I did not expect this book to be a "friends with benefits" trope, nor was I expecting a book with sex at all. The novel's description didn't say a word.

I was also severely disappointed that any time the main characters got into an argument, the man just wanted to stop it with sex. That's not how problems are really solved. The ending felt cheesy too.

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

The story has all the makings of holiday cheer, little kids, puppies, cookie making, tree decorating, family, and caroling... It is a sweet and passionate story of second chances, new beginnings, and dreams coming true if you just dare to get your walls down and take the risk of being honest and vulnerable with your feelings.
I liked the characters, I liked the setting, a texas hospital, and two large merging families at Christmas time. The story does have a little third-person drama, going on a date with someone else after the initial attraction. The conflict in the story is my least favorite type, and it keeps repeated several times throughout the book: lack of communication, not being honest about feelings, emotions, hiding the true reasons for actions. A constant in the tale is the inner monologue from both of the protagonist that shows how their true thoughts and emotions are far from what they show and communicate. I know some enjoy that yet I find it frustrating.
Overall a cute Christmas love story
~ Three Spoons

A Tale of Two Christmas Letters is a sweet, light holiday read that checks off all the boxes: friends to (temporary--ha! like that ever works...) lovers, small children, large and loving extended families, puppies, Christmas--really, I'm not sure what else you could be looking for in a holiday read ;)

I mean, I mentioned the puppies, right? :D

Bess and Jack were very cute together, and it was clear to everyone but them that they should have been together long before they were. Their two biggest obstacles were in their own heads, which made this a somewhat frustrating read at times--neither one seemed to be able to let go of their issues, admit their fears, or even really talk to each other about what they wanted and needed. Fortunately, they pulled out a win in the end which made up for a lot of the aggravating repetition that had come before.

This is a part of a series, but also worked just fine as a standalone.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Who are Doug and Bess? What does each of them do for a living? How do they meet or know one another? Who is gayle? What do we learn about her? When Doug confronts Bess in her office, trying to stage an intervention, because of her two Christmas letters, what happens? This was a fun read! I really enjoyed the journey of the story and could not stop smiling at the ending. This is definitely a must not miss type of read!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

A warm, witty and joyful contemporary romance that had me chuckling out loud from the very first pages, Cathy Gillen Thacker’s A Tale of Two Christmas Letters is an enchanting read that is simply adorable!

Rehab nurse Bess Monroe is absolutely mortified. She has accidentally sent out two Christmas letters which nobody was actually meant to see where she has told the world and his wife that she is still single, has a crush on a guy who is not remotely interested in her, a new house that is a total money pit and a car that is more trouble than it is worth. Worse, the letter has been read by none other than the guy she has been absolutely crazy about for years: widowed surgeon and father to three little girls, Jack McCabe.

Since the death of his wife, Jack has been too busy juggling bringing three young children with a busy surgical career. This has been anything but easy for Jack, however, Bess has always been more than willing to lend him a helping hand and be a surrogate mother to his three girls. When he reads Bess’ missive, he is shocked to discover that Bess has a crush on somebody – and he is even more shocked by how jealous he feels about this fact! With Christmas fast approaching, Jack decides to pay Bess back for all that she has done for him and his family by helping her get through the holiday season. However, his gift of friendship soon gives way to something that ends up surprising them both: a love that simply cannot be denied…

Will Jack and Bess finally find the one thing that they’ve wanted for so long this Christmas? Or are they simply better off as just friends?

Full of warmth, heart and charm, Cathy Gillen Thacker’s A Tale of Two Christmas Letters is a wonderful story that will leave readers with a great big smile on their face. Peppered with pathos, humor and sparkle and featuring two terrific characters you cannot help but warm to, A Tale of Two Christmas Letters is an absolutely brilliant read you should not miss.

When nurse Bess Monroe accidentally sent out the two wildly different Christmas letters she’d created, she knew she’d face a lot of ribbing from friends and family. Then she finds out that she accidentally sent one to her boss, and friend Jack McCabe. She’s had a small crush on Jack for a couple of years now, but realizes that he’s still in love with his wife, the woman who passed shortly after giving birth to their third child. She deals with all the ribbing from everyone and tries to move past it, but Jack just won’t let her.
Jack has had feelings for Bess for a little while now but won’t admit it to anyone one other than himself. Their families are linked by marriage and a deep friendship, and he doesn’t want to jeopardize his friendship with Bess. After receiving her Christmas letter though, he decides to insinuate himself a little further into her life. When she agrees to a date with another doctor, jealousy flares and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.
Jack and Bess both use their friendship to keep a barrier up between themselves. They don’t want to be hurt, and at the same time, they don’t want to hurt each other. When their forced to confront their feelings, they explode in a fiery passion that burns up the pages. What they didn’t know, was that they could never hide their feelings for the other and their families both knew and subtly pushed them together. It was a great story to read, one full of love, passion, and family. It’s the perfect Christmas romance. I absolutely loved it.
** I received an arc of this story from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A Tale of Two Christmas Letters is sweet. A Tale of Two Christmas Letters is sweet. With a doctore hot enough to set off fire alarms, a sassy beautiful nurse, and three little girls in the mix, this is a sweet way to kick off the holidays. A little bit of hope are just what Jack and Bess need to make it through their holidays and maybe the rest of their lives. A little sloq moving at times, but sweet all the same.

