About the book:
Matt, also known as THE M.C. Bradford, is the author of a book series turned TV show that put him on the map. Struggling to complete the last book in the series with a finish that will make both him and the studio happy, he heads to a small town in the midwest to get some privacy and quiet. He doesn't expect to meet Dani Cooper, recently divorced and looking for the next step in her life, now that her daughter's fully grown. Matt can't afford distractions, and Dani isn't looking for anything permanent. Could their holiday adventure last beyond Christmas?

TL;DR:
- 4 stars
- Content warnings: nothing major (no steam at all - if that is a sticking point for you.)
- Really cute!! Very quick, adorable read perfect for the holidays. Read like a sugary holiday movie! Worth reading if you're into romances between 40-something leads without too much drama.

Loved:
- I loved Dani! She was adorable. She had such a lovely relationship with her family, her daughter and sister-in-law especially, and she was very honest about herself and her interests. When she found her passion she put in the work to see her dreams come to life and I appreciate that.
- Matt is also a nice, believable love interest. He took a little longer to come around to his HEA (both personal, and in love) but it was realistic.
- There's just something really nice about a love story with older leads, and it wasn't overdone or cliche at all. 1. The conflicts are often more realistic to everyday life because the characters tend to be more mature than in the average 20-something romance. 2. Everyone deserves love and everyone deserves to see themselves as the center of a romance novel.

Less into:
- I honestly cannot think of much. This was cute and quick (though still very much a novel), so there frankly wasn't much time for any flaws 😉.

Overall a wonderful holiday read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a book full of interesting characters and the plot was cute. Very hallmarky!! I think this type of book will appeal to a specific type audience. I usually don't enjoy characters from this age group but it was still enjoyable!

A great read.
Dani is looking for a job after getting divorced and moving back in with her parents. She ends up working for temporary neighbour Matt, an author trying to finish his book. Is she just a distraction or something more to him?

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

3.5⭐
Write Before Christmas was a well-paced and gentle small town holiday tale. That features two forty-something characters Matt and Dani, and a romance that was PG-Esq and pleasant; and with a few fun moments, I was engaged throughout.

**I was kindly provided with an ARC via Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review**

Delightful Christmas Romp!

Dani is a 45 year old divorcee with a teenage daughter to put through college. Matt is a 45 year old writer who’s next book is due and oh yeah he has to repair that slight faux pas he made at a comic con. Neither is look for a holiday romance but then love doesn’t much care about that!

I love reading about more mature couples who still feel and act sexy while also still feel and act like adults in their 40s. While the sexy times were behind closed doors/fade to black there was still nice sexual chemistry and lots of banter.

I also really like Dani’s wacky family and Matt’s found family, what’s a Christmas story with some wacky relatives and fun games?!

This was my second Julie Hammerle book featuring more mature leads and I am definitely a fan!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.

“No dragons.” Write Before Christmas by Julie Hammerle

3 stars. This is a light, cute, and clean (no graphic sex, not much swear words) Christmas romance about a writer of a popular book/tv series and the cook.

So Matt is the writer of a popular book series that became a hugely popular tv show. Unfortunately, the show is catching up to the books and the whole world is waiting for him to finish writing the last book - which will be how the series will end too. Lots of pressure for him. So he goes to a small resort town to write before his deadline - Dec 22.

Shades of Game of Thrones here. Hahaha. But no dragons. And Matt is 45, as is Dani. Which means they’re my batchmates. 😂 Though there aren’t any references to our generation. There’s a lot of tasting and cooking and eating food when it’s Dani’s POV that it makes me hungry and curious about the cookies. Makes me crave it too.

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC for the arc of this book. I liked it.

This was a quick little holiday romance about two 45 year olds. Dani is a single mother to a teenage daughter, she's divorced and living with her parents. Matt is a famous author who's books have been turned into a television series. His assistant hires Dani to be Matt's chef/housekeeper. Dani and Matt start a no strings attached relationship and soon fall for one another.

