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Heart Lake #5
Thousands of Gifts
A newly elected mayor bubbling with holiday spirit, a sarcastic cowboy determined to put a dent in her optimism, and the charity project that puts him at real risk of falling for the enemy…
Mayor Heavenly Remington decides that this is the year every child in Heart Lake will receive a Christmas gift, no matter how much budget finagling and additional fundraising it takes. Weary of town officials making promises they can’t keep, cowboy farmer Wes Hawling taunts his fellow citizens into flooding her children’s charity project with prank requests — each one more absurd than the last.
Instead of giving up like he expects, she doubles down on her efforts to hunt down every gift on the wish lists of her youngest constituents by Christmas Eve. When a threat to the town forces him to become her grudging accomplice for a few days, he is shocked to discover how close she is to meeting her goal. The fact that he finds himself secretly cheering her on might just be the biggest Christmas miracle of all!
Welcome to Heart Lake! A small town teaming with old family rivalries, the rumble of horses’ hooves, and folks on both sides of the law and everywhere in between — faith filled romance that you’ll never forget.
Mayor Heavenly Remington decides that this is the year every child in Heart Lake will receive a Christmas gift, no matter how much budget finagling and additional fundraising it takes. Weary of town officials making promises they can’t keep, cowboy farmer Wes Hawling taunts his fellow citizens into flooding her children’s charity project with prank requests — each one more absurd than the last.
Instead of giving up like he expects, she doubles down on her efforts to hunt down every gift on the wish lists of her youngest constituents by Christmas Eve. When a threat to the town forces him to become her grudging accomplice for a few days, he is shocked to discover how close she is to meeting her goal. The fact that he finds himself secretly cheering her on might just be the biggest Christmas miracle of all!
Welcome to Heart Lake! A small town teaming with old family rivalries, the rumble of horses’ hooves, and folks on both sides of the law and everywhere in between — faith filled romance that you’ll never forget.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 24, 2021
About the author
Jo Grafford
172 books677 followersJo is an Amazon bestselling author of heartwarming cowboy romantic suspense stories, with a few Texas-sized detours into humor.
Join Cuppa Jo Readers at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Cuppa.... Join her newsletter at https://www.JoGrafford.com.
Jo also writes clean western historical romance and cozy mysteries as Jovie Grace.
Join Cuppa Jo Readers at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Cuppa.... Join her newsletter at https://www.JoGrafford.com.
Jo also writes clean western historical romance and cozy mysteries as Jovie Grace.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 24, 2021
Thousands of Gifts is another great book in this series. I really enjoyed reading it, and I was happy that several Heart Lake characters from previous books were back.
Heavenly Remington is the mayor of Heart Lake, but she barely won the election over her opponent, Wes Hawling. Ever since the election, Wes has been openly critical of Heavenly. He considers her a wealthy, smug elitist who doesn't understand or care about the average citizen of Heart Lake.
Heavenly wants to unite the community, help the farmers who are still struggling after the tornado ripped through the area four years earlier, and provide a Christmas gift to every child in Heart Lake.
The mayor's newly formed Steering Committee to address these priorities means Heavenly and Wes will spend a lot of time together, because Wes was selected to represent the farmers from Heart Lake on the Committee.
Wes is still grieving the death of his wife Caro who died during the tornado rampage. Heavenly is grieving her own losses and worries that Caro died because the emergency crew saved her instead.
Wes is taken by surprise when he notices how kind Heavenly is to his son Jax and how she really is trying to help all the children and farmers. Then trouble starts brewing and it looks like someone is out to harm Heavenly and frame Wes.
Will the children get all the Christmas gifts they requested? I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.
Heavenly Remington is the mayor of Heart Lake, but she barely won the election over her opponent, Wes Hawling. Ever since the election, Wes has been openly critical of Heavenly. He considers her a wealthy, smug elitist who doesn't understand or care about the average citizen of Heart Lake.
