What a lovely anthology made up of some wonderful Christmas stories. The problem with me and anthologies is I get so into a story and then it ends and I want more!!

Overall: 4 stars — Overall a pretty successful Christmas anthology. I liked that Gabe and the town of Friendship were both commonalities to each story, though that can sometimes cause continuity issues, because it’s hard for different authors to present the same things. Most of them seemed to fit, it was just the final story that felt a bit out of place with the others. But all captured the magic of Christmas and gave quick satisfying HEAs!

Snowflake Lane Inn by L. P. Dover
3.75 stars — This was super cute, but almost too cute. Like there wasn’t a whole lot of conflict, everything happened really easily. The roadblocks were really superficial, and it was just like reading a really long epilogue or something… Which is not to say I didn’t get happy butterflies for Layla and Colin! Their romance was seriously adorable and happy smiles. It just felt unfulfilling a bit I guess. I loved Colin’s sister and the machinations of Gabe.

Runaway Christmas Bride by Cindi Madsen
4.5 stars — OK, this is more what I was looking for! It was still super fast in terms of romance, but there’s an underlying push and pull between Regina and Emmett that keeps it from being a sugar overload. I LOVED Regina’s sass, and how she tried to coax smiles out of Emmett. And Emmett was simply adorable with his crush. Very satisfying.

Christmas Lights by Amy Briggs
4 stars — Jason totally made this one for me, he was super sweet! I loved the romance that developed between Samantha and Jason, it had all those first crush butterflies. I thought the whole story of bringing back Christmas magic to Sam was kinda sweet, though occasionally I didn’t always get Sam’s attitude. There was a LOT more Gabe in this story as well, and I’m on the fence about that! But all in all a satisfying Christmas read.

Christmas Encounter by R. J. Prescott
4.25 stars — Another super cute one! I loved the romance between Jensen and Lauren, it was just endearing and sweet and butterfly inducing! Lauren seemed a lot younger than the characters in the other books, but that’s partly just her life experience.

It’s a Wonderful Holiday by Heidi McLaughlin
3.5 stars — This was a second chance romance, and I think it just wasn’t quite what I was looking for. It looks at how marriage takes effort and time and care. Rory was pretty sweet, even if he was a bit clueless at the beginning. I occasionally had less patience for Gwen, though I appreciated that she tried not to let Ruby get caught up in their problems. There was just something forced about the story, especially with Gabe. He felt different than in the other stories, but that sometimes happens with anthologies. And as silly as this may seem, this one had a continuity issue with Christmas Lights…but maybe that was caught before the final copy.

Christmas With You is a great anthology. There are five stories all taking place in the town of Friendship around Christmas time. I loved this anthology. I initially picked it up to read just Heidi's story but I ended up reading it from beginning to end. Besides each book being set in the same town and same season, there is one character Gabe that is in each book. Gabe lends a little hand in getting each couple together. This is a great anthology to read to get into the Christmas spirit. I loved every one of the stories but if I was picking favorites it would be Snowflake Lane.

I received this wonderful compilation of 5 short nouvellas from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The following authors each contributed a holiday story: Heidi McLaughlin, L. P. Dover, Cindi Madsen, R. J. Prescott, and Amy Briggs. I am familiar with most of the authors. In each story, we see Gabriel and read about the Christmas magic he brings to each couple in need:

Snowflake Lane Inn by L. P. Dover
The owner of the Snowflake Lane Inn meets his new renter, a famous designer down on her luck. She has relocated to try and fix her life after her last designs were a flop. The pair, with the help of Gabe manage to fall in love.

Runaway Christmas Bride by Cindi Madsen
A bride left at the alter drives and ends up in Friendship. She and the sheriff end up together with the help of Gabe too. Remaining in Friendship wasn't the plan, but in the end, that’s what happened.

Christmas Lights by Amy Briggs
Samantha visits her sister and her family in Friendship for the holidays. She has never gotten over her parents death and can’t enjoy the holidays. She meets Jason and his daughter who teach her to learn to enjoy the holidays again. Once again, Gabe plays matchmaker to this couple.

