Christmas Hope

Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge #4

by Violet Howe, Ev Bishop, Tammy L. Grace

Random circumstances brought them together. Love made them family.

It’s been fifteen years since Madeline Kirby adopted four girls and welcomed them into her home for Christmas. The holiday season has always been a special time for the family, and when one of her daughters plans a Christmas Eve wedding at the Cedar Mountain Lodge, Maddie looks forward to spending the week together in joyous celebration.

With the cancellation of the ceremony mere days before the family’s arrival, Maddie insists they must all forge ahead to the lodge to pull together and support the jilted bride. Luckily, love is swirling with the snow in the mountain air, and it seems no one is immune, not even Maddie.

She’d given up on romance when a tragic auto accident took her beloved husband along with her only child the year she adopted the girls, but a chance encounter with a handsome stranger ignites a spark that Maddie can’t ignore. As she tries to convince her daughters that love is a risk worth taking in their own lives, can Maddie be convinced she’s not too old for another chance?

If you’re a fan of small towns, heartwarming holiday stories, and second chances, you’ll fall in love with Maddie and the soul sisters she brought together in CHRISTMAS HOPE, Book 4 of Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge, from author Violet Howe.

Book 1: Christmas Sisters – perma-FREE prologue book
Book 2: Christmas Kisses by Judith Keim
Book 3: Christmas Wishes by Tammy L. Grace
Book 4: Christmas Hope by Violet Howe
Book 5: Christmas Dreams by Ev Bishop
Book 6: Christmas Rings by Tess Thompson

Genres: Romance, Holiday, Christmas, Chick Lit

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2020

About the author

Violet Howe enjoys writing romance with humor. She lives in Florida with her husband (her knight in shining armor!) and their adorable but spoiled dogs. When she’s not writing, Violet is usually watching movies, reading, or planning her next travel adventure. To learn more about Violet or her books, visit www.violethowe.com.

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas Hope by Violet Howe

Book 4 of the Cedar Mountain Lodge series by 4 different authors. Can be read as a stand-alone romance but better as part of the series. Contemporary, sweet romance with an older heroine.
This is Maddie’s story. A second chance at love.
Maddie has raised her four adopted daughters and all are out of the nest and living their own lives. The women are spending the two weeks around Christmas at the Cedar Mountain Lodge. Maddie will always be their mother, but learning to let go is easier with a handsome man going through the same with his son. Maddie and Robert take some time for themselves during the holiday and learn happiness can grow.

“My heart is filled to overflowing with love.” Excerpt From Christmas Hope by Violet Howe.

Sweet and charming. A feel good holiday series.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifteen years earlier, Maddie needed a purpose in her life, a place to spread the love overflowing in her heart since the death of her young daughter and husband. She found it in the four young girls she took into her home, cementing a family bond that would never die.

Now they are all together at Cedar Mountain Lodge, it’s Christmastime and love is in the air. Could this be the time that love finds Maddie? Is she ready to let go of her past and share her heart with another man? Is it time for her to practice what she has told her daughters time and again, that love is worth taking a risk for? Could Robert be the man she is willing to take that risk for?

CHRISTMAS HOPE by Violet Howe is proof that love isn’t only for the young, but for everyone, regardless of age and it is always worth taking a chance on. Warm, heart-melting and filled with moments of insecurities, humor and the feeling that one is reading about real people, Ms. Howe has nailed what love and romance is all about! It’s about the heart, and if it is still beating, there is always room for companionship, fumbling like teenagers and learning to be a couple committed to sharing.

As the fourth book in this multi-author series all centering around one place and the holidays, I have to say, each book deserves recognition as “truly romantic.” Each author has stamped their personal style on each tale, but they all flow so well together and none feel as if there wasn’t a collective atmosphere to bring warmth and sweet romance alive!

Sit back, get comfortable, and fall in love with the magic of the season and the magic of another very talented author! I think I particularly enjoyed that we know these characters are “more experienced” in life, yet they are still unsure, still a little unprepared about what to do next, yet able to dig through the muddling feelings and not waste time when they know what they want!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Violet Howe and Ev Bishop! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Series: Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge - Book 4
Publication Date : October 15, 2020
Publisher: Violet Howe | Charbar Productions LLC
Genre: Holiday Romance
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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[Jill Eshenbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no age limit on love and romance, at least that's what Maddie's mother Claire thinks. Maddie isn't so sure until she meets the handsome Robert literally by the side of the road. Its lovely to read about a character that isn't a 20 something and can find love and romance in later years. We've gotten to know Maddie's daughters through the series and it's nice that Maddie got her own story. This book is an easy read and joyful to the end. I look forward to seeing how Maddie's romance plays out in the next book of the series.

