ARC was provided by NetGalley and HARLEQUIN Romance in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published after the release date (September 29th, 2020)

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent (in the past), loss of a loved one (in the past), grief, abandonment, mentions of multiple accidents, mentions of kidnapping and abduction, trauma, mentions of heart attack (in the past)


“I want to help you save the diner.”

In my true bad reading habits fashion, I read the the third book in this series and I have zero regrets. Seriously, this romance hit me in all the soft spaces of my heart, friends! Truly, this was such an emotional read and I loved this book so much. I’m not sure if you should or can read these book out of order. Even though this is the third book, I’ve never heard of this series before or this author, but this book has enough details that you understand the side characters and being new to this series, I had so much appreciation for that. After experiencing this author’s writing, I’m excited to explore more of this series and more of Calhoune’s writing!

Alaskan Christmas Redemption follows the story of two childhood best friends finding their way back to each other after four years of being part. Piper has spent these last four years carrying a great weight on her shoulders and now with her family diner at risk, she needs to find a solution to save it or close the doors to the Snowy Owl for good. Braden has just returned to Owl Creek after spending four years running away from his past. When Piper contacts him, asking for help, Braden ends up doing everything he can to help her, despite the secrets he’s keeping from everyone. The two estranged friends will work together to save the diner and maybe lose their hearts to one another along the way.

🦉 Piper Miller – After inheriting her family’s diner, The Snowy Owl, Piper has spent the last four years grieving the death of her father, but The Snowy Owl is in a lot of trouble. With a debt that was covered up by her father, Piper is struggling to come up with a way to save the diner without having to close the doors for good. She reaches out to her childhood best friend, Braden to assist her in saving the diner, but after four years of being apart, she can’t help wishing they could be close again or noticing Braden is hiding something.

“There was no one in the world who could replace Piper. She was one of a kind and as unique as an individual snowflake.”

🦉 Braden North – After leaving Owl Creek four years ago, Braden has finally come home to be with his family, but the weight of the past is weighing heavily on his mind. When Piper, his childhood best friend reaching out to him, seeking his help with saving the diner, despite wanting to keep his distance, Braden agrees to help and comes up with a brilliant plan to save The Snowy Owl. But as Braden spends more time with Piper, he’s not only falling for her, but he’s struggling to confess the real reason he left Owl Creek four years ago.

Together Piper and Braden will make a dynamic duo that’ll turn The Snowy Owl into the hottest spot in Owl Creek for the holiday season. Along the way, these two characters will learn to find the hope is situations out of their control, unravel the secrets of the past, discover what it means to fall in love with someone you’ve known all your life, and be forgiving even when we’re our most vulnerable.

“Remember when a chocolate cherry shake would make everything feel better? I miss those days”

We follow the perspective of both Piper and Braden throughout this story. I really loved Piper as a character. She’s confident, sweet, loving, and has a charismatic charm about her that I couldn’t resist. Plus, her love for Christmas just really warmed my heart. We also see a lot of Piper’s grief through her perspective. Braden, on the other hand, wasn’t my favorite perspective. A lot of his perspective is through internal struggle and seeing his thoughts on how he’s handling things. Together, I think the perspectives balanced the story out nicely and it paints that full picture of what happened with both characters in certain moments.

There’s also a huge theme of family throughout this book and I crumbled so much with this that theme. I always say my loyalty and family are my Achilles’ heel, and they truly are. And the whole sense of family throughout this book just hit so close to home. Piper is carrying the knowledge of what’s happening with the diner, and refuses to tell her brother and mother what has been occurring because she knows how hard they’ve recently struggled. On top of that, her whole family is still feeling the loss of Jack Miller, Piper’s father. There’s also the rekindling of family bonds on Braden’s side of this story. Braden’s younger sister was kidnap as a baby and now that they’re both home, under the same roof, they’re trying to find a way to connect with one another. But under all of that, there’s a deep sense of not wanting to disappoint your family or let them down because of hardships, feeling like you’re not measuring up to expectations, and it plays an important role in the lives of our two main characters throughout this book. And since this is a small town, we have the small town vibes and close knit community. So it feels like one big family and it’s like being wrapped up in a warm, fuzzy hug.

“His mother had once told him that even when you lost a person you loved, memories of them were everywhere you turned.”