Christmas Encounter by R. J. Prescott
Lauren is a grifter who has landed in Friendship. She wants to leave her father’s ways and the old con life behind. She gets a legitimate job and is working on it. She meets Jensen who has come to Friendship to pay his respects to his father figure who just died. They have become friendly but Lauren is hesitant to get involved because of her past. Gabe once again appears to help this couple overcome their obstacles. The couple finds love this Christmas.

It's a Wonderful Holiday by Heidi McLaughlin
A workaholic husband and father has been served with divorce papers. He doesn’t want his marriage and their life to end. So he intervenes and saves his marriage, also with the help of Gabe who has befriended his wife and daughter.

Christmas With You is a beautiful collection of five romantic stories taking place during the Christmas season in the sleepy town of Friendship Massachusetts. Each story features a stranger called Gabe, who appears in the lives of the main characters at the most opportune time to help them find each other or to rediscover the Christmas magic in their hearts. These feel-good romantic stories are filled with Christmas magic and are guaranteed to get you in a holiday mood.

Favorite quote:
“There is no love without forgiveness, and there’s no forgiveness without love.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book of five holiday stories where the main characters are provided guidance from their Christmas Angel who has an earthly appearance of a homeless man. Gabe May be homeless in appearance however he shares many messages and seems to vanish once his words are acted on.

I love this journey into the town of Friendship. It is such a timely read this time of year! Sit back in your coziest chair and fall into some of your favorite, or soon to be favorite authors!
The writing is amazing as are the story lines. I will come back to this book every Christmas season!!
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Christmas with You is a collection of five complete stories taking place during the Christmas Season in Friendship Massachusetts. Let these five fabulous authors take you on a holiday getaway during the Christmas season. They are take place in the same town and will each hold a special place in your heart when you finish !!!! You will certainly feel good and be in the holiday season!!!
~~Michele McMullen ~~

Adorable read, the perfect evening holiday read. I loved each and every story. They each made my heart warm and feel all fuzzy!

Christmas With You is a collection of short stories from different authors. They are all Christmas themed and take place in the same small town of Friendship, Massachusetts. If you liked the Winter Street series, I think you would enjoy these as well. It was a nice easy book to cuddle up with under a blanket on a cold day. And short stories are always are great way to get introduced to some new authors.

Thank you to @netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #bookreview #christmaswithyou #currentlyreading

A wonderful collection of fun and romantic christmas stories guaranteed to get you into the christmas spirit

The box set consists of
Snowflake Inn
What can a fashion designer and an innkeeper have in common maybe nothing but true love
Runaway Bride
A grumpy sheriff deals with a runaway bride in this fun filled story
Christmas Encounter
Lauren never had a great childhood with her con man father and her life isn't getting any better but can self made man Jensen help her find her christmas spirit and become the person she is meant to be

Also included is Christmas Lights, It's a wonderful holiday THis is a great collection of five books that I thoroughly enjoyed perfect for that christmas relaxation

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Books for providing me with an eARC of this book. I read this anthology of five Christmas stories in conjunction with my annual holiday reads. If you have been following my posts or my Goodreads profile, you probably know that I have already read several holiday books for this year; I got an early start in mid-October. The five stories are titled, “Snowflake Lane Inn,” “Runaway Christmas Bride,” “Christmas Lights,” “Christmas Encounter,” and “It’s a Wonderful Holiday.” Each story is written by a different author.

When it comes to Christmas stories and holiday reads, I tend to have a middle ground that is perfect for me. I do enjoy sweet romantic stories set during the holiday, but there is a point where it can be too much for me and ruins the book. When I started this anthology that feeling kept creeping up on me.

As a quick synopsis:

• The first story, “Snowflake Lane Inn,” was sweet and romantic but it was verging on too much for me to read and enjoy. It follows a fashion designer named Layla and a town local named Colin who owns and runs the Snowflake Lane Inn. You can guess what happens.

