Cover Image: Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy

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Member Reviews

Cole is a firefighter in Pine Hill. Sophie owns The Threaded Needle. Sophie finds Cole’s journal in a church donation book box. She tried to return it. Cole does not want it back. Sparks start to fly. The butterflies notice, and start to work. This was a great holiday read.

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What a great read. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It pulled at all of the emotional heartstrings. A must read for the holidays.

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This book reads like a Hallmark movie because it’s published by Hallmark and let me tell you I’m here for it.
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Sophie works at a quilt shop and volunteers all over her small town. As she was going through a box of donated books at the church, she came across Former Marine and current firefighter, Cole’s journal.
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Cole struggled and a marine chaplain suggested he write everything down in his journal. Wanting to put that all behind him he doesn’t want to see that journal again or remember the past.
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However, anything can happen in a small town including a grown woman getting stuck in a tree chasing a cat, an adorable sledding scene and the power of love and comfort a quilt, made with love can offer.
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Because it’s a small town, because it’s a Christmas, because It’s Hallmark I don’t need to tell you Sophie will help Cole put the demons of his past behind him.
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If you are looking for a sweet, wholesome Christmas book this is perfect.
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Thank you #NetGalley and #Hallmark publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review

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Lovely Christmas Romance

As a romance reader, I'm a total sucker for the wounded hero trope, so this series is right up my alley. In this book, both the hero and heroine are decent, relatable characters. I am a nurse who has seen some suffering from PTSD, and I think the author did an excellent job showing the inner thoughts and personal demons the man had to slay. The interaction between the couple was so awkward for so long, but completely understandable, and I could feel the pull between them—even when they were denying it. I love the idea of the Quilts of Valor. A lovely Christmas story that delivers the feels you want a holiday story to have.

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So I will admit it. I love watching all the cheesy Hallmark movies at Christmastime, even more so this year because I just need something predictable and that I don’t have to think about. I know they are not well written pieces of work, but I love them nonetheless.

I will say, though, I thought this book was well written. It has so much more depth then the movies have, which is typical for books.

The books are even better then the moves for the reason above and because you get to become fully immersed in the town the story takes place. It’s like wrapping a warm blanket around you.

If you are still looking for a cozy Christmas story this one might be right up your alley,.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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Wrapped up in Christmas was such a heartwarming story. The character development between Cole and Sophie was great - but so was everyone else in the story. I felt like I was there laughing with everyone in the community and experiencing their Christmas celebrations.
I didn’t read the first story in this 2-book series but it still read well and I didn’t feel like there were any gaps. Because this was such a great story though, I will probably go back and read the first book in the series because I cannot get enough of the Pine Hill community.

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Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn is a sweet, heartwarming story of the Christmas holiday season.

It has a gentle, outreaching heroine in quilt shop owner Sophie and a cautious, guilt ridden retired Marine, Cole, who is now part of the local firefighter team, fight fires and rescue the odd cat up a tree.

Sophie and Cole are thrown together as they canvas for goods for giving to children in need at Christmas and while reluctant, Cole finds it difficult to resist her charms. Although he doesn't want to be her charity case as Sophie is known for her soft heart. Ask Stitches the cat!

A sweet, small town Christmas story that plays out gently and predictably.

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This is a delightful Christmas romance!

I love both of the main characters. Cole and Sophie and incredibly well developed and easy to connect with. I love the fact that they were connected by veterans. Cole is a veteran with huge emotional wounds from his time in the military. Sophie on the other hand has many memories of her father, who was a veteran with huge emotional wounds.

I loved seeing how their friendship developed. Sophie was doing all she could to befriend Cole while he was doing everything to prevent becoming her friend. There were many moments that had me laughing out loud while I was listening to this audiobook.

I had never heard of the Quilts of Love Foundation before reading this wonderful story. It is a marvelous organization and Sophie is deeply involved in it. I learned a lot about it and the work that they do.

The book is written from alternating viewpoints. It goes back and forth from Sophie to Cole. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that this audiobook has two narrators. They both did a wonderful job making the story come to life.