Heavenly wants to unite the community, help the farmers who are still struggling after the tornado ripped through the area four years earlier, and provide a Christmas gift to every child in Heart Lake.
The mayor's newly formed Steering Committee to address these priorities means Heavenly and Wes will spend a lot of time together, because Wes was selected to represent the farmers from Heart Lake on the Committee.
Wes is still grieving the death of his wife Caro who died during the tornado rampage. Heavenly is grieving her own losses and worries that Caro died because the emergency crew saved her instead.
Wes is taken by surprise when he notices how kind Heavenly is to his son Jax and how she really is trying to help all the children and farmers. Then trouble starts brewing and it looks like someone is out to harm Heavenly and frame Wes.
Will the children get all the Christmas gifts they requested? I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.
January 15, 2022
Thousands of Gifts is a story that shows off Jo Grafford's writing talents. She manages to bring the ancestral history of Heart Lake, previously known as Christmas Mountain into this story from a set of papers found in a secret drawer in Mayor Heavenly Remington's office that were written and detailed in her book "A Bride For The Deputy". It is legal papers drawn up by Edward Remington for Jesse Hawling and Edward's diary. She also makes a reference in the book about the rodeos that was originally ran by Chief Pecos and his braves using the wild mustangs they caught and broke and let the Hawling brothers sell for them in her book "A Bride For The Tribal Chief". To this date a feud that was told about in "A Bride For The Innkeeper" still splits the town of Heart Lake between the Remington's and the Hawling's. The Hawlings are mostly made up of farmers that live on the south side. The Remington's live on the north side of town in luxury. The Hawling's blame the Remington's for everything that goes against them. They believe the Remington's run the town and hold the most important offices. The new mayor, Heavenly Remington won her post running against Wes Hawling. He lost his wife in the tornado 4 years ago and is raising his 6 year old son alone. Wes made some really bad comments about Heavenly during the election race and now that he is on the Steering Committee he is set to make her job as tough as he can. When Heavenly has an attempt made on her life Wes was there to shield her. When she is taken to the hospital he makes a comment that caused Heavenly's assistant to give him a tongue lashing and that night he finds out what the truth that caused Heavenly to be pulled from the rubble of her home after the tornado while his wife laid hurt until she died. He immediately went the next morning to apologize to Heavenly because he thought his many comments caused the attack. Wes and Heavenly decide to date and the trouble persists.
Heavenly was determined to make all the children of Heart Lake get something from the letters to Santa the children are encouraged to write. They were to be given away at the Christmas parade which the Remingtons and Hawlings all attended. A secret undercover operation was put in place to catch the criminals but a flaw happens when the police does not get the chance to let Heavenly and Wes in on it until he is arrested just a few days before Christmas in front of Heavenly and reporters that catch it on camera. With the note threatening Heavenly's life that was put in Santa's mailbox Heavenly has to start having bodyguards around her. Will Heavenly be able to host the annual Christmas parade and fulfill the dreams of the children as she hoped?
This is my honest review from the ARC copy I received.
Heavenly was determined to make all the children of Heart Lake get something from the letters to Santa the children are encouraged to write. They were to be given away at the Christmas parade which the Remingtons and Hawlings all attended. A secret undercover operation was put in place to catch the criminals but a flaw happens when the police does not get the chance to let Heavenly and Wes in on it until he is arrested just a few days before Christmas in front of Heavenly and reporters that catch it on camera. With the note threatening Heavenly's life that was put in Santa's mailbox Heavenly has to start having bodyguards around her. Will Heavenly be able to host the annual Christmas parade and fulfill the dreams of the children as she hoped?
This is my honest review from the ARC copy I received.