• The second story, “Runaway Christmas Bride,” follows a woman named Regina who has just been left at the altar and a town sheriff. You can guess what happens, again. This one, following “Snowflake Lane Inn,” was a refreshing read. Regina is very different from the previous characters and the banter between her and the sheriff is fun to read.

• The third story, “Christmas Lights,” follows Jason, a town local and airplane enthusiast and Samantha, the sister of a town local from Florida who does not like Christmas. Again, you can guess what happens! I think that out of all the stories, this was my favorite. I loved the two characters and their dialogue together. At times it was almost too much for me, as I don’t think two strangers would actually act like they do, but hey, it’s Christmas!

• The fourth story, “Christmas Encounter,” follows a famous British Formula 1 driver named Jensen who is in town for a funeral at Christmastime, and Lauren a petty thief. I bet you can guess what happens… I think that out of all the stories, this one was the least believable for me. The start of the story is interesting, but then after that it just really looses stem for me. I liked reading it and suspending my belief for an hour or so.

• The last story, “It’s a Wonderful Holiday,” tells the story of Rory and Gwen and their imminent divorce after the holiday season. Can you guess what happens?! I didn’t really have any negative feelings about this one; it is probably the most believable out of all the stories to me. I have never experienced divorce, so I can’t really speak to the events that transpire. Regardless, it was a nice story to read at this time of the year.

I’m not going to give anything away, but I promise all of these stories go along with the holiday season, so their endings can’t be that bad. The stories themselves were nicely written. The writing is good and they are engaging. I wasn’t ever bored with them or just reading to get though. Something that I failed to think about while reading was that this is a short book, which means each story is going to be short. At first I was upset and bothered by how quickly the stories progress, but after I finished I thought back on why. The stories do feel rushed, or events happens much quicker than they would in the “real world,” but I felt like that wasn’t something to negatively critique this book on. Each of these stories could easily be a longer, stand-alone book if need be. But, I enjoy the quick little stories.

Something that I hadn’t mentioned yet, and perhaps the best part of this anthology, is that all of these stories take place in the same town of Friendship, Massachusetts, and at the same time. In the first story you meet a homeless character named Gabe. Turns out, Gabe is in every story. I loved the continuity of the stories and the way it created a solid picture of the people and this small town at Christmas. If makes you feel like you know the town. Often I found myself wondering what characters from another story were doing at the same time as other characters I was reading. A few times characters and settings blend over into other stories. I was so enchanted with this town and how the stories overlapped.

If you read Christmas stories or are looking for something light and heart-warming to read, I would definitely recommend this one! It became available for purchase on November 20th, so there is plenty of time to read it for Christmas. On Goodreads, I gave this one four stars mainly because I had a lot of fun reading this one and enjoyed most of the characters. I might read a few of the stories around next year.

Five great new authors to me bring us a wonderful set Christmas story set in Friendship Massachusetts where a newly arrived stranger Called Gabe seems to help bring souls together and spread the Christmas cheer around this great small town. This town does not really need and extra Christmas cheer as this is a full on Christmas town with all the trimming for a white Christmas.

Bestselling authors Heidi McLaughlin, L. P. Dover, Cindi Madsen, R. J. Prescott, and Amy Briggs invite you to celebrate the holidays in small-town Friendship, Massachusetts, where a mysterious newcomer decides to play matchmaker for five lucky couples.

Snowflake Lane Inn by L. P. Dover

Snowflake Lane Inn had me right in the Christmas spirit with is descriptive words and wonderful characts in this short Christmas romance. First time read by this author and I must say I very much enjoyed there writing style. Even famous people enjoy a small town environment to find there happy and creative place in the world.

The owner of a picturesque inn gets a holiday surprise when a well-known fashion designer comes to stay and redesigns his future.

