I received an ARC of this book to read in exchange for a fair review. Christmas From The Heart by Sheila Roberts is an enemies to lovers story with a Christmas theme. For an enemies to lovers story to work successfully there has to be a certain amount of a willing suspension of disbelief and this one didn’t really do that for me. Olivia Berg runs a charity that provides for needy families at Christmas time and Guy Hightower is the CFO of a large corporation that previously donated generously to that charity. Unfortunately for Olivia they have chosen other charities to donate to this year, something she is not prepared to accept and she goes way beyond the boundaries of professionalism chasing down a donation from Hightower Enterprises. I did not find either character engaging and the story was just a little bit too much on the sweet side for my taste. Publishing Date September 24, 2019 #ChristmasFromTheHeart #NetGalley #HarlequinRomanceNovels #Bookstagram

Do you believe that things happen for a reason? I do and I also believe in second chances. I also think we can all lose it sometimes when we become frustrated. Livi had her hands full dealing with the death of her mom, her non-profit business, and the men in her life. Thank goodness for good friends! This is a great story about people finding themselves and realizing what they really want and who they want to be. It’s also a great story about small town living. The love that is shown to neighbors and friends is in abundance. I know that’s not always the case, but I like to think there is more of the good than the bad. I hope you enjoy visiting with the folks of Pine River as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

It's never too early to read a Christmas book, so I was excited to get this e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Olivia Berg runs the charity, Christmas form the Heart, taking over when her mother passed away. She relies on donations from companies to have a successful Christmas, especially one company in particular, Hightower Enterprises. When CFO Guy Hightower lets her know they will no be donating this year, she is crushed and angry at his lack of compassion. Leave it to Karma to take over--Guy's Maserati breaks down near the Cascade foothills and he is rescued by a pretty young woman---and finds out it is Olivia Berg! What happens from there seems to read like a Hallmark movie. it's a quick light Christmas read...I've enjoyed Sheila Roberts other books so was looking forward to this as well. Maybe it was a bit predictable, but it still was an enjoyable read!

Christmas from he Heart by Sheila Roberts

A contemporary Christmas romance. Sweet and touching.

Altruism (with a deep secret in the past - very minor plot point that I would have liked to see expanded).
Heart: the method of selecting the fruit cake baker was especially lovely and charitable.
Love: to settle for what is comfortable or stretch for more is the question of the hour.

No spoilers but this one went down to the wire. I would have liked to see pieces come together sooner. I really appreciated Morris in the end.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

A modern day Scrooge story. Livi is heading up the charity of Christmas from the Heart when long time contributor, Hightower Enterprises has backed out of their donations, Guy Hightower is just trying to be tighten the belt. Livi is not sure what she is going to do with donations dwindling, this is her life providing for her small town of Pine River.

Guy is on his way to his mother's house going through, Pine River when his car breaks down and who comes to the rescue, Livi. He now needs to hide his true identity, With no rooms available at the inn, Livi invites to stay at her house with her father and shows Guy the true meaning of Christmas. Soon they can't deny the chemistry between them, until Livi finds out who Guy really is. Now Guy needs to find a way to her heart once again.

The perfect read to get you in the mood for the holiday season. Plenty of fun festivities, yummy baking and the love of family, will keep you turning the pages. The perfect story for a holiday movie.

Olivia Berg carries a great deal of pride and takes her responsibility seriously for her family's charity, Christmas from the Heart. She's the third generation of women to head the charity and she's determined to make her late mother proud. So she's more than shocked when the CFO of Hightower Enterprises denies her request for a donation. You see, this may be Olivia's first Christmas to officially help the less fortunate in Pine River, but Hightower has been generously supporting the charity since her grandmother's time. And if Olivia's plate isn't full enough, she not only rescues a man when his expensive sports car breaks down, but she offers to house him until his car is repaired since the local B&B is full. Little does she know that Joe Ford, who willingly jumps in to help the charity's fund-raising efforts, is actually the despised CFO, Guy Hightower.

There's plenty going on to keep a reader's attention because Olivia is a very busy gal. Between her charity work, her still-grieving father, her friends, and Morris Bentley, long-time friend who wants to be more, there’s never a dull moment, especially once Guy finds himself in Pine River. Low on angst but full of humor and heart, this sweet, feel-good holiday read is just the thing to put you in the Christmas spirit!

*I read an early edition of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide feedback and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source.

I liked the story over all, but I had a hard time liking Olivia and Guy. When Olivia didn't get the donation she was expecting, she was very rude. When Guy was rude back, she just got more snarky. Even though Guy lied to her about his name, she got to know him before she found out his real identity. She liked that person. It's just when she knew it was Guy that she decided that he was a really terrible person. Guy felt bad about lying to her, but he couldn't figure out how to tell her his real identity. But, in the end, it is Morris who saves the day

Oh man Olivia is not for me. I just couldn’t with her. I mean her bestie was trying to check her attitude but yeah, I was getting extremely irritated with a pretend person. So this one unfortunately is no for me.

I adore holiday love stories and this one had so much potential! Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it.

I struggled to connect with the characters, especially Olivia. It's unfortunate as one of the reason I was drawn to this story is because I've spent much of my career in the non-profit sector.

