Member Reviews

A Heartfelt Christmas Promise is a heartwarming holiday read that is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit but it doesn't start off that way. Vanessa Larkin was sure that her next project with the corporation that she works for would be in Paris or Leavenworth, Washington, a Christmas village style town. But she was sent to Fraser Hills, North Carolina just before Thanksgiving to close down the small town's main business, Porter Fruitcake Company, to make room for a sporting goods company to have warehouse space. This was not the first time that corporate had sent someone down so she did not get a warm welcome by some at first. But, her plan was to go in and out as soon as possible. She did not expect to be drawn in by the quaintness of the town and the close knit sense of community, especially when her older cousin Anna joined her for an extended Christmas visit. How can she make both the town and corporate happy? She can't get emotionally attached to the people and town. But will she? Anna falls in love with the town as well and finds a special friend. Vanessa always puts work before personal happiness but Fraser Hills makes her see what she is missing. Lovely story sure to bring a smile and warm feeling of Christmas spirit especially when a little romance is thrown into the mix. Another great holiday story by Nancy Naigle.
I received a complimentary ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine only.

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Life taking twists that change one's life, changes that are good. Things looked bleak and like promises were broken, but things aren't always what they appear to be. Trust and communication bring the truth to light.

A cozy Christmas romance about lifting others up & following your heart.

I received an advanced copy,but voluntarily left this review. I will leave a 5 star review on Amazon under name of Connie

Thank you for granting me access to this book

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I loved this book! Working for a large firm in Chicago Vanessa is on track to go to Paris to close a huge business deal at Christmas. Instead, she's sent to Fraser Hills, North Carolina to shut down Porter's Fruitcake factory to make us if the property for a different business opportunity. A funny, charming story abiut viewing everything differently than originally thought.

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The perfect Christmas read for an escape. I read it in almost one sitting.
High powered executive Vanessa is sure she will be sent to Paris for a
work assignment over Christmas but things don't go as planned.
In actuality she gets an assignment in Frasier Hills,North Carolina to close a fruitcake factory before the new year to make room for a sporting goods company.
If she succeeds a nice fat bonus will be coming her way.
This workaholic has no time for family or friends , this is a working vacation.
What she doesn't count on is coming to know the town's people and having her cousin come to stay with her as well.
When two lonely and hurting hearts come together a Christmas miracle can happen.
Very sweet small town feeling romance with a cheerful Christmas feel.

Expected publication: September 29th 2020 by St. Martin's Griffin
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own

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Vanessa Larkin works in acquisitions for a large corporation. She expects her next assignment to be either in Paris, France or in Leavenworth, a ski town. She had been told that she could put in a request and those were her choices. At the meeting where all of the project reports were given and assignments handed, out she was blindsided with directions to report to Fraser Hills, NC. A huge contract is riding on acquiring enough warehouse space for a sporting goods company. Fortunately there is a business in the company’s portfolio that has the needed warehouse space. Unfortunately it will mean closing down the small town business. Vanessa is disappointed to lose out on what she thought was going to be a perfect working vacation. Her cousin, Anna, agrees to spend the holidays with her in North Carolina. I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is one of my favorite holiday stories. It is a story of love, ambition, family dynamics, holiday celebrations, small town life and above all, compassion.

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Vanessa Larkin is dedicated to her work at the company. Her next business trip is not the Paris trip that she hopes for but to small town Fraser Hills, North Carolina. Vanessa is there to close down the low profit fruit cake company Porter's and turn it into warehouse space. Widower and single father Mike Marshall is still angry that his grandfather sold their family fruitcake business, which is the life blood of the town. Mike successfully breeds his Percheron horses as well as raise his teenage daughter. Vanessa is the first woman that Mike is attracted to since his wife died, but he knows that she will be leaving soon. Vanessa soon realizes that Porter's is in better shape than the corporation thinks. Between Mike and the people of the town, Vanessa starts to enjoy her time in town. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is a sweet Christmas treat, which I enjoyed very much. I love the relationship between Vanessa and Misty. I also like how sweet Mike was even though he was cautious with Vanessa. I also liked that Vanessa was able to see the good in the town and the people. I would love to visit Fraser Hills.

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A perfect blend of Christmas with change, nostalgia, and forgiveness. And proof there really is magic to the season. The picture perfect settings I envisioned as I read along, taking me back as well, to treasured memories of Christmases past, just as the people of Frasier Hills still embraced currently. The power of a small town should never be underestimated. There are so many wonderful characters in here, each playing an integral part to the survival of this lovely, quaint town. Hopefully they would all maintain their Christmas Spirit, given what Vanessa was tasked to do with Porter's Fruitcake factory upon her arrival.
However, the first day she's in town there comes a big vibration, when what does she see, but the most beautiful sight ever to be. A team of very regal-looking, and huge Percherons pulling a large wagon right down main street. Driven by an equally impressive, and handsome man she later finds out has a huge tie to the town and it's residents.
I happily read along as all the events unfolded; the exciting ones like the all important high school football game to even the bumpy ones that supposedly build character lol, on to that HEA I always so look forward to.
Love the bonus of cute fur babies, whether they're adorable puppies like Porter, horses like big Ben that can literally weigh a ton, or chickens with names like Henny, Penny, or Sophia LorHen.
A lovely Christmas read to put you in the mood for the reason of the season.

