Noelle has had a rough year: losing her beloved Gran, struggling to give her young son what he needs, and now: losing her job just weeks before Christmas. She’s moved back home with her parents, but having a struggle to decide what next. An opportunity to provide care for an elderly man, with living quarters included at a salary she can’t refuse opens up – and she jumps at the chance. This causes no little concern from her parents and grandfather – the Harrington family: rich, removed from the doings in town are the family she will be working for. But, this is what Noelle sees as a stop-gap move: she can earn good money, provide her son Lucas with the Christmas he deserves, and continue to plan for her dream: taking over the Hope and Sugar bakery: her family’s bakery started by her beloved Gran.

But, then the shoes start to drop: the bakery isn’t making money and with her grandfather aging and her father unable to turn it around, combined with the increase in rent – the family has decided to close the shop, leaving Noelle reeling and feeling like she’s lost her gran all over again. To make matters worse, the person who hired her: Alex, is wonderfully welcoming and Lucas has formed an instant attachment to him and she’s not far behind. When she meets William, Alex’s grandfather – more secrets and tensions start to unfold – and she’s finding herself at the center of an ages old estrangement and a story of lost love. Unwilling to just give up on mending fences between Alex and his grandfather, OR making her dreams come true by trying to turn the bakery’s custom around – she’s soon a mass of conflicting feelings, unanswered questions and struggling with Alex’s stated desire to leave Richmond for New York, never to return.

So many stories here – the mystery of William’s lost love and his estrangement from Alex, Alex’s refusal to consider staying in the family home, her own grief at the twofold loss of gran and bakery, and her own concerns for Lucas and his growing attachment to Alex. Through dogged determination and her belief that she can make a difference in the bakery, in William and Alex’s life and her growing feelings for Alex – Noelle moves forward using her own joy of Christmas and the ‘traditions’ she grew up with and has shared with Lucas to make those changes. Secondary characters: including her two best friends and her sister, her parents and her strong memories of her Gran and her optimistic outlook on life bring an emotional context to the wonderful atmosphere that Hale has created here.

Truly a story that brings hope and forgiveness to the forefront with Noelle’s gentle coaxing (and occasional stamp her feet and refuse to let an issue go) work on both Alex and William as she arranges moments for them to be together, despite their unwillingness to interact even as neither wants to disappoint her or Lucas. And Lucas, as a quiet and curious little soul is just marvelous – always reading, constantly watching and observing those around him: so enriched by Noelle’s obvious devotion and caring. While the issue that Alex hangs his hat on as reason for resenting his grandfather is actually pretty easy to puzzle out early on, the resolution of the many issues and the new starts that come because of Noelle brings this lovely read to a wonderful conclusion and makes it a perfect holiday read.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9sH/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Not my usual choice of book or genre , a very atmospheric Christmas book...loved the i images it brought to mind of Christmas and the feel of Christmas on every page,,liked the characters especially Noelle,and I wanted to visit the bakery!!! flowed well and a book to enjoy leading up to and including Crimbo.......

This was a cute, heartwarming Christmas story.

Noelle is struggling to raise her son alone. Recently losing her job, she moves back to her hometown to try to help revive the family bakery as well as accepting a caretaker job to the town's millionaire. Living in the mansion, Noelle and her son quickly get comfortable with the elder millionaire and his grandson.

Can she help save her family's struggling bakery? Can she help reunite grandfather & grandson? Will this holiday season be special?

The story was a little predictable, but it was cute.

When things go wrong Noelle recalls her dead grandmother commenting sagely "We'll always have Christmas" This book is about the plight of a single mother striving to survive with her six year old son Lucas. As Christmas approaches she loses her job and has to return home to live with her parents. Then she is faced with the closure of the family bakery. As she endeavours to try and save it she finds a job as a carer to a grumpy old man called William. He and his grandson Alexander don't connect well and Noelle who is all heart and family values finds this awkward but a romance evolves. It's a warm, cosy, uplifting Christmas story romance which isn't usually my genre but it was warming and seasonal so I enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me read it. I'll post this review to Amazon and my blog.

An enjoyable tale of Noelle and her search for contentment in the family bakery after all the challenges that life has thrown at her. Sadly her life isn't as straightforward as she hopes and Noelle ends up in a rather surprising job, caring for an elderly man.

Step forward a rather cantakerous old man and a moody grandson - put them together and Jenny Hale's magic brings together a feel-good, Christmassy tale.

A good read from an author who never disappoints. I look forward to Jenny Hale's next book.

