Finns Faith kvar, kvinnan han aldrig slutat tänka på, aldrig slutat älska? Och är hon beredd att ta emot hans kärlek? Allt han önskar är att de åtminstone ska få en jul tillsammans ...

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Holiday, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Fiction, Contemporary

Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Reviews

[Alp · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

A lovely short story.

I went into the book blind, didn't even know that it was a second chance romance. I secretly shrieked with joy when I knew that Jason and Faith were once an item and madly in love way back when they were young. But then it was “the secret baby trope” that made my excitement and enjoyment fade a bit. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting the author to use this boring plot device in this story.

However, despite the fact that I don’t particularly like reading this kind of trope, this was still a sweet quick read for me.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Second chance novella written by Nora Roberts was fantastic! Perfect for the Christmas spirit!

Jack is coming back to his home town of Quiet Valley a decade after he left it. His heart was broken once but he’s ready to return to his roots. It doesn't matter that the woman he once loved is married to another man now.

Faith is a single parent after her divorce not too soon after her daughter was born. She takes care of Clara the best way she can. Faith's business is doing well and she likes the small-town living. She is content with her life. At times, she feels lonely and wishes she had a partner to share her life with. She has only loved one man but he chose to leave her behind and she has made peace with it until she finds him outside her doorstep.

Now, Jack is back and he wants to rekindle their romance but she is not alone. She has a daughter to think about. Clara comes first. How can they make it work?

A sweet and magical story. It left me with a big smile on my face.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Nikki (Saturday Nite Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ho-Ho-Ho...more like No-No-No.

I had been seeing so many Christmas story bookstagram posts that I felt a sudden urge to listen to a holiday audiobook. I came across Nora Roberts' novella, Home for Christmas, on Amazon for $3.49: so I thought I would give it a go. Another plus: it was less than 3 hours!

If it wasn't less than 3 hours, it would have been a DNF.

Jason and Faith were HS love birds. Jason leaves town for a job and asks Faith to wait for him. Flash forward 10 years: Jason never came back for Faith, Faith married someone else and has a kid. Jason is now back in town to win Faith back. Blah, blah, blah.

Beware of reading any further, a small spoiler is below:
First off, Jason's excuse for not calling Faith - during the 3 months it took Jason being gone for her to marry someone else - that he needed to settle in...I am not buying what Nora Roberts is selling. I could go on, but I wouldn't want to bore you.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten years ago, Jason Law asked his high school girlfriend to wait for him while he found a job and settled down. When he contacted her six months later, he learned that she had married. Jason, now a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter, has returned to his small New Hampshire hometown and the woman he never forgot.

This is an older Christmas novella that feels dated to me. I had problems with the story. Jason left home and never contacted the woman he loved for six months. Really??? His excuse was he was getting settled into a new job. Of course, Faith did not know where he was and could not contact him. Now Jason is back. When he finds out she is divorced, he wants to rekindle their romance. She is wary since she has to look out for her daughter.

This second chance at love story really didn't have anything new to offer. My rating: 2.5 Stars.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Home for Christmas" is the story of Faith and Jason.

Oh what a BEAUTIFUL second chance romance!

He came from a broken house. She came from a supportive family. He wanted to prove himself and find success. She wanted love, and him. Yet ten years ago, the hero left the heroine utterly heartbroken, and with a gift..
He returns to his hometown, to find her divorced, owning a successful business and with a wonderful daughter. Both soon realize that their love never died, that they could have done so many things differently, and that it's not too late..

Sweet, heartwarming, angst filled Christmas romance which will tug at your heartstrings!

Heavily recommended for a feel good aura!

Unsafe
4.5/5

[paige (ptsungirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dreams weren't just for nighttime."

[Aimee Nicole Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a very long time since I’ve read a Nora Roberts romance. Shame on me! This book was warm and delightful and everything I love about a Christmas romance.

[Patricia Ayuste]

Un famoso escritor que vuelve a su pueblo de la infancia, una mujer independiente con su propio negocio y un reencuentro agridulce.

