A Chance This Christmas is book three in the Road to Romance by Joanne Rock. Each book is a stand-alone with couples who hare from different small-towns. The books share common themes of returning home and a second chance. In this case, Rachel Chambers is returning eight years after a family scandal. This realistic story finds that while she had nothing to do with the crime, she is guilty by family association. Having lived in a small-town for many years, I can tell you that the people there can be great but not always. Sometimes children are judged by their parents’ action as in Rachel’s case. My heart went out to her but I admired her for going back to an uncharitable town even if it was named Yuletide. Too bad that the people could not always live up to the name.

One who does live up to the name is snowboarder Gavin Blake. Rachel and he have a past but it is the present that interest him. I like him. I liked Rachel. I liked the Christmas theme. I liked the romance. I didn’t like the grudges that people held, but that’s true life.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

There's nothing more that I love than Christmas stories. This story was so heartwarming and perfect.
A great story of a second chance at love. With so many misunderstandings I didn't think it was going to work out but of course you get a HEA. Reading this book makes me wish for snow and holiday decorations. It will definitely put you in a holiday mood.
So if you love sweet Christmas stories this one is perfect and I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review by Net Galley and Tule Publishing.

Christmas is the time for miracles, new beginnings, good tidings, and joy. The town of Yuletide seems to have forgotten what it used to stand for, with its year around Christmas celebration. Instead of generosity, kindness, and team spirits, everyone pulling together, there are a lot of negative undercurrents, greed, and unforgiveness, and false accusations.
After eight long years, Rachel Chambers finally comes back home to Yuletide to face her past. One kiss at the wrong time as a young girl and it seems like the whole town turns against her, taking upon herself her father's sins as well as the blame of humiliating the town favorite son.
Rachel has spunk, courage, kindness, and strength to a great measure. And she is going to need it all to face the town and their allegations. But most of all, she is going to need it when facing Gavin Blake again.
Gavin is about eight years late, but now more than before he is fighting for Rachel, standing next to her as she faces the town and her former boyfriend Luke.
I liked the spark and chemistry between Rachel and Gavin. The connection between them was magical, and the emotions churning between them were delightful. Rachel and Gavin obviously belong together, it was adorable to see them trying to find their way to each other again, after all the turbulent years between them.
While I rejoiced about the connection between Gavin and Rachel, I struggled with the rest of the story. The negativity of the town that they still carried after eight years, the fact that Rachel even felt like she had to beg for forgiveness from Luke, while it was him who cost all the trouble, didn't sit with me well. I felt like that was such a big part of the story, but the resolution wasn't really there, Luke was getting married to someone else yet so focused on Rachel, the past, and all the negativity.
Second chances and forgiveness, learning to move on, accepting your responsibility of the past, and finding a happiness for your future - there's a lot of simmering under the joyful Christmas celebration in the town of Yuletide, and each and everyone has to take a moment and evaluate their lives as Rachel and Gavin are fumbling towards their new beginnings while trying to amend the old wounds.
~ Three Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

A Chance This Christmas by Joanne Rock
A Road to Romance Story #

Who knew a kiss could keep a woman away from her hometown for eight long years? With a promise to her New York friends and the goal of righting town-perceived wrongs Rachel heads home to Christmas year round themed Yuletide – the town she grew up in. With Christmas around the corner, the season of tourists and visitors at the highest level, the wedding of her best friend to her long ago boyfriend and her father still at large after embezzling town funds eight years ago Rachel hits town and runs into the man who was kissing her when another man proposed on the day her father absconded with the town money. Rachel and Gavin are given a second chance at finding happiness together and almost all wrongs are righted when a secret is shared by one of the townspeople before the end of the story. If you are looking for a quick easy Christmas story to read and like second chance love stories set in cozy communities this might be for you. It has no big events or unveilings but is a sweet read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing – This is my honest review

3 Stars

A Chance This Christmas is a cute second chance Christmas romance. I would have loved for this to be a longer story to properly delve into the characters and the miscellaneous plot items that got thrown at us. However, as it is, A Chance This Christmas is that perfect short, sweet read to get that warm holiday feelings.

