A Family by Christmas

If you are looking for a clean, sweet, Christmas story with a child as one of the characters , this one is the one for you. Wood Creek is the new home of chocolatier Emma Miller. A place filled with new beginnings and a new business for a woman whose years in the foster system made her feel not truly loved or wanted. But she has a great deal of hope in her new life. Grant Galloway and his daughter Casey moved back home after his wife died. He still wants to go back into flying planes and the town is just a temporary stop. But that doesn’t stop Casey from wanting her Dad to find happiness and maybe Emma’s chocolates is what he needs. Little did any of them know, that their lives had the potential of changing forever. Maybe what they thought they wanted is not what they really want and the holiday season is full of hope and miracles. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Entangled Publishing . The opinions expressed are solely my own.

4 star review of A Family By Christmas by Viv Royce What's not to love? It's the most magical time of the year and also happens to be my most favourite holiday. I love any story that is centred around Christmas; it’s a time for family and friends to get together, celebrate and reflect on life. This one really tugged at the heart strings and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chocolatier Emma Miller and Pilot Grant Galloway’s story. I found Viv Royce’s writing style to be pleasant and the story flowed quite well, even though it was a tad predictible at times. Emma is a product of the foster care system, so she has trouble trusting people,for fear they will suddenly disappear from her life. Grant is slowly coming back to life after the death of his wife. Grant’s little girl Casey is too precious for words and my heart just about broke when she told Emma she needed chocolcates so that her dad would fall in love and smile again. Can the magic of the Christmas season bring together two lonely souls and an adorable little girl and in turn bring joy and happiness to them all? As feelings deepen and love blossoms will Grant and Emma take the leap or will Grant’s plans to leave Wood Cove destroy their fledgling relationship and break Emma’s heart? A Family By Christmas is not a particularly long book, but it was sweet;Wood Cove sounds like a beautiful place and I found this story to be full of hope, love and family; of strength and determination and all in all a heart warming read. I received a copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley.

This is a delightful story that made me smile and kept me smiling. Emma is a woman raised in foster care that has never felt the kind of belonging and constancy that most of us take for granted. Grant is a widower whose whole foundation collapsed when his wife died suddenly, leaving him to raise their young daughter. As a long haul pilot, he had to give up his job to be there for his daughter, and then moved home to his family's home to heal and rebuild their foundation. Then one day, the daughter wanders into Emma's chocolate shop and nothing is the same. I loved the depth of the characters and the way they interacted. They felt like real people and made me feel invested in their story and want them to get a HEA ending. Reading this book felt like a treat filled with wonderful sweets. If you want a yummy novel that will make you smile, you have found it in this book. While it is set a Christmas, this book is a must read and worth reading at any time of year. This is a new author and I can't wait to see what she creates next.