I absolutely loved this book! Thank you Hallmark publishing for the free copy! This was like reading a hallmark Christmas movie. I was so happy reading it. We got our typical grumpy Christmas hating character, our Christmas loving character and a whole load of Christmas cheer. I know it’s all similar in some ways but isn’t that why we love this!? I had to read it in one day it was so good!

On Christmas Avenue: A Christmas Romance from Hallmark Publishing by Ginny Baird
Narrated by
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Publication Date: September 21, 2021
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Romance

On Christmas Avenue: A Christmas Romance from Hallmark Publishing by Ginny Baird is a standalone, small town Christmas romance and I loved it!

I don't even know where to start...there was so much to love about this book! The characters were wonderful and so relatable! I felt so connected with them that I was feeling their emotions! I loved the story, it was so sweet and heartwarming.

I highly recommend this book! I know I will be re-reading it this Christmas and will be picking up a copy for gifts this year!

I'm so grateful to Ginny Baird, Hallmark Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

For those of us that enjoy reading just as much as watching Hallmark movies, this one is a winner. A quick romance with all the usual, such as children, past history issues, family, and small town with the fun addition of a parade.

#BookReview: On Christmas Avenue by Ginny Baird 3,5 stars

The book definitely has a Hallmark Christmas movie vibe. Everything happened within two weeks just before Christmas day. Mary is a Christmas Consultant and aims to save Clark Creek. I am glad Evan didn't stay a brooding male character because he has charms and just wants to ensure Clark Creek's future. Mary and Evan have some chemistry but everything happened in just two weeks. They are both so busy all the time. I do like them going to the barn and riding the horses. I also like the slogan. Christmas is Clark Creek. Everyone in town are all lovely people. All that snow makes me think of the town like inside of a snow globe. It was a fun Christmas story and a clean romance.

Thank you for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

On Christmas Avenue is a sweet, fun, entertaining story about a fundraising consultant, Mary, who proposes to hold a Christmas Parade to raise money for the cash-strapped town of Clear Creek. Evan, the town's sheriff, is told he is the liaison for the project, which he adamantly opposes and sees as a complete waste of what little money the town has left. What follows is an excellent story of problems and some miracle-like solutions that keep the parade project on track with a bit of romance thrown in! I enjoyed this Christmas romance by Ginny Baird and would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy for review.

On Christmas Avenue will warm your heart as a small town bands together with a consultant to save it's town. As things get heated up there are problems and there is love blooming. You'll enjoy how this all works out.

This was everything I love in a Christmas book! A small town (Clark Creek), a city girl who has all the Christmas spirit you need (Mary) and the town sherriff who was grumpy and Mr. Bah Humbug (Evan). I loved how this one woman can turn this man who just wasn't in the Christmas spirit into Santa Claus (literally) loved this! Definitely pick this up the holiday season!

On Christmas Avenue is a fun holiday tale by author Ginny Baird. Mary Ward has been sent from her company, Davenport Development Associates, to the small Virginia town of Clark Creek to help them pull back from the brink of bankruptcy. Mary has been told that if she can pull this off there will be a promotion and move to Seattle in her future,

Mary is used to living out of a suitcase, may even prefer it. She grew up with her single mother, a corporate chef, and found them spending a few months at most in some of the country’s most high placed hotels before moving on to the next. Mary’s career has led her on a similar path so it feels quite familiar. Never having known roots, Mary has no idea how to take root in a new place herself.

It is Mary’s idea to hold a major Christmas parade with sponsors, float participants, and donations on a special website. The mayor, Connie Clark, and town council have signed on and are giving Mary full support. Now she just needs to bring the brawny sheriff, Evan Clark, on board.

Evan has been assigned to be Mary’s community liaison to carry out the parade plans and provide security for the event. He sees no sense in wasting money on this Christmas consultant when the town is so financially hurting and greets her with a somewhat negative demeanor. So now Mary feels the pressure in needing to do her job plus win over the large veteran, now sheriff.

As Mary’s plans come together and she is able to address each one of Evan’s issues, she slowly wins him over. However, things begin happening that are setbacks for Mary with the third one almost breaking Mary’s resolve. There goes her promotion and move if things fail, and it may just cost her her job. But, does Mary really want to move to the other side of the country?

This is a sweet and imaginative story with fun characters and a lovely holiday setting. I very much enjoyed this story and do recommend it!

On Christmas Avenue will make a perfect Hallmark Christmas movie. It hits all the requisite beats: perky lover of Christmas hired to save town with a parade, a hunky sheriff who has to help her with logistics, a town full of his relatives running all the businesses, a cute kiddo with a widowed father, horses dressed as reindeer, farmhands dressing as elves, ice skating, a tree lighting, a Nutcracker performance..... They might have to CUT some Christmas to fit into an 82 minutes movie.

However, instead of a stuffing recipe at the end of the book, I wanted to see Mary's presentations to the Town Council on how she will take their $10,000 and make $XXX,XXX with a Christmas Eve parade planned in 10 days. There is some bonkers noonoo accounting going on in Hallmarkland that neither Ernst nor Young could unravel.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

On Christmas Avenue is a classic, feel-good Hallmark story. The characters are cute and charming. The setting is idyllic. You'll want to be part of the town and the main family. If you need a heart warmer, look no further. I have no doubt this one will end up as a beloved Hallmark Movie.

