Loved this book! Jane's second grade class has made of project out of finding her a husband. She has her secret admirer who sends her a new charm every year, but no real man in her life. Her charms always seem to show up and give her insight just when she needs it. This has put every other man to compete with her ideal man,her secret admirer. When bad boy Zack returns to town a now successful man, Jane is drawn to him. Zack doesn't think he is good enough for the "perfect" Jane. He had never forgotten the perfect little girl, but Jane the woman has him wanting her. Does a reformed bad boy stand a chance against the perfect secret admirer? Great read.

Good story with Zack , Jane and 23 Cupid's assistants. Enjoyed the setting and the storyline with the characters.I

E-book from netgalley with thanks.Opinions are entirely my own.

This is a very short but sweet story.

Jane is a second grade teacher at a primary school in America. She has recently split with her fiancee Paul because he hates her charm bracelet and Jane decides that anyone who wouldnt accept such a huge part of her is not meant to be.

Her headmaster and catholic priest is thrilled when a local tv show wants to feature the school for a 10 minute focus interview and he orders Jane to be a part of it. The liason for the show is a man called Zach who is a former pupil of the school and he and Jane know each other.

What follows is a very charming slow and sweet romance that wont take you long to read, but will give you the warm and fuzzy's when you do.

This is an extended version of a previous story and I’ll admit there are parts that I really liked but parts that left me with questions. (Since I didn’t read the first version I’m not sure what is new and what isn’t.) I’m gonna give it a 3.5 out of 5, although it leans a bit towards 4 and with a little more work could move into being a 5 star contender.

Seeing Zack grow up, develop from the tough kid with a chip on his shoulder to a hard-working adult, is very satisfying. Unfortunately, and understandably, he still carries some of that baggage with him today. He finds it hard to develop deep relationships with women and struggles a little at first to believe the nuns that knew him back when might feel affection towards him. It’s heartbreaking to know he struggled so as a child but uplifting to see him overcome it. And one of the catalysts was some chance meetings with by-the-book good girl Jane. Some simple kindness and understanding shown to a boy who desperately needed it started him on a path where he could expect something of himself. And now he’s got a chance to meet that girl again, all grown up.

Jane struggles a bit with thinking that Zack might see her as anything more than a distraction. He scared her as a child but there were times when she glimpsed the struggling boy underneath. Now an adult, Zack is all sorts of sexy, charming, and scary for different reasons. She knows he could easily break her heart … but he’s pretty hard to resist. Especially when she sees that unsure boy inside the man.

My only problem is with the reveal of who has been giving Jane her charms all of these years. There are times when a character’s thoughts and actions contradict the information we get from the big reveal when it finally happens. Plus I’m not sure how her admirer knew exactly what to give her and when. I love the reasoning behind the gifts but other than being sweet and trying to prove that her admirer truly understood her in a way others didn’t, it kinda didn’t work for me with the rest of the story. I think that if that part was cleaned up just a little (mostly eliminating some of the conflicting messages) Valentine Charms could be a contender for a 5 star review. It’s super sweet and brings a wonderful HEA resolution, but it needs just a little tightening up to be awesome.

Valentine Charms was such a good, sweet and delightful read. It one of those stories that's re-written to fit in a modern setting with mobile phones and other modern convenience but it's still such a great story. It has charm, depth and a good deal of romance tucked in. Delightful Valentines read.

Valentine Charms: A Holiday Romance Novel by Anne McAllister. This is Jane “Janey” Kitto and Zack Stoner’s story.

This was a cute and sweet romance. Jane and Zach are so different from one another. Jane has just broken off her engagement and her students are trying to find her a man. The students were so funny. I loved the story of the charm bracelet.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is a charming story to read to catch the spirit of Valentine’s Day. I love the opposites attract storyline. The addition of the children to the story added a sweet, innocent side to the story.

this had a sweetness yet also a bit of disconnect. The fella was truly wonderful and it took the gal a while to figure ouyt she needed to see love right in front of her.

This was a cute story. Read it right thru and couldn't put it down. The growth for both main characters was a pleasure to read.

This story was just okay. I thought that the writing wasn't bad, but I felt like I was being told more than shown things. Also, a lot of the first part of the book is all in Jane's head. It's pretty slow moving. It gets a little better as the story goes on, but it wasn't for me. This is a first for me from this author, but I would be willing to give her another read.

This book was charming. I loved that the tough 'bad' kid had been the one there all the time.

I am partial to Ann McAllister's books because they are always fun, a tad spicy and written very well. This novella is all that and more.

The story revolves around a young woman, Jane Kitto, a long ago friend/love, Zach Stoner, and her charm bracelet. She has received charms since she was young, always thinking they came from her grandmother even after she died. The charms were so representative of the joys and trials of her life that it was a mystery of how that could happen. In this story are recollections of Jane and Zach's past history which infuses itself into their current climate. It is a cute, sweet and enjoyable novella!

Valentine Charms isn’t a long story, yet it is packed with emotions and and a couple that you cannot help but fall a bit in love with yourself.