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In true Nancy Naigle fashion this is a sweet heartfelt adorable feel good happily ever after Christmas romp. Sweet characters all fighting for what they believe in and think what is best. It is a sweet easy read. Vanessa is terrific at her job and none too thrilled that being a city girl she is sent to a small town in North Carolina rather getting the Paris assignment she felt she deserved. She believes her way is the right and only way and that even though the business she is shutting down is the heart of the town it is her hubris that makes her believe people will be grateful to her for securing their future with buyouts and the possibility of new kind of menial and minimum wage jobs working in a distribution center for her company. She figures she will be in and out and be on to the next more exciting job that she feels is worthy of her talent. Not so fast if Mike has anything to do with it..and he does. And so begins the struggle to stay emotionally distanced, shut down the business that has been the heart of the town forever, convince everyone she is doing what is best for them even though it clearly isn’t and get out with no entanglements. Good luck with that!! It all rolls out exactly as we expect, but is written so sweetly you cannot help, but get sucked in. It will make a sweet Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movie. The only small issue I have is that I feel as if I have read this book and seen this movie before. Again and again and again. Worth reading as long as you don’t expect any surprises. I wanted to give this 3 1/2 stars, but there are no partial stars and it would have been a solid 4+ if I hadn't read the same story before.

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Yet another Hallmark movie in the making!
This story is about Vanessa Larkin, a woman whose company has sent her to Fraser Hills, NC. to redo and rework the store that makes the Best Fruitcakes in the USA and, it's warehouses into what her company expects them to be. Vanessa learns that Porters, the Fruitcake store, is a store with amazing fruitcakes, cookies, candies and, is actually profitable.She also learns that the warehouses her company owns can be easily cleaned up, emptied and converted to what the company needs.
Problem is that Vanessa's Aunt Anna comes to visit and, they both realize that this is not only a small town, it is a small town where everyone knows everyone else and, everyone will do anything for anyone in their town.
Coming from Chicago, that's the very last thing Vanessa ever expected to find.
She also never expected to find Mike, who owns a horse farm and, his daughter, who is a brilliant 16 year old who has some amazing ideas to update and streamline Porters eve better than it already is.
Her cousin always told her that everything happens for a reason and, apparently, she was right!!!
Warning = You may not be able to stop reading this book once you've started it!!

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Grab a cup of cocoa and snuggle up with your dog and blanket in front of the fireplace while you read this book. It's just that cozy of a read! If you love a good Hallmark Christmas movie with a heartfelt story, then this is your book.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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A Heartfelt Christmas Promise is a sweet story that is a a great way to start off the holiday reading .
Vanessa is disappointed when she finds out her job is going to take her to A small town in North Carolina instead of Paris for the holiday season. Being able to spend Christmas with her cousin Anna is the only thing she is looking forward to .
When she gets to North Carolina to shut down Porter’s right before the holidays she just wants to get it over with as quickly as possible . After a very short time she falls in love with the small town and the people in it.
Nancy Naigle did a wonderful job drawing us into the heartwarming story of a small town Christmas .
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an Arc for my honest opinion.

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I love Christmas romances and I love Nancy Naigle's writing so I knew this would be perfect for me! I was not disappointed. I loved Vanessa and Mike and couldn't put this book down. If you love holiday romances, I highly recommend this book.

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Nancy Naigle is one of my favorite go-to authors for a feel good, heartwarming, magical Christmas story. This story was true to form and delivered a wonderful, poetic, story that makes you route for all the major characters. I loved the inclusion of the Percheron horses and a puppy as characters. They had important roles in this story. Vanessa is a workaholic city girl, making her way up the corporate ladder. She's expecting an exciting new assignment; as promised by her boss, over the Christmas holiday. When she gets roped into pulling off a huge warehousing project that is scheduled to close a small-town fruit cake factory and shop in the during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. She's viewed as the enemy when word gets out that she's the ax-man from corporate. She is finally making plans with her cousin Anna to spend the holidays together. Anna keeps telling her that she has to make time in her schedule to enjoy life and not let it pass her by, The small-town life might just be "what the doctor ordered". Vanessa makes some personal connections with some of the people in town and finds out that things aren't the way Corporate is seeing them. Vanessa is shocked to find out that some of the reports aren't accurate. Can this little town be Vanessa's answer to finding happiness? Maybe, at least it gives her the opportunity to examine her life a little more closely in order to make some changes.

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Captivating small-town holiday story!

This sweet story captures both the simplicity of small towns and the heart of the holidays. A little light on the romance, the story mostly focuses on Vanessa's assignment to repurpose the various facilities belonging to Porter's, which was bought out by the corporation Vanessa works for a few years earlier. She's forced to confront her work/life balance and other priorities as she balances the needs of her assignment against the best outcome for the local employees.

Mike is struggling with his own set of challenges, including his rapidly-maturing motherless daughter and his strained relationship with his grandfather, who has his own reasons for selling Porter's to the corporation in the first place. Despite his strong attraction to Vanessa, he doesn't want to see any more changes come to his small town.

