A Mother for Christmas

by Jackie Weger

alternate cover edition of ASIN B08KSMH156

Decker Davenport is on a deadline. He has thirty days — Christmas Eve, to be exact — to remodel a St. Augustine Victorian house or the owner will put it back on the market. Not a good time for Decker’s decorator to take off on a honeymoon, leaving him with Annalise Owens, a stand-in with a malaise he isn’t privy to.

But as he watches Annalise work miracles on the house and his daughter, he realizes the two of them have bonded in some ethereal way, as if they’ve always known each other.

As Christmas Eve approaches, Decker still sees the curious malaise in Annalise’s eyes. A haunting that even his kiss can’t take away. What secret does the new woman in his house possess? And will learning Annalise’s secret bring him and his daughter joy, or tear their world apart?

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit

295 pages, ebook

First published November 22, 2020

About the author

I would rather write an obit than my bio, mostly because I'm one of the most boring souls you'll ever meet. I have been to interesting places and met interesting people, but none of it rubbed off on me. Some of those places and some of those people found their way into characters or settings in my romance novels which lends me about an inch of panache--on the table below the salt. With family or solo, I've traveled since I was about eleven. I spent years living abroad in Central America in little jungle villages absorbing the native culture and language. I spent months on off-islands and sailed in the Pacific with a friend until his sloop sank--not with us on it--thank goodness. I spent a New Year's in Montreal, a summer semester in the U.K and a few glorious days in Paris before returning Stateside to finish a degree in history, then it was off to Panama and Costa Rica. While my passport is always handy, I've settled down in Texas to be near my family. Since I'm sitting still, I've plugged in my laptop and started writing again. After an absence of a few years, I've jumped back into the publishing world which has changed dramatically. I love the changes. In the past, category romance novels had a shelf life between yogurt and ice cream, but with the advent of e-books they can live on the Web for years. I'm excited to be publishing my backlist. I'm working on a new novel. I live with a man, a dog, seven feral cats and go to Bingo on Friday night. The most exciting thing that's happened in my life recently is a cow wandered into my yard and ate my garden. See what I mean about being boring?

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackie Weger has penned a heartwarming romance. Decker Davenport has just 30 days (until December 24) to remodel and decorate a St. Augustine, Florida Victorian home or the owner will put it back on the market. Unfortunately, his decorator has decided to get married and has cancelled on him. However, she has subcontracted with Annalise Owens to do the job. He watches as Annalise transforms the home while also bonding with Decker’s daughter, Sophie. However, Annalise has a secret that threatens the project and their relationship.

Decker is charming, confident, considerate, decisive, and kind most of the time. However, he also has a temper and is a risk-taker. Annalise is perceptive, creative, efficient, charismatic, and has a secret that deeply affects her. Sophie is clever, independent, precocious, and cute. Her best friend is a ragdoll named Nellie. Despite loving Decker, she desperately wants a mother.

The book moves at a steady pace and was entertaining with a little spice. However, the romance was too quick, the conflict could have quickly been resolved with one short conversation, and the story line was very predictable. Overall, it’s an easy, light read that’s enjoyable, but it failed to live up to its potential. Despite this, it kept my interest.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was December 8, 2020.
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My 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Holiday Romance. I loved the characters in this book, and I loved the storyline of this book. I have to say there was parts of this book that I just wanted to the characters to talk to each other, and I also felt some parts was just way to slow moving. This book was just short of a 5 stars read for me. This is a great Christmas story and Cute Romance. I won a Kindle Edition of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, but this review is my feelings about the book.

[Carmen DeSousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully romantic, classically-told story with a twist I didn't see coming. I just knew EXACTLY what the story was about and what the big reveal would be. I'm surprised to tell you I was wrong, and I was so thrilled when I experienced it.

As always, Jackie writes strong-willed heroines and stubborn heroes, who need to put aside their own wants and concerns to see the big picture. I always enjoy watching as her characters move past just physical attraction to experience deep emotions. And she always does it in a funny way.