Jane and Zack both attended the same school as young kids. The difference between them was simple – Zack was considered the “bad boy” and from acting out and his home situation probably deserved that reputation. Jane was the quieter one, the girl who looked up to Zach but wouldn’t act on that feeling in a very young girl. One act of kindness will change the path in life for both of these young people. And eventually what goes around usually comes around again.

Jane and Zach were two very enjoyable characters. It’s not difficult to see the plot of their romance, but it certainly is enjoyable watching them fall in love with the real people – not someone they created from memories. This story hit all the feel good buttons for me, along with a few chuckles and the antics of a classroom of mini-cupids. Read this one for pure fun and smiles. I enjoyed myself and I’m certain you would as well.

*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.*

This was a sweet story but a little odd at times - since they first noticed each other and seemed smitten when she was 7 and he was 11. Also it was never clear how the secret admirer knew which charm Janey would need when (some seemed obvious others not). Overall I felt it was a tad superficial (lots of unawakened questions and, for me, missing details) but still a sweet story. As a product of many years of Catholic schools I loved the backdrop of St. Phil’s!

I found Valentine Charms by Anne McAllister a sweet and delightful story. Jane Kitto is a second-grade teacher at the same school she attended as child. Her twenty-three students enjoy keeping tabs on Ms. Kitto, especially her love life and they were sure she needed a man in her life. Jane was looking for her secret admirer, the one who sent her a tiny charm every Valentine’s Day for many years. Her students preferred the handsome football star and school alum Zack Stoner. Zach had never forgotten the sweet, caring and generous Jane. Zach was a different person now, no longer the angry, attention getting boy. He knew he wanted Jane but feared Jane would be unwilling to take a chance on him. Maybe her students knew her better than she knew herself.
I enjoyed reading this story. Ms. McAllister is an excellent storyteller, keeping me interested in this story so that I had trouble putting it down. I highly recommend this outstanding book to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Valentine charms is a short story written by Anne McAllister. It was a very cute story and I loved Jane's students. They were so cute and I loved their meddling. Jane teaches at a Catholic school and she is religious, but not to the extent of making me wanna puke. God is mentioned a little, but I don't think it will cause a problem to the readers.

Jane and Zach had a good romance and I was very happy to see how the whole charm story ended. It was a sweet book and I loved it. It was simple, but in a good way and I was hooked when I began reading it. I would recommend the book. I felt sorry for Zach when he was a kid and I just wanted to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be ok.

A sweet romance between a reformed bad boy and overlly correct woman after they meet again as adults. A nicely paced story with an interesting plot and great characters. Overall, an enjoyable novella.

Valentine Charms is the sweetest romance I have read in a long time. The description of Jane Kitto basically a spinster and second grade teacher, being pushed by her Catholic school to work with a former of school mate and now football star, Zack Stoner, leads you to believe this is going to be very different romance. These two were separated by four years when in elementary school, but they were aware of each other in many ways.

Jane had recently broken her engagement because she finally realized her fiance was not for her. Although a minor thing, her fiance did not like a charm bracelet that had been a gift from her grandmother. A ‘secret admirer’ was sending her charms added each year. Her fiance had even tried to replace it with a new one. Although there was more to it than that, the bracelet situation was the final straw in making her realize she and the fiance were not going to work. Enter Zack.

The flashbacks between their growing years of Jane and Zack helped us to realize the connections between them throughout the years. Zack’s nickname for Jane was Miss Mouse. He thought of it as a his form of affection, while she thought he was making fun of her for being so proper all the time. But, unknown to Jane, Zack thought her very strong. In one of Zack’s worst moments, Jane helped to protect him in her very innocent way. Zack never forgot that.

Jane’s second grade class was not as involved as I was expecting. Nor was his being a football star the center of attention. But, the book was still good as it centered around Jane and Zack.

This books really is enjoyable. I thought it was going to be a clean book until almost the end. There is just enough of a sensual nature to say it has a ‘bit’ of sex in it. By no means is it naughty and would be just as good without the ‘bit’ of sex Anne McAllister included. I am not a prude at all, it just did not add to the story line because it is not in the erotic column either. Either way, pick this up for a really good light-hearted read.

Every time I read Anne McAllister I realise just how much I love the way she writes and Valentine Charms is a truly lovely example of all that is truly outstanding about her writing.
Zach and Jane are characters I fell in love with as soon as I met them. I love the way Zach pokes at Jane and challenges her, but I also love the way Jane fearlessly puts Zach in his place. There is so much to their story and yet it’s quite a short read. Thank goodness, actually because I really could not put this one down. I started it yesterday evening and read until I fell asleep with the story in my hands, then woke early and dived right back in until I’d finished reading. Now I’m suffering because it’s all over. If you’ve never read one of Anne McAllister’s books then this one is a great introduction to a writer who does everything with style, wit and warmth. Just perfect for Valentine’s Day or really any other day of the year.

Valentine Charms was a cute, quick read. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for other books by Anne McAllister to read now.