Your heart breaks for Nessa and Ivy not only as they don't have a close half sister relationship but due to the secret Nessa was told by her Mum just before she passed. Neesa is lost and trying to work through revelations from the past as well as work out how to show Ivy she cares, where to from here for both of them and can she ever return to her job she loved so catching feels for the B&B's son was not something she expected. I just loved Nessa and Wolfgang aka Wolf as as much as they fight how they feel one of them needs to take a stand and fight for the love they have and Wolf needs to be the soft landing as everything slowly falls into place and is revealed, then there is Ivy and as much as she sounds like a snarly preteen she is also finding her way and Rose Bend is cathartic for her as well as. There are soo many emotions you go through with this book, you heart gets torn apart and mended while we see secrets rip people apart, families finally come together, love and laughter as well as tears and happiness but most of all acceptance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Merged review:

Your heart breaks for Nessa and Ivy not only as they don't have a close half sister relationship but due to the secret Nessa was told by her Mum just before she passed. Neesa is lost and trying to work through revelations from the past as well as work out how to show Ivy she cares, where to from here for both of them and can she ever return to her job she loved so catching feels for the B&B's son was not something she expected. I just loved Nessa and Wolfgang aka Wolf as as much as they fight how they feel one of them needs to take a stand and fight for the love they have and Wolf needs to be the soft landing as everything slowly falls into place and is revealed, then there is Ivy and as much as she sounds like a snarly preteen she is also finding her way and Rose Bend is cathartic for her as well as. There are soo many emotions you go through with this book, you heart gets torn apart and mended while we see secrets rip people apart, families finally come together, love and laughter as well as tears and happiness but most of all acceptance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Christmas Romance With A Touch Of Preachy Politics. This is *mostly* a Hallmarkie Christmas Romance that would *mostly* fit right in with a typical Hallmark Christmas Movie. So for fans of that kind of story, you're going to love this one. That noted, it does have a moment or two of getting particularly preachy about the author's politics here - enough that when reading through that section (an extended one early and a few other comments here and there) there was debate within my head about a star deduction. But ultimately even the preachiness was more spice than actual substance here - kind of a cilantro. Some will LOVE it. Others will HATE it. No matter which side you're on here, know that it truly doesn't form the actual meat of the tale here, and the rest of the tale really is a solid story of the type described above. This is marketed as Book 2 in a series, and honestly with the various backstories provided it almost seems like it could be even deeper than that - and yet the story here still works as a standalone by itself. Ultimately a solid Christmas Romance, and very much recommended.

This one didn’t make me cry as much as the first in the series but damn it still got me. Oof.

The one with Nessa, guardian to her younger sister after all their parents die. She has a complicated relationship with her little sister Ivy, and secrets, and had a panic attack at work. They come to Rose Bend for December to try to bond, but Nessa seems so hesitant to get close to her sister, or anyone, it’s hard to read. Wolfgang’s family owns the inn where Nessa & Ivy stay, and there is an immediate attraction, but both are like ‘I can’t get involved for reasons’. Then they get involved.

I hated that Nessa was doing the same thing to Ivy that her Dad did to her, staying away, not trying to have a relationship with a 12 year old that was desperate for love and affection.