And lastly, Jackie never fails to teach me something! The moment I finished the story, I found myself nesting, creating pomanders and other Victorian decorations. This is my fourth Jackie Weger book, and it definitely won't be my last!

[Deborah G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute Christmas story: Decker bought a Victorian house & has thirty days to renovate it before the aging owner puts it back on the market. Annalise, an assistant to his usual designer is chosen to take on the designer side of the reno. Lots of clever banter between them, a few sparks, but the focus for both is Decker's eight year old daughter, Sophie.

Sophie, a very inquisitive & precocious child connects quickly to Annalise. The young girl's mom died when she was four & as it's the holiday season, all she hopes for Christmas is that Santa brings her a mother.

We learn about the not so perfect marriage between Decker & his late wife & also the reason behind Annalise's sometimes sad demeanor. There is flirting & plenty of innuendo before anything romantic happens & it does take awhile.

This is the first book I've read by this author & am not convinced her writing style is the right fit for me. For a lack of better description, the writing felt stiff, formal & very proper. To be honest, I had to push myself to continue, the story dragged in a few spots & my determination is what got me through to the end. I just had to know how both MC's came to a final resolution on their relationship as well as Sophie.

This was a nice story & I'll decide later if the writing style is worth another go.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad romance but there didn't seem to be much prelude to the falling in love between Annalise and Decker. It happened so quickly and then Decker turned off completely when he misconstrued Annalise's motives. All that made me question the depth of their relationship. Bottom line, this turned out to be an easy light read that entertained but didn't have a lot of emotion for me. (I did like the author's bio though. Quite an interesting life! I also appreciated the Yellow Birds recipe. We'll be enjoying it this holiday season.)
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Janie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was probably my favorite Christmas read this month. I loved the plot and the characters. I thought the writing was a little off though. In this book, the plot is a very current and the location is here in the states, but it reads more like Victorian London. The speech of the characters and the way they carry themselves feels very Victorian. Not that it is a bad thing, it just kind of through me a little.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book

I was just planning to read a couple chapters then go to bed. Here i set at 4 am and I just finished this fantastic book. I just could not put it down.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for Christmas

Good story with likeable characters, and just enough angst to keep you turning the pages. This is a lighthearted holiday read, and I enjoyed it.

[T'Shura Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book.

I enjoyed this book very much. An exciting and satisfying ending for sure. The characters were marvelous. I need to read more books by this author.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

With God's Help

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. This is my honest review. This storyline was amazing. The characters are believable and you will laugh and cry throughout the book. When Annalise takes this decorating job, she is still trying to get over the loss of her daughter. Decker needs this job done in thirty days and does not want any interference with his daughter Sophie. Can Annalise get it done. Yes she can and will.

[Ami Kincade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful Christmas tale! I just fell in love with Sophie and am so glad she got her own special happy ending - along with a family of mice!!💖

[Hilda Etherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about a single parent raising a young daughter and having 30 days to complete the work on the home he is purchasing. He lost his interior decorator and now has a young woman whose grandmother had lived in St. Augustine. She has to make the house look like it did when it was built. As Annalise and Decker spend more time disagreeing, his daughter Sophie has asked Annalise help her with her hair, clothing and Sophie is wanting to find her real mother. She hopes that her father and Annalise would fall in love.

Thank you for letting me read such a great book. If you want to know if what happens, I suggest you get the book.

Hilda

[Lisa Yost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book! I read it in one day, slowly, and even though I knew where the story was probably going, I didn’t want to put it down and for the book to end. A sweet story.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Mice in St. Augustine

Headstrong, obstreperous, obstinate, manipulative are just a few of the words to describe young Sophie. She lost her mother at a young age to cancer, but now she wants her birth mother, sure in the belief she will find her.
Annalise has given up after an eight year battle to locate the daughter that was stolen from her. She takes a new job in another state, and is drawn to Decker.
I really enjoyed Sophie, quite the rascal who never fails to get what she wants from her father. This Christmas she wants a mother. The descriptions of St. Augustine at Christmas time make me long to see it for myself. There is a lot of longing and pushing away as romance struggles to life between two vulnerable people who are afraid to be open to any more loss on their lives

[Judith Spence · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHAT?

