Debbie Mazzuca

Usually I love when I have a new Debbie Mason to read and review but Happy Even After in Christmas had me up-in-arms before I even read it. Part of the reason was that I knew that it was the last book in the series!

Let's take a moment for everyone to be able to yell about that fact!

Now that you got that out of your system lets get back to the review. That's right, it's the last book. I was both happy (that Sawyer and Jill got their story) and heartbroken that I was leaving town and moving show more away.

Of course I know that sometimes you have to move on and a little part of me can't wait. But I will miss everyone in Christmas!

So let's talk Jill and Sawyer! I wasn't always a big fan of Jill's. It wasn't that I didn't like her, I did. But she sometimes is a little hard on the nerves. On the other hand, sometimes I think the people of Christmas are too hard on her and forget that she does have feelings.

Don't you just love a book that makes you think about things like this? Mason is wonderful at making you not like someone in one book and love them in the next.

Deep down inside, Jill is like the rest of us...a wreck! She has the same worries and insecurities that we all have. Made me like her even more. You also have to feel for a woman that has loved the same man for like...forever!

That would be Sawyer. He is so sweet and hot!!! Of course he's also dense at times and tries to ignore things he really shouldn't...a man all the way!

You will really love the dance that Jill and Sawyer do. These two have a issue getting on the same page, but we all know they are perfect for each other! So often as I read their story I yelled at one or the other because they drove me crazy! They were blind to what was best for each other!

They really should have asked me. :)

If you haven't yet read Mason's Christmas, Colorado series this is the perfect time to do so. All the books are out and with it being summer, they are the perfect beach reads. I'm so happy that I was able to make this journey with Mason. I cried, laughed and in general had a great time in Christmas! Now I look forward to moving to Harmony Harbor!

Reviewed for Romancing the Readers Blog:
http://romancingthereaders.blogspot.com/2016/07/review-giveaway-happy-ever-after...

Romancing the Readers Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/RomancingTheReaders/

ARC received for a honest review show less

This was a great read! The writing flowed well from start to finish, and I loved Caine and Evie together! They had great chemistry, and I was rooting for them make it through everything. I did get annoyed at both of them for different reasons. Caine for defending his grandmother even after the horrible things she had done, and Evie for analyzing Caine, but not dealing with her own problems. It was a little confusing at times with all the characters from other books mentioned. Those parts are show more few, so it wasn't a big deal. The ending was great, and I loved that even Colleen got her happy ending.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. show less

4.5 stars.

Christmas in July by Debbie Mason is a beautiful love story that is poignant, romantic and heartwarming. In this second installment of the Christmas, Colorado series, Grace and Jack Flaherty's reunion encounters numerous complications as they try to pick up the pieces of their marriage. Amnesia, guilt, secrets and interference from well-meaning friends and family are just a few of the issues facing them when Jack safely returns home seventeen months after he was declared MIA in show more Afghanistan.

By the time Jack returns home, Grace is firmly rooted in his hometown of Christmas. While she is overjoyed at his safe return, their reunion is overshadowed by their last parting and at first, Jack's amnesia is a blessing in disguise. When he does recover his memory, they have barely begun to work on rebuilding their troubled marriage when a secret Jack has been keeping is revealed in a very public setting. At the same time, a vengeful revelation hurts Grace's reputation and puts her marriage on even shakier ground and she is faced with trying to save not only her relationship with Jack, but her bakery business. From this point on, they overcome one crisis only to have another challenge takes its place.

By all appearances, Jack and Grace are a mismatched couple. Jack is a thrill seeking, adrenaline junkie while Grace is a bit uptight with a few control issues. But they perfectly complement one another and each brings out the other's hidden qualities. Underneath Grace's prim, proper exterior, she is wildly passionate and she has an incredible sense of humor. Jack is a typical Alpha male but with Grace and little Jack, he is pretty much nothing but a softie with an incredibly tender and loving heart.

In addition to the external conflict they are struggling to overcome, Jack and Grace are also dealing with their emotional baggage from their individual pasts. Jack's wild child reputation comes back to haunt him and he resents living under the small community's watchful eye. Grace carries a heavy burden that has its roots in her childhood and she is further stressed by Jack's inability to figure out what he is going to do about his military career.

Despite the many crises that Jack and Grace must endure on their way to happily ever after, Christmas in July is a delightfully angst free novel. The characters are vibrantly developed and the problems they must overcome are believable and true to life. The small town of Christmas is realistically depicted with a wonderful spectrum of caring and somewhat colorful townspeople. This incredibly heartfelt and deeply moving romance is an outstanding addition to Debbie Mason's Christmas, Colorado series that old and new fans do not want to miss. show less

If ever a book needed to come with a warning, this one should have. The warning? “Lies beget lies.” And this book and this town was filled with them. Everyone seems to have a big secret and/or lie following them around so I can see this as a fairly long running series. And that may be a good thing because this was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a very long time. It is going to be interesting just exactly what everyone is hiding.

Mistletoe Cottage might make you frustrated show more and even make you dislike Sophie a bit for not coming clean (but then it would be a different book), it may frustrate you that her daughter is, eventually, using her PTST as a sort of weapon. (I can understand, it but I didn’t have to like it). You may become frustrated with Liam for not getting the help he needs (and for the author to not have delved into Liam’s issue a tad more).

You may need a scorecard to keep everyone straight -there are a lot of character’s and I mean a lot.

I loved the biggest bomb that I never once saw coming. Total shock!

I loved that this book dealt with the issues like it was ‘real life’ and not a fictional novel.

>>>>>SORT OF SPOILERISH show less