#NoOrdinaryChristmas

“If I searched the whole world over, I’d never be able to find what this town and you have given me.”

The theme for this holiday season is second chance romance. Grab your hot cocoa, because this is a fun one.

Lucy. Lucy. Lucy. She’s literally the best. You want to know how I (me, Mellie Claus) loves Christmas? Or, why? Lucy can tell ya. She gets my Christmas cheer. “There was something about the white fluffy stuff that instantly took her back to the joys of childhood. Sledding. Tubing. Skating. Making a snowman in the backyard and drinking steaming mugs of hot cocoa.” Literally had me screaming “all of this” I kind of felt protective of Lucy because I adored her so much.

Mistletoe Maine is literally what my holiday dreams are made of. When I want to escape to a small town for Christmas, Belle Calhoune has written exactly what my brain is trying to explain to my husband. I want the shops, the people, the Christmas tree farm that includes hot cocoa, the works! It’s the perfect small town holiday destination and I loved Calhoune’s writing.

The only thing that didn’t work for me much was.. Dante. I felt like he was trying to make this grand gesture, but it was for his benefit? I just felt like he could have put a bit more into the little things instead of one big thing. Like I said, protective of Lucy and Stella too! I do think he redeemed himself in the end and it wrapped up absolutely idyllic and wonderful.

Overall, I really enjoyed No Ordinary Christmas. It’s my first Belle Calhoune, and will not be my last. I loved the town, the people, the relationships, all of it. Thank you so much Forever for the gifted copy. No Ordinary Christmas is out 9/29

This book was a wonderful read! I loved the setting, the characters, and the way the author brings it to life with her words. If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, you will love this book.
I received a complimentary copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a cute Christmas story and had all the makings of an amazing novel. I loved the idea behind the book and second chance love stories are always feel good reads. The town of Mistletoe is a quaint little town where high school sweethearts lives pull them apart and thankfully are brought back together for a second chance at love. I wish there was more character development and less telling of the obvious throughout the novel. Still I would recommend this book to a friend and I can see a Hallmark movie easily from the storyline.

I received a free arc from NetGalley. I have given an honest review and all opinions are my own

Eight and a half years ago, Dante West broke Lucy’s heart.
They’d been best friends as children and by the time they were sixteen they were dating. They’d been a huge part of each other’s lives until the day Dante left seemingly out of the blue.

Dante always planned to go to California and pursue his dream of becoming an actor but he promised to take Lucy with him. Instead, he left alone and left her a note saying he’d be in touch. It took months before he called her and by that point she was too furious to speak to him.

In the years that have passed, Dante became a huge celebrity. He’s an incredibly success action star.
Lucy has stayed in her beloved hometown of Mistletoe, where both of their families still live.

Dante comes back to Mistletoe to film a movie. But one of his biggest reasons for coming back is to mend fences. He wants a second chance with Lucy (as a friend at the very least) and he needs to apologize to his brother.

Lucy wants nothing to do with him at first. But he offers her a deal she can’t decline. She’s the head librarian and the library could really use some extra money. Dante offers a large amount of money to the library in order to let him film some scenes there.

Soon enough, Lucy and Dante are spending time together again. Will they get a second chance at love?

With a second chance romance, I think it’s important that the reason the couple broke up is something they’ll be able to move beyond. I did feel that was the case her but I honestly think they could have gotten back together years earlier if Dante had made an effort before so much time had passed.
So, while I think the reason for the breakup as forgivable I was more upset that these two let so darn much time pass. That’s the part I don’t understand. His family still lives in this town for goodness sakes, it would feel like he not only broke Lucy’s heart but then actively avoided her for almost a decade.
They’re likable characters but their pride got in their way a few times.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

Who doesn't love a second chance at love.? What better time to have it than at Christmas.

Mistletoe, Maine is the perfect setting for two people to get a second chance at love. I live in a small town in Maine so I am always looking for stories in my beautiful home state. Dante West a local leaving to strike it big in Hollywood returns to help his small town and struggling library. Lucy Marshall just happens to be the librarian and his ex friend who he broke her heart years ago. Such a sweet story that captures your heart. Does it have the same formula as all romance? Yes it does. But that is what you live for at the holidays. Charming town, past romance that didn't make it and heart felt longing that keeps the pages turning. Belle Calhoune a new author to me does just that in this delightful story that keeps you rooting for the couple who has some hurt feelings, but love that never really went away.
Do not miss this first in the Mistletoe, Maine series that is a charming, up lifting story you don't want to end. I can't wait to return to Mistletoe, Maine in the future.

