Holiday by Candlelight is a winter themed, on the slopes romance if you are looking for something winter, festive, and light. If you are selecting a book based on the cover, please be aware this has nothing to do with hanukkah.

I feel that this would've been better as a holiday romance, not Interfaith or Hanukkah. A man recovering from an avalanche, having his hand injured and his life changed in an instant. Now, post recovery he is navigating PTSD while figuring out his future.

If you are looking for a winter romance - you'll enjoy this book. If you are hoping for a Hanukkah romance you won't find that here. I felt cheated in that this could have been a light, interfaith story with references and mentions of both holidays, and unfortunately missed the mark.

As I've learned to expect, a beautifully written and fun read. Greer writes wonderfully believable stories with flawed but truly good heroes and heroines

I was expecting this to be a really great book about hannukah, giving us the representation we wanted but it didnt live up to my expectations of this novel. I wish it would have been better.

HOLIDAY BY CANDLELIGHT is the third book in the SUTTER CREEK, MONTANA series, and it was nice to be back on the mountains. While being reunited with other characters we’ve met, this is Caleb and Garnet’s story.

Caleb was injured in an avalanche. While not practicing surgery anymore due to his injuries and PTSD( from the life changing event), he now works as a family physician after his moving to Montana. Garnet works in search and rescue as well as in the holistic heath center. When they are thrown together to plan a holiday party, there is definite attraction. But they have a difficult time communicating. Will they be able to get past their issues and work through their attraction?

Just when they think they are on the same page, something proves they’re not. Caleb is part Japanese and Jewish and has a strong loving family back in New York. Garnet’s parents are scientists and are not warm people. She’s an only child, and often has difficulty acting in social situations.

HOLIDAY BY CANDLELIGHT is filled with lots of holiday cheer and festivities. The characters have a terrific depth to them, the scenery is vivid and winter-filled. And the romance is hot and steamy when the characters finally come together. The story has nice closure with the epilogue that takes place three months after the story ends. A fun holiday read to keep you warm through the holidays.

I look forward to reading more of Laurel Greer’s books.

Had high hopes for this one, but learned it wasn’t written by a Jewish author and was put off by some other early reviews.

My review was published at All About Romance, and can be read in its entirety here:

https://allaboutromance.com/book-review/holiday-by-candlelight-by-laurel-greer/

So based on the cover (see the giant menorah with the couple lighting it?) and the blurb, you’d think this was a book about Hanukkah, right? Nope. Caleb has one Jewish parent and he invites his friends over for Hanukkah dinner, but there’s no discussion of the holiday itself. At all. There was way more Christmas in this story than Hanukkah. I don’t know if it was the publisher’s decision to market it as a Hanukkah romance, but it was not accurate advertising.

The plot itself was okay, but had entirely too much of the heroine trying to fix the hero. (He suffered a traumatic event and has PTSD and a permanently disabled hand.) She agonizes over not wanting to change for a man but keeps trying to do exactly that. A very frustrating read.

I have not read any other stories in this series, but I didn't feel that I needed to. I was excited to read a holiday book centered around Hanukkah, but there was only a brief mention of Hanukkah. This was more of a Christmas book, where the male main character just happens to be Jewish. The story itself was find, I was just disappointed it wasn't more centered on Hanukkah.

HOLIDAY BY CANDLELIGHT is book three in Laurel Greer's Sutter Creek, Montana series and revolves around a former surgeon turned family physician and a search and rescue member. Caleb is trying to pick up the pieces of his life after an injury in an avalanche robbed him of his ability to perform surgery and thinks settling in Sutter Creek might be just the answer he's been looking for.

He's still suffering from the emotional aftermath of being buried alive and having his future change drastically and he hopes living in a mountain town will expose him to the ski culture that still manages to take his breath away. Little does he expect that he'll fall for a SAR member who risks her life on a daily basis!

Garnet hasn't made the best choices when it comes to love in the past, so when she realizes that Caleb has a hangup about the danger of her job, she's hesitant to pursue anything with him ... but try as they might, they can't stay away from each other!