December 24, 2021
What an awesome Christmas story this was! I wanted it to keep on going for many more pages! Heavenly (love the name!) and Wes were complete opposites in many ways but in the ways that counted, they were made for each other! Wes lost his wife during the devasting storms that hit Heart Lake a few years previously. Also, during that storm, Heavenly was seriously wounded and it changed the course of her life. She is the daughter of a senator so has lived the life of privilege. Wes is a farmer, so quite the opposite. When Heavenly becomes mayor, she has the idea of giving every child in town a gift. She has Wes on her town council, and he opposes her every move. However, he has a young son and he'll do anything for him. As the story unfolds, someone is out to hurt Heavenly and Wes somehow becomes her protector. I loved the message of how the holidays can change people's hearts and how giving is more important than receiving. A truly special story and the characters are fantastic!
January 17, 2022
Heavenly is the mayor of Heart Lake. The only other person who ran against was the local farmer, Wes. Even though Heavenly won, Wes was invited to be on her steering committee to do what is best for the town's citizens, especially the children and farmers. Wes doesn't believe the socialite mayor, Heavenly Remington, really has the best interests of the citizens in her sites. She doesn't know anything about being needy. She surprised Wes at the first steering committee meeting with her wish to have a every child in their small town to have a gift of their wish for Christmas.
Wes is a single father who lost his wife four years earlier in a really horrible storm that destroyed so much of their small town. He has the cutest little six year old, boy, who Heavenly is totally enamored with.
The characters in this small town are great and know how to work together for the betterment of the whole town. There is suspense and romance in this sweet and clean story.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
Wes is a single father who lost his wife four years earlier in a really horrible storm that destroyed so much of their small town. He has the cutest little six year old, boy, who Heavenly is totally enamored with.
The characters in this small town are great and know how to work together for the betterment of the whole town. There is suspense and romance in this sweet and clean story.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
December 27, 2021
Heavenly is the new mayor of Heart Lake and is trying to “heal” the town and reunite them. There is the north and the south, the well off and the hard working farmers. Heavenly is part of the wealthy and Wes is a widowed, single dad and a hard working farmer who has to work for everything to stay afloat. Heavenly blames herself for Wes’ wife’s death in the tornado, and Wes wants answers as to why his wife was the one to die. Unbeknownst to him, Wes’s wife and Heavenly were very good friends. Both tried to save each other’s lives the day of the tornado. Heavenly is trying to work through the survivor’s guilt. She is also trying to unite the town through Christmas.
This was such a good Christmas time story about forgiving, moving forward and remembering the ones we’ve lost. I recommend this book to anyone who believes in miracles and second chances. Well done!
I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was such a good Christmas time story about forgiving, moving forward and remembering the ones we’ve lost. I recommend this book to anyone who believes in miracles and second chances. Well done!
I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 24, 2021
This was the first in the series that I have read but I am now hooked and I will be going back to read the first four. I really enjoyed Heavenly and Wes's story because they were enemies but not enemies because she felt guilty because they saved her from the tornado that ripped through their town four years ago because Wes's wife Caro passed away by the time they got to their house because she is a senator's daughter but she suffered too because she cannot have children now but she knows she can't replace Caro. Wes thinks Heavenly is blackmailing people by giving presents to all the children but he helps his son write a letter to get a present and then he starts working with Heavenly and they start getting along. What a beautiful story. I received this book as an ARC for an honest and unbiased review.
December 24, 2021
This was a fun, romantic story with some interesting suspense added to it which kept me quickly turning the pages. I liked that it was set at Christmastime. I really enjoyed reading about Heavenly who was a strong, independent mayor. She had a heart of gold for her constituents in Heart Lake. She had been through so much.I also liked Wes, who was a cranky, grinchy cowboy trying to raise his six year old son, Jax. This story was heartfelt, especially when you learn that Heavenly had been very good friends with Wes's wife that died. I liked how the grinchy cowboy even dressed as a Grinch in this story. The banter was so much fun to read between these two rivals. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.