#NoOrdinaryChristmas #NetGalley #Forever(GrandCentralPublishing)

It’s not another ordinary Christmas in Mistletoe, Maine this year when the small town’s native-turneed-Hollywood-superstar comes rolling back into town to film his latest movie. However, his ex-girlfriend Lucy isn’t so happy to see him as the rest of the town is as he left her high and dry the last time she saw him several years prior.

This was a sweet novel that just needed a bit of tweaking. There was a lot of repetition and stating the obvious that distracted me from what would have been a perfect Hallmark novel. However, if you are able to push through all that, you will find a town full of big hearted characters and I can see all the adorable potential stories that will be coming down the pipeline in the series.

I was glad there was not a lot of miscommunication between the protagonists (although, there is one big instance of this in the story), which aggravates me in typical romance novels. Dante and Lucy were a cute couple but I didn’t feel a big connection to them and I am unsure of why that is.

On the other hand, Lucy’s younger Tess won over my heart with her cuteness/nosey attitude and I hope that she makes an appearance in future books in the series.

Overall, I did enjoy the story but I felt that the repetition of thoughts took away from the charm of the book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review all opinions are my own.

No Ordinary Christmas is a fun, sweet, lighthearted Christmas romance. It’s low steam and by an author who’s previously written for Harlequin LoveInspired, so it definitely has the feel of a Hallmark movie. But I’m always excited when Black romance authors across the heat level spectrum come across my radar, so I was excited to give this a try.

I was particularly drawn to the fact that the heroine, Lucy, is a librarian. While you don’t get a ton of library stuff here, I did like that it served as sort of a factor for forced proximity between Lucy and Dante, due to them making an agreement that he can use the library as a location for his movie in exchange for a donation to the library.

And just as you expect going into a small-town oriented romance, the town of Mistletoe itself is a character. Given its name, I love the way the wintry setting was conveyed, so even someone who’s never seen snow like myself could become immersed in it. It’s also just cozy and sweet and everything you want from a little town you’re going to spend an extended (fictional) stay in.

I didn’t really connect that much to the characters. I did somewhat like Lucy, as in addition to the librarian thing, she has spunk, and her family relationships are great, particularly with her sisters. But I did struggle a bit more with Dante. He kind of just up and left to pursue his acting dreams, leaving not only Lucy, but his family too. While I tried to connect with him objectively, as on the surface, he didn’t really do anything wrong, I found it hard to really connect with him. The romance itself was especially hard to fully invest in without having full context for what they had before that he gave up on, and while it was nice to see them still have sparks, it’s hard to know if all their previous problems were satisfyingly addressed.

But perhaps that wasn’t the point of the book. Going that route might require more angst than the “Hallmark-esque” style would require, and I can appreciate this for what it is. And if that style of romance also appeals to you during the holiday season, you should definitely check this out.

The saying that you can never go home, is not what this book is about. Dante West is trying to buck the system. He left on bad terms and now he needs to mend the bridges that he burned. No better place to be than Mistletoe Maine. The movie that he wrote, produced and directed is the way back. Not only to his family but to the love of his life, Lucy Marshall. Now Lucy Marshall is the town librarian and the person who loves everything Christmas. She is still bitter after 8 1/2 years later. Does time heal all wounds? Who can tell. The one thing is that trust has been lost and that can't be swept away. In order to earn her trust, he needs to lay his soul bare. I just love the ending!. .

This book gave me all those awesome holiday romance vibes!! I love so much here from the second chance romance element to the big shot action star come back to his small town to reclaim his old life. There was a lot to unpack in this one and Belle Calhoune did an excellent job of pacing and giving the reader time to feel their way through the story. Lucy's character was the epitome of resilience. She was left behind by her high school sweetheart and moved on with her life with a vengeance and is now the running her hometown library. I had so much respect for her character and how put together she was. Dante on the other hand was the one who left. Ack. it was a painful ordeal to read and yet he came back of his own volition and I love him for that. Theirs was a love story meant for the screen and I was all about the grand gesture.

