This book is a wonderful Christmas romance if not more women's fiction. It's a beautifully written story that holds your attention.. I really enjoyed the strong and interesting characters and storyline. Caroline goes on quite a journey finding herself and what she wants or deciding to settle with things as they are after the loss of her Mom. There is just enough mystery to keep you turning pages. This was a fun and entertaining read you will happily stay up too late turning pages to the end.

After the death of her mother, Caroline receives a little red envelope from her mother's lover asking him to meet her in Aspen on New Year's Eve. Caroline and her sister have no prior knowledge of their mom being in a relationship, so Caroline flies to Aspen to meet the letter writer himself. They are both surprised to meet each other and fill in some details from their pasts. I found this book to be just okay. There was a story within the story that didn't fully feel connected to the main storyline to me. However, you still get the Christmas/winter feels, the family story, and love!

This was a really cute one! With mystery letters and a dash of holiday spirit, Caroline is in for a romantic and mysterious adventure.

This is a charmingly unique story. There are romances, but there is nothing sweet about any of them. Many characters to dislike and wonder about the attraction. A bit of a mystery to be solved on New Year's Eve. Resolutions for all involved surprised me, but I guess love conquers all. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy. My review is voluntary.

3 Christmas in Colorado Stars

I totally picked this one for the setting! It was fun to read about the holiday traditions in Aspen.

The action centers around Caroline and her sister, Daphne. They are celebrating their first Christmas since they lost their mom, Anne. They thought she was going to beat cancer. Anne and Caroline are both involved in the publishing industry.

Christmas plans are changed when a mysterious letter arrives for Anne from Santa’s Little Red Mailbox in Aspen. Anne and the mystery man were set to meet on New Year’s Eve. Sadly, she dies before this happens. Caroline is intrigued and decides to head to Aspen to meet the man and explain.

Several other subplots are going on here. Caroline has been reluctant to commit to anyone, and Daphne has a rapid engagement, so Caroline worries that she’s rushing into things. Then, Caroline reads a series of letters that were sent to her mother by another writer. Caroline also nurtures a local writer to get his book published. And just who is the mystery man who loved her mother?

I think this one may have had too many things going on to be a strong read for me. In this case, the instant-love with Caroline and Max didn’t work for me.

I received a free copy of Christmas In Aspen from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Caroline’s impromptu trip to Aspen after finding an anonymous love letter to her late mother. The letter explains that he will be waiting for her in front of the little red mailbox in Aspen on New Year’s Eve. Caroline couldn’t bear the thought of this man showing up and wondering why her mother isn’t there, so she books a last minute flight and plans to stay for Christmas week and meet the man who her mother loved.

The overall story was really cute, I just wish it was executed better. The biggest issue I had was that there were so many characters and story lines to keep up with - Caroline and Max, Daphne and Luke, Anne and the mystery man, Nick and Savannah, Nina and Teddy, Nina and James, the characters in Nick’s book, and more… It was very overwhelming and I found it hard to fall in love with any of the characters. I felt like there were a lot of incomplete thoughts and abrupt endings to conversations that I would have liked to see through. I also felt like the ending was really rushed with tying off all of the different story lines.

The details in the story were good, I was able to really feel the emotions and visualize the setting in a lot of the scenes. Most of the story took place after Christmas, but I still felt the magic of a “Hallmark movie.” There was also a surprise at the end which I really liked.

A snow-filled holiday read! Set in Aspen, Colorado, Anita Hughes’ latest Christmas romance is an enjoyable read and a fine love letter to the village of Aspen. I’ve had the pleasure of reading many of Hughes’ holiday-themed novels over the years, and find that her greatest skill is in establishing a strong sense of place and transporting the reader to that locale. She seems to especially excel in describing snowy mountain towns. While the book did not include quite as much Christmas-specific content as some in the genre, it is a quite pleasant, cozy read with likeable characters and multiple romances with which one might spend an afternoon in front of a roaring fire, sipping whiskey or hot chocolate.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Very cute and sweet Christmas romance!! Felt like a hallmark movie in the very best way! I loved the characters and their development! I would absolutely read more from this author!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. anita hughes is predictable in the way that you can count on a beautiful winter setting and characters connecting in a way the reader will actually care about. the aspen setting was different, you dont really get that often, its usually "ski resort" or "chalet". because of the flashbacks, it made me hate teddy more and more.

Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes
A Novel
Description
A heartwarming story of holiday magic and love scaling new heights

Editor Caroline Holt is on her way to her late mother’s upstate cabin in Hudson to spend the holidays. She was supposed to be in London, having a holiday romance. But this Christmas, she isn’t in the mood to get her heart broken again. Caroline loves being an editor, but in the last year burnout has taken over. She has been mourning her mother, and she is looking to get that spark back.

In the cabin, Caroline finds a letter addressed to her mother. It’s in a red envelope, and the return address is Santa’s Little Red mailbox, in Aspen, Colorado. The letter is from a man declaring his love for her mother. He’ll be waiting for her in front of the Little Red Mailbox at three pm on New Year’s Eve.

Unable to ignore her curiosity, Caroline takes the next flight to Aspen to meet her mother’s mysterious lover, but things start getting complicated when she meets another man in town. The more they run into each other, the more she is drawn to him. And when Caroline finds out the truth about the person her mother had loved, she unravels secrets of her own past.

By the end of Christmas week, Caroline gets a chance to rewrite her own destiny by confronting her fears of loving again and possibly leaving behind what she thought was a perfect life.
This is Caroline Holt's story.
This is Max's story.
Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes is a 4 star book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Caroline is grieving the loss of her mother. It’s her first Christmas without her, and her sister Daphne suddenly announces her engagement to a man she just met. Caroline is reeling, and when she finds a letter from her mother Anne’s mysterious lover, she heads to Aspen to find him. This book has some really cute holiday moments that made me long for a peppermint hot chocolate and gingerbread cookie!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

It is a lovely story about trying to move forward after the death of a family member and finally thinking of your happiness. I love the close sibling relationship that Caroline and Daphne have. Though not without problems, they both care about each other deeply. The letters included in the main story were entertaining, and it was interesting to see the difference between those old letters and the main story. The idea of Caroline traveling because of a certain letter was so touching and I couldn't have expected that outcome. I don't usually read Christmas stories but I can say that I definitely enjoyed this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

What a glorious place to spend Christmas and New Year’s! Christmas in Aspen sounds like the most romantic and cozy place to have a perfect holiday. At least the way that Anita Hughes writes it.

Caroline is a book editor in New York City. She recently lost her mom to cancer and hasn’t really been able to move forward since her death. Her boss is giving her grief, as Caroline hasn’t had a successful book for a while. Caroline knows she’s unhappy, and feels stuck in the mud, but she simply cannot seem to move forward.

When Caroline heads up to the family cabin for Christmas, she finds a surprising letter in the mail. Unsigned, it is from a man that Anne, her mother, spent time with the summer before Anne passed away. The letter says that he will be waiting for her in Aspen on New Year’s Day. On a whim, Caroline books a flight to Aspen to meet the mystery man.

Once in Aspen, Caroline meets a very good looking man at the hotel bar. He’s a local and convinces Caroline to share dinner. While she’s in no mood for romance, he is good looking and fun to be with.

Caroline’s sister Daphne and her fiancé Luke show up in Aspen, deciding that they couldn’t be apart for the holidays so soon after the death of their mother. It all seems like a perfect week to be. But perfect doesn’t always happen. Luke & Daphne start arguing. Caroline finds herself falling for Max, which is definitely not in the plans.

How will this happy little romance story end up? Of course, it is Christmas. Magical things happen during the holidays.

Great holiday read as always from Anita Hughes. An amazing setting on the streets of Aspen, with a fabulous little story about moving forward and taking chances. Must read for the holidays.

Although the book title is Christmas in Aspen, the bulk of the story takes place after Christmas. It was also not the type of Christmas book that I was expecting with lots of magical moments and Christmas spirit. This is not to say the book is not good. It was just different than what I expected.

After Caroline finds a mysterious letter addressed to her mother asking her to meet someone in Aspen, her curiosity gets the best of her. She gets a little sidetracked on her quest to find out who the mystery writer for her mother will be.

Caroline needs a reset button for her life, and this mysterious letter may just give her the spark she has been missing. If you are looking for a sweet Christmas book, this book will not be the one for you. It has a lot more meaning than a Christmas romance, and has a lot more depth.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love me a Christmas romance but this one fell a bit flat for me. It was more of a chick lit than a romance. With multiple sub plots happening. And while set over the Christmas holidays the majority of the book happens between Christmas and New Years, losing some of that Christmas feel I was looking for. As well, I struggled to connect to either of the main female characters Caroline and Daphne. I did enjoy Lily's ( Max's niece) character. She was an old soul and her scenes were a delight to read. Max himself had more patience than anyone would have with Caroline and her antics.

While there was some romance, I found the book centered more around self growth, second chances and family dynamics. There was a cute little twist with the red Santa box plot. But overall just too much going on for what one would expect to be a cozy, light hearted holiday read.

Carolyn Holt is a book editor. This year has been difficult since she lost her mother who had been a successful literary agent. This has carried over into her job meaning she has fallen behind. Her boss has witnessed her lack of enthusiasm and warns her that she may lose her job unless her performance improves.

She decides to join her younger sister, Daphne, for the week of Christmas at their mother’s cabin. Surprisingly, Daphne introduces her to her fiancé who she has known only for a short while. Carolyn does not favor short engagements and as a matter of fact, only dates someone for a month and then moves on.

At the cabin, Carolyn sees some mail for her mother and one is an unsigned letter from Santa’s Little Red Mailbox in Aspen asking her mother to meet him there on New Year’s Eve. Carolyn wants to know who sent the letter and hates for the person to think her mother’s not showing up means she doesn’t care. So, Carolyn heads to Aspen to try and find who this man is. While there, she has a number of letters to her mother from a best-selling author who quit writing many years ago.

Carolyn meets a man named Max Carpenter who owns a distillery in Aspen and he invites her to his family’s holiday dinner. His family and friends are very kind to her. While Max hopes to further their relationship, she tells him about her one-month dating rule and he is taken aback.

I have read quite a few of this author’s books and have found most of them to be delightful and uplifting. However, this book is unhappy in tone and the characters are not well-defined. The constant discourse on Anna’s breast cancer death was very depressing and as a breast cancer survivor, I cringed every time it was overly repeated in the story. So sorry, but this book is not for me.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read a Christmas book in September and it was 80+ degrees outside. Yet, I fell into this book and read it in one day. I enjoyed the setting of Aspen, Colorado. I could picture the cute town with the quaint stores. I love that a bookstore was mentioned throughout the story. The author did a great job of bringing the town and all that surrounds the town to life with her descriptions.

The characters… I did not love any of them. They all seemed hard to relate to and immature. They couldn’t talk to each other when they had disagreements or just life issues. There was a lot of running away from each other. They would run from each other and deal with the fallout later. I wanted them to act like grown ups and talk about what was happening. The secrets that they had from each other were big secrets. Secrets that had to be talked about.

I enjoyed the book but it is not one that will stick with me or one that I will rave about. If you are looking for a quick and easy book to read, this book is exactly that.

I was so excited to jump into this novel. Both because I love Christmas and because I was so excited to revisit Aspen.

While the location is fun, the storyline did not capture my attention. There is simply too much conflict between the characters. They are always arguing then running off somewhere. Conflict between our main character Caroline and her sister Daphne. Conflict between Caroline and her potential fling Max. Conflict between Daphne and her betrothed Luke. Just stop fighting people and go live in the beautiful snowglobe land of Aspen.

In the beginning, I couldn’t figure out the purpose of the letters from Nina to Caroline’s mother Anne. The I found myself looking forward to those parts the most, a working girl in the 60s, whose editor gets her into a pickle with her recent ex boyfriend. It had all the makings of an old time sitcom…til the end! Then spoiler: it turns out exactly how it shouldn’t? She marries a man who is rude and controlling and the lesson is that you can give your career up for love?!

Ugh, not for me.

I absolutely love all her Christmas books and I would have to say this one is my new favorite! It’s just so cute and puts you in the holiday spirit!

I really enjoyed Christmas in London, so I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of Christmas in Aspen. I've never had much interest in visiting Colorado, but I have to say, after reading this book I'm intrigued! Hughes does a wonderful job of setting the scene and selling you on the coziness and romance of Colorado. While the relationships in the story felt a little rushed, I rooted for the characters and wanted them to get their Christmas miracles... If you're a fan of holiday romances, you'll want to add this to your to-read list!