Gavin and Rachel chose to take the scenic route to love. The trip consisted of regrets, betrayals and heartache, but the endgame proved worth every bump in the road. It's never too early to get in the holiday spirit. Especially when you live in a picturesque town like Yuletide. Ms. Rock takes the best parts of the holiday season and places them in a small town setting. A Chance This Christmas is a Hallmark movie just waiting to be made. On the wings of love, Ms. Rock delivers a story of forgiveness, new beginnings and heartwarming fun.

A very sweet, quick book about second chances and being brave. Lovable H/h. Interesting and original backstory involving a small NY town that renames/rebrands itself as Yuletide, an all things Christmas-themed tourist destination. Book three of a trilogy...I might go back and read the first two, but for anyone interested this one can stand alone. Out tomorrow. Thanks to #NetGalley!

3.5 The Sins of the Father Stars
* * * 1/2
This is a very strong tale of how the "sins of the father" can impact a family's life and ways after ... We have a young woman who was considered an outcast after the terrible actions her father took with the town's funds. The community banded together and laid blame at the mother and daughter's feet unfairly.
Fast forward, it is 8 years later and our gal is invited back to a best friend's wedding in the town. What takes place is an old heart wish...a man she had loved is there to her surprise and hopeful avoidance.

This is a story of forgiveness, making amends and fresh starts.

It's always hard going home but for Rachel Chambers returning to Yuletide is a gut wrenching experience. The town hates her and her family. First, they think she broke the town's golden boy's heart. Then her father's embezzlement of town funds was the final straw. Rachel had run and built a good life in NYC. A pact with her girlfriends has her back in Yuletide to deal with the past and put it to rest. Easier said than done when she comes face to face with Gavin Blake. Even though he was part of the scandal the town seems to have forgiven him. Could he help her smooth things over??

A wonderfully done story that you shouldn't miss this season. A great story of second chances, forgiveness, and hope. I definitely recommend it.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.5 Hearts This is a cute holiday second chance at love romance. Gavin and Rachel knew each other has teens but a town scandal sent the friends scurrying away. Now they are both back for a wedding and sparks fly.

I thought Gavin was a sweet character and Rachel was very real. Her reactions and her emotions seemed to be honest. The background characters were nice as well. I thought it needed a bit more on the scandal of Rachel’s father and less on the infamous kiss.

This is a short read of a bit over 100 pages so alot gets added quickly. But it certainly has a holiday feel. This isn’t just set in a time of Christmas, this town IS Christmas.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

RATING 4.5 STARS

A Chance This Christmas is book three in the Road to Romance series by Joanne Rock.

Rachel Chambers left her home town of Yuletide, New York eight years ago with a broken spirit and a broken heart. All in one day, her father left town causing a scandal and Rachel was caught in a scandal herself that left her heart shattered. Now, eight years later, after she and her two friends had all pledged to confront their pasts and make amends so they could all move on, Rachel is back in her home town once again.

Rachel’s best friend is getting married and she is determined that Rachel attend her wedding. The man her friend is marrying, Luke Harris, was a part of the scandal all those years ago and he is still holding a grudge. Before the town can ever accept Rachel, Luke must also forgive her.

Right here I want to say that you know when an author is doing a great job with their writing when you find yourself completely mortified for this wonderful young woman and the way this town is treating her. It infuriates me that she wants Luke to forgive her when he is the one that needs forgiving. He could have righted wrongs by just admitting the truth about what happened that day all those years ago but he didn’t. He let the town think the worst. Rachel and her mother suffered not only from the scandal but they both lost the most important man in their lives that day as well. No one seemed to remember that. I wanted to jump right into the book and give Rachel a hug.

Gavin Blake both was and is Luke’s best friend. He was also part of what happened that day. He and Luke have patched their friendship and Gavin is best man in the wedding. When Gavin sees that Rachel is back, he can’t believe his eyes. He vows to help her to pave the road to acceptance back into the town. He owes her that much. Eight years ago, Gavin and Rachel shared one kiss. It was a kiss that rocked both of their worlds but then both of their world imploded. He hasn’t seen or heard from her since.