What year was this book written? 1870? The lingo and the story line is just ridiculous. It’s as if the author was writing the story through a thesaurus. I have known some pretty smart children in my life but the language this one used was off the charts. The conversations between all of the characters were reminiscent of Jane Austin’s writing, stilted and boring. I suppose some would call it classical but that has no place in a modern romance novel. Let’s move on to the legal issues. (SPOILERS) You CAN’T steal someone’s baby and the fact that this woman did not get the cops involved for KIDNAPPING is beyond me. You don’t take a kidnapper to court trying to gain custody of a baby that has been (again I will say) KIDNAPPED. That is so beyond ridiculous I’m still shaking my head.

[Debbie West · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get through it..too pornographic

I thought this book would be good. I usually love the romances that have children in them. And usually, if children are in them, there's no porn. But, while I didn't find an explicit sex scene in the first half of this book, I grew increasingly upset with the sexual thoughts that increased on every page. Sophie is standing there or looking through an air vent & her daddy can't keep his sexual fantasies shut down. Enough is enough ! Do disappointed in this author & in this book.

[DesN2004 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read! It was a little more drawn out than needed, but then again you just fall more in love with Annalise and Sophie. I liked Decker as well until toward the end, but it worked out ok. I think the ladies stole the show in this read, and they were realistic to me with the interactions. I would say little steamier than those holiday movies on tv, but not graphic. Good holiday time book to read!

[Robynne Lozier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice modern romance. Apologies for the long review. Adoption is such a personal thing.

Annelise had her illegitimate baby stolen from her because the rich daddy did not want a scandal. The baby was adopted out and the records sealed, which was perfectly normal with adoptions of these kind back before the 1980s. Annelise was distraught and spent the next 8 years dragging the baby's rich grandmother into court to find out what happened to her baby girl.

After 8 years Annelise is emotionally exhausted and so she is sent to another city (St Augustine in Florida - a major historical city) to decorate a large house for Christmas. But she has a deadline. Just 30 days. She is also required to live in said house as she decorates it. The new owner of the house (Decker) and his daughter are also living in this same house.

Annelise and the daughter get on like a house on fire - just like a mother and daughter would. Decker is terrified that Annelise wants to steal his daughter away.

Instead Decker and Annelise fall in love. Yes, there is one sex scene, but for the 21st century, it is NOT SMUT. I think it was very nicely done!!

As for the conflict between Decker and Annelise, Decker really needs to be open and honest and NOT jump to such a silly conclusion!!

I so totally identified with everything Sophie (Deckers daughter) went through in wanting to know who her mother was. It is human nature to need to know where you come from. To know your identity. Sophie was perfectly normal to want to know who her biological parents were. Decker should never have tried to squash or deny those feelings.

I myself am not adopted. but my mother was. My mother was born out of wedlock (and she hates that. She is still so ashamed even 80 years later) and was later adopted out. She did not find out that she was adopted until after her adopted mother died. Mom was in her 40s and I was a teenager.

Do you have any idea how devastating that is? For a teenager to suddenly lose half their identity?

As a teenager and young adult, I was desperate to know who my biological grandparents were. My mother did not want to know who her biological parents were. I spent years begging her to apply for her original birth certificate. That took me over 30 years before she finally caved in and agreed.

The Birth certificate named her mother but not her father. That usually indicates a child born out of wedlock. Back before WW2 that was a scandal and a very shameful thing to be. My mother is still very ashamed to have been born out of wedlock.

Then it took me another almost 20 years to get my mother to agree to do a DNA test to find out who her father was. This was finally done, and I now know who he was. But sadly he had already passed away. I don't mind. At least I now have a full family tree again, and not half of it missing like it was when I was a teenager.