We'll Always Have Christmas is a well written book. A story of new romance and renewed love. I love stories of Christmas and this book was no exception. A new author to me and I will be reading more of her work in the future. I highly recommend this book.

This is the second of Jenny’s books that I have had the pleasure of reading and what a read it is. I am not usually affected by what I read but this book totally got to me but more about that later.
I don’t want to type too much about the storylines as I have a nasty, unintentional habit of giving away far too many spoilers about books I have enjoyed. Noelle Parker (an apt name for a Christmas book) and her family have a bakery, which sounds divine. Friends can meet for a hot chocolate, a gossip or just enjoy the peace and quiet. Noelle was looking forward to taking over the bakery. However, there is a problem with that because the bakery is going to be sold, as the family cannot afford to pay the increased rent on the place. Noelle resolves to do what she can to save the bakery but in the meanwhile she knows that she needs to get a job to support her and her son. Noelle gets a job looking after the cantankerous sounding William Harrington. He is somewhat advanced in years and he is rather frail but he is adamant that he does not need a babysitter. Noelle is hired by the gorgeous sounding Alexander Harrington. However, William and Alexander do not see eye to eye and are sort of estranged from each other. Noelle finds herself falling for Alexander. Can Noelle save the bakery? Can Noelle heal a family rift? Can Noelle find her own happiness along the way? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves as I am not going to tell you.
I have to say that I took to Noelle’s character from the start. She is a hard working lady, who loves her son and her wider family to pieces. Life hasn’t always been kind to her but after each setback she just gets up, dusts herself down and carries on. Noelle is very supportive to her family and friends and if she can help people out of a pickle, then she will do. I did sometimes wonder if she tried to put a brave face on when she didn’t much feel brave and I wondered at times, who is there for Noelle? Noelle thinks that families should all get along with each other and I don’t think that she can quite understand how families become estranged from each other for several years. Noelle is kind, she is helpful, she is honest, she is hardworking, she is very diplomatic but she also has a sense of fun. I ended by thinking that Noelle deserves her own happiness. She spends that long making sure that everyone else is ok that she forgets her own wellbeing. I was so rooting for her and Alexander to get together. Both Alexander Harrington and his grandfather William Harrington are both as stubborn as each other and they need their heads banging together. They don’t listen to each other, they misunderstand the other’s feelings and wishes and they don’t seem to realise that if they had cleared the air back in the day, they could have avoided the family estrangement rather than let it fester and become a huge mountain between the two of them. Once you get past their defences so to speak, both are rather nice men.
‘We’ll Always Have Christmas’ is beautifully written. As I indicated at the beginning of my review, this book seemed to get to me in a way that no other book has managed to. I didn’t cry but more than once I felt a lump in my throat and I welled up a bit. I was really rooting for the Parker family, the Harrington family and of course I was rooting for the future of the divine sounding bakery. The author managed to grab my attention from the very first word on the very first page and I wasn’t released from the book’s grip until the last word on the last page. I became so immersed in the story that I felt like I was an invisible bystander to all the action taking place. If I could have jumped into the pages of this book then I certainly would have done. I became addicted to ‘We’ll Always Have Christmas’ and I found that I just couldn’t put the book down. It was almost as if it had glued itself to my hand. The pages were turning so quickly that it was almost as if they were turning themselves and before I knew it I had finished the book, which I had conflicting feelings about. I was pleased to see how the story ended but I was also disappointed because I was enjoying the book and the writing style so much that I just wanted the story to continue. I hope we see more of the characters in this book.
In short and if you haven’t already guessed, I adored this book and I would certainly recommend it to others. I can’t wait to read what comes next from this hugely successful and talented author. I award this book 5* out of 5*.

This is the heartwarming story of three people, all of whom are looking for answers to questions they do not really know to ask, as the holiday approaches. Noelle has left her job, her six-year old son Lucas in tow, and returned to her family homestead to, hopefully, fulfill her life dream and take over her family’s bakery, started by her grandmother and grandfather years ago. However, upon returning, Noelle finds out that her dreams probably never will be, as the rent for the building that houses the family owned and run bakery has been raised, and, with the added expense, they will no longer be able to keep it afloat. To tide her over until she figures out what to do, Noelle has accepted a job as companion/aide to an elderly wealthy gentleman, William Harrington, whose mansion is fairly close to Noelle’s own family’s home, and which she passed every day during her growing up years. In addition, there was a young, preppy boy, Alex, who lived in the mansion, whom Noelle and her two friends often fantasized about as they passed and sometimes caught a glimpse of. Now, this boy, Alex, is her boss, as he has hired Noelle to care for his ailing grandfather, William. Alex is every bit as handsome as Noelle and her friends imagined and lives with his grandfather in the mansion. However, Alex has planned to move to New York City to be closer to his business interests and to run the family business. Noelle finds out soon enough that Alex and his grandfather are somewhat estranged, for reasons she discovers throughout the story. Alex takes an immediate shine to Noelle and her son Lucas, and spends a lot of time with them. Noelle notices, from the start, that her precocious son Lucas has taken to Alex like he has to no other stranger before, and Alex likewise has taken to Lucas as completely as the boy has taken to him. Can these three work through their pasts, opening up their hearts to the life that has come to each? Each as a past, filled with memories and secrets that they must work through before they can honestly become the persons they are meant to be, and this holiday season has provided them the opportunity to do this.