Thank you the author, Hallmark Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

This was a cute holiday themed romance. It would make the perfect Hallmark movie if it isn’t already in the works.
Premise
Evan, the county sheriff, knows that businesses are struggling in the small town of Clark Creek. But unlike the mayor—who happens to be his mother—he doesn’t think that hiring a “Christmas Consultant,” whatever that is, will help. Especially when this Christmas Consultant proposes a holiday parade that seems likely to overwhelm his staff and leave the town in even more debt.
It so much fun watching Evan evolve and how he finds love and romance along the way. It almost has a bit of an it’s a wonderful life/Scrooge type theme to it and it’s really cute how it all ties up together in the end! Definitely if you like Hallmark movies or Christmas themed stories with a romantic flair to them you will love this book!

Mary is exactly the type of Christmas Consultant we all need! The fact that she can pack up at a moment’s notice and have extra supplies in her SUV just go to show her level of love and dedication to her profession. Her creativity is contagious, and I love how she turns Clark Creek upside down, including Evan, the county sheriff. Everything about this sweet holiday story touches all the right places to put you in the mood for spreading Christmas cheer. The story builds up two brothers with potential stories to come, so I surely hope to see more of this family in Clark Creek.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Ginny Baird brings us the story of Mary Ward who works for Davenport Development Associates specializing in fundraising initiatives. The company has been hired to help out the town of Clark Creek, Virginia. It is either get funds for everything or it all goes under. Her boss has also told her that if she is successful, Mary will most likely get promoted to program manager and move to Seattle. With that in mind, Mary hits the ground running sharing her ideas and enthusiasm to all the townspeople. Her one hold out is Evan Clark, Clark County Sheriff.

Will Mary be successful and sway Evan to her side and help rally the town? Will this success mean Mary gets to move to Seattle as program manager? Or will she find a reason to stay?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for this privilege.

This book in 3 words: Festive. Lighthearted. Quaint. 

On Christmas Avenue by Ginny Baird is what you'd expect from a contemporary, Hallmark romance: lightly predictable and ultimately charming. How can you not enjoy a book about a Christmas Consultant tasked with a Christmas Parade to financially save a small town?

The 2 main characters, Mary and Evan, are contrasts to one another in a way that helps further each of their development. Their interactions are wholesome and vivid. I thought the dialogue was spot on and actually reminded me of people I know. 

Was this book a little predictable? Yes. Did that change how it gave me the warm and fuzzy feeling of Christmas (in August)? No. Did I enjoy reading this book? Absolutely. If Clark Creek was a real city, would I be interested in visiting during the holidays? You bet. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet Christmas romance that was a heartwarming read. It's a light feel good read with all the markings of a Hallmark movie. It will put you in the Christmas spirit.
I received a complimentary copy from Hallmark Publishing via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Christmastime Romance…
Christmastime, a romance, a parade and a Christmas Consultant! A sweet, festive and lighthearted, albeit formulaic, romance from Hallmark. A delightful setting and a tale populated with a colourful cast of characters. Plenty of festive feels and escapism.

I’ll be honest here and say that previously, I’ve not been a fan of the Hallmark a Christmas world. I found it…chintzy? Corny? I don’t know if they’re the right words…they just never gelled with me, used to more sedate British Christmas stories than the jazzed up American ones, so I was a bit apprehensive about starting this book, not knowing what to expect.

For all its issues, the small town of Clark Creek seems like such a quaint place to live, especially when covered in snow and twinkly lights, and it becomes a character in its own right, and more than stands up against its charming inhabitants.

I found it reminded me very much of the 2020 film “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” - another over the top, festive, American extravaganza that I absolutely adored.

Overall this was a very sweet and warming, charming and cozy, funny and sad book. The Christmas parade - the buildup and the parade itself - was described so beautifully it was like I was there in person, along for the ride. I wish we had parades like that here as it seems simply magical. It even brought a tear to my eye in several places, and very rarely do I cry at books.

With a playlist of Christmas music on in the background, it’s the perfect book to while away a cold autumnal afternoon.

2.5 stars

Characters - Evan was a sweet but he was supposed to be hard headed, a loner, stubborn. That lasted all of 5% of the book. The characters talked about how tough Evan might be to deal with but it wasn't really shown. Mary I liked, she was fun and positive, I would have loved to have Mary as a friend who was so full of Christmas spirit. The rest of the town brought Main St alive and I felt like I was really standing there.

Plot - Extremely predictable. I know romances are often predictable but I knew what the issue would be with the T-shirts when they were ordered, I knew what Evan was up to when he called the jeweler, when they went horse back riding you knew they would end up on the same horse. It wasn't the predictable ending that was frustrating, it was that all the actions leading up to it were. And the ending, what on earth was that. Like yes they were going to get together but getting engaged after 10 days, really? I was going to give this 3 stars until last 2 chapters when they got engaged. It was crazy.

The book gave off a complete Hallmark vibes (makes sense given they published it). It was too predictable and the ending ruined this, I wouldn't tell people not to read it but I wouldn't recommend it as I believe there would be better Christmas romances out there.

Since this is a Hallmark book it is obvious that it could be the premise for a Hallmark movie too. Sweet Christmas romance-Hallmark style. It is a feel good, fluff romance. And since I read it in August I felt like it was getting me ready for Christmas early. Only when I finished did I remember it wasn't winter or the Christmas season. My only complaint is that I feels impossible for a town to pull together to do as huge an undertaking as this in such a short time. But I can overlook that and just enjoy the story for what it is.

No sex, language or violence
*I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

This is a heartwarming contemporary Christmas romance. There is something especially satisfying about Hallmark holiday romances, and this one was exactly the reading experience I was hoping for. If you are looking for a small town setting with low anguish and a backdrop of Christmas lights, falling snow, and a parade, this book is for you. Most enjoyable with a hot cocoa and if you want a happy ending.