I give this book four stars, mostly because of the odd wrong word being used (roles of wallpaper? I mean really??) I personally never use spellchecker. I proof read everything I write myself!! This story clearly needed better editing and proof reading. But the story itself was wonderful.

I LOVED Jackie's biography at the end. Exactly the kind of Bio that I would write about myself. Now I want to read more of Jackie's books!!

Since I am a teetotaler I would never use the recipe at the back, but thanks for including it!!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young woman has been betrayed by a man she loved, and whom she believed loved her...but she was not pedigreed enough for his mother, and he was a mama's boy, and rich, and so they got rid of the baby, adopting her out behind the young woman's back. Eight years of pouring all her resources into a legal battle to try to get her child back have left her worn out. She realized the rich have more lawyers than she could imagine, and the money to buy anyone's silence. Giving up what had become an obsession has led her to the place where her grandmother grew up, to explore all she has heard about it. She has also been asked by a fellow decorator to take over a job rehabbing an old Victorian house.
Decker was married to his high school sweetheart. She refused to see him when she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatments. Then she wanted to see him again. They married. She also wanted to adopt a child, and Decker was also wealthy, so he hired a private adoption lawyer and insisted on the records being sealed. When the little girl was 4, her mother died. Sje remembers very little . about her mother, and yearns for a mother's touch and presence.
She immediately gravitated to the new decorator, but Decker tries to put the kibosh on any interaction between her and his daughter. He knows his daughter is looking for a mother figure, and feels it will be difficult when the decorator moves on to her next job, hurting the child, so he discourages their being together...to no avail, as he realizes his child is drawn to Annalise and will do anything to be near her regardless.
Decker and Annalise have the hots for each other. OK, that's one thing. But the reason for the 3 stars is this was billed as a "sweet contemporary romance," which USED to mean CLEAN, which this is NOT. There is, thankfully, only one loooooong description of the sex between them. Had there been more, I would have dropped the rating further. As it is, the descriptions of how often they lust after each other and what they feel each time their desires surge (which is quite often), are excessive and too detailed. I'm sure most adults are well aware of what lust feels like, and know how the sexual act is carried out. We are already enlightened and don't need any further enlightenment. It interrupts the story, and this is, at its heart, a great story that shouldn't be cluttered up with lust and humping. It's certainly sufficient to say they had a strong sexual attraction, and that they acted upon it without going into excrutiating detail.
And since "sweet romance" USED to mean "clean," and now is apparently a way of throwing sex into the book without warning, either say something in the synopsis about their overwhelming chemistry pulling them together irrresistably, or
outright say there is sexual content. all it "sweet and sexy" at least. Better yet, don't categorize it as a "sweet romamce," and leave that term for clean books I would never have put this ebook on my library had I realized it was explicit.
There is a twist at the end but the book pretty much hints at it on broad terms all along (when it's not describing lust and sex).

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will give you all the feels. Just in time for the holidays. It will get you in the mood. Yet, it will make you nostalgic for how simple life was back in the day. You see Decker Davenport was so close to getting the house of his dream. There was just one very impish and tenacious elderly woman, Mrs. Pettigrew standing in his way. The owner of the home was being moved into a senior center. However, before she signed off she wanted one last hurrah for, Christmas. She wanted an open house with her friends like she did in the grand old days. The decorator with the vision to make the restorations happen in thirty days. He needed to make it happen. He had hired Marta Ingasoll to be that decorator, they had worked together before. Although, now she had bad and great news for him. Now, the news will sound bad before it becomes great. You have to understand, Decker is a yeller first to edit later, type of guy. She divulged Decker’s great news, and she was surprised to find out, that not only was she proposed to by her, now fiance. He was whisking her away for a wedding, and honeymoon. He was in luck though she was able to hire the best because she was extremely well-versed in, Victorian homes. She happened to be free, the decorator did suffer from a general malaise, so be aware not to be cruel. She warned him. He had no idea what that meant exactly, but today was the first day of the thirty days. They only have so many hours to work, in their timeline to get the thirty-day timeline met, and he is fuming. What is wrong with her he asked he had, Sophie his precocious eight-year-old daughter to protect. Marta said nothing like that just a string of bad luck. Fate she said was at work here, and she was able to get her. Decker did believe in fate, but this felt risky. Marta had no how close to the truth she was. And, the in-house detective aka snoop/matchmaker/child longing for a mother had no real clue, she would be able to help solve, the mystery of a lifetime in this, Victorian home.

