Review - - The December Market

The December Market

by RaeAnne Thayne

Shelter Springs - Book 2

Publisher: Canary Street Press

Release Date: October 8, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

Amanda Taylor isn’t a fan of Christmas, but as the owner of a local soap shop, ignoring the holiday season isn’t an option. To forget the pain of Christmases past, Amanda focuses on making the season bright for her customers at the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market. But when her beloved grandmother, Birdie, starts dating the dashing new resident of the Shelter Inn retirement community, Amanda smells trouble. Fortunately, Rafe Arredondo, the grandson of Birdie’s charming suitor, is equally dubious of the match. Unfortunately, he's just as fiery as his grandfather—and Amanda has zero interest in getting burned.

As a single father, paramedic and assistant fire chief, Rafe has more than enough on his plate. Sure, he and Amanda share a common goal in keeping their grandparents apart. Still, that doesn’t mean he should allow himself to feel as drawn to her as he does. Even if she is great with his young son. Even if she does help the burden of his own painful past feel a little lighter… But when their paths keep crossing at the holiday market, it starts to feel like fate, prompting them both to wonder if taking a chance on love might gift them everything they’ve been wishing for.

PJ's Thoughts:

I can always count on RaeAnne Thayne for heart-tugging, feel-good stories that immerse me in the warmth and joy of the holiday season. Stories that include healing, romance, humor, family, and hard-won happy endings, all of which are front and center in Thayne’s newest holiday novel, The December Market. 

Rafe and Amanda have both had emotional baggage and loss in their lives. For Amanda in particular - for more reasons than one - it’s been difficult to move on from tragic events in her past and open her heart to the possibility of love. I enjoyed these two so much. Rafe won me over just as completely as he did Amanda. Though not without some ups and downs. There’s a lot to overcome here. It’s going to take a special man, an irrepressible six-year-old boy, adorable grandparents, and possibly Santa to fulfill a little boy’s wish and secure a happy ending for a most deserving couple. 

The December Market put me firmly in the Christmas spirit even though it’s only October. Pretty sure I’m going to be reading this one again. If you haven’t read last year’s Christmas at the Shelter Inn (Amanda’s brother Griffin’s story), check out my review. You don’t have to read the books in order, though characters and events from book one also appear in The December Market. I recommend both.