Definitely find a cozy spot with a warm cup of tea for this lovely small town holiday romance.

this was such a good book! ! i'm really glad i got to read this one early!! i loved reading about these characters and this author is definitely one i will check out again in the future, for sure!

Tis the season for Christmas books! I truly wish Mistletoe Maine was a real place because I would love to spend some time there. No Ordinary Christmas is a second chance romance between Lucy and Dante. When Dante left Mistletoe to chase his Hollywood dreams he shattered Lucy's heart. Now that he's back in town shooting a movie, will they reunite or fall even farther apart.

I really liked a lot of the aspects of this book but for me the story kind of fell flat. There is a lot of telling not showing which is one of my biggest pet peeves in books. It feels like almost 50% of this book is internal dialog which just did not work for me. Also a lot of the situations seemed solely to provide plot. At one point there is a plumbing emergency that could have been simply resolved by turning the water off. It is still a solid Christmas book though, and I will be reading more in this series.

Dante left his hometown in Mistletoe, Maine for Hollywood 8 years ago. In doing so he also left Lucy behind without so much as a goodbye. Now, he is a star and the Sexiest Man Alive and he's back to film a movie, using the Library as a filming location. Lucy just so happens to be the towns Head Librarian. Thrown together again, will they rekindle their old romance?

I LOVE a second chance romance and one set surrounding a library is even better! I also love a Christmas romance and it was just my luck that this one also had depth! Like I mean some solid depth, it wasn’t just a cheesy holiday romance. I connected to the characters and their struggles which made the romance all that more thrilling.

I would definitely recommend it to all my Christmas romance lovers!


Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Ah- a second chance romance at Christmas! Lucy was crushed and mystified when Dante, her first love, disappeared without a word to her. She went ahead to college and then came home to Mistletoe to run the town library. Turns out Dante was in Hollywood following his dream- and he was very successful. Now he's back in Mistletoe and making amends to those he hurt, including Lucy. This is a nice start to a new series which, I imagine, will feature some of the characters we met in this. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a nice light read that might be a bit trope-y but which is fun.

No Ordinary Christmas is about a small town in Mistletoe, Maine, where Dante West, who lived there as a child but left to become a Hollywood star, is coming back to shoot his latest movie. The girl he left behind, without even saying goodbye, Lucy Marshall, isn't going to have anything to do with him. She is the head librarian, and he asks to shoot part of the movie in the library, and will pay the library which is in need of money.
Dante has become a star, but even as a star, he grew up, and discovered the bridges he burned leaving town. He wants to shoot his movie in his hometown, so the people can see he has changed, and try and repair the bridges he burned. His brother and Lucy do not make it easy on him, their hurt runs deep, but as the movie is being shot, and the Christmas spirit has come to Mistletoe, the story will lead you on an adventure, through the town, the stores, the Christmas tree farm, and discover how to bridge the past with the present, and it really isn't an ordinary Christmas. It is their journey of moving forward in life, with the building of trust, admitting you made mistakes, and finding out if you can have that happier ever after.
I received an ARC from Forever Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley.

(ARC Review) This was a syrupy sweet Christmas romance in the vein of a Hallmark movie. The plot is straightforward, a Hollywood action star returns to his small hometown to film a movie and make amends with the girl here left behind. Lucy hasn’t forgiven Dante for leaving her all those years ago.

They had plans to leave town together, but Dante left her without word, seemingly never looking back. Can Lucy find it in her heart to forgive him?

I wanted to like this one but it had some problems. First is the repetitive nature of Lucy’s grudge against Dante. I get it, I wouldn’t forgive him either but it’s just repeated so often that she can’t trust him and he broke her heart that I just started skimming through the paragraphs. It also relies heavily on telling instead of showing so it often felt like reading a list instead of a description.

Finally Dante was not super likable to me, he blows into town after 9 years of ditching everyone and is shocked when Lucy and other people aren’t happy to see him. He does basically nothing to make amends.

I don’t know. I could see someone who really enjoys the simplicity and squeaky clean nature of Hallmark movies. I actually do enjoy them in general but this one just wasn’t for me. 2.5 stars.