There were grammatical and spelling errors aplenty. The perspective changed more than I could keep up with. At this point it's a DNF for me.

There's a chance I'll check this book out of the library and see if the final round of editing makes a difference as I truly was looking forward to this one.

Christmas from the Heart is a festive holiday romance set in the close-knit community of Pine River.. It begins with Olivia and Guy, who meet through email correspondence and immediately dislike each other because of some misunderstandings. When they later bump into each other Guy knows he cannot reveal his true identity. Through spending time together Olivia and Guy, who she knows as Joe, begin to fall for each other. But the truth has a way of coming forward and the misunderstandings are magnified when Olivia finds out Guy was deceiving her.
I loved the townspeople and community of Pine River.

Christmas from the Heart has helped so many people in the small town of Pine River, Washington, and Olivia Berg is carrying on the tradition of her mother and her grandmother and great-grandmother. Running a non-profit is difficult at the best of times, but Christmas seems to be the time they all are asking for donations.

This year they are falling short. Times are tough everywhere and this year their major donor must say no.

Guy Hightower is at his wits end with his two older brothers lack of planning and control of their company. Being the youngest makes it hard to get your voice heard over your older brothers. Cuts must be made if this company is to succeed. They’ve all gotten used to living the high life and driving expensive cars. And this year their donations went to more high profile charities. It’s just business.

But Olivia has no intention of taking no for an answer as she hounds the man and his poor secretary. What’s a girl to do?

Much like a Hallmark Movie, the poor guy winds up in Pine River, stranded by his Masarati in the snow and guess who is driving by and offers him a ride? Yep. He uses a fake name once he realizes who she is and then they proceed to bring joy and happiness to the town. Until she finds out who he is.

Olivia could be a bit of a bully, but this was a nice read with a cup of holiday tea and it made me laugh a lot. So many misunderstandings, but also a lot of forgiveness and love.



September 24th, 2019 by Mira Books NetGalley Reads

Very Hallmarkesk book and I loved it. Olivia is running her grandmothers charity that helps to support local families during the holidays especially. She has had a steady stream of high donors for years. When one of her largest donors companies taken over by Guy Hightower he has decided to cut all donations to the charity.

As Guy breaks down on the side of the road he is taken in by Olivia who does not realize who he really is. As they grow closer and he is discovering the love she has for her charity and those she helps he begins to soften.

Will the new Scrooge give in and begin supporting the charity again?

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I think I was in the mood for a good holiday read when I picked this up. Unfortunately, it didn't really deliver. There were a lot of issues. First, the story switched points-of-view so many times it was like a ping-pong match. Three paragraphs in a row were sometimes told by three different characters. It was confusing and unnecessary.

Second, the characters weren't all that likable. I found Livi to be pushy and entitled and judgmental. Guy's constant guilt at the beginning wasn't believable at all. I pitied Morris. I didn't care how things worked out, really.

Third, there were stereotypical "this is what a man is" and "this is what a woman is" thoughts and attitudes that I found incredibly outdated and borderline offensive. It would be one thing if the whole atmosphere had been built to support a world view like that but it hadn't been crafted that way. It stuck out wrong and made me feel gross.

Finally, there were formatting errors all over the place! It was difficult to read at times. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

This beautifully writtten Christmas story melted my heart!! Just in time for the holidays this book made it feel just like Christmas!I received this Arc from the publisher in exchange for my honest review and appriciate the request sent on Netgalley! This heartwaring read i would recommend to any Hallmark lover! A perfectly written holiday romance that had all the cozy romane feels I love!! A must read book! Loved it!

Thank you Netgally and Mira for the advanced copy of Sheila Roberts’ Christmas from the heart. I always like reading a good Christmas story, and this was a nice Hallmark-type of read. Olivia’s charity Christmas from the heart has helped families in need in Pine River for generations but this year might be the last because a Scrooge has taken over her biggest donor Hightower Enterprises. This is a classic hometown girl meets rich CEO guy that will get you in the Christmas spirit.

This story is like reading the script of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Perfect setting, plot and especially the atmosphere. Two thumbs up.

This was a really sweet read about misplaced expectations, severe miscommunication, rash judgements, second chances, and unexpected love. I quite enjoyed the story line itself, but did find the dialogue tiring at times. The setting is quaint (small town, Christmas, community... What's not to love?) The two leads absolutely drove me crazy at times. Honesty and real conversations go a long way in life. Overall, a sweet Christmas tale to get your ready for giving!

Christmas from the Heart is a cute and heartwarming read, perfect for Christmas! I loved that it had a focus on helping others. I also liked how Guy and Olivia's relationship progressed. I think this one would make a perfect Hallmark holiday movie!

A nice light hearted read about a lovely town that appears to have no evil people. Every character is sweet and the amount of time and effort they all put into helping others is amazing. Livi and Guy were perfect together. It just took them awhile to work out the details. But I enjoyed the ride.

Touching holiday story with a focus on giving and helping others. In this day and age it's nice to read heartwarming stories. This is the kind of story that would make a good Hallmark movie. I got just as mad as Livi did at the beginning, and I thought Morris was not right for her. I'm glad he changed his mind. Quick read, the kind you curl up on the couch in fall/winter with a fire going.

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.