Runaway Christmas Bride by Cindi Madsen

Regina is a runaway bride who’s fiancee dumps her at the altar on her wedding day, so she ran and stopped in a little town call Friendship. She met the towns grumpy sheriff Emmett Haywood at her lowest point of the day, but he takes pity of her and helps her out. This story is full of great banter between Regina and Emmett as they are forced together by the town's busybodies.
Making a new life in Friendship certainly wasn't the plan, but the spirit of Christmas - along with the rugged local sheriff - leads to a change of heart for this runaway bride.

Christmas Lights by Amy Briggs

Samantha was not in the Christmas spirit but was still spending the holidays season with her sister and family in Friendship. Once she arrives she meets Jason a single father of a daughter in her nice class at school. Can Jason and Emily help Samantha find her love for the Christmas season and maybe find the love of a different kind? A sweet read that I really enjoyed.

A visitor to Friendship learns the true meaning of Christmas from a single dad and his young daughter.

Christmas Encounter by R. J. Prescott
When tragedy reaches Jensen, a race car driver away on the circuit he soon finds himself in Friendship to over the man that gave him everything. Jensen finds more than just grief in town she also finds a very intriguing female that reminds him of himself many years ago. Lauren has learnt to do whatever is need to put food in her belly and a roof over her head as her drunken father spends everything. Finding love with someone from a completely different world than yours is a fairytale come true.
A famous Formula One driver finds all roads lead to Friendship -and love - this Christmas.

It's a Wonderful Holiday by Heidi McLaughlin
What would you do when your wife has sent your devoice papers just before Christmas? Will Rory and Gwen get a second chance to save their marriage and bring love back into their family. I love a good romance about a married couple and this one was wonderful.
A workaholic finds just the right Christmas magic to remind him about the most important thing in life: spending time with his wife and family.

Look- there are five beautifully-wrapped presents under the tree for you. Go ahead- open one! You love it, don’t you? What’s in the next gift? Oh my, now this one is your favorite. That’s how I felt as I “unwrapped” each story or novella in this holiday anthology. The full title includes the tag line “a feel good holiday romance anthology.” And with each story, I experienced the true joy of the season.

Each tale is carefully crafted to delight. The characters are fresh and entertaining, and the romances are so sweet. The stories are tied together because they all take place in the charming New England town of Friendship a few weeks before Christmas. Even Santa would love to live there. This small community comes together for festivities in the town square, community center and even their churches. Another constant is Gabe, an interesting character who shows up in each story. Is he a homeless person or is he part of the spirit of Christmas?

I honestly can’t choose a favorite story. Each one was festive and well-developed. In Snowflake Lane Inn, you will find out what happens when a well-known fashion designer with an Instagram life escapes her glamorous life and comes to Friendship to find herself. Runaway Christmas Bride is as good as it sounds, complete with a handsome, hunky sheriff. How about a story with the best Dad in the world and his adorable daughter. Can flamingos help him to win the heart of the new gal in town? Read about them in Christmas Lights, a touching and romantic story.

A rich and famous Formula One driver ends up in Friendship and his heart begins to “race” when he meets a spunky young women who truly needs love. The last story, but just as wonderful as the first four is It’s a Wonderful Holiday. You may spot a few similarities to the classic movie with the similar name, including a clue about the mysterious Gabe.

Thanks to authors L.P. Dover, Cindi Madsen, Amy Briggs, R. J. Prescott, and Heidi McLaughlin for a special anthology that really added the sparkle to my holiday season.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC. This is my honest opinion.

My reviews are normally pretty...wordy. But I had to rein myself in because I don’t want to spoil any of these novellas for you, because I loved them THAT much! So, with that said––here we go!

All right, Hallmark Channel Christmas movie enthusiasts...this is THE book for you this holiday season! Straight off the bat, I’m going to tell you I LOVED all of the stories. All of them are centered around the same small town, and each author kept true to the world of the small town while keeping true to their own style and voice. With hints of It’s a Wonderful Life and all that makes us love the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, this is THE book to get you into the holiday season this year! I’m amazed at how seamlessly the stories flowed together, yet were their own novella that could be read as a standalone if they were ever published separately. While that seems easy in theory, it’s a lot harder in practice than it sounds. I’ve been fans of these authors for a while, and this anthology just cemented why I enjoy their books so much. So RUN get your copy TODAY! This is a definite 5 star read!!