A huge thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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This was a super cute read, that reminded me of the Hallmark Christmas movies that I know and love! There is a fair share of drama surrounding all of the characters, and a real question as to whether the happy ever after is coming and how. Lucy has never been able to really move on after Dante left town following high school, but her sister's are surely not going to let him break her heart again now that he is back for a few weeks. It did sadden me that Lucy gave up on all of her dreams when Dante left to stay in her hometown. She was such a strong Black character, and I wanted her to prove to the world that she doesn't need a man to define her success. Little sister, Tess, proves that even at the tender age of ten, the family is not one to be sidelined or held down. Can I have a book about her next please?
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If you are the type of reader that gets caught up in the little details then be forewarned that the ages don't make a ton of sense. Dante left Mistletoe right around high school graduation (roughly age 18, I would assume), and it is mentioned in almost every chapter that he has been gone for 8.5 years, yet he and Lucy are both currently 28 years old. Their best friend is noted as having been nearly 30 a few years prior, but they were all in the same class. Ultimately, does any of this matter? No, not really, but it did have me trying to puzzle out the math with my roommate with no easy solution. Read this for a cutesy Christmas tale, not for its attention to details that don't matter in the end.

Thank you so much for an ARC of No Ordinary Christmas in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a cute second chance romance. I love Christmas and was so happy with the the Christmas spirit through this novel!. The end miss communication was a bit frustrating because the main characters didn’t discuss it but another character explained it. I wish the characters could have shown their growth through a conversation together to clear up the misunderstanding . In the end I did appreciate the reflection on communication and forgiveness and was rooting for the characters!

A movie star Dante West returns to his childhood home of Mistletoe, Maine to film a romance film. While he's in town Dante hopes to rekindle connections with his family and his high school sweetheart, Lucy Marshall. Lucy isn't sure what to make of Dante when he arrives again in Mistletoe. The last time she saw Dante was when he left down leaving her heartbroken in the process. As Dante and Lucy begin spending more time together as his filming begins, they begin to rekindle long lost feelings. Little does Lucy know for Dante those feelings were never lost and he's regretted leaving her years ago.

As you can tell No Ordinary Christmas is a second chance romance set at Christmastime. I liked the idea of the novel but the execution fell short for me. I didn't feel like a lot happened throughout the novel. It's predictable but that wasn't the problem for me. I wanted a little more actions/unresolved feelings but everything was tied up pretty quickly leaving a lot of the story left to finish. No Ordinary Christmas is the first in a series set in Mistletoe, Maine and Belle Calhoune sets up who will be in the next book.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. No Ordinary Christmas will be available on September 28th.

I love a good second chance romance, and this one was set at Christmas time making it extra magical. Lucy is a sweet strong character who feels damaged by her high school ex-boyfriend leaving her behind 8.5 years ago. Dante is a famous Hollywood actor/director who has come home to try to repair the relationships he destroyed when he left town to follow his dreams. This was a sweet story, set in an idyllic town, with great supporting characters. I appreciated that this second chance romance addressed the issues from why they broke up the first time. I loved the supporting characters, and really hope this is the first in a series, and that more books are to come. A great holiday read. I received an ARC from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

No Ordinary Christmas offers a powerful premise: second-chance love between childhood sweethearts, one of whom has grown up to become famous, at Christmas. The story is set in Mistletoe, Maine, a small town right out of a Christmas card. The main characters are a quiet, sweet librarian (Lucy) and a handsome, famous actor home for the holiday (Dante), and the supporting cast is textured and interesting (in fact, many of the side characters could carry stories of their own, and since a second Mistletoe book is in the works, that might be the plan).

Unfortunately, the book doesn't deliver on its promise. The backstory - the main characters' first romance - is inconsistently described and inadequately fleshed out, and what we do know doesn't feel emotionally or logistically realistic. Without really understanding that first love - what drew the characters together, and what tore them apart - it's hard to be invested in its reprise.

Despite these shortcomings, the book sets up an interesting question. Can a small-town girl be happy in a relationship with a famous actor? Can they find a way to make their very different lives coexist, will one or both of them have to compromise, or will the relationship fail a second time? Unfortunately, addressing these issues is outside the scope of a romance that considers a declaration of love to be the happy ending and not just the beginning.