Book Review: His Hometown Yuletide Vow by Carol Ross

HIS HOMETOWN YULETIDE VOW by Carol Ross
SERIES: A Pacific Cove Romance #5
GENRE: Contemporary Romance (Clean & Wholesome)
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Heartwarming
RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2021
PAGES: 249

All he wants for Christmas

Is a second chance…

Derrick Bright’s baseball career may be over, but his brother’s is just starting—until a scandal threatens to end things. PR specialist Anne McGrath hasn’t spoken to Derrick since he left her eleven years ago. But she agrees to help for his brother’s sake. Escaping the press in Pacific Cove allows them to reconnect. Will she accept Derrick’s vow and make his Christmas dreams finally come true?

Other Books In This Series

I enjoy the benefits of social media as much as the next person. Being able to connect with friends and family who are far away or to reconnect with friends or family you’d lost contact with. It got a lot of people through the pandemic lockdowns, and it provides an endless supply of entertainment at our fingertips. We can talk to our celebrities – and sometimes they talk back! We have access to all the news we could ever want at the touch of a button, and we can even diagnose ourselves with a myriad of illnesses – and get forty-eleven remedies for each.

But with access to all of that information comes a downside, doesn’t there? Because with social media, we see what someone wants us to see. What someone has crafted ‘just so’ to convey the message or the impression or the assumption that they want people to take away. Which many times leads to misinformation, a rush to judgment, assuming the worst of someone, and canceling them before they’ve even logged on to Twitter to find out. Such is the set-up for Derrick Bright to come barreling back into Anne McGrath’s life, an ironic twist of fate that casts back to the reason their lives went separate ways in the first place. (Fun note: Readers of this series first met Anne in Second Chance for the Single Dad – she is the hero’s sister. It’s not necessary to have read that one first though.)

Honestly, it took me a bit to warm up to both Derrick and Anne. This isn’t a criticism of the story or the writing, however. It’s actually a compliment to the author’s talent because by the middle of the book I was solidly cheering for them to salvage Derrick’s little brother’s reputation & to reignite their own romance. The rough edges that bugged me about these two characters initially were softened by the revealed layers and growth as their story progressed. And before I fell in love with Derrick and Anne, I was head over heels for Easton & Keira & Jack & Derrick/Easton’s grandmother. These are all such fun characters that add warmth and humor and heart to the pages.

Bottom Line: His Hometown Yuletide Vow is a sweet second chance romance, with a timely plot and great character growth. The romantic tension that hums between Derrick and Anne strikes against their harbored hurt and anger to set off more than one kind of spark, and readers will love how it all turns out. The subtle messages that form the framework of their story are ones that we would all do well to embrace. A delightful read for Christmas, Valentine’s Day or any time of the year!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3 / will forget to breathe on occasion

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Carol Ross lives with her husband and two dogs (a perfect border collie and a perfectly loveable miscreant of a dachshund) in a small town in Washington near both the ocean and the mountains. She loves the Northwest because, when the temperamental weather cooperates, she enjoys hiking, running, skiing, and spending time outdoors. And when it doesn’t…she dons a raincoat, or gets lost in a book. She enjoys reading in many genres but writes about what she loves the most-romance.

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What about you? What makes you want to read His Hometown Yuletide Vow by Carol Ross?