I feel a little curmudgeonly as I write this: I had a very hard time getting through this sweet, heart-warming book, Snowfall on Cedar Trail by Annie Rains. Ever read a book and it just seems interminable? That’s how I felt here. Why? I’m not certain.

I’ve read a couple of other entries in the Sweetwater Springs series so it’s not that I’m unfamiliar with the author, her style, or stories. It just seemed that this book moved slower than molasses in freezing weather.

The story follows Halona Lockheart, a single mother, whose son stopped talking after his father’s death, and police Chief Alex Baker, who was Halona’s brother’s best friend. Halona and Alex have always liked each other but never acted on it.

This book has everything you’d want in a Christmas romance. Hot chocolate, nice people, small town, more hot chocolate.

I am very willing to admit that perhaps this was a me, not you situation. Most reviewers loved this book. You may too.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 3 in the Sweetwater Springs series. It is two stories about Christmas romance and friends and family. Story 1 is about Halona, owner of the local flower shop and a single mother. Chief Alex Baker becomes a Big Brother to her young son and is determined to make their Christmas special. They have always liked each other but it seems there could be a Christmas miracle this year. Story 2 is Then there was you. This is the romance of Dr. Sara Landon and Coulton Walker. Both stories are sweet and easy to read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A heartwarming, sweet Christmas romance. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

4 star

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, pain, secrets, and heartbreak.

This is Halona and Alex’s story. Halona’s son who is seven has not spoken a word since his fathers’ death. She tries to get him to talk as all she wishes for is to hear his sweet voice again. She enrolled him in a mentoring program, and he got matched with Alex. Alex is the chief of police and has his own issues. They both have secrets but are drawn to each other. But are the secrets that they both hold going to be the thing that ruins them?

I loved these characters and the side characters. I felt I could connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

Theo totally steals the show in this installment of Annie Rains fun Sweetwater Springs novels. He is the perfect holiday elf as he brings Halona and Alex together; though the cute puppy certainly helps, too. This series keeps getting better and I am all in.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

Despite everything going on in this story, it works very well. Getting past old hurts and painful doubts these two wonderful characters still find each other. AND it's a holiday story! Can't be that.

I love romance novels set around Thanksgiving/Christmas. I always get in the holiday mood while reading them. So, when I saw the Annie Rains had another book set around Thanksgiving/Christmas, I knew that I had to read it. I am glad that I did!! Because of this book, I was in the holiday mood for days.

The plotline for Snowfall on Cedar Trail was medium paced. The medium pace of the plotline worked for me. If the book had been faster-paced, an essential part of the plotline would have been glossed over.

I liked Halona. She was doing everything she could to run her business and get her son the help he needed. There was no place in her life for romance, which I understand. I thought her crush on Alex was cute. But she was wary of getting involved with him. I thought it was because of Theo’s issues, but then there was another reason why. That reason broke my heart when it was revealed. It also reinforced, in my eyes, how strong she was and had to be.

I loved Alex. He took his job as police chief seriously. When the book started, he was trying to help a battered woman leave her husband. He had also reopened his father’s cold case, trying to see if there were any new clues about his death. Then, while checking on the battered woman, he takes an abused puppy from her husband. On top of that, he had agreed to become a mentor to a child in need. It was a lot. His interactions with Halona, Theo, the town folk, and Officer Chew (the puppy and I LOVED the name!!) made the book.

Halona and Alex’s romance was a slow burn. I loved that they had been crushing on each other since, well, forever. They did have their ups and down, though. A significant down with their relationship was Halona’s ex-husband and how he treated her. But, they did get past it. When they did, their romance went into high gear.

Theo’s selective mutism was a significant part of the storyline. It was the reason that Theo was placed in the mentor program and in turn, got paired with Alex. I did feel bad for Theo. He saw his father doing something horrible to his mother. It affected him so much that he stopped talking. It broke my heart. But, I was glad to see that Alex was able to help Theo. But, I didn’t buy the end of that storyline. It seemed to me almost too perfect.