Cuando el reportero Jason Law decide volver al pueblo donde creció para vivir la Navidad, los recuerdos del pasado lo inundarán todo desde el momento en que se reencuentra con Faith Kirkpatrick, la novia a la que dejó atrás para ir en busca de un trabajo en la gran ciudad. Diez años después, Faith ha rehecho su vida, tiene una hija y un negocio propio y Jason, un famoso escritor que ha recorrido el mundo entero, sigue sin olvidar a Faith.

En "Una Navidad para dos corazones" Nora Roberts construye una emotiva historia de amor entre un famoso escritor y su novia de la juventud que se reencuentran con motivo del regreso de él al pueblo en el que vivía de niño para celebrar la Navidad. Una novela que se adentra en temas como el amor, la familia, la infancia, el perdón, la culpa y la Navidad.

✔️ Puntos fuertes: lectura ágil y amena gracias a una prosa muy sencilla, ágil y directa y capítulos breves, la emotividad y el final.

❤ Te gustará si: buscas una lectura entretenida, una historia romántica o si te gusta la obra de la autora.

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful! Such a sweet little romantic story that is perfect for the holidays!

[maria helena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable and boring.

[Kate Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already knew there was no way this book was gonna be bad, in fact, it exceeded my expectations! Jason returns to his childhood hometown of Quiet Valley after 10 years of being away and runs into his childhood girlfriend Faith, who runs a doll store (????) and also has a daughter… who is 9. I honestly didn’t put two and two together until it was revealed in the book and I felt kinda stupid bc it’s so obvious 😭 but yes! Good book! Read it in like 2 hours which will feel nice on my reading goal 😌

[Vani (Por Amor a los Libros) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sería un 2,5 ⭐ porque es un libro muy cortito pero para navidad estuvo bien ;)

[Serena Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

relato corto de Navidad, bastante predecible. Una lectura para pasar una tarde tranquila

6/10

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Read this as a part of "The Gift" bind up.
I really liked this book and thought it was a sweet second chance romance. This book is about Jason who goes back to his hometown and wants to run into Faith and see where she's at. They had a relationship then he left for work and broke up but he never fell out of love with her. I liked reading this but it was really quick (80 pages) so it didn't wow me.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
She is divorced and has a child and its actually Jason's.

[Fay Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Popsugar 2016 (Dec 2015 - Dec 2016) A book guaranteed to bring you joy

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not an especially great secret baby book but it wasn't a terrible one either.

[Maida · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s not to love? Second-chance at love, secret baby, precocious kid, wise mother figure, descriptive writing. It’s a Hallmark Christmas movie with sex. Yes, please.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason that this isn't getting 1 star is because the writing was passable. This is a second-chance romance AND secret child trope in one short novella. Not to mention that those two tropes are some of my least favorite romance tropes. This was trying to do too much for how little pages it has. The title led me to believe that this would be a Christmas themed story but that wasn't exactly the case. It did take place around Christmas but it didn't have the feeling of Christmas like I was hoping.

Also, the couples reasoning for making the decisions that they did were stupid.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite trope, maybe my least favorite honestly, but this somehow was still a sweet and very magical Christmas romance and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

As I always say, I need more Nora in my life.

[aarya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2022 Winter Bingo (#SnowInLoveBingo❄️): Midnights

I didn't realize this was a secret baby novella until the 75% marker reveal. I deserve to lose my romance reader credentials. Read via Scribd/audio (narrated by Will Damron).

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leído el 08/01/2011

[hailie · Rating 2 out of 5]

there is certainly a demographic that would really enjoy this story. i do not fall within it.

[Audrey PLabrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mon coeur fond pour cette magnifique histoire!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

It may be the age of the book, or the feminist in me, but I had many cringe moments as I read it. For example, I absolutely hate when men in books grab the woman’s chin in order to get her attention, kiss her, etc. Ugh- he’d get slapped if he tried that with me. This dude was a big chin grabber.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una bella historia navideña!!!
Jason Law es un periodista de renombre, ganador de un premio Pullizer y de varios premios más. Durante los últimos 10 años, su vida ha sido su trabajo; la vida itinerante de periodista ha sido lo que siempre quiso, la solución para salir de su pequeño pueblo en Quiet Valley, New Hampshire. El trabajo y la aventura lo mantienen activo pero es Navidad y no puede dejar en pensar en Faith Monroe. La única mujer que amó y perdió y todas las preguntas que a pesar de los 10 años transcurridos todavía lo atormentan. Después de tanto tiempo, y por impulso, Jason vuelve a casa a buscar respuestas y tal vez a encontrar lo que siempre quiso más que su carrera.