Gavin is a professional snowboarder. It’s just weeks away from the Olympics and he is in training. But he took this week for his friend’s wedding. But now the only thing that is important to Gavin is helping Rachel, and maybe seeing if this could be a second chance for them. He feels the same chemistry as before if not stronger. Could this finally be their chance to see where it could go?

Yuletide is a Christmas town which thrives on it’s tourist business all year long. But it’s also supposed to be a town full of the Christmas spirit. But they seem to have forgotten that. It seems like now it’s just all about the money.

As I said before, I loved both Rachel and Gavin, even though I feel the tiniest bit of anger toward Gavin as well for not setting things right earlier. But these two both have suffered so much. It’s time for them both to benefit from the magic of Christmas and to find love.

This is a quick read and I really enjoyed it as I have everything I’ve read of Joanne Rock’s. This book is overflowing with Christmas and is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. Even if the season just did change to Autumn.

I received a free copy from the publisher on Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I've been enjoying this series so far and was excited to delve in the latest book in this series. It was exactly the type of read I was in the mood for. It had that Christmas feel a good Christmas romance has, a solid heartwarming romance and some interesting side plot lines as well. The book grabbed my attention from the start and kept it until the end.

A Chance This Christmas follows Rachel who returns to her hometown to make peace with the past. After a big scandal eight years ago she left and never got back. She not only ran away from her hometown, but also the boy she had a crush on. I liked Rachel, she was a great character and I liked how determined she was to set things right even though it was difficult. The town still shuns her and blames her for what happened eight years ago. It was a lot for her to go up against, but luckily she had Gavin on her side. I liked how the whole scandal and town made for an interesting plot line.

Gavin is a professional snowboarder, who is returning home to Yuletide for the wedding of his best friend. What he doesn't count on is to run into Rachel again and realize he still has feelings for her. I liked getting to know Rachel and Gavin, we get to know a bit of their background and follow them as they get to know each other again. I also thought it was interesting what drove them apart the first time as it was very different from most second chance stories. It was awesome to see these two fall for each other again.

The romance was sweet and the Christmas setting of the town was the perfect backdrop. I really felt their connection and kept rooting for them to figure things out and find a way to be together. I liked how mature both characters where and how realistic their reactions to everything. And I was especially pleased by how low on the drama and miscommunication their romance was. I felt like it fit their characters and the few hiccups in their relationship felt real and believable. The epilogue was the perfect ending and left me with a happy feeling.

Besides the romance there are a few side plot lines going on as well. There is the scandal of eight years ago, the town who still partly blames Rachel, there is wedding between two side characters coming up and a plot line concerning the town council and the direction they took with the town. It was all perfectly interwoven into the story and between the romance. And I liked how the whole town and the side characters all played a part too and became part of the story.

I liked seeing Rachel re-connect with the town and even though it brought up some painful memories, good ones too and make peace with everything and rediscover her love for this town. And it was also fun to see everyone slowly warm up a bit towards her. I did feel one of the side plot liens regarding what happened eight years ago got wrapped up a bit rushed, but I did like we got to know what happened. Although I did keep wondering where one of the side characters was now.

And then there is the Christmas aspect of the book. A Chance This Christmas has that Christmas feel nailed down. It's set in a small town called Yuletide that's basically a Christmas town year round. It was so fun to visit this town and the author really made the town come alive. I could vividly imagine how everything looked. And I loved the Christmas feel of this book. It's definitely a great read to pick up if you're in the mood for a great holiday romance.

To summarize: I really enjoyed this book with the believable second chance romance, Christmas vibe and great characters. I was sad to leave Yuletide at the end of the book as it was such a fun place to visit. I liked both Rachel and Gavin and they were so good for each other. I liked their second chance romance and also seeing Rachel reconnect with her home town. The romance develops at a nice slow pace that fits the characters, there is little drama and miscommunication. The problems they faced and the hiccups in their relationship felt all believable. I liked how supportive Gavin was of Rachel and how Rachel opened her heart to him and the town again. The book also has a great Christmas feel, I could vividly imagine the town and all the Christmas decorations. If you're looking for a great Christmas romance to read I would definitely recommend this one!