Another storyline that ended almost too perfectly was Alex’s father’s cold case and the battered woman’s storyline. I wasn’t a fan of Halona giving Tony advice about how to win his wife BACK. I mean, he beat his wife and a puppy. I also didn’t like how the cold case ended up. It left me with more questions, which drove me nuts.

The end of Snowfall of Cedar Trail was cute but seemed a little rushed. I couldn’t figure out who the next book will be about.

I love Christmas books, even more, when involving children and cute pet.

Alex is the tough police chief of the small town Sweetwater Springs, he has had a crush on Halona for some time but being his best friend's younger sister and mourning her husband's recent loss, he has never allowed himself more than friendship with her.

Halona's son is the reason for the sweet florist's life and is having a difficult time with post-traumatic muteness. Upon getting to know Alex better, little Theo will be happy again and will gradually break free from his trauma.

In addition to a beautiful and engaging romance, the book brings a very interesting mystery that held me until the end.

I was excited for this next installment in the Sweetwater Springs series! Halona and her son, Theo have had a tough time over the last year. But it’s possible that Alex is the key to a happier future for Halona and her son. Alex has his own demons to deal with before he can have a relationship with Halona.
This is a really touching story. I loved Halona and Alex. I was rooting for them and Theo. I was hoping that Alex would be the one to bring Theo out of his shell.
I would definitely give this 5 stars!

SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL is the third instalment in Annie Rains’ contemporary, adult SWEETWATER SPRINGS romance series focusing on the people of Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina. This is police chief Alex Baker, and widow, single mother and florist Halona Locklear’s story line. SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Halona and Alex) SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL follows the building romance between Sweetwater Springs’ police chief Alex Baker, and widow, single mother and florist Halona Locklear. Halona Locklear’s life changed the day her husband died but our heroine kept secrets from the people she loved including her young son Theo, whose selective mutism began the day his father passed away. Hoping to get Theo into the Mentor Match program, Halona discovers that her brother’s best friend, and the local police chief Alex Baker, has been assigned to ‘mentor’ her troubled young boy. What ensues is the building relationship and romance between Alex and Halona, and the potential fall-out as Halona struggles with the past, and blames our hero for the things out of his control.

Meanwhile, Chief Alex Baker has yet to move forward since the hit and run death of his father, the former police chief, a man whose death eleven years earlier, is suspicious and, as yet, unsolved. Every Christmas, upon the anniversary of his father’s death, Alex reopens the investigation, and this year a new clue will come from an unlikely source.

The relationship between Alex and Halona is a friends to lovers romance. Alex has been attracted to his best friend’s sister for as along as he can remember but when Halona fell in love with the local football star, Alex watched from the sidelines losing all hope for his own happily ever after. All $ex scenes are implied and fade to black.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters, most of whom we have met in previous instalments. We are introduced to Halona’s son Theo; Alex’s grandmother; as well as struggling couple Sharlene and Tony Anderson.

SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL is a story of second chances; a sweet romance between two people who have lost someone special in their lives but whose pasts will intercept in the present and future. The premise is engaging and captivating; the characters are colorful and energetic; the romance is charming and sweet



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I adored this book. This whole series has been fantastic but this one might be my favorite. Annie has built such a fantastic setting full of wonderful characters - even seeing small characters pass through scenes felt like coming home and I was eager to catch up with these old friends. This story moves so well, it's easy to follow and doesn't feel rushed or like it drags. I was a bit concerned how adding a child in from the very start would impact the story, but it was completely fine and just felt perfectly natural. I love how this was a great, traditional romance but also had a nice feeling of a family falling in love with each other and forming together as a unit.

