Book Review (and a Giveaway!): In Love By Christmas by Cari Lynn Webb

In Love By Christmas by Cari Webb, On Tour with Prism Book Tours

IN LOVE BY CHRISTMAS
SERIES: City By The Bay Stories #5
GENRE: Contemporary Romance (clean)
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Heartwarming
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2019
PAGES: 384

This Christmas, two worlds collide

…under the mistletoe!

All Theo Taylor wants for Christmas is a profitable year-end and a flawless wedding for his sister. Hiring beautiful but unknown designer Josie Beck is a huge risk, especially when the Taylors’ reputation is at stake. Josie is sweet, kind and impossible to resist. But is Josie about to destroy Theo’s perfect wedding plan…or is she the answer to his heart’s secret Christmas wish?

Other Books In This Series

In Love by Christmas reacquaints us with Mia from The Doctor’s Recovery (whom I loved) by way of her business-mate, and heroine of this story, Josie. It was fun getting to see newly married Mia happy & succeeding in her new photography career, but I most loved getting to know Josie. Her kind & generous heart – even at the risk of much-needed profit – is touching, and it places her in direct contrast with romantic interest Theo who is all about the bottom line.

Webb’s writing always draws you in to the characters (both main and supporting) and keeps you invested in them throughout. While I wanted to shake Theo for basically the whole first half of the novel, there was also something about his story that broke my heart & I loved watching his character growth over the course of the book. I also really liked Theo’s sister Adriana and seeing her heart a bit more as the story – and dress designing – moved along. Which brings me back to Josie … I envy that kind of creativity & thought Webb did a great job of helping readers easily picture her sketches & design process with movement and depth, despite only being able to ‘see’ those scenes on a written page.

Bottom Line: In Love by Christmas is a touching story of two wounded souls coming to grips with the reality of their pasts vs. the idealistic dreams they’ve clung to for so long – while also embracing the parts of those pasts that have made them stronger today. I did feel like maybe too much time was spent rehashing those wounds in pretty much the same way each time (i.e. nothing new of significance was really covered in each new telling of the painful backstories), but once we get into the real heart of the story the pace picks up and nicely held my attention for the remainder. A sweet read for this holiday season – and beyond!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received via Prism Book Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 / enjoyed it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

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Cari Lynn Webb lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughters and assorted four-legged family members. She’s been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparent’s 70 year marriage and her parent’s marriage of over 50 years. She knows love isn’t always sweet and perfect, it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers. Visit her at her website.

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Other Books by Cari Lynn Webb

1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card & a stocking filled with The Return of the Blackwell Brothers five-book series, a Christmas ornament and candy (if an international winner, will receive the eGift Card and ebooks of the Return of the Blackwell Brothers series)

Open internationally

Ends December 11, 2019

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This giveaway is hosted by Prism Book Tours, not RimSP
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What about you? What interests you most about In Love by Christmas?