To me, this story was a bit slow at times, as in I got bored with it. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the characters. All in all, it was an okay holiday read.

A review will be coming soon. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read and review this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I love Holiday themed books. They are a weakness in my reading armor. When I noticed this on Entangled’s page I jumped at the opportunity to request it. Thankfully, they let me read it and I was not disappointed. This was SO CUTE and while there wasn’t a ton of Christmas-esque things, it was still adorably holiday.

Following the story of Matt (M.C) and Dani made my heart swell. Dani was such a relatable character. While I’m not her age, I think seeing a divorce’ was nice! It gave a different look at what it’s like to date post divorce and being a little older. Watching Matt navigate the waters of trying to be in public after a blunder was fun and refreshing. I loved the dynamic they had with each other and they way the complimented each other as the couple. The family dynamic and the holidays was an added bonus.

If you love holiday themed novels, adorable relationships, and cute doggos- this one is for you!

This was super cute! What happens when an author who writes a Game of Thrones like series has to meet his latest deadline before Christmas? Well, he hires someone to help cook and clean around the house, of course. I really like the pace of this one and Dani and Matt together. Definitely a really fun and sweet Christmas romance!

Write Before Christmas comes out later this month on November 30, 2020 and you can purchase HERE.

December 1, nineteen days until deadline

What comes next? What comes next?

My brain chanted these words over and over again, cutting through the death metal pounding in my ears, as my feet hit the pavement. Alone on the road, I forced a fist pump in a futile attempt to jolt my creative juices into a flow state.

What comes next?

This was a fun Holiday Romance with a fresh premise. Matt is a writer who had very little commercial success until his book series was optioned for a television show (this is a clear nod to Game Of Thrones). Now he is suddenly under pressure to finish the final book in his trilogy on a timeline that meets the show-runner's expectations and he can't go to the store without being recognized. He holes up in a small town to try and force himself to finish, but soon realizes he needs some help around his rented house so he can focus on writing. Enter Dani, a newly divorced single mom in desperate need of a job.

I loved reading a romance where the leads were 45 years old and had lived a bit of life already. Matt and Dani had good chemistry and even better meaningful, intelligent, dialog. I loved them as a couple well before they added a physical relationship to the equation. This book has no open-door scenes so it's a good book if you are looking for physical connection with a detailed sex scene.

I loved Dani's colorful family and her generous spirit! And Matt was a smart and very relatable MC. This romance is light on the swoony romantic gestures, but heavy on a realistically sweet love story about figuring out exactly what you want and then going after it.

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

TRIGGERS: Divorce (where female is financially impacted)

First of all, before I get into this review I just want to say that the cover for this book is really cute. I'm a huge sucker for cute animated covers and that's actually one of the major reasons why a choose a certain book to read. This book gave me alot of hallmark vibes and it actually did feel like it came something right out of a hallmark movie. The setting, the characters, and the storyline was nothing I haven't read before, but it was still cute. I don't really know how exactly should I rate it because I did find certain things cute about this book, but overall, it just didn't really work for me.

if you love cheesy, predictable romantic hallmark movies this book is for you! What I loved most about this book was the amount of humour the author incorporated in the story. While it had all the elements of a good Christmas romance; it was the fact that the story had me laughing out loud that makes me want to recommend it to everyone this holiday season!
Posted on Instagram @thesharpereader

Write Before Christmas by Julie Hammerle a five-star read that should come wrapped in a bow. I really enjoyed this one, I hadn’t read the author previously, but I will be keeping an eye out in future as I really enjoyed the writing. I really liked Dani Cooper, I especially loved that she was older and looking for her second chance and feeling the need to put herself second after her daughter. Then we have M.C. Bradford, as that is how he is mostly known, but really he’s just Matt, an author who has a deadline that he wont be able to make, if he keeps on the spiral he is on now. This was a great story, sweet and seasonal and writing by an author I can’t wait to hear more from.