I recommend this story to anyone looking for a heartwarming holiday romance with lots of emotion and turmoil. They touch on both Christmas and Hanukkah in their holiday joy in this book.

Is this a Hanukkah story?? Is it? Because it sure didn't read like one...

I picked this one up because as a Jew, I'm always looking to read at least one good Hanukkah romance a year. Just one! Is that so much to ask? But, alas, I was disappointed by this one.

To have a Hanukkah romance with an Asian MC is pretty noteworthy, actually. I don't think I've ever read a Hanukkah romance where the MC was a POC, so I found it strange that it was barely mentioned in the story. I mean, I saw the cover and read the MC's name, but it was odd that I had to go hunting for any details about his ethnicity.

I'm not a particularly religious Jew, but the story was shockingly lacking any Jewish elements. I mean, if you are advertising as a Hanukkah romance, it better feel more, well, like an actual Jewish holiday. Not like a coopted Christmas romance.

I also found it difficult to read because of Garnet's lack of empathy for Caleb's condition. I mean, she was superficially interested in his disabilities and PTSD, but it was all framed around her. I found her to be self-centered and not very likable. I also didn't quite get her backstory and why she was so prickly at times. Just wanted more from her.

I guess my main thing is don't make a Hanukkah story without it being about Hanukkah and you won't anger your Jewish readers. shrugs

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I was really looking forward to a good holiday romance. This fell short. This wasn't about the holidays like I though, but more about PTSD and it's effects on starting a new relationship. While there is nothing really wrong with that, I feel it should have been more clear.

Not a good representation of Jewish holidays. I wanted it to have more to do with a Hanukkah romance but the holidays and the religion aspect were very much in the background. The characters were just okay also.

You can’t judge a book by its cover, and that’s definitely the case for Holiday by Candlelight. While the couple embracing and lighting the menorah on the cover (not to mention the book blurb) might indicate a warm Hanukkah romance in the vein of the thousands of Christmas romances out there, it honestly has nothing to do with the holiday. Caleb, the Jewish hero of the story, is either an observant Jew or a bacon-loving nonobservant Jew. Either one or somewhere in between would be all well and good by me – how someone does or doesn’t practice their faith or incorporate their religion’s culture into their lives varies from person to person – but I wish it had been consistent for the length of the story. It felt like author Laurel Greer Googled some key words related to Judaism (and Hanukkah in particular) and then inserted them randomly in a few spots without any follow through. And presto! Diversity!

Not so much.

False advertising and the half-baked way Ms. Greer treats Judaism aside, Holiday by Candlelight had its ups and downs. Caleb was a top surgeon whose career came to a screeching halt when he was trapped in an avalanche and his hand was crushed. Caleb can’t perform surgery anymore and on top of that he has severe PTSD. Moving to Sutter Creek, Montana was supposed to help him move forward. But falling for Garnet James, a woman as adventurous and risk-loving as Caleb used to be, triggers him. Garnet has lost herself trying to fit in with others before and she’s determined not to compromise what she wants ever again. So her falling for the risk-adverse Caleb is an equally terrible idea. Of course, mutual attraction has other plans for them…

Caleb is an interesting and well-drawn hero. The avalanche, how it shaped him, and how he works through his fears and PTSD are compelling and make it easy to root for him. He was truly the big draw in this book and kept me turning the pages. Garnet…is not as appealing. She has potential, and I understood why she didn’t want to lose herself in a relationship, but for much of the book she comes across as selfish. A relationship isn’t balanced when only one person is compromising and given how Caleb struggles to work through his fears for her as well as himself, it was frustrating that Garnet spent so much of the book refusing to look beyond her own wants. Eventually she becomes a character I could enjoy more, but it takes most of the book. The romance between them was lacking in chemistry, which was a huge letdown. I really wished I could feel the pull between them, but everything about their supposed attraction felt flat. I was much more interested in the dynamics between side characters, past and possibly future Sutter Creek, Montana heroes and heroines.

