Blurb
After traveling around the globe for over a year, Cole Linden is more than ready to return home to Montana, so when his fiancée, Sunshine, suddenly cuts their trip short and books them flights back to Chance Creek, Cole feels like the holidays have come early this year. He hopes she’ll love the present he bought her: a restaurant space downtown. If only he can transform it into the sleek, modern style she likes before Christmas, maybe she’ll finally agree to set a date for their wedding.
Sunshine can’t believe she’s pregnant, but she is, which means it’s high time to get back home. It also means she needs to re-think her career goals. She can’t run a world-class restaurant in tiny Chance Creek—especially not with a baby. So Cole will have to be the breadwinner of the family. Which means he needs a ranch. Luckily she’s found one. Three hundred acres of prime ranch land and a wonderful—if dilapidated—house. With Christmas looming, she’ll need to race to turn it into the comfortable family home they’ll need as soon as they get married.
But when a delayed flight results in the loss of their hotel room, Cole and Sunshine realize they’ll have to couch surf through the holidays. Staying with each of their friends in turn leads to a series of revelations that might undermine their relationship for good. Can Cole and Sunshine make it until Christmas?
Or will this be the holiday that ends it all?
Review
In book nine in the Cowboys of Chance Creek series, Sunshine and Cole are returning home to Montana after traveling the world for three long years. They’ve had an amazing time together, but then an unexpected encounter with a brassy woman from Cole’s past sends their relationship off the rails.
Cole and Sunshine were first introduced in The Cowboy Inherits a Bride, the prequel to this series, and never mentioned again. Even though I really liked them in their original story, I couldn’t connect with them in this one. I understand why they were keeping secrets from each other, but a Christmas present shouldn’t drive them to consider breaking up. They needed to communicate, which they refused to do.
Two years have passed since the last book ended, so it was great seeing all the other heroes and heroines again. I enjoyed revisiting these couples, but the instant friendships they formed with Sunshine and Cole and everyone desiring to help them with their big surprises was odd and repetitive.
I only noticed one inconsistency (Rob is the youngest Matheson brother, not Luke), and I wish the subplot with Frannie, Cole’s ex, was more developed. Cole and Sunshine never discussed the problem, which didn’t make sense because Frannie was one of the reasons for their almost break-up.
Anyway, this story officially tied up some loose ends from the previous books. Ms. Seton has created a few spin-off series, and I’m hopeful these cowboys and cowgirls will return soon enough.
3 Stars
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