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddie, her girls, and her mother is spending Christmas week at Cedar Mountain Lodge. This was such a fun book to read. Maddie's mother Claire is such a hoot. I laughed a lot. I hope I will be like her when I am in my 70's. While driving up the mountain in a snowstorm, they come upon a vehicle that has gone off the road. They stop and meet, Robert. Claire tells her daughter to offer him the thermos of coffee and some cookies so she finally does. When they reach the lodge they discover that their reservation has been canceled and they have no rooms available. Robert arrives at the lodge and they discover he is the general manager. He gives them his room.
Maddie and Robert start meeting and talking and the interaction between them oftentimes made me chuckle. This book blends in perfectly with the others in the series but each one is unique. I never expected Claire to be such a character and even with her daughter Maddie, there were a few times, Maddie was in disbelief at the things her mother did. I am still laughing as I write this review. This family just lifts my spirits and I thank all the authors for coming together to write this amazing series and I have loved them all.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Four in the series is Maddie's story. After her husband and daughter died she decided to make a new family and adopted four girls. All of the girls have grown up and moved out of her house. She's spent her whole life being a mom and knowing that she had a wonderful marriage and wasn't planning on falling in love again. Even her mother has found a boyfriend but Maddie resists the thought...until she meets the manager of Cedar Mountain Lodge. Robert has just moved north from Florida and his only son has just gotten engaged in Atlanta so he, too, is alone. Sparks fly as soon as Maddie and Robert meet for the first time. Can they have a happily ever after ending or will their devotion to their families keep them from finding love?

This was another great addition to the Cedar Mountain Lodge series. Can't wait to read book 5.

[Crystal P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Hope by Violet Howe is the 4th book in the Soul Sisters series and the one I have been anticipating the most since reading book 1. Maddie is a very strong woman and her choice to take on the four girls after losing her husband and daughter is proof of that. I couldn’t wait for her to get her story and Robert was more than I could have imagined for her. They were ridiculously cute together and we were able to see all the potential in their relationship from the short moments they were able to steal away together. I was left happy, but wanting more. Maddie is a great mom and counselor and I am so happy that she found a person she was willing to risk her heart on again.

This book made me smile a lot and giggle quite often as Maddie dealt with her mother, her mother’s love life and her girls! It also made me tear up a bit for many of the reasons I just listed.

I received an ARC from Violet Howe for an honest review.

[Laila Nelke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fabulous! Christmas Hope, the 4th book in series is beyond amazing! I was pulled into story immediately. I felt all the emotions characters felt. It made me laugh a lot, I've been crying like a baby. It was happy tears and some sad tears too but most of time it was fun to read.
Violet Howe tells us Maddie's story but we got to know a lot of her mother Claire's life as well. I didn't expect that coming so I'm really glad author surprised me.
Oh Maddie! I really wish I had a mother like Maddie and a grandmother like Claire. They are both wonderful, wise, smart, fierce and fun! And then there's Robert, swoonworthy! One misinterpretation leads to another and another.
Love, all kinds of love are so powerful and it comes when it comes to you even after you think it's not possible. Second chances despite of age? Yes! I loved to see how heroes in their not *twenty-something- anymore* are interacting with one another. It was such a fun to read this lighthearted story. You will have to discover it by yourself though which I highly recommend!

[Carol Deegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge series by various authors is so good! Maddie, who lost her husband and daughter to a car crash, decides to take in four foster children for Christmas, with the thought of adopting them. Christmas Hope is about Maddie, and a second chance at love. With all her daughters and her mother moving on with their lives, she has to decide if she should take a second chance on love. Every time I read one of these books, I am anxious for the next one. I recommend this to anyone who likes a feel good romance series. To get the full picture of how this family evolved, read Christmas Sisters first.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of a woman giving herself a chance at a new life now that her daughters are grown and out of the house.
Trust me - if you like Hallmark Christmas movies you will love this book. You will laugh -at Grandma, Cry a bit - when Maddie finally lets go of her past, and swoon - at the handsome man who is suddenly right in front of her.
this is an easy read that sweeps you away for a bit, and makes you want to read the other books in this series to follow up on all the other characters ....

I received an ARC of this book as a giveaway. This review is entirely mine and not influenced by anyone.

[Serena Soape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Violet Howe will have you smiling from ear to ear with this whimsical Christmas Novel.
The entire cast of characters in “Christmas Hope” is exquisite and easy to fall in love with but Maddie is a truly fascinating character that I absolutely adored.
She opened her heart to the 4 girls after so much loss but has closed her life to love all those years ago. Maddie is truly inspires so many others and puts herself behind everything else going on.
The setting for the novel is dazzling - Cedar Mountain Lodge – we all need to live here.
I would highly recommend this if you are looking for a happy read !!

