Love Always Christmas
This is an uplifting Christmas romance that will appeal to fans of Macomber, Thayne and Christina Lauren. Libby is planning a Christmas alone until a mysterious Christmas card takes her on a life changing journey. Great read!
5 stars

DNFed after 45%

I struggled a lot with this one. I had a hard time to get into this story. And when I did get into it, i didn't have much interest in continuing. It was too slowburn for my taste. I think a lot of people will like this one. But it just wasn't for me.

This would be a great hallmark Christmas movie but as a book it needed some improvement. There were too many repeats of a great amount of details. We were continually told about how the two main characters were busy or afraid. I found the family drama was a bit unbelievable too. The social media referencing was over the top as well which made it hard to believe the character actually was a knowledgeable person in that area.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.

Love Always, Christmas by Karen Schaler is the second book I have read by this author and thoroughly enjoyed. Love Always, Christmas could very well be a Hallmark Christmas movie and I do love those, so this book was right up my alley. It is the story of second chances, family, and love. Libby grew up in a family that adored Christmas and went way over the top in their decorations and celebrations, including getting their entire neighborhood on board each year with a new theme. Sadly, both of her parents passed, her mom since the previous Christmas, and Libby doesn't have it in her to celebrate this year. But, in working on a marketing campaign for work, she comes across an unopened letter to her mom that opens a big can of worms. Libby follows up on a clue in the letter and ends up in a situation that changes her life for the better.

I really liked this book. I expected to find this book overly cheesy and it is cheesy but in just the right amount. I couldn’t help but get into the holiday spirit and be jealous of the love story reading this book. It’s over the top, not exactly relatable but funny and very loveable. If you like greeting card channel Christmas movies, as the author has written those too, you’ll love this book. A wonderful Christmas read !

Love Always, Christmas reads like a movie script, and not in a good way. It was all tell and not show. There were so many infodumps and repetitive descriptive phrases. But it was all bare bones. There was no fluidity with the words. It's like the author was planning all along for us to be watching this book instead of reading it, so she didn't set the stage or describe anything in a way that was enjoyable to read. It was all short, stilted, blunt phrasing. It's also way too cheesy and outlandish for me. I love cheesy Christmas romances (and I love Hallmark movies), but this was just too much for me. Neither character was likable, but the male was especially unlikable. So rude and condescending, always frowning and judging. Oh, and he lied to her on their first meeting. It was all so frustrating. I'm so disappointed!

Nothing says holiday spirit like the descriptions in this book.
I love Christmas time, the feeling of goodness this time of year brings.
So cozy up by the fire with your warm drink, hot drink and blanket and let the book take you away into a winter wonderland!


I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

If you love Christmas, and everything that goes with it, then you'll love this book. It's warm and cozy and will give you all the feels. A sweet romance that every Christmas fanatic will love!

Thank you, Net Galley, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I am a HUGE fan of Hallmark movies, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one. It feels just like a warm, cozy, Christmas movie that we all love.

Libby Larson wants the holidays over as soon as possible after the loss of her mom. She then discovers a letter addressed to her mom that takes her to Holly Peak, which is unlike anything she could’ve imagined. She begins to fall into the Christmas spirit as she looks for answers she desperately wants. I really resonated with Libby as I lost my dad a few days before Christmas many years ago, and I know how challenging the holidays can be.

I highly recommend this one- it was a perfect holiday read! I will definitely be reading more from this author.

A sweet and charming mountain town Christmas rom-com (very light on the rom). A little sad also as it deals with the loss of a parent. I usually love this author's Christmas books because I find them to be original, but this one felt very much like a typical Hallmark movie. It was a super slow burn romance but it was cute and I was rooting for them all the way.

It does involve a small mystery, but it was easily predictable. The words "hashtag" and "social media" were used entirely too much and got a bit annoying. Plus, it was too long for me at 380 pages and left me feeling bored.

Thank you to NetGalley and HawkTale Publishing for this eARC.

