Small town Christmas romances are my favorite! Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas is a book version of Hallmark movies.

Nola Bennett has just inherited her grandmother's historic estate along the lake where she grew up. She dreams of opening her own consulting business and feels that by selling the house she'll be able to launch her business. She comes home at Christmas to go through her grandmother's things and ends up spending more time than she anticipated with her best friend's brother. Will he be able to convince Nola to stay in Heart Lake?

I read this on an evening and liked the characters and it had the right amount of Christmas cheer. It was perfect to curl up with with a cup of hot chocolate by the Christmas tree.

Thanks to Forever for a copy of Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas..

When sparks start flying, these total opposites discover Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.
Calling all small town romance fans! Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas is the start of a new series, and oh so good! This book was sweet and tender, with a little bit of steam. I enjoyed the romance between Nola and Tanner, and I absolutely loved the town of Heart Lake. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

To raise enough money to start her own business, Nola Bennett needs to sell “The Castle,” her beloved grandmother’s historic house and get back home to the city. But Heart Lake’s most eligible bachelor is insisting she hang on to the property. He may be one of the hottest, grumpiest men she’s ever seen, but Nola has no time to pine over her high school crush.

All woodworker Tanner Dean wants for Christmas is some peace and quiet, but that’s not going to happen with infuriating, irresistible Nola Bennett back in town. How can he persuade her to keep The Castle out of the hands of greedy developers when sizzling attraction flares every time they’re together? And the more time he spends with Nola, the harder it becomes to picture a future without her—unless he can convince her, once and for all, that Heart Lake is exactly where she belongs.

Includes the bonus novella The Christmas Wish by Melinda Curtis!

I have been on a real big kick in reading Christmas romances this year and this book was a perfect addition. A heart warming, feel good romance that is perfect for this time of the year or really any time of the year when you need a little warmth in heart!

Are you looking for a Hallmark Christmas Movie in a book form? Sarah Robinson’s Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas will give you all the Christmas feels.
Nola Bennett heads back from the city to her small home town to prep her late Grandmother’s house ‘The Castle’ for sale. Once she sells the house, she will be able to start her own business and have the life she always wanted.
Tanner Dean wants a quiet Christmas and wasn’t expecting Nola Bennett (his high school crush, and Sister’s best friend) to come back into town. She infuriates him because she is going to sell her historical property to a developer.
When sparks fly between the two during a huge snowstorm, it has them both questioning what truly will make them happy in life and could it be each other?
This is the perfect cozy, Christmas read for anyone who loves a bit of enemies to lovers, second chance small town romance. There are also really fun support characters that add fun and laughs to this small town.
Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an ARC of this Holiday Romance.

Nola is only around town for a short while to pack her grandmothers historic house to help raise money to start a business. Tanner is a local who isn't happy with all the changes that are happening around town and defiantly not happy when he finds out Nola is considering selling her grandmothers charming historic house for it to be flattened by the next owners. As they hunker down as a blizzard comes through and spend time around friends and family both seem to find attraction with one another but its only a matter of time before she leaves.

I mean this story has been told before many times over and yet I still can't help but find enjoyment with it. I loved how the author made it unique in its town way. I enjoyed getting to konw the character and seeing the bit of conflict with what Nola was dealing with needed to sell her grandmothers place to get the money she needs but also dealing with the fact she would have to leave her god children, friend and Tanner behind when she goes back to her normal life. I enjoyed seeing how the small down charm slowly but surely got to her. I enjoyed seeing the romance between the two. Overall this was a pretty good book perfect for this time. Highly Recommend.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

An adorable cute story that was hard to put down. Absolutely loved reading it.

Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas is a perfect romance novel for a cold winter night. Tanner is the perfect guy although stubbornly only about small towns and Nola is the girl looking to go back to her big city life , it’s a perfect Hallmark movie premise. I loved the characters and their chemistry, their family and friends and the feel of the town. I look forward to reading more in the series.

To start this out I really love the cover of this book. We have great writing, good character development. I loved it, i will say that it did get a bit slow at some parts but it wasn’t that hard to get through. This was a great read for this cozy weather that is coming up soon depending where you are. It’s a fun story.

This was so festive and fun! A little bit too surface for my liking, I needed more depth in order to find the romance relatable. The town and it's people were so charming and I found they really elevated the book for me. This was full of Christmas spirit and featured interesting characters.

DREAMING OF A HEART LAKE CHRISTMAS
BY: SARAH ROBINSON

About 3.75 Stars!

I was in the mood for something light, and a real Christmas story. Instead I feel like I got a romance heavily themed novel that only had a few Christmas scenes. When I got to the end of the novel I discovered that this Author is well educated, but a romance writer. I wish that I had known that beforehand. Maybe it's my fault for not reading the synopsis carefully enough. So I can't be unfair to the Author and rate it lower, because this kind of romance centered story is too focused on romance, and is just not for me. The novel was well written and it did have a theme that I appreciated which is finding value in tradition and quaint and charming settings which is Heart Lake, Michigan.

Nola's grandmother has died and left her a huge home with a lake view which she refers to as the castle. Nola is back for what she plans to be back in her home town for a brief time to get her grandmother's home ready to sell so she can use the proceeds to start her own business. I enjoyed the eggnog contest with nutmeg, also eggnog ice cream sounded tasty. Her best friend Rosie has two fraternal twins which are a girl named Becca and a boy named Zander that Nola is crazy about and babysits often. Rosie's brother Tanner has been groomed to take over the family business.

To say much more would spoil it. A heartwarming story which can be read in one sitting. I thought the Title and cover would deliver me more of a Christmas story, but this was okay. I am trying one more and hopefully it will focus more on Christmas scenes in the novel. When this did focus on the holidays I enjoyed it.

Publication Date: 09/27/2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Sarah Robinson and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#DreamingofaHeartLakeChristmas #SarahRobinson #ForeverGrandCentralPublishing #NetGalley

Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas is the first book in the new Heart Lake series by author Sarah Robinson. Sarah is new to me and I’m so glad I chose to read this book. I love Christmas Romance books and this one was great. Sarah has created a small-town romance set in Heart Lake, Michigan with a cozy Hallmark vibe.

This cute holiday romance centers around Nola Bennett. Nola returns to Heart Lake to sell The Castle, her grandmother’s home so she can raise money to start her own business. Nola runs into her old crush Tanner Dean, woodworker, who also runs his family construction company. Tanner makes no secret he doesn’t want Nola to sell the home . There’s also her ex smarmy high school boyfriend who’s a developer and wants to tear the house down and build condos. Can Tanner Dean convince Nola not to sell and stay in Heart Lake where she belongs.

This was a perfect frenemies story with a happily ever after and a bit of spice . Throw in some great side characters, snowman building , hot chocolate and plenty of festive cheer and you have the perfect holiday read. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series scheduled to be released in the summer of 2023.

A special thank to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC I received. All reviews are my honest opinion. My review will be posted to Amazon and Goodreads on 10/31/22.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The plot of this book is very similar to the plot frequently used in Hallmark Christmas movies, so if you're a fan of those kind of movies, you will love this book. I found the book quite enjoyable!

Sarah Robinson has created a charming, small-town romance that unrolled across my mind like one of my favorite Hallmark holiday movies. And it's set in the state where I grew up: Michigan! Romances set in Michigan are not exactly plentiful on the ground but it's a wonderful location for journeys to love, especially in winter when the snow, the frozen lakes, the outdoor activities, and small-town traditions are on full display. For me, it was like a walk down memory lane.

Robinson populated the story with interesting characters, conflicting issues, and two of my favorite tropes: frenemies to lovers and best friend's brother. Nola and Tanner are on opposite sides of some pretty important issues in their lives with the sale of Nola's grandmother's house being at the center of their disagreements. Big city girl (Nola) comes home to sell grandmother's historic home to a developer who plans to turn it into condos for city vacationers. Local boy (Tanner) fears it will ruin the heart of his small town forever. Best girlfriends support Nola while also harboring the same fear. Will Nola remember why she loved Heart Lake so much? Will she realize her dream isn't so much about proving herself in the big city as it is finding happiness, career satisfaction, and love within herself? Will Tanner figure out that not all change is bad and that compromise can be a good thing? Will being snowed in together force both of them to confront the feelings they've hidden since they were teens? Find the answers to these burning questions and more in Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas.

I enjoyed my visit to Sarah Robinson's Heart Lake and am looking forward to returning for more stories in this new series. If you enjoy feel-good, small-town romances with humor, heart, mild conflict, character growth, an intriguing secondary cast, and heart-tugging happy endings, give Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas a try. Robinson's next Heart Lake book is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2023. I'm eager to discover which character will be taking the lead and what the author has in store for them.

ARC received for fair and unbiased review

This is a good book. The two main characters are Magnolia and Tanner. They have known each other all their lives. Magnolia has come back home because her grandmother had recently passed away and left her house to Magnolia. She had come home to clean it up to sale. There is still an attraction between Magnolia and Tanner. They each have difficult decisions about their future, but they finally make them. But the most important one is Magnolia and Tanner fall in love.

Ahhh it's almost cute holiday romance novel time, and I read my first one early this year, which was super exciting! Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas!
Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
When sparks start flying, these total opposites discover Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.
To raise enough money to start her own business, Nola Bennett needs to sell “The Castle,” her beloved grandmother’s historic house, and get back home to the city. But Heart Lake’s most eligible bachelor is insisting she hang on to the property. He may be one of the hottest, grumpiest men she’s ever seen, but Nola has no time to pine over her high school crush.
All woodworker Tanner Dean wants for Christmas is some peace and quiet, but that’s not going to happen with infuriating, irresistible Nola Bennett back in town. How can he persuade her to keep The Castle out of the hands of greedy developers when sizzling attraction flares every time they’re together? And the more time he spends with Nola, the harder it becomes to picture a future without her—unless he can convince her, once and for all, that Heart Lake is exactly where she belongs.
Awww Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas was such a cute holiday romance! I really liked Nola and Tanner as main characters and Heart Lake was such a cute and charming small town! The world that was built in this book is one that I'm so excited to come back to since I loved so many of the characters. Nola and Tanner had such great chemistry. And the whole best friend's brother trope is always a fun one- especially with them getting stuck in a snowstorm! Overall, there were so many fun, cute moments, with great pacing and I highly suggest picking it up for a fun holiday read!

Nola Bennett has inherited her grandmothers castle and wants to sell to open her on company. Tanner Dean doesn't want her to sell the home. A developer wants to tear the home down and build condos on the lake. Nola is in town to clean out the home and Tanner's her BFF brother.
Can Nola bridge the gap between them, and she learn to love the castle as a home?

This is the best gentle read/christmas book to come around in a very long time. I was thoroughly impressed with the writing style as well as the character development.

Really enjoyed this highly entertaining and heartwarming holiday journey. Fun and emotional journey filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists, memorable moments and exciting turns.

I am here for holiday romances and this one was like a cozy blanket. Nola returns to her hometown to prepare "The Castle", her grandmother's estate for sale. While home some chance encounters occur with Tanner who has made it his mission to remind Nola about the charm of Heart Lake. Will he be successful in doing so? You will have to read the book to find out but this book does not lack in wit and charm between the two! Heart Lake was the perfect setting for this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This book is a Hallmark Christmas movie but in word format. And with more sex in it because I think we all know how chaste those Hallmark movies can be. :)
This book was light-hearted and fun to read. It hit some of my fave tropes: grumpy/sunshine, best friend's older brother, city girl returns to her small hometown, forced proximity, etc.

Magnolia, aka, Nola, inherited her beloved grandmother's house, nicknamed "the Castle" and returns home for Christmas to clean-out the place as she intends to sell it to raise money to start her own consulting firm. She clashes with Tanner, her best friend's older brother who never left their hometown of Heart Lake and thinks Nola is betraying her family and town by selling the house to a developer who wants to raze it and put up condos. Of course, because it's Christmas, Nola gets hit with waves of nostalgia, reminders of the joy of living in a small town, and the fun of being with her best friends and honourary niece and nephew, forcing her to rethink her plans, all while getting to know Tanner better.

What I liked: see first sentence of this review. I'm a sucker for the Hallmark Christmas movies and I could easily see this one being made into a movie. I felt that Nola was a relatable character. She didn't have all the answers, she was confident but wasn't cocky/arrogant, she acknowledged when she got something wrong. Tanner was also a good character - very devoted to his family, friends, and hometown. I felt that even when he was frustrated with Nola and her plan to sell, he didn't try to force her and bully her into doing something she didn't want to do.

Things that surprised me: how quickly things accelerated between Nola and Tanner. It was 0 to 100km/h in a single page! That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I would have liked more build up.

While reading it, it felt like the book was a set-up for a series with Nola's best friends, Amanda and Rosie. This theory proved to be correct when, at the end, there is a note that the next book in the series will be released in summer 2023. I will definitely add it to the TBR to find out what else happens in Heart Lake.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.