February 1, 2024
Another wonderful story by Jo Grafford. This book is full of mystery, suspense and romance. You have got to love Heavenly, Wes and don't forget six year old Jackson.
"You have to start somewhere."
We admired Heavenly's grasp of the major issues plaguing their town, her ability to excerpt grace and humor in the face of challenges, her shameless support of their farming community, and her soft spot for children. And even don't get him started on her heroic spirit. The attempt to save his dying wife was something he'd never forget, never stop admiring, and never stop being grateful for.
Check out Heart Lake (12 book series) Kindle Edition. You won't be disappointed, Enjoy and happy reading!
"You have to start somewhere."
We admired Heavenly's grasp of the major issues plaguing their town, her ability to excerpt grace and humor in the face of challenges, her shameless support of their farming community, and her soft spot for children. And even don't get him started on her heroic spirit. The attempt to save his dying wife was something he'd never forget, never stop admiring, and never stop being grateful for.
Check out Heart Lake (12 book series) Kindle Edition. You won't be disappointed, Enjoy and happy reading!
December 22, 2021
This is the 5th book in the Heart Lake series and focuses on Heavenly Remington, who is now mayor of the town, and Wes Hawling, whose wife was killed in the tornados that hit the town 4 years ago. Heavenly was Wes’ wife’s friend and she feels guilty for Caro’s death. They are thrown together when frackers want to invade their town. Wes’ son has some Christmas wishes and Heavenly wants to make all the town children’s wishes come true. Although each book in the series could stand alone, it is nice to read them in order because some of the characters appear in subsequent books.
Thank you to the author for my ARC - all comments are my own.
Thank you to the author for my ARC - all comments are my own.
December 24, 2021
A wonderful story that just sucked me in!
A single dad holding a grudge against the female mayor as she was born and raised on the other side of town with a silver spoon in her mouth, so to speak. He lost his wife during a tornado as emergency services were across town helping the Senator's daughter (she is the mayor). She lived, the wife died, the man holds a deep grudge.
This story has lots of feelings, twists, suspense, grudges (other than that already mentioned), and holiday spirit. It kept me enthralled. I hated for the story to end!
I was provided and advanced copy of the book. This is my honest opinion freely given.
A single dad holding a grudge against the female mayor as she was born and raised on the other side of town with a silver spoon in her mouth, so to speak. He lost his wife during a tornado as emergency services were across town helping the Senator's daughter (she is the mayor). She lived, the wife died, the man holds a deep grudge.
This story has lots of feelings, twists, suspense, grudges (other than that already mentioned), and holiday spirit. It kept me enthralled. I hated for the story to end!
I was provided and advanced copy of the book. This is my honest opinion freely given.
December 25, 2021
There is nothing better than a Christmas story set in Heart Lake. The name says it all!
A Mayor determined to give gifts to all the request of the children in her charity project, unites her with a farmer who ran against her in the race.
He wants to make mischief for her until he realizes how truly serious she is about meeting her goals of gift giving. He is still grieving the death of his wife while she is feeling guilt because she was saved and his wife was not.
A true story of Christmas that will pull at your heart, rooting for the characters and having a happy feeling as you turn the last page!
A Mayor determined to give gifts to all the request of the children in her charity project, unites her with a farmer who ran against her in the race.
He wants to make mischief for her until he realizes how truly serious she is about meeting her goals of gift giving. He is still grieving the death of his wife while she is feeling guilt because she was saved and his wife was not.
A true story of Christmas that will pull at your heart, rooting for the characters and having a happy feeling as you turn the last page!
