Season of Joy: Includes a bonus novella

What a sweet holiday romance! Granger has his hands full this holiday season, running his family's Christmas tree farm and managing his two young daughters, so when the girls' nanny has to retire unexpectedly, the only woman he can trust with their care is the local art teacher that they already know. Joy, however, despite her previous experience as a nanny while putting herself through art school, refuses to take on any job that isn't in furtherance of her artistic career, and turns him down. Soon, however, it becomes clear that they need her more than she thought, so she agrees to provide daily after-school art lessons, and anything else that comes up, so she can be there for them. This is a delightful friends-to-lovers story that is complicated by Joy's career-first parents and Granger's suddenly-reappearing ex-wife. I enjoyed the characters and the vivid storytelling style, and was gratified to see everything work out in the end. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

3.75 stars--SEASON OF JOY is the sixth instalment in Annie Rains contemporary, adult SWEETWATER SPRINGS romance series focusing on the people of Sweetwater Springs. This is thirty-one year old, tree farmer and single father Granger Fields, and thirty year old, artist Joy Benson’s story line. SEASON OF JOY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from dual third person perspectives (Joy and Granger) SEASON OF JOY follows the building romance and relationship between thirty-one year old, Christmas tree farmer and single father Granger Fields, and thirty year old, artist Joy Benson. The Merry Mountain Tree Farm is struggling in the wake of a devastating fire and a low inventory for the upcoming holiday season. When his nanny suddenly quits, Granger Fields is desperate enough that he asks his friend, and art teacher Joy Benson to help until the end of the holidays but Joy doesn’t want to be a nanny-been there ,done that-she wants to get her own business off the ground. Offering to help until after Christmas, Joy finds herself falling for the father of her two new charges, a man who finds himself falling for our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance between Granger and Joy, and the potential fall-out as Granger’s past comes looking for a second chance. Joy Benson has loved and lost, and losing meant more than anyone could have imagined. Trusting again was difficult in the wake of her fiancé’s betrayal but falling for Granger and his daughters was easy and fun. Granger Fields also has issues of trust -as a single father whose wife and mother of his children was no longer in the picture, Granger knew his daughters would always come first, and entrusting their care to Joy meant trusting his heart for the foreseeable future. The relationship between Joy and Granger begins as friendship but struggles with demons from the past. Joy and Granger have both been burned by previous relationships, and in this, the pain is still real, and the anger simmers at the surface. The romance is passionate-there are no $ex scenes. Several of the previous story line characters play secondary and supporting roles including fudge shop owner Dewanda. We are introduced to Joy’s parents Drs Benson; Joy’s Aunt Darby and her boyfriend Ray, and Joy’s ex-fiance Dan, as well as Granger’s parent Gene and Debbie, his daughter’s Willow and Abby, and his ex-wife Erin. SEASON OF JOY is a sweet story line, perfect for the holidays. Although Granger often is quick to judge, Joy is a passionate woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. The premise is charming; the romance is wistful; the characters are colorful and spirited.

Every trip to Sweetwater Springs is a little sweeter than the one before it. I have been waiting for what feels like forever for Granger to get his HEA, and boy does he deserve it- a single dad whose wife walked away. Granger could use a win. I think Granger and Joy give each other the stability and the belonging that the other needed. There were definitely times that I wanted to smack them both over the head and tell them to get it together but thankfully they eventually figured it out. I’m not sure who’s left to get a HEA in this small town but I can’t wait to visit again!!