Curl up with a cup of cocoa and settle in for Christmas in Evergreen Valley, Washington. Libby is determined to get through Christmas by working on a project for her new social media marketing company and not focusing on what she has lost. When she literally runs into her neighbor's son, Adam, the two do not quite hit it off but he manages to leave an impression. While focusing on spending Christmas alone, Abby finds an unopened Christmas card from two decades earlier, with a return address in Holly Peak. Libby sets out to Holly peak to find the mysterious Christmas card sender-and once again, runs into Adam (who happens to be the town manager). The two bond over a serious of unfortunate events and begin to unravel major family secrets. This Christmas could be the start of a new life for Libby if she's brave enough to take the chance. Told with Karen Schaler's trademark festive warmth, readers and Hallmark move lovers will enjoy her latest holiday novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

A fun holiday read with a mystery thrown in! Karen’s yearly Christmas stories have become a tradition each year and it’s one I really look forward to. This story was really good. It starts off with a hilarious opening scene and the rest of the story is one I liked a lot. The mystery element of the book really grabbed me and pulled me in to the story. Another winner from Karen!

Thank you @netgalley, @traveltherapy, and HawkTail Publishing for my gifted copy. My thoughts are my own.

This delightful slow burn holiday romance is full of everything Christmas…vintage ornaments, carols, ice skating, ugly Christmas sweaters, Christmas pasta, cookies, hot cocoa, and a town competition for the best Christmas town in the state!

SHORT SYNOPSIS: When Libby discovers an old Christmas card in her mother’s attic, she sets off to see if she can find the mysterious Cece. What she finds is a Christmas town preparing for a competition and an opportunity to heal her heart, still grieving from the loss of her mother. The only problem is she also meets up with her neighbor’s son, a seemingly unreasonable man who thinks the worst of her! After all, she did destroy his parents’ inflatable Santa!

The author of this story has penned a Hallmark Christmas movie as well as a Netflix Christmas movie, and this one could easily become a Hallmark movie!

This is an entertaining read with likable characters and a fun storyline. My only criticism is the slow-burn romance is almost non-existent! There is no romance at all until the last pages.

Read this if you enjoy slow-burn holiday stories full of Christmas!

I read a lot of Christmas books each December, and I found this one just OK. It was sweet, vanilla and inoffensive, but kind of boring. I am not a Hallmark movie watcher but it makes sense that the author writes those movies. I would only recommend this book to someone who is a big Hallmark movie fan!

I prefer to only post positive reviews to my socials, so I won’t be posting this review elsewhere. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

I loved this sweet tale of finding your holiday spirit, believing in love and hope, and finding the courage to trust. A definite must ready for every holiday romance lover.

Felt like reading a Hallmark Christmas movie. Nothing wrong with that - a nice holiday diversion. Now I think I’ll go explore some of the authors work on Netflix.

“Her fear of loving and losing someone again almost stopped her from embracing a family member she never knew she had, and a love she was never expecting to find.”
Karen Schaler writes the most beautiful Christmas stories. They are filled with love, magic, and the true meaning of Christmas.
Love Always, Christmas is a perfect book to read this holiday season.

I loved this sweet Christmas book. I connected with the characters and was pulling for them. It makes me want to visit a town just like this during Christmas!! I would definitely recommend this book!

If you want to bottle up all the great feels from a Hallmark show, this is a perfect title for you. No surprise as Karen Schaler has written titles made into those types of holiday shows.

Reading this title had me longing to visit Washington State again. We lived in Kirkland for a few years when I was growing up and remember visiting a neat community in the mountains that was like a German village. Extra dreamy when decked for the holidays.

You'll get a dose of holiday magic along with clean romance when reading Love Always, Christmas. Plus, there is the reminder of how special family truly is.

A heartwarming, fun and sweet Christmas read. I was hooked from the first page. I loved how festive this book was and the surprise plot twists scattered throughout. An enjoyable Christmas read