December 29, 2021
I love Heavenly as the mayor. She is determined to bring the two sides of the town together. Her determination to ensure every child receives a Christmas gift is so sweet. Wes Hawling appears to be a complicated man, however as more is unveiled about him, I couldn’t help but love how much he cares for his son. When learning about Heavenly’s friendship with Caro (Wes’s late wife), I couldn’t believe how sweet their friendship was for each other and know Caro played a part from the other side in bringing Wes and Heavenly together.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own
January 15, 2022
What a fantastic enemies to lovers story this is! Heavenly and Wes are from different sides of town. She is from the wealthier, more privileged side and he is from the poorer, farming side. As mayor, Heavenly formed a Steering Committee to move the town forward and Wes was elected by the farmers to represent them. He tries to derail her plans but he does notice how kind she is to his son. Then, danger seems to be around every corner, aimed at Heavenly, but Wes has gotten protective. A must read! I couldn’t put it down!
I received an advance copy of this book from the author, however I voluntarily wrote an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author, however I voluntarily wrote an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.
December 20, 2021
I loved Heavenly and Wes's story!!! Heavenly wants every child in Heart Lake to get a Christmas present. Wes thinks it's blackmail. However, when his son, Jackson, hears about writing a letter listing what you want for Christmas, Wes helps him to write it. Jackson's list is NOT what Wes was expecting, and not what Heavenly was looking for, either. However, once Wes and Heavenly start working together, you might be surprised just want happens!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, was not required to leave a review, and the opinion expressed is my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, was not required to leave a review, and the opinion expressed is my own.
January 20, 2022
Thousands of Gifts
This is a really good story. The book needed another round of editing. There were a good many spelling errors. The story itself moved fast and contained suspense along with romance. Heavenly has become the Mayor of Heart Lake and intends to bring about the changes she promised during the campaign. Wes is a widower with a son. He had run against Heavenly in the Mayoral race. His gruff and haughty attitude made him appear angry with the world yet the farmers had appointed him as their spokesperson with the Mayors new committee. What happens when violence begins to erupt and the Mayor appears to be the target.
This is a really good story. The book needed another round of editing. There were a good many spelling errors. The story itself moved fast and contained suspense along with romance. Heavenly has become the Mayor of Heart Lake and intends to bring about the changes she promised during the campaign. Wes is a widower with a son. He had run against Heavenly in the Mayoral race. His gruff and haughty attitude made him appear angry with the world yet the farmers had appointed him as their spokesperson with the Mayors new committee. What happens when violence begins to erupt and the Mayor appears to be the target.
December 23, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It made me think of the Hatfield and McCoys feud. Not that the Remingtons (the families who have money) and the Hawkins (the families who don't have a lot of money) were shooting at each other, but there was tension between them. That is, until Heavenly Remington became mayor. She worked hard at trying to make things right.
I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
December 27, 2021
A mayor who has a heart for the town
She is willing to do anything for the town. And so she sets up a mailbox for anyone to write a letter and she will make sure the requests are answered. BUT she has the wrong last name for many of the town. And not everyone trusts her . .. THIS — such an amazing Christmas story. A love story, a story of danger and pain. And a story of love and hope. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are my own.
She is willing to do anything for the town. And so she sets up a mailbox for anyone to write a letter and she will make sure the requests are answered. BUT she has the wrong last name for many of the town. And not everyone trusts her . .. THIS — such an amazing Christmas story. A love story, a story of danger and pain. And a story of love and hope. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are my own.
December 17, 2023
Good
A good read, but a few things could've been done better, in my opinion: Wes' capitulation was a bit fast & extreme, Joy's duplicity could've been explained a little better. Apart from that, it was a good story. Would have liked the historical 'find' to have been "unpackaged" instead of leaving it hanging. The story does encourage you to delve deeper into this community to understand better what is going on and why.
A good read, but a few things could've been done better, in my opinion: Wes' capitulation was a bit fast & extreme, Joy's duplicity could've been explained a little better. Apart from that, it was a good story. Would have liked the historical 'find' to have been "unpackaged" instead of leaving it hanging. The story does encourage you to delve deeper into this community to understand better what is going on and why.
