One Christmas Wish

August 30, 2021
A woman wary of love can’t resist her attraction to a handsome ex-con in Jackson’s sensual fifth Catalina Cove romance (after Follow Your Heart). Sierra Crane is focused on running the Green Fig, her booming soup café in Catalina Cove, La., and raising her six-year-old goddaughter, Teryn, following the death of Teryn’s mother and Sierra’s best friend. She has no time for a relationship, and her messy divorce from her cheating husband makes her especially uninterested. Even so, she feels an instant connection to Vaughn Miller when he walks into her restaurant and makes “every hormone in her body sizzle.” The pair strike up a friendship that rapidly deepens as Vaughn bonds with the lovable Teryn and confides in Sierra about how his former fiancée left him when he was wrongfully convicted of a crime. In turn, Sierra shares details of her disastrous marriage. Though both are burdened with difficult pasts, Vaughn is determined to convince Sierra to take a chance on a relationship. Jackson brings the quaint Southern town to life in a memorable holiday romance complete with affable characters. Romance readers will appreciate Sierra’s conflicting desire to protect her heart and take a chance at future happiness. Agent: Pattie Steele-Perkins, Steele-Perkins Literary.

September 1, 2021
An exonerated Wall Streeter returns to his Louisiana hometown for a second chance at life and the possibility of romance with a newly divorced cafe owner. Vaughn Miller is trying to get his career back on track after a wrongful conviction left him serving two years in jail for a white-collar crime he didn't commit. Going back to his hometown of Catalina Cove is the first step in trying to start his life over, but encountering beautiful divorc�e Sierra Crane upends his world in a way he never could have expected. As far as a romantic relationship is concerned, however, Sierra is feeling particularly reluctant to venture into anything serious after her ex-husband's lies and infidelity shattered her trust. Trying to keep the situation with Vaughn casual proves to be harder than Sierra though, though, and she can't resist her attraction to him, let alone ignore his persistence in trying to prove that he's worthy of her heart. Meanwhile, Sierra's ex has a plan of his own to get her back, and it could prove threatening to not only her burgeoning romance, but the newest member of her family: her goddaughter. The small-town setting of Jackson's Catalina Cove series provides a soothing backdrop here for a storyline that fluctuates in drama and intensity. Although the book takes place around Christmas, the seasonal element frequently feels like an afterthought--and the titular wish seems like window dressing grafted onto a story already stacked high with characters and side plots. The low-angst romance will be a comfort to readers in search of an easy read this fall even if the final twist is fairly predictable. A small-town Christmas romance that focuses more on the community than on the holiday season.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2021

Sierra Crane loves her life in Catalina Cove, Louisiana, where she is raising her goddaughter and running the Green Fig Soup Caf�. After a messy divorce from a cheating husband, Sierra is happy without a man in her life, until Vaughn Miller walks into her caf�. Good-looking, business-savvy Vaughn is a direct descendant of the town's founder. He's starting fresh after being wrongfully incarcerated and he wants Sierra in his life from the moment he lays eyes on her. When Vaughn tries to sweep Sierra off her off her feet, it's a fairy tale come true. A You've Got Mail subplot adds a twist, as neither character realizes they were each other's anonymous correspondents in a prison pen pal program. Characters from the previous Catalina Cove books and Jackson's "Forged of Steele" series make appearances, adding to the small-town charm. VERDICT Jackson's fans will welcome this latest entry in the cozy, close-knit world of Catalina Cove, filled with familiar characters and Christmas warmth.--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.