This is a great Christmas romance story. Noelle and Alex are well suited for each other, with lots of chemistry between them from the get-go. William provides a good counter point, as a somewhat misunderstood grandfather, with a workaholic history that has prohibited him from becoming and staying close to Alex. It was interesting to watch Noelle help Alex and William bridge any gap that prevented them from being close or communicating honestly with each other. In the background, is William’s wife, now suffering from Alzheimer’s and no longer able to live in the family mansion. Much of the estrangement between Alex and William centers around her, with an interesting history, compounded by William’s secrets, and has led to their estrangement. I found this aspect of the story fascinating and romantic in its own way. This is a great Christmas read. Much of the ending was predictable from the start, but watching the story unfold made up for any problems I might have had with that predictability. I think anyone who has read any of this author’s other books will enjoy this one as much as the others. This author has a real knack for bringing routine life out in her characters and the stores that surround them in her books. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I am a sucker for happy ever after Christmas books. This one certainly fills the bill. Noelle has been let go at work and returns to Richmond to help run the family bakery. She's always had a plan to take over after her dad was ready to retire. She and her young son are devastated to learn the bakery has hit hard times and is slated to close. She gets a job as a caretaker to a cantankerous old man and learns that he and the grandson who hired her are feuding and not adding anything to make the season happy and bright. Everything comes together for a happy ending. Jenny Hale has several Christmas books and her non-holiday stories are sweet and uplifting as well.

This lovely book follows Jenny's tried and tested formula. Girl meets unsuitable or unattainable boy, they face adversity which leads to an unexpected romance and ultimate happiness. It is cozy, festive and super feelgood, in a way that only a Jenny Hale novel csn be. I absolutely LOVED it!

We'll Always Have Christmas is another lovely Christmas offering from author Jenny Hale. Single mother Noelle Parker has struggled raising her young son but thought they were finally seeing daylight until the property management company she works for is acquired by a foreign company and all personnel are given pink slips. With Christmas approaching and little in her savings account, Noelle sublets her apartment and moves home with her son, Lucas.

Her parents are happy to have them home, it is great being back near her friends, and perhaps it will now be time for her grandfather, Pop-Pop, to retire and allow Noelle to take over the family bakery her grandmother had promised her. But rather than that being the case, her parents and grandfather have come to the conclusion that with less foot traffic and higher rent, they will need to close the bakery instead.

Meanwhile, her sister Heidi has a lead on a job that pays quite well and offers lodging as well. She would be the caregiver for an aging wealthy man, William Harrington, and her son is very welcome. This seems like a dream come true until Noelle learns that it is his grandson, Alex, that has raised the rent on the bakery.

With a twisting story with long ago mysteries and unimagined links, Noelle and Alex butt heads and hearts as this lovely tale unravels. Great holiday fare, I do recommend this book.

My first Christmas read of the year, ‘We’ll Always Have Christmas’ by Jenny Hale is the perfect read to get the early festivities started. A heartwarming story with family values at its heart, this is an easy read and the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter evening.

It may be a little predictable at times, but that doesn’t really matter as this story does exactly what it sets out to do. It leaves you with a lovely warm glow and the feeling that all is right with the world. Perfect escapism for when you want to put the real world aside for a few hours and just relax and unwind. It evokes the nostalgia of family and the magic of Christmas past, making you feel like you’re being enveloped in a warm, comfy hug.

A heartwarming festive read that I highly recommend. 4 stars.

Noelle Parker's family's bakery is slowly going out of business since her beloved grandmother died a year ago. When Nicole loses her job and has to move herself and her six year old son home, she accepts a job as the live in helper to William Harrington. Mr. Harrington shares his home with his grandson, Alexander; however, much to the sadness of the elder Mr. Harrington, they are estranged.

