Review - - The Fireman's Christmas Wish

The Fireman's Christmas Wish

by Nan Reinhardt

The Lange Brothers - Book 3

Publisher: Tule

Release Date: October 18, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Her heart is wide open, but he’s nailed his shut.

Preschool teacher Harley Cole has always viewed life through rose-colored glasses. With a career she loves, friends she enjoys, and a home that is her haven, there’s only one thing missing—finding her soul mate. As the holidays approach, Harley is inspired to help her former high school crush rediscover his holiday joy. It’s just a good deed...until the feelings she thought were gone come rushing back.

Fire Chief Becker Lange returns home to River’s Edge with a heavy heart. His divorce has emotionally ravaged him, leaving him more confused than ever about what women want. So to protect himself from another failure, he closes his heart. And then Harley Cole makes him a flirty dare that she can help him overcome the holiday blues. Beck’s not sure he wants to, but Harley’s a hard woman to tell no.

Can the magic of Christmas and a sweet stray kitten bring these two lonely souls together?

PJ's Thoughts:

A grumpy-sunshine romance is my Christmas reading wish and Nan Reinhardt's The Fireman's Christmas Wish delivers. This friends-to-lovers holiday gem kept me happily flipping pages from start to finish.

I love everything about Reinhardt's fictional town of River's Edge. I want to stroll the riverwalk, listen to music while sipping an excellent beverage at Four Irish Brothers Winery, sing carols and enjoy hot chocolate - with marshmallows - at the town's Christmas tree lighting, and spend time with characters who have become friends. Like the Lange brothers and the women who have captured their hearts. Those Langes: hot, deep, stubborn men. They don't fall easy but when they do...

Beck and Harley are characters who engaged my attention - and emotions - almost immediately. The chemistry between them is so obvious to the reader, if not to them. I love the friendship that has developed between them, a wonderful foundation upon which to build when those simmering romantic feelings begin to bubble. Their story brings an upbeat, humorous, sweetly romantic vibe as "Scrooge" Beck reluctantly allows Harley (who had to have been one of Santa's elves in a previous life) to drag him into Christmas events he has assiduously avoided since his divorce. It's so much fun to watch his bah-humbug personality gradually sweeten as he begins to remember all the reasons he used to embrace River's Edge's holiday traditions. And then there's the sweet, mischievous, tiny, abandoned kitten who claims his home and his heart. Plus, the guy bakes pies. Bakes! Pies! I mean, really, how could I not fall for him? Oh, I mean, Harley. How could Harley not fall for him? ;-)

There's plenty to smile about with Harley and Beck but the author wisely enrichens their story with complexities that also give them depth. There's the emotional baggage of Beck's failed marriage, Harley's deep desire for children of her own, plus family issues on both sides that bring complicated feelings into play. I love how both Harley and Beck are there for one another when things go sideways, bringing support, encouragement, and a safe place to land for the other. They may hit a few potholes on their way to a happy ending but these two are meant to be together. I know it, the author knows it, their families and friends know it, even the cat knows it, and now they know it too. 

The Fireman's Christmas Wish is the third book in The Lange Brothers trilogy and the seventh book overall set in the town of River's Edge. Fans of the books will no doubt enjoy catching up with some of their favorite characters while readers new to River's Edge should have no trouble jumping in with The Fireman's Christmas Wish. Reinhardt recently announced that she'll be returning to this southern Indiana town for more heartwarming stories of laughter and love. I have to admit, I hope she never leaves! 

Review - - The Valentine Wager

The Valentine Wager

by Nan Reinhardt

The Lange Brothers - Book 1

Publisher: Tule

Release Date: February 1, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

He’s a notorious flirt, so she lays down a challenge she’s sure she’ll win.

When playboy police lieutenant Ryker Lange stops Kitt Boynton for driving on the wrong side of the road, his attraction to the feisty Irish lass is immediate. Yet, despite the sizzling chemistry between them, Kitt quickly turns him down.

Kitt has moved to River’s Edge for a fresh start and is ready to focus on her new marketing job at her cousins’ winery. She’s done with players, and vows she won’t let the local sexy cop distract her, but Kitt, a flirt herself, is definitely tempted. To keep her sanity as she prepares for several Valentine-themed winery events, she and Ryker make a bet: for the next three weeks, neither of them can flirt with the other.

The game starts out lighthearted, but when the town takes sides, Ryker and Kitt must choose between winning a wager or finding lasting love.

PJ's Thoughts:

Nan Reinhardt takes readers back to River's Edge, Indiana (site of her popular Four Irish Brothers Winery books) with a new series that brings the fun, charm, and endearing romance I've come to expect from this author.

The initial meet-cute between Ryker and Kitt sets the tone for these two that immediately had me eagerly and happily flipping pages throughout their journey. Their banter is fun and flirty but there are also layers to each that the author takes the time to explore. I loved the foundation of friendship that formed during their three-week bet but also the self-exploration that occurred. Rye, in particular, when not being his charming, flirtatious, woman-loving self, was forced to look deeper into his past and the fears that had guided his actions for years. And Kitt, with the help of secondary characters, was given the chance to get to know the whole man without the pressures and expectations of dating, especially critical for her after the devastating betrayal she suffered at the hands of the ex-boyfriend whose actions sent her fleeing from her home in Ireland. 

Reinhardt has expertly blended charming fun with emotional depth to create a reading experience that both tugged at my heartstrings while also tickling my funny bone. She's created a community of characters who make me want to hang out with them at the winery, the bakery, a middle-school basketball game or the local bar. I feel like I know them, know their town, and am already looking forward to seeing them again. As a fan of the Four Irish Brothers Winery series, I loved catching up with all of the brothers and their families but if you're new to River's Edge, you can absolutely begin with The Valentine Wager. I've already marked my calendar for the second Lange Brothers book, Falling for the Doctor, due to be released June 7, 2022.