Wedding Bells In Christmas
Christmas Colorado, Book #4
By Debbie Mason
ISBN# 9781455587995
Author’s Website: http://authordebbiemason.com/index.html
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Jerjen
Review
Vivian Westfield has returned to Christmas, Colorado to attend a wedding. She has just gotten demoted from her newspaper job and is now the writer of an advice column. To say that she is upset about this would be an understatement. Adding to her problems is the fact that she knows when she returns to Christmas, her best friends will do whatever it takes to get her to move there. And that is so not happening. She also knows that she will see Chance McBride again and this is a bigger problem. She fell in love with him once after being with him for only a short period of time, and then he left her without a backwards glance. It has taken her a long time to get over him, and she is afraid that she really is not.
Chance McBride is also returning home to Christmas for the same wedding. He has not been back for a long time, because he cannot bear the memories. Everything in the town reminds him of all that he has lost, his wife and unborn child. He blames himself for their deaths because of a case he was working on and the guilt is overwhelming. Chance knows that he will see Vivian at the wedding and this scares him. She is the first woman since he lost his wife that has made him feel alive again and wondering if he can have another chance at love. And this scares him more than he is willing to admit.
When Vivi and Chance meet again (on the plane) the sparks are still there. But so are the feelings of distrust, betrayal and frustration. Vivi has not forgiven Chance for walking away from her and breaking her heart. Chance is not happy to see that she still has the ability to make him want more out of his life. Neither knows how they will survive the time they are together for the wedding.
The author is very talented in creating characters that are relatable, likable and lovable. Vivi wants to present to the world the image of a tough, no nonsense kick-butt reporter who can take care of herself. She is all those things, but the reality is that there is definitely a softer more vulnerable side to Vivi. She is loving and caring and loyal. She also has her fears, such as flying and animals (especially Chance’s little dog, Princess/Cujo) and never finding love. Chance is protective of those he loves and a loyal friend. He will do whatever needs to be done to take care of those he loves. But he can be stubborn and controlling (if it means protecting Vivi) and he carries so much guilt that it almost suffocates him. It was heartwarming reading about their relationship and watching it grow.
This book has it all. There is suspense and mystery, humor (the bickering between Chance and Vivi and the interaction between Vivi and Princess had me laughing out loud) and the hope of a second chance at love. I could have read about the interactions between them all day long. The supporting cast of characters were also well rounded and realistic and added a lot to the story. I really enjoyed reading all of the interactions between family and friends. Aunt Nell is quite a character and keeps everyone on their toes.
The writing style flows easily and the book is an easy, enjoyable read. The romance is sweet and heartwarming and you can tell how much Chance and Vivi love each other. It is a clean read when it comes to the romance, not steamy but heartfelt. The mystery is carried on throughout much of the book and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I just kept wanting to read the next chapter to see what was going to happen. I found myself totally immersed in the romance, the mystery, the characters and the drama.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a well written romance that offers so much more. I would give this book more than five stars if I could, that’s how much I loved this book. Do yourself a favor a pick up a copy and find out for yourself.
