A wonderful second chance romance! Annie moves back to Somerset Lake after her mom dies and runs into her ex-fiance. He moves into her garage apartment and agrees to help her decorate her house for Christmas. This was a great feel good, small town second chance romance.

I love my doses of Annie Rains’ books. It’s a pleasure to drop in on the community of Somerset during the holiday season. I felt sorry for Lucy. As hard as she tried, seemed like around every other corner was another debt incurred by her mother. I commiserated with Miles, who I thought was dreamy. He tried so hard and was willing to go the extra mile for Lucy. At times I wanted to shake Lucy, despite her problems because the answer was so obvious. The last part was the best, very fulfilling to read. I did love LaToya and Reva as secondary characters. They added zing to the story.

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Lucy comes back to Somerset Lake when her mom gets sick and passes away. She needs to get things in order and wants to get a tenant to help with some of the medical bills left by her mother. But of course it can’t just be a stranger that moves in. It’s her ex, Miles. And the sparks all these years later are still embers waiting to be ignited.

This is a sweet holiday romance by Rains. I have not read the first in the series and didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read it.

The town of Somerset Lake is so welcoming and perfect for a holiday romance. The festivities of the town make you wish you could join in.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely Christmas story…full of small town charm, friendship, second chances, and healing from loss. My only criticism is that the pace felt drawn out; I think this could have been a great novella rather than a full-fledged novel.

Lucy Hannigan, a respected and sought-after midwife, returned home to Somerset Lake to care for her dying mother. Now she faces her first Christmas alone in her childhood home – a pink “mansion” in The Village. In addition to grieving her loss, she feels a bit overwhelmed by the inexplicable debts her mother incurred in remodeling the house.

Miles Bruno is Lucy’s ex-fiancé and a deputy sheriff who volunteers to spend time with kids at the Community Center. He broke Lucy’s heart when they were both in their teens by breaking off their engagement (which was prompted by a false-positive pregnancy test).

When Lucy and Miles keep crossing paths, they face the task of addressing their current relationship. Can they be friends, or are the feelings they once shared still present? A neighborhood Christmas decorating contest and an unexpected housing arrangement provide the opportunity for forgiveness and the possibility of a second chance at love.

I enjoyed the two primary characters – Lucy and Miles. Lucy’s loneliness, grief and mistrust of Miles was realistically portrayed. Miles’ struggled with his own baggage from the past and I felt heartened when he told Lucy the truth about their broken engagement and by his own insights into his desire to prove himself worthy of a relationship. The outcome might have been predictable, but I felt gratified by this feel-good seasonal novel with enough subtext to keep me engaged.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

A second chance romance, just in time and perfect for a very Merry Christmas read.
I enjoyed reading Lucy and Miles' journey back to each other. A mostly feel good read in the idyllic small town setting of Somerset.
Ten years ago Miles shattered Lucy's heart. At the time he thought he was doing the right thing. These two star-crossed lovers were their own worst enemies, and you'd think ten years later they'd be more mature, ready for commitment, ya know, have all their ducks in a row. That'd just be boring lol. They're each still carrying baggage unknown to both of them, and it's keeping them from seeing the grand scheme of life's importance. They really enjoy being together again and I loved reading about the great competition of Christmas decorating, the call-outs for Deputy Miles, and their get togethers with friends, Miles' mom and sister.
Lucy had lived an early sheltered life, but for her age now, she was still so naive about independent living, even though she'd moved away until just last year. I do like stronger heroines in any read, that's just me.
And how could they do anything without involving the Somersetters? They couldn't!! So it's go big for team Miles and Lucy, with fur-babies and babies. A clean well-written journey with ups and downs all during the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and an epic epilogue at New Year's. A Happy Sigh Ending for me!! I'm ready for more from this lovely small town series, and I wonder who cupid will point his arrow at next? There's several possibilities. I'll just have to wait and see who shows up next in Reva's Blog.
I received an A R C from Forever Publishers through Netgalley. I am giving my own thoughts and opinions voluntarily. Recommended reading (by me) sure to put you in the holiday spirit; I really think I want pink lights and penguins in my yard too

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. The Christmas Village is available October 12, 2021.