Como dije una bella y tierna historia, ideal para la época del año. Si le sumamos que esta llena de nieve cuando yo estoy sentada bajo el airea condicionado.... la sensación refrescante que trasmite es un bonus.
Es una historia simple pero romántica y llena del espíritu navideño y segundas oportunidades.

[Mojca · Rating 4 out of 5]

After ten years, Jason Law is back in Quiet Valley. But seeing his first (and only) love again after all this time, isn't easy, especially since she broke the promise she gave him before he left. Faith didn't wait for him, but married someone else, bore another man's baby...But Christmas is a time for miracles, and just maybe both Faith and Jason might get what they always wanted.


This was a wonderful story of second chances both in life and love. A little bittersweet, and a whole lot of lovely with two lovers reunited after a decade finding happiness together at last.

The "big secret" wasn't only predictable, it was out in the open, but I didn't mind. It worked perfectly well. The characters were well fleshed-out, their story tugging at the heartstrings at appropriate moments, the small town feel was just right and perfectly complimented the story, although I could've done without the missing-kid scene. It wasn't bad, but the story could've easily done without it.

Still, a wonderful second-chances story.

[Amalfi Disla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jason Law es un periodista de renombre, ganador de un premio Pullizer y de varios premios más. Durante los últimos 10 años, su vida ha sido su trabajo; la vida itinerante de periodista ha sido lo que siempre quiso, la solución para salir de su pequeño pueblo en Quiet Valley, New Hampshire. El trabajo y la aventura lo mantienen activo pero es Navidad y no puede dejar en pensar en Faith Monroe. La única mujer que amó y perdió y todas las preguntas que a pesar de los 10 años transcurridos todavía lo atormentan. Después de tanto tiempo, y por impulso, Jason vuelve a casa a buscar respuestas y tal vez a encontrar lo que siempre quiso más que su carrera.

Es una historia simple, romántica y llena del espíritu navideño y segundas oportunidades. Este no fue un gran libro pero no fue uno terrible tampoco. Quizá es previsible pero en realidad uno lee este tipo de libros por ello, para que no haya sobresaltos ni melodramas; para disfrutarlos y relajarse en una noche de sábado.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was as gooey and sentimental as expected. But I am, and always have been, a Christmas person, so I'm in full-on holiday mode and I didn't care one bit.

As soon as Clara showed up in the story I knew she'd turn out to be Jason's daughter. And everything else about the novella is just as predictable, to be honest. Yet, it put a smile on my face even in spite of the ridiculousness that was Faith's reason for never telling Jason about Clara. I can understand how there needed to be a reason, obviously, I just didn't think it was a very good one.

This was cute. I really need to go hunt down more Christmas-themed books.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulitzer-prizewinning reporter Jason Law returns to his hometown, Quiet Valley, New Hampshire, with the hope of winning back the girl he left behind some ten years ago. But he and Faith had different dreams: he wanted to travel; she wanted lace curtains and a home.

Now Jason returns, a bona fide success in his field, only to find Faith, who promised to wait for him, is married and the mother of a young daughter. Will Jason and Faith find the Christmas miracle that will bring each of them their heart’s true desire?

This quick-read novella, although predictable, is a sweet read that reminds readers that there are still miracles to find and life is always full of surprises.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Home for Christmas is a short and sweet novella (Nora's first!) that takes place during the holiday season. The setting is cozy, and the characters' past history helps create a well rounded story in a small package. To hear a full discussion of Home for Christmas listen to Season 2, Ep. #2, "Nora Roberts' 1986: Home for Christmas and A Will and a Way" of Romancing the Shelf, a Nora Roberts podcast: https://romancingtheshelf.libsyn.com/