This is a short pleasant read. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I loved how Mick and Rains did not take forever to decide they were in love. I really enjoyed that there were no tears and lots of laughs.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Review: I love stories set at Christmas and Linda Lael Miller’s fourth book in The Carsons of Mustang Creek, A Snow Country Christmas, didn’t disappoint with the festive atmosphere, gift giving and winter activities. I would have liked the Carson family to be more front and center in this book but it was all Raine and Mick with Raine’s daughter, Daisy, too. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Raine and Mick although they did and their romance wasn’t as intense as in some of her other books. I did like their playfulness and how they got along even coming from two different worlds and having different work interests too.

There were family and friends, the land, the homes, good food, celebrations, the animals, reminisces, laughter, hope, happiness, lots of heat up the sheets loving and love. The book flowed smoothly and I liked that Raine’s grandfather’s cabin and his books played a major role. I could hear his voice coming through even when Mick was working on finishing the story but he made it look almost too easy. I felt her grandfather’s presence in the cabin, with his unfinished manuscript and with her new found romance with Mick. There was nice closure and a happily-ever-after but I’m hoping the series continues since there’s more story to tell with the next generation.

Miller is one of my go to authors especially when it comes to western romances. At the back of the book were two chapters from her next book, The Blue and the Gray, set during the Civil War, which is a departure from her usual books. I look forward to reading it since what I read only whet my appetite for more!

Miller's stories are becoming pretty staid and formulary. It was still a fast read but didn't satisfy me as her previous titles did. Thank you Netgalley

Warmth.

That is the word that comes to my mind whenever I am reading a book by Linda Lael Miller. I can't even tell you how long her writing has captivated me for but it has been quite a while, which is why I was so happy to get my hands on a copy of this book, especially with the coming holidays. 

This book and its characters made be delighted to be reading it. Raine is not your run of the mill romantic heroine, and Mick is definitely not your typical cowboy. In fact he's rather laughably not one at all. But man are they both awesome characters.

Raine is an artist, interested in the beauty of the world around her, and despite living in Hollywood Mick is much the same. 

The two of them come together in a really sweet way, friends of friends, I suppose you could say, and it makes it all the more magical.

The cast of characters includes Raine's daughter, their dog, Sampson, and their colourful, amusing cat who doesn't seem to realize how large he is. 

This is the type of book that you should read before the holidays, to incite those warm, loving fuzzy feelings within yourself. Or all year long when you need a little bit of Christmas magic.

This book feels indulgent, it's an escape from a world that has gone a little bit chaotic, even for a little bit.

I reviewed this for RT Book Reviews and you can find my published review in their November 2017 issue

What's not to like? She's the mother of a precious little girl, and while she and the father get along, they were never married and she likes her single life, most of the time. He met her when he had business with the father of her child and he hopes this business trip turns into more.

The setting is beautiful--ranch country with mountains and snow, horses and dogs. Everyone looks great in their jeans and family is everything. With some Christmas love in the air, what more could you want?

If you are looking for a book with intricate plot turns, lots of symbolism and an ambiguous ending, this isn't it. It's a Christmas romance and things happen pretty much as expected, and sometimes, that's a good thing.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy availble via NetGalley. Grade: B.

To be published 11/25/17

Sweet and quick holiday read. I loved the quirky dialogue between Mick and Raine, and after reading the previous Carson books, I'm glad Raine got her story. It felt a little fast - like they were together with their HEA within a week, but it was a fun story nonetheless. The grandfather author was fun. I almost wish this had been twice as long in order to get the full effect of all the backstory.

First off, this book seemed a lot shorter than 384 pages. I read it in almost an afternoon and despite the amount I read, I just simply don't usually read that quickly. Along that same vein, the story seemed to move very quickly. Not as in it was a fast paced novel, but as in maybe I missed something, or maybe the main characters started their courtship in a previous book in this series, or maybe I was offered an abridged version to review (but why would they do that?). Regardless, Mick Branson sends Raine McCall an e-mail asking her to a potential business meeting the following night (Christmas Eve) and two days later they are discussing marriage... ? Slight case of romance novel whiplash.

That being said, I did genuinely like all of the characters and may pick up other books in this series to revisit some of those people and the beautiful location of Mustang Creek. And as always, I do love a nice Christmas romance.

You can't say Christmas without a Linda Miller holiday book.

I couldn't finish. Actually didn't get very far - beginning dragged along, just couldn't get into it.