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely easy Christmas read. It is very predictable and I could see where it was going straight away but it was still a good story. A feel good read for Christmas. It could do with a little less of them both constantly lusting after each other! LOL. I don't mind but it does get a little tedious when it is every other sentence. I have already got that you want each other!

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Decker Davenport is on a deadline. He has thirty days — Christmas Eve, to be exact — to remodel a St. Augustine Victorian house or the owner will put it back on the market. Not a good time for Decker’s decorator to take off on a honeymoon, leaving him with Annalise Owens, a stand-in with a malaise he isn’t privy to.

But as he watches Annalise work miracles on the house and his daughter, he realizes the two of them have bonded in some ethereal way, as if they’ve always known each other.

As Christmas Eve approaches, Decker still sees the curious malaise in Annalise’s eyes. A haunting that even his kiss can’t take away. What secret does the new woman in his house possess? And will learning Annalise’s secret bring him and his daughter joy, or tear their world apart?

[KF-in-Georgia · Rating 2 out of 5]

What's killing this book for me is the nonstop wrong-word choice: words that pass spellcheck but don't reflect the dictionary: "roles of wallpaper" anyone? And that happens a lot--at least once a chapter, I think. I'm guessing the author dictated the book to illiterate software, ran spellcheck, and left it at that. When I need to read a sentence aloud to figure out what the author thinks she said, I'm not thrilled. As a retired professional proofreader/editor, I hate it when a book appears to have skipped both those steps. (But I'm using a feature on my Kindle to mark problems the editor should have caught; at least this won't be a complete waste of time.) (Our hero imagines himself "the sole of propriety." Is that "the only of propriety"? "The foot of propriety"? Probably "the soul of propriety.") Many readers have highly rated this book (presumably, not on grammar, though), so I'm going to stick it out to see if the plot is worth the effort.

(I'm also a little tired of people with a trunk full of emotional baggage falling in lust with each other at first sight and pretending they don't like each other. It's the Moonlighting plot, and it got old quickly in that series.)

[Birgit · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Decker Davenport accepts the offer to renovate a Victorian house within 30 days and be able to buy it in exchange, he wasn't aware his decorator was leaving to go on a honeymoon. She recommends Annalise Owens as her stand-in - a woman who seems to have a secret. Will she be safe to have around his daughter Sophie?
Very predictable, from the time the book revealed what Annalise's "secret" or "malaise" was (quite early in the story), the reader could guess what was going to happen, with Sophie, and with the "opposites attract" attitudes of both Decker and Annalise. Unfortunately, this was in my opinion unnecessarily drawn out, lots of to-ing and fro-ing, and turn-abouts that did not make sense at that time in the story. Furthermore, as much as I liked the other characters in the book despite that, little Sophie was way too impertinent and insolent for my taste. Her way of talking back to adults would not have been tolerated here.
Still, all in all, a nice enough story to pass some hours on a rainy day.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good Christmas read. It started a little weird but I enjoyed the book. The story was about a home decorator, Annalise, who had an affair with a married man and lost her baby at the hospital with some attorney’s who told her child. She becomes a home decorator and ends off with a contract, Decker, a man who has an adopted daughter who also lost his wife to cancer. They have a love hate relationship but have a strict deadline to complete a home prior to Christmas. The two of them feel sparks between them but what was really amazing was the love between the decorator and the child, Sophie. Annalise feels the pain of not having her own child but loves Decker’s daughter, Shopie. As we go through the story, Decker puts the pieces together and figured out that Sophie is actually ANnalises’s daughter and thinks she’s trying to take her away. Throughout the book the best park was the little girl Sophie’s thoughts and saying. She was really funny n some of the things she said and did.. A good Crhistmas read.