A Chance This Christmas is the third book in the road to romance series by Joanne Rock. I adored this one just as much as I did the first two. Joanne always seems to hit the nail on the head for me. This is romance of returning to a small town life and dealing with things left behind. Rachel is in need of a second chance with the town as well as with Gavin.

If you haven't read Joanne's work I strongly suggest you do. She has a way with wording that makes me feel as if I am right there or watching it up on a movie screen. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one and I am not shocked at all that I enjoyed it as much as her previous works. Get your copy today.

Full review will appear on Reader's Edyn on 10/01/17 at http://bit.ly/2xJuu1R

Rachel Chambers is in the last place she ever thought she’d be again. A pact with her best friends has led her back home to clear the air after a disastrous parting. Negative old feelings and a less than happy homecoming is going to make patching things u with her old home town extremely difficult. Add to it that her ex-boyfriend is marrying her best friend, and her old crush is not only going to be in town, he bought the house next door to her mom. In addition, those old sparks don’t take but a second to flame back up. But Rachel has no intention of staying home after the wedding and Gavin is looking to settle down. A future between the two beyond the week she is in town seems impossible. But Christmas miracles could happen – if she can get off the naughty list.

Gavin Blake is a famed snow-boarder and Olympic hero. He’s still in to the life, but starting to think about his future and settling down in his old hometown. When his long-time crush unexpectedly comes home, he starts to entertain thoughts of a future with Rachel – if he can convince her that they can make it work. The wrong place at the wrong time ruined the first glimmer of what could have been a relationship with them eight years ago and Rachel fled. Now he has to figure out how to redeem her in the town’s eyes and keep her from running again.

I have had some really good luck lately with Christmas-themed books by some really talented authors. I am happy to say that this book is almost as the others. Don’t let the Christmas-theme keep you from reading though – this feel-good book about redemption and second chances will give you the warm fuzzies no matter the time of year. The content may seem a bit serious, but the author maintained a nice balance that keeps it from shadowing over the whole story. A bit of mystery comes to light while a love that couldn’t find it’s way eight years ago, gets a chance to shine. My few complaints involve a few issues, including a couple of things that are not explained much – such as Rachel’s mother involving money and feelings following the discovery of reasons behind circumstances. I know that’s vague and lacking detail but I don’t want to spoil any part of the story. It might have been good to expand just a bit on the town completely flipping attitudes also. While I understand the town’s feelings of betrayal, I find it interesting that they could turn on Rachel so quickly, especially given their obsession with Christmas and the fact that none of the occurrences were her fault. The end happened quickly and wrapped up super fast so details, for me, were somewhat sparse. Throughout, there are few things that are somewhat off. The quick attitude changes are definitely one. What the heck happened with the merry-go-round? And where the heck is Rachel’s Dad anyway? So if you want all of your questions answered by the end of the story, be advised – it won’t happen.

Overall, I enjoyed getting to know Rachel and Gavin, as well as their friends and family members. Mostly, anyway. A couple of the characters were callous and lacked depth beyond anger. However, this book is an entertaining read despite the deficiencies, packed full of scandal, redemption, and yuletide cheer. But don’t let the plot fool you, Yuletide has just as much redemption to obtain as Rachel does. I could easily see this book made in to a movie that becomes a holiday favorite. What is the channel that plays all the sappy, cute, HEA movies every year? Hallmark, ABC Family, Lifetime? I don’t know, but I watch them and this book would fit in. A Chance This Christmas is the 3rd in a series, but is easily read as a standalone. Readers looking for a cute HEA with a mess of understanding that causes a local to be cast out, but that gets wrapped up nicely in a cute little bow at the end, are sure to be pleased. 😊

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Tule Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

“A Chance this Christmas” is book three in Joanne Rock’s Road to Romance series and is Rachel’s story.

Rachel Chambers returns to Yuletide to make amends with her ex-boyfriend while hoping she doesn’t run into a former crush OR get chased out of town because of her father’s crime.
Gavin Blake is in Yuletide for his friend’s wedding while taking time off from his snowboarding career. He also bought a house in Yuletide along Main Street, the Jingle Elf house, and needs to figure out how he’ll set up the house as a tourist attraction so he’ll help bring in more money for the town. His house is also next door to Rachel’s childhood home, Teeny Elf house, and where her mother still lives.
When he sees a figure in the dark, he immediately recognizes Rachel. Regretting how they parted eight years ago, he wants to make it up to her and find out if the attraction is still there. And it is – their chemistry still burns hot like a blazing fire in a cold room.
Gavin and Rachel attend wedding events – the groom just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend – and try to let the folks of Yuletide know that Rachel had nothing to do with her father’s disappearance.

