Review by
Marlene Engel
The snow was
beautiful, but being dressed in a parka, hat and gloves was something that
Rachel wasn’t used to. Born and raised
in Arizona, Rachel was used to warmer weather.
However, she agreed to spend this Christmas in Montana with her brother,
Ty. Rachel has had a rough few months
and could use a getaway. Trained in
culinary arts, Rachel embarked on a business with a couple who she thought were
her friends. It turned out that they
were just out to take advantage of her. Rachel
has since developed thick skin and is hesitant to trust people. But when Ty suggests that she make
gingerbread houses replicating some of the landmark businesses in Marietta to
advertise her skill, she thinks it may be a good idea. If she can make enough money selling her
gingerbread to put down as a deposit for a new business, then her efforts would
be worth it. But when she meets Nate,
the owner of Bar V5 and the ranch where her brother works, his interest in her
baking and business makes her question his motives. Although he is genuine with wanting to help
her build her business, he’s selfishly hoping that she’ll also fall in love
with Marietta and decide to stay. That’s
when he puts together Operation: Hansel & Gretel. As the sales of Rachel’s gingerbread heats
up, so does her thoughts and feelings for Nate.
Will she be able to let down her guard and trust Nate? And will Nate succeed in getting Rachel to
make Marietta her permanent home?
Q&A
with the Author:
When did you know you wanted to become
an author?
It wasn't one specific moment, but a
few which got me to that point. Growing up I kept a journal and rewrote the
ending of TV shows and movies so they'd be more to my liking. When I read my
first category romance my senior year of high school, a friend and I decided to
write a romance novel together. I was seventeen at the time, and my freshman
year of college I bought a how to write a romance novel book. I never got
beyond the first line. But a couple years after I graduated college, I read a
book and thought "I could do this." Of course, I didn't have a clue
what was involved, but I committed myself to write a book. A little while after
that the roommate of my then-boyfriend saw a flier for the Desert Dreams RWA
conference (I was living in Arizona at the time) at a bookstore and that's how
I discovered RWA.
What gets you in the mood to write?
I'll be honest. I'm often not in the
mood to write. I have three active kids and a husband who's gone a lot, but I
have deadlines to meet and must write whenever I have the time no matter what's
going on or how I feel. I learned when my kids were babies to pick a song or
two for each book. I listen to those songs to put myself into the story fast.
Describe your book in three words.
Sweet, Heartwarming, Christmassy.
What can your readers expect next from
you?
Nothing has a firm release date yet,
but I've pitched another novella to Tule Publishing for their new Holiday
Imprint. I'm plotting sequels with the cowboys who work at the Bar V5 Ranch in
Home for Christmas. I recently sold two projects to Harlequin Special Edition.
A big thank you to Melissa for stopping
by Book Mama Blog!
About the author:
Melissa McClone
has published over twenty-five novels with Harlequin and been nominated for
Romance Writers of America's RITA award. She lives in the Pacific Northwest
with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds
and cats who think they rule the house.
Connect with the author at:
Learn
more about Montana Born Books at:
Melissa has kindly offered to give one lucky winner a $10 Amazon gift card!
Thanks so much for the awesome review and having me on your blog today! I really appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Melissa. Feel free to stop by any time!
DeleteI loved this Christmas story.
ReplyDeleteLove Christmas Stories any time of the year
ReplyDelete