This second chance romance is the second in the Somerset Lake series. It follows Lucy, a midwife, as she's dealing with the grief of losing her mother a year before. With mounting debts from her mother's passing and the renovations her mother did on her house she decides to take a tenant in her garage apartment. Miles, a local sheriff's deputy, is in need of a new place to live. He just learned his landlord needs his house back immediately leaving Miles with the possibility of living on his mother's couch while he house hunts. When he hears about Lucy's tenant situation he decides to ask her about it but he's also weary because he broke her heart in high school. With a new debt on her mother's house brought to her attention, Lucy agrees to let Miles take the apartment. She has set her own rules to make sure Miles doesn't hurt her again.

This book was delightful. Honestly I'm not one for a lot of Christmas novels. It isn't my favorite time of year and always has this big Hallmark stamp on it. Speaking of Hallmark this would make a great movie. The journey that Lucy and Miles take on their newly blossoming romance is cute and endearing. Both of the characters are so charming that you can't help but to cheer them on. I loved seeing what the end result was for their Christmas house decorations. I need a Hallmark movie just to see that.

I haven't read the first book in the series, The Summer Cottage, but I will soon be remedying that situation. It's very easy to read this book without reading the first one. Obviously there will be minor spoilers for The Summer Cottage but it is a romance series so its expected.

A Christmas Village is the second stand alone in the Somerset Lake series by Annie Raines . A second chance romance between a town cop and a midwife.

Lucy and Milo have a lot of history. They were each other's first loves but they have a broken engagement between them and a lot of words left unsaid. They have a tentative relationship between them now, not quite friends. When Milo needs a place to stay and Lucy needs to rent out her garage apartment for income, they are forced into each other's orbit. With feelings remaining on both sides they need to face their past but will Lucy be able to fully forgive him for breaking her young heart.

There wasn't anything wrong with this book it was a charming low angst, Christmas romance with practically no steam. Personally, second chance romances aren't my favorite, and they have to be perfect for me to love it. The small town setting was enjoyable and as were all the festive activities done in the book. I guess I just didn't find anything memorable about our main characters. I do look forward to other books in the series though.

The Christmas Village by Annie Rains is the second book in the contemporary romance Somerset Lake series. As with a lot of romance series the main characters have changed with the common theme among the series being the setting of the stories, Somerset Lake, North Carolina. With a different couple in the stories the books can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so.

It’s been almost a year since Lucy Hannigan returned to her hometown of Somerset Lake and unfortunately she had to do it under horrible circumstances. Lucy’s mother had become ill and passed rather quickly and while Lucy struggled with her grief she also found herself struggling with the bills her mother had left behind. Lucy’s plan of taking on a tenant to help hadn’t gone well so far with no interest.

One night Lucy thinks there is an intruder so she calls the police for help. Of course the one person to be sent to Lucy’s rescue just had to be her ex, Miles Bruno. Miles couldn’t help but notice the for rent sign and when he finds himself in need of a new home he asks Lucy to allow him to be her tenant. Lucy struggles with the decision but when yet another bill comes in she reluctantly agrees with a set of rules.

I absolutely adored the first book of the Somerset Lake series so I was excited to dive right into The Christmas Village. With a second chance romance rating really high in my favorite romance tropes list it wasn’t surprising that I enjoyed getting to know Lucy and Miles. The one thing that held me back from being overly thrilled with this one though was the idea of Lucy still getting bills almost a year later, it really didn’t add up to me. The idea of holding off collecting to be ‘nice’ flew out the window when they show up right at the holidays and a part of me thinks how is she to know who actually would be owed money in the day and age of con artists everywhere. Anyway, the town is lovely, the characters lovely and the Christmas activities were nice I just had that one niggle that held this one back from the five stars of the first.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I adore Annie Rains. Her books always come to me at just the right time when I need a story with some depth, but also that cruises along smoothly like a Hallmark movie. Her Christmas stories are just so good and this one might be the best yet. The atmosphere in the Christmas Village was so well written that I could see the decorations and town in my mind more than ever. I think that MIles and Lucy's second chance story was very well done and that it was easy to root for them as their struggles were more external than internal. They loved. They just had to fight their own stuff first.