Even though this is a holiday romance, there are heavy themes of grief and loss of loved ones in this book. And even though this is suppose to be a holiday romance, this is the first holiday romance I’ve read that addresses the amount of loss and grief you can feel around the holidays. I find not many authors show this side of the holidays, but it’s such an important perspective to show especially during the holidays. A we see a wide plethora of that through this book with many side characters. We also have multiple conversations surrounding that grief and remembering those loved ones. As I mention all the time, family is everything to me and this book really touched parts of my soul when it comes to that topic. But even though we have themes of grief, there’s also themes of hope throughout this book. I think the author did a beautiful job at pairing the two alongside one another. These two feelings go hand in hand with one another so often and I really appreciated that we see both sides.

Overall, this book made me really soft and sappy. I was crying on and off through this book because of so many themes throughout this story. I think many readers are going to fall in love with this story, with the characters, and the Alaska setting is just stunning. I’m truly excited to pick up the other books in this series and I’m eagerly awaiting future books for this series because this was such a great read. I read this book in one whole day and every time I set it down, I had to pick up back up immediately. Truly, I hope more readers pick this book up because is such a great read and it touched all the soft spots of my heart!


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

This is a super cute, obviously tame Christian Christmas romance (say that ten times fast!). The characters, Braden and Piper, were easy to root for and it was easy to see their strong connection. I love the entire town of of Owl Creek and I want to read more from this world. It was so heartwarming to read a Christ centered small town romance and it has definitely kick started my holiday spirit. I also appreciated the fact that while this is a Christian story it did not come off as preachy which is what I was worried about. Everything felt very natural and organic and that is a real testament to Calhoune’s writing. Another aspect of this story that I really enjoyed was all the food. I am a sucker for any book that is based on food and this one had me salivating. I have a huge craving for pie (especially eggnog cream!) and I cannot wait for all the holiday goodies. I think the conflict that keeps Braden and Piper apart was believable and I thought that the resolution of everything was well done. As you can tell, I just really enjoyed everything about this sweet romance and it is definitely a refreshing break from my usual types of romances. Also, the Alaska setting is stunning and it is on my bucket list to visit!

Braden and Piper have been friends for a long time but after the death of Pipers father Braden left. While Piper stood home barely keeping her fathers restaurant alive after finding out that her father was barely getting by. Braden is now back after a while and still feeling some semblance of guilt holding a secret from Piper and will at least try to keep her fathers business alive by helping her get out of the red.

So this was a the first holiday like book I've read this year and I'd give it like 3 christmas bells outta four. If you are looking for some Christmas spirit here your not really going to get it. But if you are looking for a pretty enjoyable contemporary then yes I'd recommend you check it out. I enjoyed the book, I was pretty curious to see what was the big deal with Braden and his big secret and when I got to it honestly I was like meh but the story as a whole was pretty good. I liked seeing them work together to improve Pipers situation even if it was really just Bradens guilt keeping him there to help Piper out.

Braden North is bending over backwards helping his best friend Piper Miller work hard to save her diner. While Piper is glad that Braden is there to help her, she can't forgive the fact that he abandoned her several years ago. The timing was awful because Piper lost her beloved father, then she lost her best friend. He is back and he is helping, but Piper is guarding her heart.

With regard to her diner, it was her father's baby. Piper wants to keep it running profitably and by so doing she knows she will always honor her father. She has mixed feelings working with Braden. On the one hand she is glad he back, then the hurt she still feels when he left is at war with the fact that she is beginning to have stronger feelings for him.

Meanwhile, Braden is fighting his own battle with regard to Piper. He is glad to be back, but will he stay in their lovely town? Actually, Braden is hiding something from Piper, and should she find out, he worries if he will lose her for good.

This sensitive story of friends to lovers offers so much. It touches on secrets, forgiveness, hope and love. Factor in the beautiful Alaskan setting, the holiday season, and the warm community, and what you have was a wonderful story with a satisfying HEA.

Many thanks to Love Inspired and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A sweet and heartwarming Christmas story that made me smile and root for the characters.
I liked the festive atmosphere, the descriptions of the setting and the characters.
The plot flows and kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I struggled to get into this one, and y mind kept drifting as I read. I really wanted to like it, but I felt like the reason I didn't like it was because it was it was really predictable and common tropes were not tweaked enough to make me excited to see what would happen next.

