Can Miss
Christmas find her spirit again?
After a
devastating betrayal, Claire Branham packs up the pieces of her life, along
with a twenty-million-dollar secret, and moves to Eternity Springs. She opens a
specialty shop—Forever Christmas—and, with the help of a surprise romance with
the town’s sexy new handyman, Claire’s heart begins to heal. Until her past
comes knocking…
Jax
Lancaster never questioned the need to abandon his career as a Navy submariner
in order to care for his young son in the wake of his ex-wife’s death.
Desperate to help with this loss, Jax straps on a tool belt to give Nicholas
the one thing he wants: A life in Eternity Springs. What Jax never expected to
find a second chance at love with a fascinating woman for whom Christmas has
become a business. But when the truth about Claire threatens their newfound
happiness, can Jax prove to her that in Eternity Springs, the spirit of
Christmas is real. . .and will last a lifetime?
Christmas in Eternity Springs is
the twelfth installment in Emily March's acclaimed Eternity Springs series.
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Eternity Springs series #12
St. Martin's Press
contemporary romance
review copy provided by publisher
Liza’s Review:
Christmas
in Eternity Springs was a really wonderful story. I have to say I fell a
little bit in love with Claire and Jax as a couple pretty much from the moment
they met. They had such a strong connection, especially for 2 people who
weren't looking for anyone, and I also loved Jax's son Nicholas from them moment
we met him.
Both Claire and Jax had come out of bad relationships in the
past. Claire finding out her finance was actually already married to someone,
and Jax's ex-wife leaving him for another man. Neither one of them were really
looking for a relationship when they met, and I loved the fact they both
started keeping a positive spirit journal, much like the feeling they get from
Eternity Springs. I really liked that Claire and Jax were honestly friends long
before they got into any sort of relationship. I really liked how Claire
helped Jax work with his son Nicholas to overcome his fear of Christmas. As
Nicholas had every reason to feel his fears, it was nice to see Claire and Jax
let Nicholas set the pace on what he could handle. I loved the better he felt
about Christmas the more he opened up to his dad and Claire about everything he
had dealt with that brought on his fear. I won't lie, as Nicholas told his dad
his story, I did cry a bit.
Christmas
in Eternity Springs is only the second book I've read in the Eternity
Springs series, and I found myself unable to put this book down. I really
enjoyed seeing Jax and Claire make their way as they worked to have a real
relationship. I will say I loved they took things slowly when adding Nicholas
in the mix, but did find their time when they were alone steamier than the
last book I
read in the Eternity Springs series. I found myself enjoying the steamier heat
level more than the sweeter heat level.
I
honestly felt like Nicholas and Claire both found Christmas again in Christmas in Eternity Springs. Nicholas
had to find it again because of fear and Claire because of loss. I loved that
the town of Eternity Springs rallied around them both to help them each
re-discover Christmas in their own way.
I
recommend Christmas in Eternity Springs
to fans of contemporary romance stories. As I haven’t read the entire series to
date, I can honestly say it reads well as a stand-alone story.
Rating:
4 Stars (B)
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EXCERPT
Prologue
December
Dallas, Texas
The fragrance of Christmas swept into the
house along with the tree that the garden center’s deliverymen carried inside.
As they placed the twelve- foot- tall blue spruce into the stand she’d
positioned in front of the living room picture window, Claire Branham allowed
herself to reflect on the once- upon- a- time memories triggered by the scent.
Days of
Christmas Past. Such happy times— laughter and excitement and family
traditions. A home filled with love. All lost, wiped away by the reality of
illness and death and broken hearts.
As she watched
the workers secure the tree to the stand, she reflected upon what a momentous
occasion this was for her. She hadn’t put up a Christmas tree in a very long
time. For Claire, Black Friday didn’t represent the beginning of the holiday
shopping season. It signified the day the doctor’s office called and changed
the lives of everyone she loved.
Fifteen
Christmases had passed since that first life-altering year. Some years, she’d
gone through the motions of participation, even though her heart wasn’t in it.
Other years, she did her best to ignore it entirely. Mostly, she’d muddled
through, grumpy and unhappy and counting the days until the season was over for
another year.
“That should do
it,” said the deliveryman, stepping back from the tree. He handed Claire a
little green bottle of preservative. “Mix this with water according to the
directions. Add water as needed. Doesn’t hurt to check it every day, but it
needs to be watered at least every other day.”
“Thank you.”
“You picked a
pretty one, Ms. Branham. You have a perfect spot for a tree in this home. Now .
. .” He flipped a page on his clipboard. “Are we decorating the tree, too, or
just doing the outdoor lighting and decorations?”
“You’re
hanging the outdoor lights and helping with the high things inside the house.
I’m saving the tree to decorate until my fiancé gets home from a business trip
tomorrow.”
Claire showed
him the outdoor decorations in her garage, then went back inside to begin
draping garland on the staircase. Anticipation made her feel like a child on
Christmas morning. It had been years since she’d decorated a tree, and she
couldn’t wait to do it again. This year, Claire wasn’t spending her holiday
season with her Grinch on. She was going all Elf. Because for the first time in
forever, the thought of the holiday season made Claire happy.
It started on
Black Friday. Rather than launching her usual month- long depression, Black
Friday this year got Claire off to a joyful holiday start. After she and Landon
ran the Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving morning, she’d sent him off to the
airport with a kiss and a turkey sandwich so he could make his early afternoon
flight to the West Coast where he had meetings scheduled with movie executives.
Friday morning, rather than lie in bed with her covers over her head as in
years past, Claire had bounded out of bed early, joined the shopping hoards,
and had a ball doing it.
It set the
tone for her days as she anticipated Landon’s return. Claire was happy and
excited and joyful. With Landon’s help, she had climbed her way out of the
valley of loss and loneliness and found her happiness. Now, she was finding her
Christmas spirit again.
Copyright © 2016 by Emily March and
reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Paperbacks.
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