The Trouble with Christmas

All she wants in an over-the-top, eggnog-induced holiday with her best friend, but her parents insists she comes home for a boring Christmas in New York, so Suzanne St. Michelle does what any sane rational woman would do, she claims her landlord is really her boyfriend who really loves Christmas. He does not love Christmas or company or chatty women, unfortunately Joshua Grady finds himself agreeing to Suzanne’s charade. This ‘Credence Colorado’ holiday romance an emotional gripping tale with the most delightful hokiest Christmas ever to tickle the readers' holiday spirit . Although a bit hard to get into at first, the story soon picks up and the strong, captivating characters subtly draw readers into their story and before readers know it, they are hooked. The chemistry between Suzanne and Joshua is quite electrical and leaps off the pages but this relationship is one where the hero fights tooth and nail against opening his heart and letting anyone due to his past and the heroine has her own issues to deal with, so while this couple ‘fits’, the relationship is full of sparks, clashes and emotional turmoil that keeps things quite interesting. The plot of the story happens at a steady pace and is quite suspenseful as readers wonder how this unlikely couple will manage to pull this elaborate charade. This results in lots of chuckles and fun, especially as the couple go to some pretty cut throat negotiations to get through this holiday and readers just have to turn the pages to find just what will happen next as it spreads some holiday cheer the readers' way.

Suzanne and Grady’s unexpected love story in The Trouble with Christmas by Amy Andrews, book two in her Credence, Colorado series, was a fun, charming, amazing, and amusing story that I struggled to put down. Grady was lost soul, a loner, one who kept to himself and wanted to be out of the spotlight, at all cost. After all the adversity he’s dealt with, he just wanted to work his ranch. Suzanne was the daughter of a famous sculptor who feared her paintings could never live up to her mother’s reputation; so she painted reproductions of famous paintings. Suzanne wanted a normal, over the top, Christmas celebration instead of the minimalist-type her mother always insisted on. Spending it with her best friend in Credence, Colorado would only make it better and more fun; as would renting a cottage, on a ranch. When Suzanne’s mother insist she spend Christmas with them, she lies, saying that Grady is her boyfriend, she can’t leave him, and, oh yeah, Josh Grady just loves Christmas; so her parents will come to her. Josh must have lost his mind as he agrees to play her fake rancher boyfriend and allow her to decorate his house with the cheesiest decorations, ornaments and lights that can be seen from the space station. Décor like Elvis Santa on a motorcycle, Elf Barbie dressed as a pole dancer, cat garland, and so forth. Then there’s the mistletoe in every doorway and spaces in between. This fake relationship of two opposites makes for one hysterical story. While at the ranch, Suzanne found that her artistic muse had returned. The problem was instead of painting landscapes of the beautiful scenery, she was painting Grady’s face on the body of well-known models; David, a cherub, Atlas, and others. As Grady and Suzanne negotiate for the paintings, spend time together, and talk they discover a chemistry that is off the charts. Kissing, especially under all that mistletoe, is no hardship for them and there’s enough electricity arcing and sparking between them they could set off the New Year’s Eve fireworks. Ms. Andrews wrote a wonderful, funny and charming story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sexual chemistry, amusing banter, and endearing characters giving Grady and Suzanne a chance at love, happiness, and a future neither expected. I highly recommend The Trouble with Christmas to other readers and look forward to reading the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I loved book one in this series and this one was just as good. This time the story belongs to rancher and former soldier Joshua Grady and legit art forgery painter Suzanne St . Michelle. He is a man who suffered great losses at an early age, and never truly recovered. Since his return from the Army, he keeps to himself, isolated in his ranch until his uncle rents the cottage on his ranch to Suzanne. To say he’s upset is putting it mildly, even though sparks fly during their meeting. As well as each being annoyed by the other. Though Suzanne is trying to find her muse and wanting to get away from her mother’s shadow, when she realizes her parents are close to divorcing, she invites them to the ranch and proceeds to create the tackiest Christmas ever, much to Joshua’s displeasure. While the plot was engaging, and at times funny, and at others heartbreaking as well as heartwarming, the story was more than the basic plot. It’s a story about allowing yourself to love someone for however long that love lasts. Sometimes fear keeps up from doing just that , and we miss what could be the best part of life. The characters were complex and likable and while seemingly opposites, in fact they were perfect for each other. Another touching story by this talented author. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Entangled. The opinions expressed are solely my own.