As Noelle and her son, Lucus, become close to Alex, Alex is making plans to move to New York.

I liked this book. It is your quintessential Christmas romance. Noelle and her family have dozens of Christmas traditions, Alex and William have none. Can Noelle, in the time she has before Alex moves away, help them to rediscover the joys of the season. Can she bring an end to the feud between Alex and his grandfather? Can she save the family business?

I would definitely recommend this book to all the readers you like seasonal stories, because this one has it all. The characters are well drawn and likable, as are the plots (because there are definitely some subplots). The book will fit right in with the holiday season. So grab a cup of cocoa, your fuzzy slippers, and sit back in front of a nice roaring fire (or space heater, whatever is available) and enjoy.

I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This is a delightful, festive read perfect to get in the mood for December. The essence of Christmas was thread throughout with the imagery of the bakery, Hope and Sugar gearing up for Christmas despite the heart breaking news it is facing closure.
Noelle, a single mother returns home after losing her job but expects to work in the family business but discovers this can not happen. Finding a job as a carer for a rich businessman, William Harrington, she finds herself caught in the middle of family rows and secrets. Can she sprinkle some Christmas magic to bring William and his sexy grandson, Alex together again?
Jenny Hale has captured Christmas in the pages of this book with her descriptive festive scenes and taste bud tingling food. You long to be in the kitchen of the bakery for cake and hot chocolate.
This is book that can happily be reread next year when you need a festive fix.

Another great read by Jenny Hale. She's one of my favorites!!

So now that it’s October first I don’t feel as bad about all my Christmas book reviews. Halloween schmalloween, bring on turkey day and Christmas decorations!! I’ve had the pleasure of reading some really gorgeous holiday books but I think I may have found my new favorite, this was such a delightful read!

Noelle, sweet Noelle is at a crossroads in her life, she wants nothing more than to create an idyllic home for her and her son Lucas but she’s struggling. Her family bakery is about to close and it’s very dear to her as it was her grandmothers pride and joy and she recently passed away. She does not need any complications in her love life but there’s something about Alex she can’t resist, and seriously I don’t blame her, the man is pretty amazing sounding. While this is firmly a romance it’s also about family, long ago lost love and the holiday spirit and the true meaning of Christmas.

The characters in this book were fabulous, I loved Noelle’s family and her friends were pretty terrific as well but her son Lucas was the star of the show for me. His and Noelle’s bond was so beautiful, he was the cutest little guy, I just adored him. Cranky William wasn’t so pleasant at first but as Noelle slowly broke down his barriers I fell a little bit in love with him. (I think she did too!) And Alex was everything you want in a book boyfriend, he’s charming, successful, smart, romantic and generous.

This was a swoon worthy Christmassy romance, heavy on the festive holiday feeling and giving spirit. It was cozy and warm and by the last few chapters I was giddy with happiness and ready to break out the mistletoe and dance to some Christmas music myself! I can’t recommend this one highly enough for fans of Christmas romances, it’s truly a wonderful and special book.

We'll always hwve Christmas by jenny hale is the perfect festive read - full of emotion with  family loyalty, secrets, new beginnings and of course some romance.

In this latest novel from jenny we meet Noelle - if the name doesn't set you up for Christmas then I don't know what will - who us a single mother to Lucas, trying to bring him up and give him memories like the great ones she has from her own childhood which was full of love particularly with ones of her grandmother and the times they spent at their family business - the hope and sugar bakery.

With Christmas looming the last thing Noelle needs is to be laid off from her current job.

It's not long before she is offered a placement at the Harrison mansion, caring for the elderly william harrison.
Her best friends, phoebe and jo are super excited for her, phoebe in particular, in hope that she gets a glimpse of alex Harrison - Williams grandson.

Alex is completely focused on his work but things start to change when Noelle and Lucas move in to the massive house, and as the feelings between Noelle and Alex start to form, Noelle gets a blow with his saying he is moving to new york. But it's not just her heart she is worried about, Lucas - her shy quiet and reserved little boy has taken a real shine to Alex, opening up, laughing and smiling and making memories with a father like figure.

Whilst this is all going on, Noelle is fighting to keep open the family bakery after her father's confession that it's been failing and with the recent rent increase its just not feasible to stay in business any longer as well as still coming to terms with the loss of her beloved gran.

What jenny hale does so brilliantly is write with a whole heap of emotion and depth that allows you to see how the characters are feeling, I felt the heart ache the Harrison's felt with their own stories of which I've not gone in to as I want to leave some elements of surprise for when you read this  you can also feel her characters falling for each other as the words flow of the page.