I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Beatrice Followill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grab a box of Kleenex

,your going to need one or two! I love a good story that pulls on your heartstrings. I knew I would love MAddie when we met her in the first book Christmas Sisters. It was nice getting to know her and her mom Claire who brought some laughs to the story.Maddie is a inspiration and deserves to find some love and hope herself during this journey that she and her daughter's are on in these stories.Nice to see older woman getting a second chance at love as well in the later stages of their life for both Claire and Maddie.

[Kristi Kopydlowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Violet Howe out did herself on this book. The story of Maddie Kirby and her terrible loss to her story of hope is truly a Christmas miracle. Violet has written from the heart tugging on all the heart strings. She has reached all the emotions of family at Christmas. I would recommend this book to all my HEA reading friends. Great job Violet.

[Amber Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Hope by Violet Howe had all the elements to make it a fun and sweet holiday read. Maddie, her feisty mother Claire, and her four adoptive daughters brought all of the emotional family drama. The romantic intrigue between Maddie and Robert had me hooked from the moment they met. It was beyond adorable to watch them figure out how to date each other. Their witty banter and text messages were my favorite parts! I read this book as a standalone, but loved the characters so much that I want to go back and complete their stories.

[Lynne Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen years after a tragic life experience and taking in four motherless girls, Maddie is again spending their favorite holiday with her girls. This time, getting ready for a wedding! While driving to the location for the wedding, Maddie helps a stranded roadside motorist and feels a lost spark. Imagine her surprise when he shows up as management of the event location. Is she too old to find love a second time?
This was a great story catching up with the Kirby girls fifteen years after we first met them. Their grandmother Nan is a hoot. You'll laugh and you'll cry, but you'll come away with the holiday spirit.

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story with an older main character. It is part of a multi-author series but you can read and enjoy this story without having read the other books. The message to me is that sometimes you just find someone even if you are not looking. And you need to be willing to embrace it when it comes. #CMCon24

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 4th book in the series is Maddie's story. Maddie is the Mom who adopted the four Soul Sisters fifteen years ago. I very much enjoyed getting to know Maddie and her own Mom, Claire, in this book. The author did a great job writing about feisty "Nan" Claire. I appreciated the banter between Maddie and her Mom, as well as Maddie's banter with Robert, the lodge manager. All the authors in the series did such a great job writing about the same event, but with such different perspectives. A worthwhile and enjoyable project, resulting in a wonderful series for the readers. Thank you to the author and the publisher for an opportunity to read an Advanced Review Copy. All opinions are my own.

[KS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddie has been my fave from Book 1.

These stories are so heartwarming and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Seeing Maddie get a second chance at love made me giggle at times to see her so carefree and happy. She's spent the past 15 years dedicated to raising her four non-biological yet connected via the heart daughters.

Seeing her meet a handsome stranger who brings out a different side to her was so fun and Claire aka Nan...OMG...that one is a hoot!

You get glimpses into everyone's story, but this one focuses on Maddie. You'll get the most out of this series if you read them from the beginning, for sure.

This sums up the spirit of the book: "The memories filled her with joy, and the idea of what the future would bring filled her with hope."

Robert is quite the goofily awkward at times, but perfect for Maddie new man in her life and he seems to save the day quite a few times. Their flirty banter was so fun and this story just makes you feel good.

Looking forward to the final two books...these stories are just getting better and better.

I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Hope by Violet Howe is the fourth book in the Soul Sisters series. This book focuses on Maddie, the mother in the books. I’m so glad to read from her point of view. I love her character in all of the other books, so it was great to see more of her.

Like all of the previous books, this one is centered around the main event at the lodge during the holidays. It’s Maddie’s turn to find love, and it’s definitely her time to shine - after the tragedy that occurred 15 years earlier, she deserves every chance at a completely fulfilled and happy life.

I feel like Christmas Hope is a very light hearted book with a feel good ending, which might be exactly what a lot of people need right now. Though I’ve never read Violet Howe’s books before, I will definitely seek them out now.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute Christmas story that had everything I could want. Maddie was a widower learning to love again. The chemistry between her and Robert had me hooked from the moment they met. Claire was Maddie's widowed mother and she had already figured out how to get back out there in the dating world. We all know how kids are when their parents start dating again. Then there was Maddie's four adopted daughters and a Christmas Eve wedding. There were a lot of relationship hurdles. I enjoyed discovering how three of these ladies figured things out. I LOVED this author's presentation of this story. I recommend this book. It pulled my heart strings, had me cracking up, and even resulted in some self evaluations.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Christmas Hope by Violet Howe is book 4 and part of the "Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge" series. This was Maddie's story, and it was such a delight to read. She lost her husband and daughter and needed something to help her get through the grief, so she decided on adoption. The way she put caring for children who needed a family and showing them the love they deserved was absolutely amazing. Fast forward to her girls being grown up and one getting married during Christmas and Maddie getting a second chance to find love during the Christmas season. She always puts her family first, and for her to finally experience life was great to read. This was such a wonderful written story, and I will definitely be reading others in this series. It just seems like such a fun world to visit.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Maddie’s story and begins with her story of fostering/adopting 4 girls after the death of her husband and daughter. Advance 15 years and she is now at the Cedar Mountain Lodge for Alissa’s wedding. As she is driving to the lodge with her mother, she comes across a guy whose car has run off the road. Robert turns out to be the new manager of the lodge. Will Maddie’s heart open to her own love or stay wrapped up tight, content with just her 4 adopted daughters and her mother? This is a wonderful multi-author series, and I encourage you to start at the beginning with the prequel, Christmas Sisters.

