Joanne Rock

A Chance this Christmas by Joanne Rock
This story starts out with Rachel and she's a designer and wants to make amends with the town and Luke. She wants to make something so the town can get back to their roots.
She's come back home after her father was caught years ago embezzling town money. She had been involved with one but was caught kissing another man.
Gavin has changed so much from when he was a teen. He has a vision for the town also. He is a snowboarder and still competing.
She is going to the wedding much to the anger from brides mother. Love the idea of cross country event that will raise money for the town. They are neighbors and he wants to bring her to the bridal dinner the night prior to the wedding.
Details of the town and fashion is really fantastic. Her mother has a solution also... SO many misunderstandings twists and turns and you can't see how things can go right...… (more)

Good book. Quinton is in Alaska to find his estranged half-brother but finds Clay's gorgeous red-haired stepsister instead. McKenna runs Clay's bar when he is away. She is very protective of him and refuses to tell Quint where he is. Quint and McKenna butt heads over their conflicting missions. Neither expected the intense attraction they felt for each other.

I liked Quint and McKenna. Quint is a good man who wants to ensure that Clay gets what he deserves from their father's estate. Though he grew up on the ranch, he left it behind as soon as he could, driven away by his tough, unyielding father and the memories of his mother's death. McKenna's childhood was tough until her father married Clay's mother, giving McKenna the stability she craved. Clay was there for her when her life fell apart, giving her a safe place to start over.

I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Quint and McKenna. Neither is happy about the intense attraction they feel for each other. Due to her previous relationship, McKenna has deep trust issues, and Quint feels guilty about desiring his brother's stepsister. While McKenna holds tight to her knowledge of Clay's whereabouts, she and Quint get to know each other. Quint is different than she expected, and he earns some of her trust when he offers to help her with the issue that brought her to Alaska.

Quint and McKenna can no longer resist the sparks when a storm strands them together. But guilt and insecurities pull them apart even when neither can forget the connection they felt. Time apart gives them perspective about their feelings, but there is still the issue of finding Clay to get past. There is some drama there, but I loved the ending and seeing how they resolved their conflict.… (more)

This book approaches a large variety of themes, but only scratches the surface. It is a 3.5 read for me, but I definitely enjoyed my time reading it. Both characters are strong and both know exactly what they want and what they expect from their partner. I would have wanted a more developed story, as the plot has a lot of potential.

Maresa and Cameron lead totally different lives. While she has to sustain her sick mother and brother not only financially, but morally as well, Cameron has had a life with all he could have wanted, except an absentee father. But he does have brothers he can count on, a grandfather who has become his role model and a fortune envied by many. They meet under false pretenses, but as soon as the veil comes off, they start a different kind of relationship.

What I mostly liked about the story was the numerous themes it approaches. But this was also the thing that made me not like it a little bit, because all these themes are so well mixed and it could have become so much more. We have two different kinds of families: Maresa’s, that above all other issues, has to accept a baby, and Cameron’s, that has to accept the family they never knew about. Also, we have a character that has a brain problem, so we have an acceptance issue. We have child abandonment and some other smaller ones. The way all this blends into the romance building between our protagonists is absolutely divine.

This was an easy and quick read. I had my moments of laughter and also moments of confusion, together with the characters. The writing did catch my attention and I was quickly captured by each page.
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