Thank you, Annie and Forever, for sharing these books with me.

Annie Rains continues with the second story in her Somerset Lake series. Another wholesome romance this one focuses on a second chance for Lucy Hannigan and Miles Bruno. They were high school sweethearts, who were briefly engaged when there was a false pregnancy scare. It's ten years later and Lucy is struggling getting through her first Christmas after losing her beloved mother. She has also been tackling debt her mother accrued relating to work done on her Victorian house. Miles is a deputy sheriff and moves temporarily into the garage apartment Lucy rents out.

Lucy clearly has never gotten over Miles or understood why he broke up with her. Miles is more hung up on not being like his dad who walked out on his family when he was a young boy. I didn't really get their chemistry at all. They fall back into dating fairly early in the book so you know there are going to be some slight hick-ups. There is a side story about Christmas vandalism and I wasn't overly fond of the resolution for that. This is very readable, especially if you enjoy clean romances. But I enjoyed the first book in the series more. I will look for the next in the series. Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly struggled with this book. It was okay, but I wasn't in love with any of the characters. It took me over a week to even finish the book when I'd normally finish this in 2-3 days. I just wasn't feeling the romance or Miles/Lucy. The town is finally growing on me though, so that's a plus. Maybe I'm just too spoiled by the author's Sweetwater Springs series, which this series is a spinoff of (we even have a crossover character introduced briefly at the end of this one).

Lucy and Miles were high school sweethearts and even engaged when they were 18. But Miles ended things and they've been apart ever since. They say they're friends, yet Lucy has only been back in town for a year and they don't exactly spend a lot of time together to be considered more than acquaintances in my opinion. So when Miles finds himself needing a place to live ASAP, he asks Lucy to rent her garage apartment. (Side note: the whole 'I have to get out by this weekend because the owner wants to live in the house' wasn't realistic. In NC, where this takes place, you legally have at least a week if you're month-to-month with no lease. So at the very least, the owner had to give him a week, not 2 days, but I digress. Maybe I picked up on that error in detail since I live in NC and know our real estate laws).

Lucy has all these rules about what she won't do because she doesn't want to get close to Miles again after he broke her heart. Of course, she breaks all those rules within a few days of him moving into the apartment. Then they decide to date and fall in love. It all happened too quickly to be believable. I expected more romancing outside of them decorating the yard for a Christmas lights contest. I didn't feel as though we really got to see them fall in love, we're just told they are without the actions behind it.

Then there's the big blowup in the end that Lucy instigates and at that point, I'd had enough of her. I really liked Miles. He was a genuinely good guy and at least he realized his mistakes in the breakup all those years ago. But Lucy just kept hanging on to the past way too hard and it was annoying. She was a nice young lady and I loved how kind and generous she was to her patients. I just wasn't a fan of her at that moment.

There's a secondary plot about the Scrooge who is stealing Christmas cheer and causing property damage in the town. Of course, that's also wrapped up with a bow way too quickly at the end to give me that satisfied feeling of a crime being solved and consequences given.

I am looking forward to future books though. The other characters are finally starting to grow on me and I'd love to see how things pan out for them.

Welcome back to Somerset Lake! Or, if this is your first visit, no problem, you’ll soon learn enough about this town and it’s residents to not feel lost.

This is Lucy and Miles’ story. They were high school sweethearts, from opposite sides of the economic spectrum, but they were in love none the less. Circumstances created a rift and Lucy’s mother helped it along. Now, many years later they are both living in Somerset Lake again. Lucy’s Mom passed away, leaving her with a huge pink house on Christmas Lane, a mountain of debt and her grief. Miles needs a place to live, Lucy needs money so he moves in to the garage apartment.