[Linda "Lilybug's Library" · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet Christmas story. Decker is buying a house from an older woman who is going into a nursing home. Before she will sell it though, she wants it fixed up and be able to have one last Christmas Eve in her home. Decker and his daughter Sophie stay there to do that, but Decker hires Annaleise to help him decorate the house. He is very protective of his daughter and doesn't really want her getting too close, but she had her child stolen from her and put up for adoption so she is very taken in by Sophie's intelligence and curiosity. As sparks begin to fly between her and Decker, a lot of things come to the forefront.

This story has a lot of beautiful descriptions of the house and the lead up to Christmas. The characters are engaging, particularly Sophie who is very precocious. It's a bit predictable, but as a Christmas story it's terrific and really gets you in the holiday mood.

[Natward1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish after chapter 2. It’s okay. I just don’t love the writing style where it’s everyone’s point of view, including the little 8 year old. You just know what everyone is thinking and why they do the things they do and their motives and everything and there’s just no mystery at all. Everything is laid out for us right up front. So I’m not feeling a pull to keep reading. The two love interests monologue how attractive they find the other when they first meet which is what almost every one of these free romance novels does and he even tells her he thinks she’s stunning the first time they meet so I just feel like I’ve got nothing to look forward to because I know all of their secrets and what they all want.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decker Davenport is a single father raising his eight-year old daughter Sophie who he adopted as an infant. Decker buys a Victorian home in St. Augustine, Florida that needs to be renovated and decorated by Christmas Eve or it will be auctioned off. Decker’s original interior decorator had gone on vacation so he hires Annalise Owens to decorate the home. Annalise was pregnant after having an affair with a wealthy man years ago who took the baby from her after birth and put the baby up give up for adoption. Annalise and Sophie bond after meeting each other. Sophie wants a mother for Christmas and Annalise has mourned for her baby who was taken from her. I really enjoyed this heartwarming holiday fiction novel.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decker Davenport is a single father raising his eight-year old daughter Sophie who he adopted as an infant. Decker buys a Victorian home in St. Augustine, Florida that needs to be renovated and decorated by Christmas Eve or it will be auctioned off. Decker’s original interior decorator had gone on vacation so he hires Annalise Owens to decorate the home. Annalise was pregnant after having an affair with a wealthy man years ago who took the baby from her after birth and put the baby up give up for adoption. Annalise and Sophie bond after meeting each other. Sophie wants a mother for Christmas and Annalise has mourned for her baby who was taken from her. I really enjoyed this heartwarming holiday fiction novel.

[Sirilee · Rating 3 out of 5]

How can anybody seriously rate this at 5 stars? The story was kind of original, the dialogue was boring : two persons constantly at each other’s nerves (well, I could have used a worse word) and a too precocious kid involved in everything.
I was expecting more in-depth scenes about the renovation work of the house but it was such a side-theme - it did not even feel they were doing something. The crew, the helpers were just names, nothing else. The whole book was so superficial, it could have been more. Nothing really happened, few references to the past of some characters did not quite help appreciating the story.

[Wanda Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

hope rewarded and a wish fulfilled

Such a wonderful heartwarming story for Christmas. A little girl who wants a mother and has faith this wish will come true. A young woman who lost her daughter and a man who is trying very hard to raise the daughter he loves very much alone.Can they let go of the past and become a family together?

As I learned about the battles each of the characters I became invested and it was difficult to put down. The secondary characters were charming and added much to the way the story played out. If you are looking for a Christmas read I encourage you to try this one. I don’t think you will be disappointed.