This is a really heartwarming contemporary romance with a fantastic epilogue!


Every year the group of nurses and medical staff who'd worked together in the past shared their news in a letter to each other. Bess Monroe really doesn't want to participate this year and in a fit of pique writes two letters - one sharing everything that has gone wrong for her and the other a more positive front on the events. She never meant for anyone else to read either of them but they were shared with everyone . . . . including her best friend and secret crush, Doctor Jack McCabe. She's mortified when he reads them to her . . . . He's a widower, with three little girls and she's used to having a regular role in their lives - just not the role she's like!


The letters are also a wake up call to her siblings who decide to take action to help her find love by matchmaking, not realising she's already in love. However, that's also a trigger for Jack to realise he sees her as more than someone to help him as a family friend but can they open up their hearts to each other to find a future together?


The girls are delightful matchmakers, the romance moves from friends to friends with benefits but can they help make it a forever love? With manipulative, interfering siblings, plenty of twists and Christmas this is a lovely festive romance that is great to escape into! You'll just have to read it for yourself to see if the girls will all get their Christmas wishes coming true....


I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

Not horrible, but not great. It felt very repetitive to me. I loved the characters, especially the girls!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love books with cute kids and pets and with Christmas as a background theme . A Tale of Two Christmas Letters brings all this and a beautiful romance.



Bess and her sister have a habit of writing Christmas letters, one optimist, another one pessimist and by mistake, Bess sends these letters to the e-mail of all her co-workers, including her good friend Jack.



Jack is a widow with three daughters who has the help of Mrs. D and Bess herself to care for his daughters. He and the girls have become so used to Bess' maternal presence that she is already consider a family member. When Jack reads Bess' letters and realizes that she would love to find a great love, he begins to realize that he likes the girl as more than a good friend and decides to explore that feeling and try to prove that he is ready to move on to a new love.



Bess, on the other hand, has already lived out her share of frustrated relationships and is tired to being dismissed because of old loves and ends up not accepting how Jack shows a discreet crush on her and not even realizing how invested the guy is to be together.


But he realizes more and more that Bess is a perfect woman for his family and struggles with all his strength to convince her that he is the right guy for her.



I loved Jack's daughters and how they interact with everyone. Loved the way Jack proved to Bess her importance in his life and how the pets' entry into the story.

I loved Jack and Bess's story! It wasn't just their story, though. It was the story of two families intertwined. It was the story of three motherless daughters who could see how perfect their friend Bess was for their daddy. When the book opens, Bess is down in the holiday dumps. She had written two drafts of her annual Christmas letter to her nursing school friends and accidentally sent them both! Awkward. Even more awkward is the guy she's crushing on in the letter is the one to show up in her office to ask her if she's okay. She's not. Neither is he.

Jack was the hospital's orthopedic surgeon, a widower and single father to three little girls. He wasn't looking for entanglements. He was comfortable being friends with Bess and had no idea she wanted more than platonic pizza nights with him and his girls. On the rare occasion he let himself think about what life might be like if he fell in love again, he knew it could only be with one woman. Bess.

Agreeing to a holiday fling, they comfort themselves by saying they could be friends with benefits for the holidays and go back to being friends without benefits after the New Year. Well, you ALL know how that worked out. It didn't. Pretty soon they were up to their ears in feelings and had no idea what to do with them. Misunderstandings ensue and as Christmas approaches, Bess fears her heart will be broken when he walks away. Jack has a plan, though, and for a seconds you have hope that he has it figured out. Until he comes out with an idea that truly only be thought up by a man!

A Tale of Two Christmas Letters was so sweet at the end that I got a toothache but in a good way! One of the reasons I loved this story was because the adults were mature, willing to talk out their issues, and didn't stomp around mad for days over every silly little thing. Love takes real work and Ms. Thacker portrayed that in a way that was mature and logical. "There are no limits on love," she said, and I think, she's got that perfectly right.

This was a pretty cute friends to lovers contemporary romance. I enjoyed seeing everything play out between the couple and it was pretty cute seeing the meddling children. There was plenty of christmas spirit so a perfect read for this time of the year. If you are looking for a feel-good romance you'll like this book.

A Tale of Two Christmas Letters
by Cathy Gillen Thacker
224 pages
Publication date: December 1, 2019
4⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rehab nurse Bess Monroe is mortified that she accidentally sent the wrong Christmas letter to her boss! And so now Jack McCabe, widowed surgeon and father of three little girls, offers his friendship to get through the holidays. But their pact soon turns into something more. Can a woman who’s been burned by love open her heart to Jack for the holidays—and maybe forever?
📕MY REVIEW 📕
Cathy Gillen Thacker has written a holiday story that will make you smile and laugh. The characters are well developed, and the plot is attention grabbing although it did start out a little slow. The writing is fantastic, and the pacing is just right.It was fun reading about these characters that will make you laugh, smile, and a little crazy.I really felt like these two deserved to find happiness together. If you are wanting a Sweet, Wonderful Christmas read with some sadness this one is a great one, highly recommended.. I will definitely be reading more from the author in the future. Thank you Harlequin, the author , and netgalley for an arc of this book for an honest review.
#ThetaleoftwoChristmasletters
#Harlequin
#CathyGillenThacker
A Tale of Two Christmas Letters (Texas Legends: The McCabes)