I tried and just could not get into this one.
I love single parent books so I thought I would have no issues. This one was just okay to me. After the first 3 chapters I started skipping around. I then just quit it.

A Family by Christmas was an amazing holiday romance about the magic of Christmas and chocolate. I loved everything about this book. Since this book showcases Christmas wishes, I have one. Hallmark, please make this book into a Hallmark movie!!

The story was so cute and original. Emma was a chocolatier and bonbon shop owner. When a young girl, Casey, walks in and asks for her help, she can't say no. Casey wants to make her dad happy and heard that chocolate is the best way to do that.

Emma spends time with Grant, Casey's dad, and they get along really well. Grant is a good dad and has been going through a funk. He lost his wife and is still trying to make it through.

Emma is the light he needed in his life. They have great chemistry and a good friendship. They don't want to cross the line between friends to lovers because they are scared of what might happen.

Overall, I give A Family by Christmas 5 stars. It was beautiful, romantic, and magical!

Amusing, sweet, and delightfully festive!

A Family by Christmas is a cosy, heartwarming, holiday read set in the quaint town of Wood Creek that takes us into the lives of two main characters. Emma, a young, hardworking woman struggling to start a new business and make a new home for herself, and Grant, a grieving, single father whose main focus is raising his daughter and resuming his career.

The prose is atmospheric and light. The characters are lonely, friendly, and thoughtful. And the plot is an engaging tale full of tender moments, friendship, family, community, self-discovery, merry preparations, and of course a touch of romance!

Overall, A Family by Christmas is a clean, fun, uplifting, wintery treat that will have you believing in the magic of Christmas and daydreaming of snowflakes, decorated trees, twinkling lights, and scrumptious chocolatey treats.

A cute Christmas love story!
.
Chocolatier Emma Miller just wants to make a go of her new business on Heart Street when Casey Galloway came in the shop to get some chocolates so her dad would fall in love with her teacher, Miss Evelyn. Casey didn’t have enough money but Emma wanted to help the little girl because it was Christmas. Grant Galloway loved chocolates and when Casey gave him the ones that Emma had made, he had to meet her becoming her friend.

Emma was almost a pushover in the being of the story because she had a hard time putting herself first and being raised in foster care compounded her shyness. Grant helped Emma with her confidence in herself but Emma also helped Grant realize he wanted love again.

P.S. I love stories where couples fall in love around Christmas!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you are looking for a clean, sweet, Christmas story with a child as one of the characters , this one is the one for you.
Wood Creek is the new home of chocolatier Emma Miller. A place filled with new beginnings and a new business for a woman whose years in the foster system made her feel not truly loved or wanted. But she has a great deal of hope in her new life.
Grant Galloway and his daughter Casey moved back home after his wife died. He still wants to go back into flying planes and the town is just a temporary stop.
But that doesn’t stop Casey from wanting her Dad to find happiness and maybe Emma’s chocolates is what he needs. Little did any of them know, that their lives had the potential of changing forever. Maybe what they thought they wanted is not what they really want and the holiday season is full of hope and miracles.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Entangled Publishing . The opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was a sweet romance which captured my heart with its sweetness.

Child Casey walked into a chocolate shop wanting to buy magic bonbons to make her father Grant fall in love and be happy again. Tragedy had befallen this family. The chocolatier Emma was intrigued. Grant loved the chocolates and went to meet up with Emma. Romance soon followed.

My first book by author Viv Royce, I enjoyed the premise of the story. Casey stole my heart with her innocent wishes. Grant and Emma made fun characters along with their family. A wee bit more emotions, would have seen me loving the book

Overall, this was a fun, fast read

If you are looking for a sweet holiday romance then this book is for you. Grant Galloway’s wife died and he is trying to raise his daughter, Casey, with help from his mother and father. While helping at his parents’ tree farm, he continues to look for a job as a pilot, but it’s difficult as he needs to be available for Casey. Casey visited Emma Miller’s chocolate shop to buy bonbons for her father to make him happy. Grant enjoys the candy and decides to stop by Emma’s shop to tell her how wonderful they were. He helps Emma and slowly involves her in his and Casey’s life. When he is offered a job that could take him away from Wood Creek, will he be able to leave Emma? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

This is a sweet Christmas story. It's like a Hallmark movie in book form.

Sweet little girl Casey walks into Emma's shop with a request. She needs chocolates to help her Dad fall in love again because she wants him to be happy.
When Grant is moved by the gift from his daughter and has to find out here the world-class chocolate came from. He finds himself drawn to Emma.
Both are hesitant to risk their hearts.

This was just a sweet sweet story. It is a little angsty, as they fight their developing feelings. But it was not annoying.

I was immediately drawn to this book by the cute, festive cover. This is a sweet story of a single father whose daughter just wants him to be happy, and turns to local chocolatier Emma to make him some magic bonbons. When Grant goes to meet the creator of the delicious chocolates, there is a quick bond formed and they begin spending time together as he helps her make deliveries and she helps his family set up the Christmas festival booths.

This was a cute, sweet romance, but it felt really fast, as though things happened on a rushed timeline. I wish there had been more scenes with Cassie because she was super cute and definitely a driving force that brought Emma and Grant together. I did enjoy the familial bonds Grant has with his sister and parents, and how readily they accepted Emma into their fold.

Overall, definitely a sweet little read, but it felt a little rushed at times and I would have enjoyed more with the daughter and seeing the three of them create a family unit.

This is a sweet Christmas romance featuring Emma (a chocolatier), Grant (a pilot) and Casey (Grant's young daughter). Grant lost his wife suddenly and Casey is trying to get him to fall in love again. Emma is a product of the foster care system who longs for a family of her own. This is a easy and heartwarming read although it is fairly predictable. There wasn't much surprising in the plot. I did find it slow going in certain spots but enjoyable overall.

I was given a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, it is short for a novel, but sweet. I love the characters, I love Wood Creek, and the story is full of Christmas joy.

The idea of Casey going into the chocolate shop and asking Emma to help her make her daddy happy again is lovely, and the row of shops on Heart Street sounds delightful. I can’t say much more without mentioning spoilers!

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, satisfying Christmas treat. It definitely hits the spot - like the chocolates that Emma crafts.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emma fell in love with the little shops on Heart Street, and knew it was where she could realize her dream of opening her own chocolate shop. Orphaned as a young child, Emma grew up in foster care and never felt like she belonged anywhere or to anyone. She hoped that she would make friends and find a home for herself in this small town.

Grant and his young daughter Casey returned to his small hometown following the death of his wife, so that he and Casey could be surrounded by the love and support of his family. But as a commercial pilot, he knew that this was just a temporary move designed to allow him and his daughter to heal.

Casey meets Emma and involves her in a scheme to make her father happy again. A short while later Grant meets Emma. Grant and Emma become friends, but both fight anything more since Grant shared with Emma his plan to move on soon. Emma and Grant both struggle to protect their broken hearts from further pain, despite their hidden feelings for each other. Can two heart-broken people be brave enough to put their fear and hurt behind them in order to find love?

A Family by Christmas is an incredibly sweet, and often heartbreaking story of how two people struggle to move on in their lives and find love and happiness again.

A short festive read.

All Casey wants for christmas is for her Dad to be happy. When he meets chocolatier Emma he wants to spend time with her, but she wants her own family and he is planning to leave town, so do they have a chance together?

4 star review of  A Family By Christmas by Viv Royce
 
What's not to love? It's the most magical time of the year and also happens to be my most favourite holiday. I love any story that is centred around Christmas; it’s a time for family and friends to get together, celebrate and reflect on life.

This one really tugged at the heart strings and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chocolatier Emma Miller and Pilot Grant Galloway’s story. I found Viv Royce’s writing style to be pleasant and the story flowed quite well, even though it was a tad predictible at times.  
 
Emma is a product of the foster care system, so she has trouble trusting people,for fear they will suddenly disappear from her life. Grant is slowly coming back to life after the death of his wife.
 
Grant’s little girl Casey is too precious for words and my heart just about broke when she told Emma she needed chocolcates so that her dad would fall in love and smile again.
 
Can the magic of the Christmas season bring together two lonely souls and an adorable little girl and in turn bring joy and happiness to them all?

As feelings deepen and love blossoms will Grant and Emma take the leap or will Grant’s plans to leave Wood Cove destroy their fledgling relationship and break Emma’s heart?

A Family By Christmas is not a particularly long book, but it was sweet;Wood Cove sounds like a beautiful place and I found this story to be full of hope, love and family; of strength and determination and all in all a heart warming read.

I received a copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley.

This was a shortc sweet story about two lonely people bound together by their love for a little girl. Emma is the product of foster homes ever since her mother died when she was a little girl. She’s moved to this friendly, little New Hampshire town to open her dream store - a candy store where she makes personalized bon bons. One day an adorable little girl, Casey comes in the store to buy bon bons for her father to help him fall in love. His wife died suddenly over a year ago and Casey just wants to see him happy. Emma is charmed and then she meets the father, Grant, who is attractive in so many ways. She finds herself falling in love with Casey, Grant’s family, and Grant himself. But Grant wants to leave home and go back to being an airline pilot, a job that would take him and his daughter away from this small town.

The story was predictable, but still very heartwarming. It was like drinking a tasty hot chocolate drink while watching a Hallmark movie.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

2.5☆

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Little Shops on Heart
Standalone
HEA

I had a hard time staying interested in this book.

This is a delightful story that made me smile and kept me smiling. Emma is a woman raised in foster care that has never felt the kind of belonging and constancy that most of us take for granted. Grant is a widower whose whole foundation collapsed when his wife died suddenly, leaving him to raise their young daughter. As a long haul pilot, he had to give up his job to be there for his daughter, and then moved home to his family's home to heal and rebuild their foundation. Then one day, the daughter wanders into Emma's chocolate shop and nothing is the same.

I loved the depth of the characters and the way they interacted. They felt like real people and made me feel invested in their story and want them to get a HEA ending.

Reading this book felt like a treat filled with wonderful sweets. If you want a yummy novel that will make you smile, you have found it in this book. While it is set a Christmas, this book is a must read and worth reading at any time of year. This is a new author and I can't wait to see what she creates next.