I received a complimentary copy of this eBook from the publisher, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

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I loved this Christmas story! It definitely gives me Hallmarm vibes throughout and is a fun quick read. I'm not a huge fan of sewing and thought that was a bit old fashioned but besides that it was a great holiday read!

Thank you to Hallmark Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

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What an emotional Christmas Romance this was! This is a wonderfully written story about overcoming demons and breaking down walls to allow someone special into your heart; to learn what it feels like to be loved unconditionally by someone who truly cares for you. The relationship between Cole and Sophie was a lot of give and take. Cole tried so hard not to get emotionally tied to Sophie and Sophie tried so hard not to push Cole away. As their friendship progressed they had lots of fun times filled with laughter. I liked that they were both very generous people and were willing to sacrifice their time to better the lives of others. I also liked being introduced to the Quilts of Valor Foundation, Sophie's passion. The symbolism of the quilt Sophie made for Cole was such a touching sentiment. If you like a feel-good love story, this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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I love Hallmark Christmas stories and this was perfect.
Heartwarming, sweet and festive.
Good character and plot development, great Christmas atmosphere, a lovely setting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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This was just the book I needed to bring me some Christmas spirit. A sweet love story with Christmas magic thrown in.

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Oh my WORD this is a great story! This book makes me want to grab a hot cocoa and watch the Hallmark channel during Christmas! If you love a sweet, clean story about love and forgiveness, THIS one is it. I seriously could not put the book down - and I read it in 48 hours or less. You will ADORE the characters and will love how it ends! Grab this one up and enjoy!

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I am *that* girl.

I am the one who doesn’t allow any Christmas in her world until after I’ve eaten copious amounts of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. I’m in the US and since our Thanksgiving falls at the end of November, I am a stickler for it being the magic door that leads into Christmas. I mean, otherwise, what is the point of ending the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with good ole St. Nick if that isn’t the entire point???

However my exception to this is Hallmark Christmas movies. I am a sucker for them 12 months out of the year. Even so, I hadn’t yet actually read a Hallmark Publishing story. I’m not exactly sure why, but I just never picked one up. Until Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy. It pulled me in based on the blurb because one of my absolute most favorite Hallmark Christmas movies is not, in fact a romance, but a story about a soldier who was deployed to the Middle East and killed on Christmas Eve. And since his death his family stopped celebrating Christmas… even though they had another child at home who then internalized this as being a sign she wasn’t enough for her family to celebrate the season for her. Their son then makes a special, supernatural appearance at Christmas and teaches them some life lessons. It’s called A Christmas Visitor and if you have never seen it, please do.

But I digress.

So because of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movie, when reading the blurb this drew me in. And, let’s not forget your girl has a special affinity for broken boys and Oh Emm Gee is our Cole broken. And now our dude drew the short straw and is now gonna be Santa in the Christmas parade. Yup, there’s that.

But even more than just the well-loved Grinch turned Elf trope, is the depth of the story. While Cole was on his last deployment he kept a journal. A very, very detailed and explicit recount of the horrors of war and the traumatic events he lived through. It was a deeply personal and emotional memoir. One he… accidentally donated.

And one that Sophie, the town quilting queen, stumbles across. She finds it as she is sorting books that have been donated and, as the daughter of a veteran herself, connected immediately with the author of the journal and knows she needs to return it to him.

(Side note: gonna gush about another of my beloved Hallmark movies that this book reminded me of and that’s The Christmas Card. Just go watch and thank me later)

The problem is that the nightmare of war has scarred Cole so deeply that he doesn’t feel like he is deserving of the love Sophie tries to pour on him. And let me just say that Sophie is one of the single most caring and kindhearted characters I’ve ever met despite her being subjected to a hard family life.

Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy is an excellent story of redemption, the healing power of love, with a dusting of the author’s faith shared lightly, but clearly. This is a fabulous entrance to the holiday season for everyone who loves the wholesome Christmas romances the Hallmark Network has mastered.