December 30, 2021
Thousands of Gifts was a heartwarming read. It had a very real life feel with the struggle of guilt and grief, distrust in others, and finding that in all of life’s problems two are better than one. A distrustful bachelor, a cute but ravenous little boy, and a lonely lady of society who discover a bond that binds their hearts. A wonderful clean romance read.
December 31, 2021
Great story
This story illustrates how & why we should always do what is right & fair to others.
She was steadfast in seeking to do right. She hid her sorrows & hurts while working to make her community better.
Her opponent had been relentless in his criticism of her & everything she did. Yet her was puzzled about why she was so nice to his son.
This story illustrates how & why we should always do what is right & fair to others.
She was steadfast in seeking to do right. She hid her sorrows & hurts while working to make her community better.
Her opponent had been relentless in his criticism of her & everything she did. Yet her was puzzled about why she was so nice to his son.
January 19, 2022
Mayor Heavenly Remington made promises during her election campaign and she plans on keeping ever one of them. First she finds a way to make sure all the children get what they want for Christmas, even if she has to pay for the gifts herself. This story has it all and each page keeps you guessing who is the bad guy. There is also some sweet romance and happy endings.
January 2, 2024
Thousands of Gifts is a beautiful deep story. In true Jo Grafford style, she blends the darkness of criminal behaviour with the beauty of the intrinsic value of humans whatever life experiences they have and background they come from. She also wove powerful moments of recognition of the potential far reaching consequences of our choices and actions and redemption and forgiveness.
December 24, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book! The man is a widower with a young son and the woman is the mayor of the town. After some misjudgments on both their parts, they both begin to feel something for the other one! I recommend this book to anyone who likes romance books!
December 25, 2021
Mayor
When she finds Wes isnt the enemy she thought,other problems have been happening.
The closer she gets to Wes, the more problems happened, like the mailbox destroyed, gunfire, molotov cocktail thrown at her, and an assault attempt. Lots of action and drama for the Mayor.
When she finds Wes isnt the enemy she thought,other problems have been happening.
The closer she gets to Wes, the more problems happened, like the mailbox destroyed, gunfire, molotov cocktail thrown at her, and an assault attempt. Lots of action and drama for the Mayor.
December 28, 2021
I enjoyed this story that is perfect to read at Christmas time. The mayor wants to give every child in Heart Lake a present. But there is an enemy that wants to ruin the Christmas spirit, among other things. There is a mystery to solve also. I received a free copy. This is my voluntary opinion.
December 29, 2021
Sweet romance from the Hawlings/Remingtons on going fueds. Wes and Heavenly are moving forward after loss in their lives. Christmaa magic is real in this story. If it doesn't make you smile, well you might be on the wrong side of Christmas
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December 31, 2021Great Christmas Read!
I like sweet and clean stories that have just enough action to make the story one "you can't put down". I also appreciate the second chance theme and message of forgiveness. Great for snowy Christmas evening read ⛄ or any time of year.
I like sweet and clean stories that have just enough action to make the story one "you can't put down". I also appreciate the second chance theme and message of forgiveness. Great for snowy Christmas evening read ⛄ or any time of year.
January 7, 2022
I really enjoyed Wes and Heavenly's story. All the characters in this little town are great. I especially loved Wes' son who is so cute. There is mystery, a little suspense, heartache and a whole lot of sweet, clean romance.
March 5, 2022
How the Grinch/Wes stoled Christmas/Heavenly.
This is one remarkable story. The storyline is increditable along with amazing and awesome characters whether they were heroes or villains.
This is one remarkable story. The storyline is increditable along with amazing and awesome characters whether they were heroes or villains.
March 29, 2022
Really Great Series
I'm so enjoying this series, getting to know all the characters and their stories. I loved Heavenly and Wes's story. Add little Jax to the story and you have a captivating read that I read straight through.
I'm so enjoying this series, getting to know all the characters and their stories. I loved Heavenly and Wes's story. Add little Jax to the story and you have a captivating read that I read straight through.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews