In Christmas at the Ranch, Samantha Morgan, a lovelorn author whose book sales are sagging, is commanded to spend about a week from Christmas to New Year’s at her publisher’s luxurious ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I adore ski towns in the Rockies, and Ms. Hughes portrays the majestic vistas of a Jackson Hole winter, a variety of outdoor activities to be sampled, as well as the quirky and fun character of the town and its local inhabitants. Also, I enjoyed reading about the zany adventures of Samantha’s parents as they zipped around Europe and the publisher’s son’s passion for children in a remote Thai village. Rather than the story evoking merry and cozy holiday vibes, or even sympathy for Samantha, however, I found quite irksome and distracting the extremity of her neuroses, her over-the-top obsession with her dog, and the entirety of her imaginings of future plot points and outfits for Sloane Parker, the heroine of Samantha’s novels. Moreover, none of the romantic love stories felt credible to me; nor did various character’s rationales for their actions ring true. Additionally of note - While the tale is filled with wintry scenes, Christmas is not its focus and the title is thus somewhat misleading. I have read and enjoyed several of Anita Hughes’ other Christmas themed novels, including 2021’s visit to NYC’s Plaza Hotel. Two and a half stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this romantic story.

I received an ARC, of Christmas at the Ranch, by Anita Hughes. Samantha like me is not a fan of winter, I am sick of all the snow and ice, and freezing temperatures. Samantha is a lovely character, and I liked her story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This was my first time reading from this author and unfortunately it did not work for me. Good writing is a very big deal to me in any book, especially romance books, and unfortunately, I did not vibe with it while reading this book. However, I really enjoyed the small-town setting of this book and the holiday magic this book brought! In addition, I thought there was some pretty good growth between the main character and the love interest as well as a few of the supporting characters.

Thank you for this ARC! I will read all of Anita Hughes' books for the Christmas vibe. I love all the details she gives on the various locations her books take place, the descriptions of all the delicious food and the festive holiday celebrations. This gives me all the happy feelings and I will continue to read all her books and live the ideal holiday and the perfect settings through her. The character development, especially the female characters, could use some work. They are all way too "damsel in distress" for me, but if you can take that with a grain of salt, these are the best books to put you in the holiday spirit!

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically. The protagonist does not want to travel. She is deceived...She travels...this is a quick, fun read with quirky characters...Cozy up with a warm afghan, a steaming cup of tea, and perhaps a muffin or a delicious scone...transport yourself into the lives of these people in this story...fun...

Lovely story of branching out and how trauma can really impact our entire lives. I enjoyed the setting, the characters, and how the story developed!

I thought this was lovely read by Anita Hughes.
Anita ability to describe Jackson Hole, Wyoming will leave you feeling like you are there with these characters.
The characters are interesting and the storyline is cute, but predictable.
It is an easy and enjoyable quick romance read.
Nothing deep, heavy, introspective stuff here, but just a great weekend read.
This is my first Anita Hughes novel but it won't be my last.
I adore a good romance story and I've seen she has a few out I can't wait to read already.

St. Martin's Griffin,
Thank you so much for this eARC!
I will post to my platforms and blog close to pub date

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a nice read. Drew and Samantha meet on a plane and Samantha is afraid to fly along with a mountain of other things. Drew calms her nerves and she completely opens up to him. (Maybe a little too much)

When she meets Drew again she is shocked however now they have created a bond and that bond grows. Drew though has a fiancé which causes more issues for them.

Drew also has his father to deal with and his father doesn’t know he truly does not want to be in the same business with him as he has a passion for other things.

Samantha also finds a book with a secret and a secret that could ruin her and Drew’s bond.

Good read!3.5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Samantha Morgan is the writer of the action Sloane Parker series. She is also a shy homebody who rarely leaves her New York apartment in spite of her social media that shows her enjoying adventures all over the world. Her editor tricks her into attending a Christmas getaway and her publisher’s ranch in Wyoming. On the flight to Jacksonhole, Samantha pours out her secrets to her seatmate Drew. She soon discovers Drew is actually her publisher’s son and now he holds her fate in his hands.

Although the book contains a few of my least liked tropes typically found in romance books, the twist was surprising.

While this is touted as a Christmas book, the holiday itself is not the main focus. I did enjoy the charm of the small town setting. The characters are developed enough to be relatable. I appreciate that the author shows not only growth in the main characters, Samantha and Drew, but also many of the background characters.

Christmas at the Ranch by Anita Hughes centres around Samantha Morgan, a New Yorker who is afraid of almost everything, who is the writer of a series of books about Sloane Parker, a heroine who could be described as Samantha’s polar opposite. Samantha is invited to her publishers home for a week long Christmas party and Samantha reluctantly agrees being finding out that the party is not in Connecticut but Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Samantha strikes up a conversation with the stranger next to her on the plane, in an effort to distract her from the flight and she ends up confiding in him about her fears. The stranger turns out to be the son of her publisher, the publisher who believes Samantha is a lot like her character, Sloane Parker.

Samantha spends the week reluctantly partaking in activities which terrify her, including riding a mechanical bull, snowmobiling and helping rescue horses from a fire and finds out just how brave she actually is. A sweet winter read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Very cute ! I loved this book and especially loved the setting. The main characters were likable and I found myself wanting to read more after the story was finished. This is the perfect book to read around Christmas.