I received an arc copy of this from Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
Alice, an LA native and matchmaker, is in rural Oklahoma to help prepare for her best friend's upcoming wedding. Unexpectedly, there is a massive snow storm that traps Alice at the venue, a beautiful vineyard ran by the Bellini family. Also unexpectedly, ruggedly handsome Clay is stranded at the vineyard with her.
Clay is a rancher and happily single. And he wants no part of Alice's plan to find him his perfect match. Especially since the only person he wants is Alice.

Overview
➸ POV - 3rd Person, alternating between Alice and Clay's POV

➸ Alice Weatherford - LA native, Matchmaker, Maid of honor in her best friends wedding

➸ Clay Henry - Oklahoma, Rancher

➸ Content Warnings: None

My Thoughts
This just didn't do it for me unfortunately. This had some really cute moments! But overall I didn't jive with the writing or the overall plot.

I thought the chemistry and "relationship" between the two main characters was actually really sweet. I felt the connection between them and really liked the glimpses into their slice of life moments. But this was way, way too insta-lovey for my taste. I'm also for insta-attraction but when characters are dropping the L word after a couple of days and minimal contact I can't get on board.

I also found the dialogue to be really awkward and unnatural feeling. I was also so aware of these being words on a page rather than getting pulled into a story. There were so many repeated unnatural conversations - honestly the first 20-30 pages of this is just a new character being introduced and them making the same comment on the weather. Character names were overused in dialogue, and overall this story just felt never flowed or felt real to me.

Also, the main conflicts were completely self-imposed which was so frustrating as a reader. I wanted to shake the heroine at times.

Unfortunately I don't think this series is for me, and I don't plan on continuing on. I do think this had some great Christmas-y vibes if you're looking for something to quick this holiday season. But overall I didn't love or jive with this.

Review also shared on my blog!

This is the first time I’ve picked up a Jaci Burton book in more than a year. In fact, it’s been almost two years! I just wasn’t having luck with her lately and didn’t want to keep going down a road of disappointment with an author I used to really like. I had actually seen book one in this series first and wanted to read it, but I still wasn’t quite sure. I decided to dive back into this author’s work with this novella instead. That can be risky since novellas don’t give much room for error. Thank goodness this was a hit and not a miss. And having met the characters for the next book in this story interact with one another for a very brief time, I cannot wait to read the next book either.

As I mentioned, this is a novella, so things move fast. But the relationship being built between Alice and Clay is believable because they have a great connection. They’re both wonderful people and are honest about their expectations from the start. It’s fun to watch Alice try to prove her matchmaking skills to Clay, although he’s only interested in her. To be fair, the feeling is mutual…she just doesn’t want to give in to the pull they have.

This story helps to set up future stories, I’m sure, with the Red Moss Vineyard as the backdrop. There are plenty of characters to pull from and I’d love to see them all get the HEA they deserve. Hopefully my feelings on this book will continue throughout the series and I’ll be official out of my Jaci Burton rut.

You can find more of my reviews at All In Good Time.