Like ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven you can't have just one nibble of them. You can't have just one nibble of this book either. You'll want to consume it until it's done.
This sweet,small town romance will keep your attention the whole way through.
A sweet,vulnerable little boy,his florist mom,a handsome cop and a cold case mystery are some of the excitement you'll encounter in this book.
Centered around a fun,hometown experience this Christmas themed book is a sure winner in the Sweetwater Springs series that you will be sure to read all of!
A sweet added bonus is the addition of another full story for the price of one book.
Pub Date 24 Sep 2019

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Wonderful Holiday romance that gets you in the Holliday spirit. The last few years were very difficult for Helona and her son Theo. Finally, Alex makes his move on Helona but sadly there are lots of how and downs. Alex has been investigating his father's murder for years with no results but there's so much going on around him. I received a complementary copy of this book via Net Galley and chose to write a review. There is also a bonus story of: Then There Was You by Miranda Liasson. This is another holiday story with Sara and Colton as the main characters as well as colorful secondary characters. Both authors did an excellent job of entertaining the reader.

I read this book in one day, I could not put it down. And I was not ready for it to end. My first book by Annie Rains but it will not be my last.

Sweetwater Springs #3, Holona and Alex have been dancing around their attraction for years, since they were both young, but because Alex was best friends with her brother he never wanted to cross that line. Holona ended up getting married and having a son, her husband was a big football star who died in a skiing accident shortly after divorcing her. Holona loved her husband but their was a side of him she never wanted anyone to know about unfortunately Alex was witness to that once but Alex still only knows half the story.

Alex thinks that Holona doesn't want anything to do with him because that one time he arrested her husband, but fate keeps putting them together and finally when Alex gets picked to be her son's mentor they finally give in to the attraction. Holona's son, Theo, stopped talking after his father died. Holona always doing what she thinks is best for her son she enters him the new mentor program hoping he can find a good male role model.

Alex is tormented by the unsolved murder of his father. Ever year he reopens the case and questions the witness again and tries to find who killed his father. This year is different this year he was given a clue, and now he's worried that going after this person might put Holona and Theo in jeopardy.

Overall, this was a really great read. It's just over 300 pages and it goes by so quickly. The cuteness factor is really high with both Theo and Officer Chew the foster puppy Alex takes in. The romantic build up between Alex and Holona doesn't take long and their chemistry is great. Even as book three this works as a stand alone but all three books and the novella are wonderful reads.

I adore Sweetwater Springs.

Starting this book felt like catching up with an old friend. Halona's story made my heart hurt as a mother and Alex's grief over his Father's unsolved case is something I cant imagine. I loved how these characters came together and formed this little family. This story had a lot to do with the thought that we never truly know what someone else is going through.

I highly recommend this small town romance series!! I cant wait for the next book coming out in February!

Title: Snowfall On Ceder Trail

Series: Sweetwater Springs #3

Author: Annie Rains

Bouns novel inside

Title: Then There Was You

Author: Miranda Liasson

Series: Angel Falls #1

Genre : romance

Forever Romance

Pub date :Oct 8th 2019

Rating: 5 for the hole book

Snowfall On Ceder Trail:

Last Christmas was tough for Halona Locklear and her seven-year-old son Theo, who hasn't spoken a word since his father's death. This year, Halona wants nothing more than to give him a good holiday and to hear his sweet voice again. Enrolling him in the Mentor Match program might help, but when Theo gets matched with Sweetwater Springs Chief of Police, Alex Baker, Halona realizes that the handsome hero might know secrets about her past that she is determined to keep buried.

Chief of Police, Alex Baker, re-opens his father's hit-and-run cold case every December, hoping to finally solve it. This year, his plate is full with being a Mentor Match to a young seven-year-old boy as well. His biggest obstacle, however, is fighting his attraction to the boy's mother, Halona. As Alex gets close to solving his father's cold case, he learns that those closest to him may be in danger -- including Halona. Alex has already lost one of the most important people in his life; he isn't about to lose her too, even if it means walking away to keep her safe.


Where to buy it:

Kindle : Snowfall on Ceder Trail

Physical : Snowfall-Cedar-Trail-Sweetwater-Springs

Audio book:Snowfall-on-Cedar-Trail

Note : audio book only has Snowfall on Ceder Trail while the kindle book and the physical has both



Then There Was You



Fresh from her residency, Serafina Langdon returns to her hometown to join her father's general medical practice a year after her fiancé jilted her. More than anything, Sara just wants to move on, but that becomes impossible once she discovers that the man who was responsible for her broken engagement, and who is also her ex-fiance's best friend, is now the Angel Falls chief of police.



