As snowflakes fall in Gold Valley, Oregon, will this
rugged cowboy finally win the woman of his dreams?
Cowboy Caleb Dalton has loved single mom Ellie Bell, and
her little daughter, Amelia, for years. But since Ellie is his best friend's
widow, Caleb's head knows Ellie will always be strictly off-limits. If only his
heart got the memo. So when Caleb discovers that Ellie has a Christmas wish
list -- and hopes for a kiss under the mistletoe -- he's throwing his cowboy
hat into the ring. If anyone's going to be kissing Ellie and sharing this
magical time with her and her daughter, it's him.
Ellie has dreaded the holidays since losing her husband.
But this year, she's finally ready to make some changes. She never expects the
biggest change to be the heart-stopping kiss she shares with Caleb. For almost
five years, Caleb has been her best friend, her rock, her salvation. This
Christmas, can Caleb prove he's also the missing puzzle piece of Ellie's and
Amelia's hearts?
This was an intense and emotional book. Caleb has been in
love with Ellie since he first saw her, but she was already with his best
friend, Clint, so he buried his feelings deep. When Clint died, Caleb stepped
in to be the support he knew Clint would want him to be, and still kept his
feelings to himself. As a result, he and Ellie became best friends themselves. So
when he found out that Ellie had a very unusual Christmas list, he was ready to
help fulfill it.
Ellie loved her husband and grieved for him for four years.
But she's tired of being that pitiful widow that everyone feels sorry for, so
she's ready to make some changes. Her Christmas list for herself is short, but
powerful, starting with buying herself a new dress and getting kissed under the
mistletoe, and moving on to making out by the fire and more.
I loved both Caleb and Ellie. Caleb is a good man with a
kind heart, who doesn't see himself as worthy of good things. Caleb had a rough
childhood with his father constantly comparing him to Clint, leaving him
convinced that Clint was always the better person. I loved how he stepped up to
be the support that Ellie needed, from holding her through her grief to being
there when Amelia was born. There were also times when he frustrated me because
of his inability to see his own worth. Ellie is sweet and a lot stronger than
she thinks she is. She also has some deep-seated fear of intense emotion thanks
to her mother's wild emotional swings in her own love life.
I loved the development of the relationship between Ellie
and Caleb. It has an excellent start with the depth of their friendship and
that they have an undeniable trust in each other. While their bond is strong,
Ellie has no idea that Caleb has stronger feelings. When he shows up the first
night she puts her plan into motion, she is shocked by the feelings he stirs up
in her. She is further stunned by his reaction to her Christmas list. The chemistry
between them is explosive and starts crumbling the walls both of them have
around their hearts. I did get a bit frustrated with Ellie at times because she
was so oblivious to Caleb's feelings for her. He would say something that made
it evident that he felt more than friendship, and she would completely miss it,
or misunderstand what he said.
Just when I had high hopes that they were both finally going
to "get it," everything fell apart. Caleb was ready to propose but
was so afraid of being compared to Clint/not measuring up to Clint that he left
out an essential point. Ellie knew that there was something that didn't feel
right, but she couldn't admit what it was. And when she finally faced the truth
of her feelings, she allowed her fears to send her running, devastating Caleb
and reinforcing his fears. Thank goodness for family members who helped each of
them see the truth and find the courage to go after what they wanted. I loved
their big moment at the end and seeing both of them finally let go of the past
and embrace the potential of the future. I loved the epilogue and seeing that
they both gave themselves time to get to know who they are now.
I loved the secondary characters. The most adorable one
was Amelia, Ellie's little girl. She was such a sweetheart. I loved how big a
part of Caleb's life she was, and the depth of her love for him. She just about
broke my heart when she told him her Christmas wish. Caleb's parents were
interesting people, and the storyline about Hank's past coming home to roost is
intriguing. I must admit that the more I heard about how he treated Caleb as a
kid, the harder it was to like him, but he did redeem himself somewhat at the
end. Caleb's mom was more forgiving than I expected, though she had made some
egregious mistakes too. I'm looking forward to reading more of the series and
finding out more. I also hope that West gets his own story because he needs to
find someone to give him the love he deserves.
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