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Just the perfect hallmark Christmas story. Like abs Ke cgaracters abd a military connection add up to a heartwarming festive treat x

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A charming Christmas story between a Veteran and a quilt maker. I enjoyed the story and the idea of making quilts for returning solider's to comfort them. I also liked that this was a return visit as I read and loved Wrapped Up In Christmas last year. Catching up with these characters again was fun. A sweet Christmas romance.

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#WrappedUpInChristmasJoy by #JaniceLynn is a sweet, small town, Christmas story that really resonated with me due to the male protagonist being a former Marine having PTSD, and my Dad being a single Father trying to raise two young girls, as well as being a former Marine with severe PTSD and no medical or financial help from the VA. I grew up watching all sorts of strong, brave men (and women, though not nearly as many as the men) struggling to get by in their daily lives, too proud to ask for help, or just NOT KNOWING HOW to ask, and many times the community just saying what the Soldier went through wasn't as bad as the media made it out to be, when in fact it was a thousand times worse.

Now I didn't fight over seas, but I spent 12yrs in the Navy, and I did spend time at the Pentagon on 9/11/2001, and the sight and smell still haunts me and all I did was transportation for the crew there. It reminded me of stories my Dad told me of his time in Vietnam, and when I told him of what was going on he spoke some more of what took place there, and I I wanted to get sick once again, because what I took for stories growing up were no longer just stories after 9/11. They were suddenly made horrifyingly real, and I just had a very small taste, whereas the men and women who were serving overseas in the thick of battle were getting first hand experience continuously, so of course what they went through would be much than what any one of could actually imagine, unless of course we actually experienced it for ourselves.

Ms. Lynn did a great job wrapping up the emotions, the heartbreak, the why me, feeling of unworthiness that goes with being a survivor, and the empowerment of healing and learning to love in Wrapped in Christmas Joy, and makes you feel like your right next to a group friends instead of reading about some characters in a book. By the time the book ends, you don't want to put book down, and you feverishly hope this is one book Hallmark makes into their Countdown to Christmas movies. And as a special treat, you get a delicious recipe at the end of the book which I actually made the night I received this book to review, and I can't wait to make the treat again!!

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This is an all-American, boy-meets-girl, sweet and clean romance. There' is a brooding, slightly damaged hero, an apple-pie heroine and a wonderful community spirit. Team this up with festivities in abundance and you have a feel-goo, heartwarming read which will really get you in the mood for Christmas.

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You know those special books you read where you feel like your actually living in the book itself? Well this is one of those books. As soon as I opened the first page I felt like I walked right into the middle of a snow dusted, festive, full of Christmas magic town and I loved every minute of it. This book is about a brooding army veteran named Cole who is trying to find his feet back on U.S. soil defending our country in another way, by being a fireman. He has a dark past and the one girl he may be falling for only gives him the time of day because she pities him and the darkness that follows him, at least that’s what he thinks. Sophie however has a heart of gold and sees anything but a veteran with a dark past, but a hero with a bright future ahead of him. With Sophie’s kindness, mad sewing skills and a bit of Christmas magic she may be able to convince him he’s more then his past.

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Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn is the second in a series by Hallmark Publishing. In 2019 the first book Wrapped Up in Christmas was published. Both books deal with Veterans and Quilts of Valor. I come from a military family and I love the author’s message of respect, sacrifice, healing and growth. I am all in for most Hallmark books and movies, especially the Christmas ones so needless to say this book was right in my wheelhouse.

Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy brings some real world issues that many military families experience PTSD and survivor’s guilt. It is a nightmare for those who served and those that love them. The story is well done and gentle as well as realistic. It tells the story of one soldier’s experience and the lies he tells himself about not being worthy of love about the woman who falls in love with him.

This was a lovely story. I enjoyed the characters and felt that they were well developed right down to the secondary ones. The setting was artfully crafted so that you could see the small town where this story takes place. I am hoping that Hallmark makes this into one of it’s Christmas Movies! I highly recommend this book and guarantee it will not disappoint. I am hoping that there is another installment to this series!

I would like to thank Hallmark Publishing, Janice Lynn and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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