As police chief, Colton Walker is devoted to his small town, and he's equally determined to avoid its newest resident. He and Sara have always gotten along like oil and water, and since the bachelor party incident, he's her Enemy #1. But after sharing an unexpected--and unexpectedly hot--kiss, avoiding Sara becomes the last thing he wants to do. She's not the woman he used to know, and he's falling for her. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Angel Falls, Colton will have to decide if the woman he's always fighting with is also worth fighting for.


Buy links just for Then there was you

kindle:Then There Was You

Physical:Then-There-Was-Angel-Falls

Audio books:Then-There-Was-You



My thoughts

Snowfall On Ceder Trail

Even though this is book 3 in a series , I had no trouble with jumping in and reading this, and what can I say ,that I'm glade I did ,it had me smiling all the way though the book and had me thinking this could be one of those hallmark movies if they did it right , and the characters , the more I read and saw them interact with one other the more I grew to love them . I loved how everyone seemed to think and say that Halona and Alex belonged together ever before they was together , and Halona's mother , I loved that woman ,loved how she loved her kids,her grandkids and even Alex and her people's history , and i was always looking forward to seeing her character in the book . I also loved how Alex's was picked to be the Mentor for Theo and understood what Theo was going though . So if your looking for a cute and adorable romance then you need to check this one out, plus its the perfect Christmas romance reading. With that said I would Love to thank Netgalley and Forever Romance for letting read and request it plus for Forever sending me a physical copy as well in exchange for my honest opinion .



My thoughts

Then there Was You:

This is also the first time I've ever read anything by this author and what can I said but it looks like I found another new to me romance author that I like to read , in fact thanks to Netgalley and Forever Romance I have book 3 in this series to read as well which is : All I Want for Christmas Is You, it funny but when it came to my romance I never thought I would love the ones that took place doing Christmas time in fact I don't think any of the romance I've read before the ones I've discovered before the Forever romance ones took place doing or around Christmas but with ones is I'm finding that I love when their cute and adorable . To tell the truth this one almost became a 4 star for me but the more I read the more I grew to love the characters and their struggles as well as their inter action with each other and their families even though there was times I thought Halona need to stop worrying about what her father thought , but end the end it become a 5 star read for me , and another thing that made it a five star was that it was a slow burn romance that you could just get lost in . With that said I want to thank Forever Romance for giving me the change to read it as well .

Heartwarming holiday goodness filled with engaging charters, witty banter, unexpected passion, dark secrets and dangers pasts that haunts them. Really enjoyed this journey from beginning to end.

SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL continues my love affair with the Sweetwater Springs series with Halona’s and Alex’s emotional love story. (Plus a bonus story THEN THERE WAS YOU by Miranda Liasson – talk about early Christmas presents!)

This story has a lovely Christmas celebration background while Alex is finally going to make his move toward more with Halona. It’s time, and he’s mentoring her son, Theo, so it’s the perfect time to bring this hurting family some happiness way beyond Christmas Eve. Yet not everything is going to go as smoothly as Alex had hoped. The past doesn’t always stay where it belongs – behind us – and that past is going to affect not only Alex but Halona as well.

Young Theo stole my heart, what an amazing boy he is. There are a few twists I didn’t see coming, but for the most part SNOWFALL ON CEDAR TRAIL is a love story for two deserving people who have dealt with their own losses recently. There is no rule that says you can’t fall in love again, and watching that spark ignite in Halona’s eyes for Alex was pure happiness on my part. I enjoyed myself once again in Sweetwater Springs, and I can’t wait for the next story to arrive. This is a small town full of quirky residents, lots of friendships, and love around the corner. If you love a really good holiday romance then you’ll want to check this one out.

*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 is such a good and sweet story that I recommend.

I found it quick and easy to read that just sucked me in and just didn't want to stop reading.