It is a sweet romance, about taking a second look.

A heartwarming Christmas story from Belle Calhoune! Although the story is repetitive and is mostly told through telling, not showing, it’s a great read if you’re looking for a sweet story with a guaranteed HEA. 2.5/5 stars

*This review is also posted on Goodreads and BookBub.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Piper Miller is struggling to keep her family’s diner afloat. After her father passed away suddenly, she has been trying to find a way to bring revenue back into the Snowy Owl Diner. Her childhood best friend, Braden, is finally back in town after mysteriously leaving small town Alaska to explore the world. Braden is harboring a secret that he knows will upend Piper’s world. These two pick up where they left off but is it just a friendship or are they in love? This book had me wanted to book a trip to Alaska and enjoy every minute of the Christmas season. Oh, and PIES! Going to bake one right now!

Alaskan Christmas Redemption
by Belle Calhoune
224 pages
Publisher:💟 Love Inspired 💟
Publication Date: October 1, 2020
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description:
Some secrets are meant to be shared.Before he gives his heart…he’ll have to forgive himself. Returning to Owl Creek after years away, Braden North’s determined to help his best friend, Piper Miller, save her failing diner. But as they work to revitalize her business, Braden’s convinced he must hide the truth about a tragedy from their past…or risk losing Piper for good. If he can find the courage, might telling her everything make this Christmas a time for healing and forgiveness?

⛄MY REVIEW⛄

Alaskan Christmas Redemption is the third book in the Home to Owl Creek series, but it can totally be read as a stand-alone. However they are so good you will want to read them all. I loved seeing the relationship between Piper Miller and Braden Nortand change and grow. I knew from the very first page this was going to be a great book. And boy was I right . I really loved this book and read it in one sitting. The story was well written with interesting strong characters that pull you into the story. You can't help but love them and root for them.I really liked how Piper and Braden were friends first. I laughed and cried several times throughout this powerful story. So get your tissues ready before you start. Belle Calhoune is a very gifted writer. She will immediately draw you into her richly descriptive story and have you wanting to move to the small-town of Owl Creek.
Be sure to add Alaskan Christmas Redemption to your Christmas reading list! This is one book you will not want to miss. Can't wait to read the other books in this series.This is Definitely a good 5 star read.And as with any book you read PLEASE leave the author a REVIEW. Reviews are very important to authors and is what keeps them writing.Thank you Belle Calhoune for the chance to read and review this amazing 5 star read for an honest review !
*******Disclosure*******
I received a paper copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own.
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#AuthorBelleCalhoune #AlaskanChristmasRedemption
#smalltownromance
#cleanromance

I just love the friends to lovers romance tropes. It just makes it such a great story to read because the characters are already super familiar with themselves and each other.

The best part of these type of stories is the realization when all these feelings and genuine care for your best friend has morphed into love.

This book covers the growth of feeling so well. That delicate balance of friendship and the tentative crossing over into deeper feelings. The author also included a great twist of a deeply held secret that could change everything.

The story contains a range of emotions and Calhoune carries the reader through each and every one of them throughout the story. Grab those tissues in a few spots!

Set an Alaska where community is essential and friendship abounds, you can’t help but get attached to the characters in the story. The connection she builds is amazing and you find yourself rooting for Piper and Braden to figure it all out!

A sweet, yet powerfully emotional read, this is a perfect Christmas story!

3.5 stars

A sweet, heartwarming Christmas tale of family, best friends, and hidden secrets. Alaskan Christmas Redemption is the third book in author Belle Calhoune's Home to Owl Creek series, but it can easily be read as a standalone novel.

Small town romances with lifelong best friends are some of my favorite stories to read, and Belle Calhoune has the perfect book to get readers in the holiday spirit. Tragic losses, supportive families, and forgiveness bring this story together for a satisfying conclusion. Readers will wish they could visit Owl Creek, Alaska, stop by the Snowy Owl Diner for a piece of pie, and join in the diner's fabulous Christmas tree trimming party.

Be sure to add Alaskan Christmas Redemption to your holiday reading list!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Piper is closing up the dinner. Piper is single. I liked the cozy Christmas feel. I was hoping for love for piper

There's something about seeing the Harlequin logo that has me one-clicking, ready to indulge in a great romance. And this author definitely brought me that.