Holiday by Candlelight isn’t a bad book, per se. There is simply a lot of potential to the characters and the story that goes unfulfilled. The story did finish strong, which was nice and left me with enough of a warm and fuzzy feeling to bump up the rating. Perhaps if it had had more of that energy throughout it would have been a more exciting tale. If you’re looking for a good interracial, interfaith, or Hanukkah-specific romance, this isn’t the book for you. But if you simply want a wintertime romance with skiing, Search and Rescue, an interesting hero, and guaranteed happily ever after, Holiday by Candlelight checks those boxes.

DNF. I found the Jewish representation in this book so problematic that I cannot be unbiased about the romance. I think this author could benefit from a beta read by multiple Jewish readers.

I didn't NOT like this book. I liked it.

But...I thought it was going to be a holiday romance. Hanukkah and Christmas are technically happening but it has very little to do with the actual story. So that was a big distraction for me. The cover literally features the couple all snuggly as they light a menorah. Basking in the glow of love and holiday candlelight...

The story is actually about PTSD and how that impacts the couple's relationship. Caleb and Garnet are planning a holiday party but you could lift all the holiday references out and the story wouldn't change at all. Make it birthday party. Same story.

So again, it's not a bad book. But this one definitely didn't scratch my magical holiday romance itch.

Holiday by Candlelight releases on October 15th. Thanks @netgalley and Harlequin for the chance to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Looks like a Hanukkah but doesn't read like one. I'm not sure if the author is Jewish, but from the way this reads my guess would be no.

I will not be reading this title after getting feedback from Jewish reviewers that the book does not do a good job representing or talking about the faith. I was very excited for a non christian holiday book but this just makes me more sad that it didn't deliver in a way they expected it to or that was faithful to their beliefs. I was really excited for Harlequin to be expanding out past the usual Christian holidays. I hope this is a change in the books published next holiday and with even better representation than this one had.

Nope, sorry. Like other reviewers I felt let down by how little the cover actually corresponded to what is in the story. I have been looking for holiday themed romances beyond the standard Christmas but few the ones I've been able to find end up being worth recommending. This one misses because of more than just that, though. I didn't care for Garnet's character. Not changing for another man is fine but being inflexible about everything is unbelievable.

Another thing that bothered me - and I freely admit might not be any kind of deal breaker for most people - is Caleb's medical trajectory. Two years ago he was a trauma surgeon until the avalanche wrecked his hand and his career. In the interim it's mentioned that he had been working as an ER physician. Now he's employed as a family doctor. These are three distinct specialties all requiring years of training. Unless Caleb has a bunch of training up his sleeve that isn't discussed, there is no way he'd be able to pinball his way back and forth like this so quickly. No. Way.

All of these put together had me stopping this one early. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to try this book. .

I didn't love it as much as I wanted it to. I wish Hanukkah played a bigger role in the story as the cover implies. The romance isn't terrible, but I can't say that I loved it.

A bit of false advertising - not really a "holiday" romance in the true sense of the word. Yes, Christmas/Hanukkah are taking place but they're fairly incidental to the plot. I came for the Jewish/biracial hero but left disappointed.

The romance is fine, I guess. Former hot-shot surgeon Caleb is recovering from the PTSD of surviving an avalanche and losing the use of one of his hands, and he can barely get on a ski lift, much less consider having a girlfriend who takes dangerous risks working for Search And Rescue operations. Garnet is tired of changing who she is based on what her boyfriend wants, so there's no way she's giving up the job she loves for the cute doctor. Complications ensue.

I'm not a big M/F romance fan, much less a category romance reader, so I wouldn't have even looked at this book if it weren't for the menorah on the cover. Unfortunately, other than a Hanukkah dinner (that mostly happens off page) and a few Skype conversations with Caleb's Jewish mother, this could have been any other generic romance. I'm not saying Laurel Greer had to write Fiddler on the Roof, but a little more integration of Jewish themes in the plot would have been greatly appreciated given the title and blurb.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.