Snowflake Lane Inn, by L. P. Dover The owner of a picturesque inn gets a holiday surprise when a well-known fashion designer comes to stay and redesigns his future.

--LP Dover is a new author to me and I truly enjoyed Snowflake Inn. I could relate to her wanted to get away from everything. And felt excitement for her when she found her inspiration. In addition, I felt the nervousness of sending the designs and being rejected again. She was a very relatable character.
The addition of his sister added even more dimension to the story.

Runaway Christmas Bride, by Cindi Madsen Making a new life in Friendship certainly wasn't the plan, but the spirit of Christmas - along with the rugged local sheriff - leads to a change of heart for this runaway bride.

--When I saw Cindi’s name on this set of Christmas stories I decided to read it. I am so glad I did. Cindi’s story was my favorite. How can you not fall in love with the local Sherriff?
She was a hot mess and added a ton of humorous scenes.

I really was hoping that Callie would get her own book / story.

Christmas Lights, by Amy Briggs A visitor to Friendship learns the true meaning of Christmas from a single dad and his young daughter.

--This is my first book of Amy’s. I was very impressed with how she created a character that we liked even though the character had some major flaws. I could see myself in the role of Sam’s sister and behaving as she did. Amy created realistic scenes between the two sisters.
My only criticism was the profanity. It didn’t seem to fit with the story theme. It seemed very out of place.

Christmas Encounter, by R. J. Prescott A famous Formula One driver finds all roads lead to Friendship -and love - this Christmas.
--Admittedly this one was hard for me to get into. I found it difficult to relate to two criminals even if they were reformed. I give RJ credit for an original storyline.

It's a Wonderful Holiday, by Heidi McLaughlin A workaholic finds just the right Christmas magic to remind him about the most important thing in life: spending time with his wife and family.
--Heidi created a realistic story of letting work take over your life and missing out on your family and eventually losing them. I enjoyed watching him try to win his wife back. I will look for more books by Heidi.

Loved these short stories that being romance to Christmas. I enjoyed sampling these authors' work and even ventured over to enjoy a series from this book.

I received an e-copy from Netgalley. All five stories are set in the town of Friendship, Massachusetts and have a homeless man named Gabriel who plays a part in each romance. My favorite by far was Christmas Lights by Amy Briggs, it was so sweet and charming (and I loved the Santa flamingoes!)
Congratulations to the authors of this box set for creating a fictional town that I now want to visit. There were so many wonderful characters with stories to tell and I didn’t want to leave.
If you’re looking for feel good Christmas romances to get you ready for the holiday, I highly recommend this anthology. You’ll devour it like I did!

OVERVIEW: CHRISTMAS WITH YOU is a multi-authored Christmas anthology focusing on the people of Friendship, Massachusetts, and Gabe, an apparent homeless man who is determined to help people find each other or rediscover the magic of Christmas. Charming and magical, CHRISTMAS WITH YOU is a festive and merry collection of clean romances and growing love stories perfect for the holiday season.

••••••••


SNOWFLAKE LANE INN by LP Dover

Told from dual first person points of view (Colin and Layla) SNOWFLAKE LANE INN follows the building romance between Snowflake Lane Inn owner Colin Jennings, and fashion designer Layla Aberdeen. Layla Aberdeen was struggling. Her latest fashion line was a failure, and our heroine needed some time alone to rethink in which direction she wanted to go. Christmas in Friendship, Massachusetts seemed like the ideal retreat but meeting Colin Jennings found our heroine reconsidering the direction of her private life. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Colin and Layla, as our couple celebrate the holidays together.

SNOWFLAKE LANE INN is a sweet story; a cute romance between two people pushed together by a stranger, a homeless ‘Santa’ playing matchmaker for the people of Friendship, Massachusetts. The premise is a charming story with a clean romance, and an adorable couple.

