A Sugar Creek Christmas by Jenny B. Jones

A Sugar Creek Christmas by Jenny B. Jones

I so enjoyed another book in this series, The Holiday Husband, that I decided to read this one.

Let’s begin with the summary:

Sometimes all love needs is a second chance.

Morning television show darling Emma Sutton has just been fired. The only way to get her job back is to find a holiday story to warm the coldest heart. So when her hometown of Sugar Creek, Arkansas, needs a Christmas event planner, Emma moves back, sure her story lies in the town’s desire to become a tourist’s holiday wonderland. The plan is perfect—until Emma meets her new boss.

Charming, handsome Noah Kincaid isn’t just Sugar Creek’s newest mayor. He’s also Emma’s ex-fiancé. Ten years ago Emma left Noah her ring and a goodbye note, but it’s haunted her ever since. The last thing Noah wants to do is work with the woman who broke his heart, but Emma’s desperate to prove to him that her bah-humbug ways won’t interfere with her work. Emma finds it’s more than the mistletoe drawing her back to Noah. Whatever they had is clearly not over, but Noah’s kisses can’t protect Emma from a past that won’t leave her alone. As the snow falls and the trees glisten, love will come to Sugar Creek. But will it come in time to make all of Emma’s Christmas dreams come true? Enjoy this sweet, heart-warming Christmas story, book one in the series.

And now, my review:

This series isn’t made up of Christian romances, per se, but they’re marked as clean reads. After reading The Holiday Husband, I didn’t expect the worldly language I found in this novella. It’s not profanity, but it was jarring. There was at least one use of God’s name in vain, and mention of body parts that took the focus off the clean romance and redirected readers into a less noble place.

That said there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. And overall, I enjoyed the story. The heroine needs a career-saving story, which forces her to work with her hometown’s new mayor—her ex. I liked that she had to face her past and needed to focus on what was really important. You’ll find themes of forgiveness and second-chances.

The story's setup felt rather like an expected Hallmark plot. But the romance sizzled between the heroine and hero.

My favorite part? The humor. I marked several spots that, even reading them now, make me laugh. The author also painted some beautiful descriptions. She has a knack for humor like few authors I've read.

If you’re looking for a light, funny holiday-themed read, this one will deliver. Check out The Holiday Husband for sure!