If you are looking for a cutesy holiday romance book then this book is for you. My only deal was I wished there there was more of everything when it came to this book. I wished everything didn't feel rushed. Yes there was that whole knowing eachother but I feel like this story took a matter of a few days maybe a week long and already a proposal. I wished that there was a challenge something to test that little thing they had together. Overall I was just hoping for more but this book did turn out to be a nice sweet holiday book though.

This book is great if you are busy for a the holiday and looking for a bit of an escape into a sweet and simple romance then this book is for you.

Take one very independent, single Mum living a quiet life in the beautiful countryside of Wyoming, introduce a Hollywood mogul and watch the sparks fly in this delightful festive romance!

Raine McCall is a feisty, no frills, straight talking young lady. She’s a graphic designer and movie executive Mick Branson uses her job as an excuse to visit her on Christmas Eve . . .  There is a job but he’s ensured that to enable him to visit her as he can’t get her out of his mind. There differences are clear but the magnetism between them is also very apparent. She’s changing his outlook and placing new opportunities and temptations in his path! Can the two forget the differences and build a future for themselves and her daughter together?

What a beautiful area this story is set in! It is brought vividly to life by the author’s descriptions. The secondary characters in this story are also brilliant - especially Raine’s daughter, Daisy! The chemistry between the two main characters is explosive and the quandaries they face realistically portrayed. This is a delightful romance that kept me turning the pages, wanting things to work out for them all in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into this lovely romance and will certainly be looking out for more by this author in future.

I requested and received a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.

I usually find this author's books enjoyable to read especially her earlier works. Unfortunately this one ran a little too bland and boring for me. Don't get me wrong-it was a really sweet romance with a very neatly, perfectly wrapped up HEA-but I felt it was missing something and was just average.

Book four in the Carsons of Mustang Creek series though I will admit neither main character was still officially a Carson. For this book we get to learn more about Raine the mother of Slater's daughter. It is Christmas Eve and Mick (Slater's movie executive) asks for a business dinner with Raine. While he does have a business proposal his real intentions are to let her know how much he really likes her. What follows is a really fast courtship that only last for the holiday week before they each know they are destined to be together. In usual Linda fashion the story kept me hooked from the very first page. The western setting (with lots of nice little details) works well with the romance and the arching story line has had me hooked for a long time now. I look forward to each new installment as she pulls me into the western world in a way that makes me feel like I actually lived there at some point though I never have. I highly recommend this book to fans of modern day western romances and give it 4/5 stars since I really enjoyed reading it.

A Snow Country Christmas is a candy cane of a Christmas romance, sweet with just the right touch of shivery, bracing coolness to make a delicious holiday treat.

It is also the perfect coda to the Carsons of Mustang Creek series. And even to the Brides of Bliss County series that it spun off from. It feels like all the story lines have been tied up with a big red Christmas-y bow, wrapped around this lovely story like a present.

The romance is of the “opposites attract” variety. Except it kind of isn’t. Raine McCall and Mick Branson are both certain that they have next to nothing in common. And on the surface they may both be right, but in the ways that it counts, they are totally and blissfully wrong.

Raine has been in the background of the entire Carsons of Mustang Creek series, and with good reason. She’s Slater (the hero of Once a Rancher) Carson’s ex. Not his ex-wife, just his ex. But also the very much present mother of his daughter Daisy, now approaching adolescence at breakneck speed. Raine knew that she and Slater, while they had a great time, didn’t suit for the long haul, so when she became pregnant and he made the expected offer of marriage, she turned him down.

They are, however, still very good friends and great co-parents for Daisy. It’s impossible not to believe that things worked out better this way for everyone, especially Daisy.

But Raine’s reaction to that expected proposal does sum up her life philosophy in a lot of ways. Raine is unconventional. Not just because she’s an artist, but because she’s found a place for herself and a way of living that work for her, and she’s learned not to pay attention to anyone who thinks she’s wrong for not doing any of the expected things.

Mick Branson does the expected things, and pretty much always has. Raine calls him “Mr. Boardroom” because he’s a high-powered wheeler-dealer in Hollywood and plenty of other places. Mick is also the man who finds the funding for Slater’s award-winning documentary films.

But somewhere along the way, his work with Slater as well as the many visits it’s required to Mustang Creek, have given Mick a new perspective – or put him in touch with a part of himself that he left behind. He’s fallen hard for Wyoming in general, and Mustang Creek in particular. He’s come to realize that at 40 or thereabouts, he’s tired of spending his life on the road or in the air, and wants to put down some roots and have a real life.