We'll always hwve Christmas is full of warmth and love focussing on family and friends and is perfectly descriptive both with the wonderful settings and decor of the mansion and bakery as well as the weather for the time of year - I may have to holiday in Virginia in December for the amount sparkly snow it has!

A thoroughly enjoyable romantic novel to curl up with!

Another fabulous Jenny Hale book! All of her books are so heartwarming and can leave you feeling very content after reading.

Such a lovely cosy Christmassy story perfect to read by a roaring fire on a wintery day!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Is it me or is it starting to feel Christmassy around here? Jenny Hale is back with yet another festive treat in the name of; 'We'll Always Have Christmas'. Lets be honest here, regardless of whether you feel that September is 'far too early for Christmas', Jenny Hale's brand new novel is guaranteed to make you think anything but. Who knows, after reading it you might decide to put your Christmas tree up ready for Halloween!

Noelle hasn't had an easy time of it lately what with her beloved grandma passing away. Unfortunately for Noelle and her family, things aren't planning on looking up anytime soon - especially where the family bakery is concerned, that is! With an uncertain future in front of Noelle for her and her son, Noelle is determined to give her son a Christmas to remember by getting another job to fund it. Poor Noelle - even her new job isn't exactly what it seems either...

Let me get one thing out of the way; I wasn't entirely sure what to make of 'We'll Always Have Christmas' at first. Whilst the storyline was pleasant enough to begin with, it didn't pull me in like one of Santa's reindeer. However, I found this storyline to be a little bit like starting a fire in a fireplace; slow to begin with but when the logs start catching, the beauty and warmth of the fire shines through like a rainbow during the rain.

There is quite a lot I could mention about the overall storyline, but I wouldn't even start as the line is incredibly thin between a general overview, and spoilers. TWG doesn't do spoilers. Although the only spoiler I would be inclined to give you without getting my backside slapped is: this book is utterly beautiful. I admitted that I had initial reservations, but by golly once that storyline got going and the characters personalities were uncovered, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning - wondering what I was going to uncover next in the book. Wondering what path each of the characters would choose to go down. Wondering what mysteries were in the Harrington's closets. Honestly, there was so much to delve into, I actually became quite ashamed of my initial reaction to the book.

Noelle's relationship with her son was so touching, what a cracking and intelligent little boy he is. There were moments during the book where I found myself tearing up where Lucas was involved - if you're a parent, you'll know exactly what I mean when you read the book. Trust me. As sad as this sounds, my family isn't really one for traditions which have been passed down the generations. Sometimes I wonder why that is because of how magical it could be but, thanks to this book, I was able to be a part of another family's Christmas traditions indirectly. Finding out what Noelle's family did each year was so lovely to see. Small gestures they may be, but as the author clarified via her characters, the small things are what matter the most - especially at Christmas.

I really could sit and talk about Jenny Hale's novel for ages! The whole atmosphere within the storyline was unbelievable. So magical, so heart-warming, and so full of love. Do you think Jenny Hale's fictional characters would mind if I gatecrashed their Christmas? Hmmm.

Overall, 'We'll Always Have Christmas' is a romantic tale about love, life, and the importance of taking the time to show the ones you love, exactly how much you care. Festivities galore; the highlight of 'We'll Always Have Christmas' was the way in which it was blatantly written from the authors heart. Jenny Hale gave her characters a voice and she ensure that they used them. She gave her characters a history and she ensured they used their time wisely. Most importantly, Jenny Hale gave her characters each other and in turn they were brought to us. Beautifully written and thought-provoking with the ability to glow my heart; 'We'll Always Have Christmas' is THE festive treat to read this year and forever more.

Thanks Bookouture.

If you’re in the mood to get ready for the Christmas Romance stories season, then We’ll Always Have Christmas will put you right in the mood… and then some. You’ll be reminded of several classic tales with some slight resemblances in the characters in this story. And that simply makes the romance part of this story a little brighter.

Noelle is a delightful character who this year isn’t quite as full of the joyous season as her name suggests. Life has tossed some hard knocks her way, but she has a solution, one that might give her far more than what she’s hoping for. Take one grumpy old man, one workaholic, one unique young boy and a woman who shines a special light on all their lives, mix well and you have a fun, at times sad, always hopeful and completely entertaining romance.

There are authors who simply have that special touch with Christmas Romance. Jenny Hale is one of them, while I enjoy her stories year round I especially love her holiday stories. I’d recommend We’ll Always Have Christmas to any romance reader who simply loves a good story, likable and believable characters and that touch of magic that the holidays bring.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*