This was a cute, PG Hallmark-esque holiday romance. Matt is the author of a fantasy series-turned hit tv show a la Game of Thrones. He's on deadline and hiding out in a small resort town. Dani is a recently divorced mom searching for her chapter in life. She's hired as the cook/housekeeper for Matt for the weeks leading up to his deadline.

There was a lot of plot packed into this novella. Almost too much for me - I sometimes felt the author set up some scenarios but didn't follow them through. And some scenarios felt random or out of character. And at the same time I didn't really connect to the MCs. I really wanted to - I was excited to read about two people finding love in their 40's. Still, it was cute and fluffy, and great if you want that Hallmark holiday feeling.

I really liked this one. Such a fun and easy read, I will definitely recommend this book to some of my friends.

Grumpy author with writer’s block finding love after all!

Dani Cooper needs a job after her divorce because her ex-husband is slow on sending her money and she hadn’t worked in twenty years so any type of job would be good. Fantasy author M.C. (Matt) Bradford was hiding out in Wackernagel, Illinois trying to finish his book when his assistant hired Dani after the first housekeeper was fired. He needs to finish the final book in his series so the script writers for The Saga could finish the planning for their last season.

I loved the book because it is very realistic about dating for people over 40 and shows Dani having to move back in with her parents, trying to find a job after raising her daughter and getting a divorce. So, you have Matt as a grumpy author with writer’s block and Dani trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life.

Story being set during Christmas is a bonus.

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

I just finished this gem roughly four minutes ago and it was everything I had hoped a Christmas romance to be and more.
It was sweet, funny, and entertaining and know this will now be a Holiday favourite of mine.
The chemistry between the two characters was a treat to witness and I can't wait to read more from this author.

The first thing that brought me to read Write Before Christmas was the adorable cover, what followed was a cute book set during the holidays.
Write Before Christmas gave me Hallmark movie vibes with a much more mature protagonist than usual romances. I enjoyed the serendipity of the novel, and its PG romance as well. As someone who loves the holidays, this was a great start to the season, however I am unsure I would make reading Write Before Christmas a holiday tradition.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With the pressure to deliver the final book in his hit fantasy series, Matt was experiencing a severe case of writer's block. His solution? Escape to a small town, where he could enjoy some anonymity. He did find some solace in the small town, and it came in the form of his new housekeeper.

I started out as a fan of Hammerle's YA books, but after reading Knocked-Up Cinderella, I knew I would be reading more of her adult books. Write Before Christmas was fun and heartwarming, and I would say had a Hallmark feel, which is something the always delights me.

First of all, can we just thank Hammerle for writing books featuring mature heroines. It's wonderful seeing women over forty finding love, and in this instance, finding her second chance at happiness. Dani spent over twenty years in an unsatisfying marriage. I wanted her to find love with every ounce of my being. She deserved someone who would love and respect her and make her happy. It was kismet that her dog ran over Matt and brought the two of them together. What started as a holiday fling quickly showed signs of becoming more, and I was here for it. Why? Because I thought they were fantastic together.

Dani was also at a crossroads in her life. While she was married, she played the role of homemaker. Now, she was on her own and needed to figure out what to do with her life. It was great seeing her parlay some of her domestic talents into a possible career. She was seizing opportunities, while also making some of her own. I loved that she wanted to rely on herself and cheered all her successes.

I was in such a funk when I picked up this book, and I have to say, this was the right book at the right time. Books set during the holidays have been my panacea and are especially effective, when they incorporate the holiday fun into the story. It was great partaking in all the Christmas events in this small town. I loved baking he cookies and going to the holiday bazaar, but I really delighted in spending time with Dani's family. They were such a fun and welcoming group. I could feel the love that existed between them all, and they made me laugh. In fact, I laughed a lot as I read this book, and yes, that's a good thing.

Overall, I had a fabulous holiday with Matt, Dani, and the rest of town. It was a treat watching these two figure out their future and get their HEA. This was fun fluffy goodness, which left me feeling the holiday cheer.