This was a nice second chance romance set at Christmas. I like that there are several female characters who are all strong and self-sufficient, whether in a relationship or single. The small town gossip is a charming addition but in a real town would likely get on people’s nerves fast. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, not sure if it will be Tessa’s or Moira’s story though.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is a sweet second chance romance set in a delightful small town---at Christmas! Lucy has struggled since the death of her mother a year ago and just as she was emerging, she's hit with bill for the HOA fees for her mom's house. Miles, who broke their engagement and her heart, years ago, finds himself in need of a new apartment. They find a way to get over their differences- Lucy rents the garage apartment to Miles and they start to talk. And there's Bella the bulldog to help them along. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. There aren't really any surprises here but it's got good storytelling and a happy ending.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

New to me author and I really enjoyed her style and sweet yet engaging story line.p

Whenever I pick up a book by this author, I know it will be a jewel and this one proved that point.
The story centers around Lucy Hannigan and MIles Bruno. These two were sweethearts and engaged at a young age, but circumstances broke them apart. Neither has really found someone special.
Nowadays Lucy is a midwife, living in her childhood home, and trying to pay all the debts her mother incurred prior to her death. She has no desire to celebrate the holidays but needs a tenant to help with the expenses.
Miles has never forgotten Lucy. Needing a place to live, he approaches Lucy, hoping to rent her apartment. Will the spirit of Christmas and a contest bring them together? Or will past hurts never be healed?
Another wonderful story in this series.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Forever.

The Christmas Village
Annie Rains
October 12, 2021


Lucy Hannigan came home to care for her mother a year ago. She put her midwife practice on hold and moved home. Her mom made it through Christmas but not much longer. It had been such a year, moving her business to Somerset Lake, North Carolina. She moved back to the pink house near the lake. It was far too big for her. She discovered the many purchases her mom had made before the illness took hold. She was also remodeling the homestead, spending more than necessary. Unfortunately now that she was gone there were no answers as to why. Now she had spent most of her inheritance paying off the bills incurred. Her business was taking off but it seemed like all of her surplus funds went to paying the balance of this bill or another.
Miles Brunno, Lucy´s ex-fiance from high school years is now the deputy in the sheriffs department. On one of the dark, rainy night Lucy woke up hearing the sounds of scratching and pounding on her back door. Frightened, she called 911. The operator was her best friend, Moira. After hearing Lucy´s terrified voice she immediately sent a deputy out to her address. You guessed it… upon opening her door there stood Miles. Surprise and silence on both their parts. This began the start of the pair's sweet, yet troubled relationship.
The Christmas Village is another blissful story from Annie Rains in her Somerset Lake series. It is a delightful read that parallels her other romantic series set in the same North Carolina area. The Christmas Village will be published by Hachette Book Group on October 21, 2021. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review Annie Rain's latest novel via NetGalley. It was a pleasure to read and I am certain her followers are awaiting its debut. If you are new to Rain's stories, this is an excellent start. Do enjoy!

Lucy is struggling with paying the bills after her mother's death, and Mile's needs a place to live. Lucy has the apartment over the garage and Mile's asks if he can rent it. They were once engaged when they were 18 and Mile's broke her heart, so she said no, but with her needing the money, she finally said yes.
She set up ground rules, but the heart does what the heart wants, so things get interesting. As it gets closer to Christmas, she is also struggling with the first Christmas without her Mom, and all Mile's wants is to see her smile. Miles is a deputy and there is someone writing graffiti on houses, and doing things to spoil Christmas for others. Mile's is on the case and solve the case.
This isn't a magical Christmas story, it is a story that shows the work that goes into relationships, creating the Christmas spirit in the town, and the bumps and bruises along the way. It will keep you reading, keep you hoping for certain outcomes, and it will bring you to decisions made.
I received an ARC Forever, (Grand Central Publishing).

The Christmas Village will get you into the Christmas spirit. The characters will warm your heart. They bond over friendship and love for friends and community. Enjoy the season

The Christmas Village by Annie Rains is her second story in her Somerset Lake series. Great book! I really enjoyed this second chance romance story. So sweet and fun and very enjoyable.

Very good story! I enjoyed this author writing style. I thought that was a very sweet Christmas tale. I would recommend!