Snowfall on Cedar Trail
Two full books for the price of one
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4.3 • 9 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From a USA Today bestselling author comes a heartwarming holiday romance between the a small-town florist and the handsome chief of police.
Christmas is always bustling for Halona Locklear's flower shop, but this year, she's determined to take some time out to give her young son an extra special holiday. So she should be thrilled when hunky police chief Alex Baker wants to be their not-so-secret Santa. But Halona can't get too close to Alex. He knows a truth she needs to keep hidden...for her boy's sake.
Though Alex always had a thing for Halona, he never dared to pursue his best friend's little sister. But he can't shake the feeling that the gorgeous single mom and her little boy could use some holiday cheer, even if Halona refuses to let down her guard. But when ghosts of Christmas past threaten, Alex and Halona must decide what matters more: protecting their secrets or opening their wary hearts to new possibilities.
Includes the bonus novel Then There Was You by Miranda Liasson!Angel Falls is the perfect small town for falling in love. But that's the last thing on Dr. Sara Langdon's mind as she returns home. But when her first patient turns out to be her first-crush-turned-nemesis Colton Walker, Sara starts wondering if home really is where the heart is....
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rains makes a delightful return to tiny Sweetwater Springs, N.C. (last seen in Springtime at Hope Cottage), in this sweet Christmas-themed contemporary. Halona Locklear's got more than enough on her plate: in addition to running the charmingly named Little Shop of Flowers, she's a single mother raising a young son, Theo, who developed mutism following his father's untimely death. The holidays have been hard for police chief Alex Baker since his father's hit-and-run murder 11 years earlier. After Alex joins a new youth mentoring program, he's matched with Halona's son. Though Halona and Alex initially fight their attraction, they finally give in, and all is bliss until Alex hides important information from Halona and a violent criminal from Alex's past targets him. Rains paints a moving portrait of Theo's difficulties and Alex's grief as they try to get into the Christmas spirit. The plot only falters around the supposed motivation for the murder of Alex's father, which is hard to believe in. Rains highlights the happily-ever-afters of past books, making even new readers feel like residents catching up with the town gossip and giving romance fans plenty of sappy happiness. This edition includes a novel by Miranda Liasson, not seen by PW.
Customer Reviews
charming and sweet
SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL is the third instalment in Annie Rains’ contemporary, adult SWEETWATER SPRINGS romance series focusing on the people of Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina. This is police chief Alex Baker, and widow, single mother and florist Halona Locklear’s story line. SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Halona and Alex) SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL follows the building romance between Sweetwater Springs’ police chief Alex Baker, and widow, single mother and florist Halona Locklear. Halona Locklear’s life changed the day her husband died but our heroine kept secrets from the people she loved including her young son Theo, whose selective mutism began the day his father passed away. Hoping to get Theo into the Mentor Match program, Halona discovers that her brother’s best friend, and the local police chief Alex Baker, has been assigned to ‘mentor’ her troubled young boy. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Alex and Halona, and the potential fall-out as Halona struggles with the past, and blames our hero for the things out of his control.
Meanwhile, Chief Alex Baker has yet to move forward since the hit and run death of his father, the former police chief, a man whose death eleven years earlier, is suspicious and, as yet, unsolved. Every Christmas, upon the anniversary of his father’s death, Alex reopens the investigation, and this year a new clue will come from an unlikely source.
The relationship between Alex and Halona is a friends to lovers romance. Alex has been attracted to his best friend’s sister for as along as he can remember but when Halona fell in love with the local football star, Alex watched from the sidelines losing all hope for his own happily ever after. All $ex scenes are implied and fade to black.
There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters, most of whom we have met in previous instalments. We are introduced to Halona’s son Theo; Alex’s grandmother; as well as struggling couple Sharlene and Tony Anderson.
SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL is a story of second chances; a sweet romance between two people who have lost someone special in their lives but whose pasts will intercept in the present and future. The premise is engaging and captivating; the characters are colorful and energetic; the romance is charming and sweet
Great addition to a wonderful series
I really enjoy Annie Rains’s stories, they are so full of drama, love & fun. The history between Halona & Alex is a great backdrop to this story. Teenage crushes, sadness of loss & a secret that could clear up a misconception. I loved how Alex chief of police is like a dog with a bone trying to solve his father’s murder & trying to save a battered woman & dog, as well as take care special care of Halona & Theo. Halona is battling the repercussions of her late ex-husbands death, in the selective mutism of her young son & running her flower shop. The connection between Alex & Theo is beautiful & the connection between Alex & Halona is clear as day & very heated. I also loved how the gossip train moved so fast in the town of Sweetwater Springs, whether it was truth or not. This was a great addition to a wonderful series & I can’t wait to read more in this series. Definitely recommend. I received this book from the publisher through Net Galley for an honest review.