And he’s fallen even harder for Raine McCall, a woman whose life and roots are in Mustang Creek and who intends to keep them there – no matter how great a temptation Mick might provide. And as they explore the chemistry that has been simmering between them since their first meeting, they discover that under the surface, they have way more in common than anyone ever imagined.

And that it’s not just a mutual love of her famous grandfather’s novels.

Escape Rating A: I don’t give full A grades to many novellas. Even when I love them, there’s something about the novella format that usually leaves me itching for just a bit more. That’s not true with A Snow Country Christmas.

Because we’ve met these people before, and the setting is already established, the length here is just right. It also mirrors the length of time the story covers, over one long Christmas holiday, and it also seems to parallel the timing and course of Raine’s grandfather’s unfinished last novel.

That unfinished novel provides a touch of nostalgia as well as a way for the old man that Raine loved to give his haunting approval of her choice. And it gives Mick a vehicle in which he can explore his own suppressed creative side. The way that the unfinished story of the greenhorn and the unconventional woman of the West parallels Mick and Raine’s own romance was a marvelous touch.

For series fans, A Snow Country Christmas is the perfect ending to a delightful series. But, while I think this novella is complete in itself, it just doesn’t feel like the right place for beginners to start the series. For the best time in Mustang Creek, start back with The Marriage Pact, the first of the Brides of Bliss County series, to meet everyone and get to know this marvelous bunch of people.

I’ll miss these folks. But the romance between independent, unconventional Raine and thoughtful, considerate and willing-to-adapt Mick was the icing on what has been a really delicious cake.

My first time reading Linda Lael Miller, though I've admired her books for years, and it was a pleasant way to spend a too-warm-in-September afternoon. Likable characters set against the wonderful backdrop of Wyoming.

Good book, but I thought it ended abruptly. I wanted to hear more about The writing and the other changes in their lives.

In A SNOW COUNTRY CHRISTMAS we are once again transported to a time of absolute bliss. Gorgeous scenery, amazingly endearing characters and snappy dialog. The Carson’s of Mustang Creek has been one of my favorite Linda Lael Miller series for sure and so coming back for Raine’s story was ever so welcome. As in all Linda Lael Miller series the cast of characters return for yet another visit, a reunion of sorts. We've watched Raine’s relationship with the Carson family and in particular with Slater grow, transform, mature over the years. Slater is now happily married to Grace. That in itself cements the idea that Slater and Raine’s were not really meant to be a forever after couple, but jointly they have raised a wonderful daughter, Daisy.

But now there is a man who seems very interested in Raine. A man who is one of Slater’s good friends and business partner in his film projects. A man who would never have entertained any ideas about this woman if in fact Slater wasn't already in a solid marriage. Raine on the other hand doesn't seem very receptive to his advances. In fact she has been rather cavalier. That's easy to understand. Raine is aware of who she is and proud of her accomplishments. Her uniform of choice, jeans and tee shirts doesn't quite go with the corporate image Branson wears with ease. They are not an obvious match by any means - any stretch of the imagination. And both Raine and Branson have imaginations. Their businesses thrive on their creativity.

Raine isn't willing to change her life. Branson knows this and yet he just can't get this woman out of his mind. Branson's mind has begun to conjure up some ideas that have never seen the light of day. All of a sudden he is realizing Mustang Creek holds a huge amount of appeal. Loves the wilderness. Loves the quiet and serene. Loves being near his friends. And loves his Raine.

Hopefully this is not the end of this magical series. Each time I read the next installment I am delighted to catch sight of an old friend or two. Just like my relationship with Linda Lael Miller. We've been friends for decades now. A SNOW COUNTRY CHRISTMAS is another wondrous romance penned by one of my all-time favorite authors Linda Lael Miller.

Raine McCall and Mick Branson seem to be opposites and should not have any thing in common. Turns out that is wrong. Miller tells their story in two parts. One is a unfinished novel written by McCall's great grandfather. It is about a greenhorn and a independent western woman. Seems Raine is the independent woman and Mick is the greenhorn. It made for a fascinating story as Mick finishes the novel and he and Raine find that they have much more in common than anyone thought. I loved both Raine and Mick and it was great to see independent Raine finally get her HEA.

When movie executive Mick Branson calls Raine McCall about getting together to discuss a business proposition she agrees. Mick has more than business in mind. Raine is different from any woman he has ever met. Raine is a no-frills kind of person and is nothing like the women in Mick's world. But they both find what they have been looking for in each other.