[Joyce Westmoreland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Hope is a special and sweet Christmas story or Maddie and her four adopted daughters who gather at Cedar Mountain Lodge for Alisha's wedding which has been cancelled. It is the story of love and hopw for the future. Fifteen years before after losing her husband and daughter in a car wreck Maddie adopted the four girls who became her daughters. Love is eternal and our hearts have many compartments for different kinds of love. There is always hope where there it the capacity to love. Sweet and beautiful story.

[Judy Christiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading the Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge series in order. So far, this is my favorite of the series. That is stating a lot, since I love each and every book I have read in this series.

I believe this is my favorite since I am drawn to older people, rather than young ones. Maddie and her mother are a delight to read about, and to state the obvious, without Maddie opening her wounded heart to adopt four young girls, the other stories would not exist.

In book one, we are introduced to Maddie, who lost her loving husband and young daughter (10 years old) in an auto accident. Instead of living in sorrow, she found that helping others helped heal her own life.

In this book, which is 15 years after that first special Christmas when the "soul" family was formed, we read about the family's meeting at the lodge. It is a wonderfully magically Christmas, where they all find a soul mate to add to the family unit. After so many years of Maddie living her life for her girls and her mom, she discovers that the time is perfect for heart to open to romance.

I enjoyed this book so much, and also the entire series.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful romance for the older set!

Smack in the middle of this endearing series, Maddie's romance is sandwiched between the romances of her four adopted daughters. This one sees Maddie and her mom, Claire (Nan to the girls), pulling together to make Christmas special despite the cancelled wedding that was their original focus.

I loved the delicate, careful romance that sprung from the timely friendship between Maddie and resort manager Robert. Their teasing, flirty banter was hilarious, and their easy connection was inspiring. I only wish they'd been given more of a solid HEA for their future.

I really enjoyed the interactions between Maddie and her girls, especially Stevie, and the side story of Nan and her cruise-ship romance was an absolute delight. Once again, the details that overlapped between the other books in this series were perfectly in sync, showing the great care taken by all the authors involved.

It's a wonderful story, and if you're reading through this series you definitely don't want to miss this one. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Allison Dogaer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

This is book 4 in the Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge book series by various authors. This particular one was written by Violet Howe. It follows the story of the mother, Maddie and her experience over Christmas and the wedding of Alissa.

This was a hear warming story of finding love again and having hope that things will be alright. I think with the state of the world today this is a great message and one everyone needs to hear (and read).

It is as well written as everything else by Violet and I would recommend picking this up if you need a fun, quick read with a great message!

[Sandra Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute stort about finding love again! And during Christmas..and a possibly might happen wedding! Maddie is such a down to earth mom that will make you love her! There are some parts that will make you laugh out loud and others that will make you swoon. Read all the books in this Christmas series starting with Christmas Sisters. Hope is what everyone needs during the holidays.

[Dana Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddie The mother

Christmas Hope is a great continuation of the Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge. I loved the story of Maddie meeting Robert. I have two Robert in my family (actually more in I count my uncle). Beautiful story of Maddie and her four girls I would love to spend time at a Mountain Lodge would not ski downhill though as I did that and almost ran into the Chalet. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

[NhaughtyV says Damn the Zon Save the Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ Stars

"Don't let the walls you've built around your heart be your own prison."

This book was everything! I loved it! One of the best second chance romances I've ever read! Violet Howe is a master storyteller of heartfelt romances, and I can't recommend her books enough!


**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Hope is book 4 in the Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge series. This book is Maddie’s point of view. I loved this book, seeing the girls, and Claire fin Maddie’s eyes. I LAUGHED I CRIED (happy tears) this is truly a great book!
I was given an advance copy for an honest review.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 4 of the Soul Sisters Series, a series written by multiple authors.Seamless transitions dispite different writers writing each character's stories. Each book is written from a different character's point of view.This is Maggie's. Maggie is the Mom of the family. The Prequel introduced all of them and how they became a family.
Absolutely beautiful story of family by choice not blood, true Soul Sisters and the adoptive Mom who brought this amazing family together