“A Chance this Christmas” is about second chances – for Rachel on a person level, for Rachel and Gavin and their relationship, and for the town itself to once again be what Rachel’s father initially envisioned.
Ms. Rock very creatively named the houses and locations to fit into a Christmas-themed romance as well as engaging this reader into wanting to find out if Rachel does make peace with the ex-boyfriend, with the residents of Yuletide, and with Gavin.
This story brings all the warmth and coziness like a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows and that sometimes the best Christmas present someone can give is their heart filled with love.

3.5 stars

If you love Hallmark Channel holiday movies then this book will definitely put you in the mindset of a Hallmark holiday movie. You could practically see the movie set as you read and meet the "villains" of the story and the over the top Christmas setup in town. The actual story line was cute but I have to admit that it dragged a little and while I enjoyed it, it just didn't have that zing that kept me fully invested in the story.

I think the biggest thing that kept me from becoming truly invested in Rachel's plight is that the townspeople seemed more focus on the fact that Rachel supposedly "cheated" on her ex. The kicker is her best friend, her ex and the guy she liked all knew that was not true! And yet no one could bother telling people that she never cheated on her ex! I can see maybe her ex because his ego was bruised but her best friend especially I felt could have stood up for her if she was really her best friend instead of basically helping to keep her best friend exiled for years. I think if that whole debacle had been left out and the story line just focused on Rachel's father's embezzlement it would have worked better for me.

Still it's a cute read if you are looking for a holiday romance to get you into the holiday mood.

I was definitely excited to read this book after Second Chance Cowboy, and yes the books in this series can be read as standalones but even so I was eager to get this story and the fact that it has that holiday vibe added to that excitement because I do find holiday romances really sweet.

This book like the previous one has our heroine, Rachel returning home to try to make amends and peace with the past so that she can move forward with her life. But Rachel has really a tough time because due to events from the past she's become a sort of pariah in her own town, everyone really just seems to want her gone.
Gavin, her once friend and love interest wants to help now that she's here to go to a her friend's wedding, but spending time together makes these two realize that something is still there between them, cue to romance!!

Not all is easy though, they have difficulties to face but I was definitely rooting for them and I had faith that Joanne will deliver a great ending.

Sweet second chance Christmas story.
I thought it dragged a bit in some parts but I enjoyed it overall.

Rachel Chambers left her Christmas crazed hometown of Yuletide eight years before when she was surrounded in a family scandal and felt quite unwelcome in the town. Her father had run off with the town’s funds and left she and her mother behind shouldering the blame from angry residents. Now however Rachel feels it’s time to mend the fences and return home for her friend’s wedding.

What Rachel didn’t count on though when returning to Yuletide was running into Gavin Blake who she had thought was away snowboarding. Rachel and Gavin also have a shaky past that gives those in the town yet another reason to dislike Rachel’s return. Gavin however believes it’s time to put the past behind them all and vows to help smooth Rachel’s way back into the town’s good graces.

A Chance This Christmas by Joanne Rock is the third book in the contemporary romance series Road to Romance. Each book in the series features a different couple coming together with the theme of making up for mistakes in the past. With each read holding different main characters they of course can all be read fine as a standalone book if one chooses to do so.

For me this one was an alright romance read with Rachel and Gavin both likable characters and certainly and interesting setting with a town completely obsessed with Christmas. I’d probably think enough is enough with the decorations and celebrating each spring or so but hey it’s cute to read about though.

The one thing I wasn’t quite a fan of in here though was the fact that Rachel was ever an outcast to begin with… neither of the reasoning given were totally her fault, especially her father’s actions which she really had nothing to do with since she and her mother were abandoned too so I kind of thought the set up was slightly lacking there for all the hate she was receiving when returning. But otherwise it’s a nice little quick read Christmas romance.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.