••••••

RUNAWAY CHRISTMAS BRIDE by Cindi Madsen


Told from dual third person perspectives (Emmett and Regina) RUNAWAY CHRISTMAS BRIDE follows in the aftermath as Regina is dumped at the altar. Heading to places unknown, our heroine arrives in Friendship, Massachusetts where she proceeds to get drunk, and is welcomed to town by Sheriff Emmett Haywood. What ensues is the building relationship between Emmett and Regina, when Regina is booked at the Cozy Cottage, and the old ladies of Friendship begin to play matchmaker for our leading couple.

RUNAWAY CHRISTMAS BRIDE is another sweet story; a clean romance wherein two people are pushed together by a homeless ‘Santa’, and the nosy busybodies of Friendship Massachusetts. A delightful novella wherein our heroine is given a second chance at love.

••••••••••

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS by Amy Briggs

Told from dual first person perspectives (Samantha and Jason Hayes) CHRISTMAS LIGHTS follows Samantha as struggles to enjoy the Christmas holidays since the death of her beloved parents. Heading from the warmth of Florida, to the cold snowy sights of Friendship, Massachusetts, Samantha will meet mechanic and pilot Jason Hayes, who will make all of her dreams and wishes come true, starting with ‘Operation Christmas Flamingo’.

We are introduced to Samantha’s sister Robin, and Robin’s daughters Delilah and Daisy, as well as Jason’s eight year old daughter Emily. Hoping to recreate the Christmas’ from her past, Jason sets a plan into motion to give Samantha the perfect holiday experience. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS is a charming, clean, and animated short story .

••••••••

CHRISTMAS ENCOUNTER by RJ Prescott

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jensen and Lauren) CHRISTMAS ENCOUNTER follows British Formula One driver Jensen Caldwell, as he head to Friendship, Massachusetts for the funeral of a close friend. Meeting grifter Lauren Matthews tugs at something within Jensen’s heart but Lauren’s father’s reputation in Friendship has marked our heroine, for all of the wrong reasons. A few days together finds Jensen in love but Lauren knows it is only a matter of time before things spiral out of control.

CHRISTMAS ENCOUNTER is a little darker than the previous story lines. A tale of betrayal, heartbreak, and humiliation, CHRISTMAS ENCOUNTER is a colorful and dramatic tale about two people thrown together by circumstance and love.

••••

IT’S A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY by Heidi McLaughlin

Told from dual first person perspectives (Rory and Gwen) IT’S A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY focuses on investment banker Rory and his wife Gwen. On the verge of a divorce from his beloved Gwen, workaholic Rory Sutton struggles to let go of the memories of what was and what may never be. When a homeless stranger gives Rory some sage advice, our hero takes the steps necessary to bring his family back together.

IT’S A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY is a reimagining of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life. An investment banker seeks the meaning of life only to discover he had everything all along. An enchanting and moving story IT’S A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY is a charming tale, with spirited characters and a happily ever after.

Copy supplied for review

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I’ve heard many people say, they’ve read books that they can relate to.. so have I, but this story was like looking through a window watching their story unfold, eventually seeing myself.

I loved that I can relate to both Rory and Gwen. When they were in pain, I felt it and understood why. Even when they were angry, I appreciated the reasons why.

While reading this, part of me wished that “Gabe” would come along for me too. I shed tears and you probably will too but it’s worth it.

Heidi reminded me that, “There is no love without forgiveness, and there’s no forgiveness without love.”

Thank you Heidi Mclaughlin for this beautiful story.


Looking for a Short, Sweet and a little bit of Christmas Magic Story.. then Amy Briggs’ Christmas Lights from Christmas With You is what you need.

You’ll be SMITTEN by Jason, he will make you feel the fluttering of butterflies.

“Christmas magic never leaves us, even when we think it’s faded away.” Thank you Amy, Enjoyed Reading Samantha and Jason’s Story.