This holiday slice of Americana is perfectly sweet and satisfying. All the characters are richly drawn and the depth of the community spirit was beautifully portrayed. I was hooked right from the start and read this one straight through in one sitting. The ending was doubly special with two couples finding their HEAs. I highly recommend this delightful holiday story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

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3.5. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Heartfelt Christmas Promise is a cute and sweet small-town holiday romance, yet another in the Hallmark vein. With quite a few coming out in that style, some of which I’ve read, I don’t think this stood out as anything spectacular. However, given genre expectations of comfort and light, I still enjoyed it for what it is.

I particularly liked the character of the town, especially as it apparently is best known for its fruitcake, and the plot heavily involves saving the fruitcake factory. It’s such a fun, unique concept, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The romance between Vanessa and Mike was sweet, and while I wasn’t super wowed by it, I enjoyed seeing feelings develop between them in the midst of everything else going on and how it impacted each of them.

And while the dog on the cover (the main reason I requested it) wasn’t as prominent in the story as I hoped, I still loved the moments that featured him as a character.

This is another sweet holiday romance that will bring a lot of joy during the holiday season. If you love Hallmark romances, I think this would be a great book for you.

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Chicago based Vanessa dreams of spending her Christmas holidays in Paris after winning a job assignment for the 6 weeks leading up to the holiday. Instead, the job she received is in the small town of Frasier Hills, NC, home to the World’s Best Fruitcake. Vanessa rearranges her plans to have her cousin meet her in NC and sets off to get the work done. As she begins the process of dismantling Porter’s Fruitcakes, she falls in love with the town, the people and one particular gentleman. Soon she finds out the job can be done without closing the factory and putting most of the town out of work, but can she get it approved by her boss?

This book is perfect for Hallmark Christmas movie fans! It has all the nostalgia of a small town Christmas celebration, mixed with the romance of the girl too busy to realize she needs to slow down and enjoy life, without being too cheesy or predictable. With endearing, captivating characters, beautiful, descriptive scene setting, and just enough action to keep your interest, I loved it and think you will, too!

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Much like the Hallmark Christmas Movies I fill my DVR with every winter, A Heartfelt Christmas Promise is a sweet, charming, small-town romance that had me dreaming of the scent of pine trees in the air and rich, sugary cookies in the oven. It's a story of life choices, starting over, forgiveness, slowing down enough to rediscover the joys that have been there waiting for you all along, and realizing it's never too late to give love a chance.

Naigle has brought the town of Fraser Hills to life, along with her citizens. She has me wanting to drive into the mountains to try the banana pudding at the Blue Bicycle Bistro, pick up a bouquet of flowers at The Stalk Market, sing along at the Christmas Parade, hang out with an enterprising teen while sampling a piece of fruitcake at Porter's (and I don't even like fruitcake), snuggle an adorable, mischievous Lab puppy (with a very big best friend), share a cup of coffee with the goodhearted folks who call Fraser Hills home, talk Mike Marshall into a wagon ride pulled by his magnificent Percherons, and meet the woman who saved a town and discovered everything she didn't know she needed in the most unlikely of places.

If you enjoy charming, heart-tugging, Christmas romances set in scenic mountain towns, with lively townspeople, adorable animals, a business in peril, more than one romance brewing, and, of course, happy endings all around, pick up a copy of Nancy Naigle's A Heartfelt Christmas Promise.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

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A sweet romantic novel. This seemed to be a conglomerate of several Hallmark movies. Multi issues and plot lines with all being resolved satisfactorily in the end. May be a little schmaltzy for some, but for those of us that enjoy shedding a tear, having a chuckle or two and smiling at the final kiss, we are quite happy with this story.

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The house sounds lovely. Sally needs to get over herself.

I would have gotten it in writing.

I like Kendra.

Poor Robert. Although, he is kind of a jerk.

Aw, that's exciting, Olivia.

She'll be retired by fifty, with no one to spend time with.

Ha, don't ever let Bettie be a candy striper. She'd be giving out free pills.

Lilene. Down, girl.

That was cute!

Ouch.

Ooh, Anna and Buck.

Oh dear. Now it makes sense.

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Vanessa Larkin is one driven woman. She knows she deserves the next plum assignment in Paris. And it’s almost Christmas. But this year she is being sent to North Carolina. To a small town that was bought out a long time ago with a promise, nothing would change.

But this company is making fruitcakes. Who in the world wants fruitcake? This should be a slam dunk and have her back home in a hurry.

She quickly learns that Porters is a cornerstone of this town. Originally owned by Mike Marshall’s family. It has been the mainstay of this town for years. Even after his Grandfather sold it for whatever reasons he had.

Vanessa quickly falls in love with the town, the fruitcake, and the hunky guy.

Will she find a way to make everyone happy including herself? Or will she go back to her life and her own goals?

It’s Christmas so anything can happen and love is always in the air.

I think this was just the story I needed in these trying times. Remembering what is really important.

NetGalley/ September 29th, 2020 by St. Martin’s Griffin

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