Christmas at the Ranch by Julia McKay

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Christmas at the Ranch perfectly encapsulates the magic of Christmas in a small town. With lots of heart, charm, and holiday coziness, this is the perfect read to embrace the magic of the season! The depth of emotions explored throughout the entirety of the story further increase its significance! Such a sweet, feel-good read!

Emory’s father was recently imprisoned and she doesn’t know what to do next. She just knows that she needs to get away. Emory, who’s a journalist, ends up being stranded in Evergreen, a small town where she spent Christmas as a teen. She had also fallen in love with Tate Wilder at his family’s horse ranch during her time there as a teen, but it all went wrong. Now, she still doesn’t feel ready to see Tate. As they spend time together though, their love for each other becomes evident, but Emory’s family scandal complicates things. Emory realizes that Tate and his ranch truly feel like home. Their Christmas wishes of being together just might come true in this delightful story!

Christmas at the Ranch wonderfully demonstrates the power of love, reconnection, and redemption. Their chemistry is so good and the slow burn romance is very well written. The small town is absolutely amazing and the winter setting is fantastic! All in all, a cozy and fun holiday read!

This book gave all of the Hallmark vibes you could be looking for in a Holiday Romance. Very easy and fast paced read with all the warm, cozy and fuzzy feelings that you can hope to be left with in a holiday read!


Thank you to NetGalley, author Julia McKay and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for this eARC.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! This is a holiday must. Fast paced, you will feel all the feels. Obsessed with Tate and his family. This is straight out of a Hallmark movie (the good and the bad).




My ONE criticism is that there were a lot of "unfortunate circumstances" that probably didn't need to be piled on. It felt repetitive that she walked outside twice on that first night; once would have been enough. Then her car troubles....X2...leaving X8934834983789. The horse throwing her off... I mean this girl has ALL the bad luck. They could have bumped into each other or been forced near each other with less cringe/embarrassing ways.

This is such a cute cozy book! This is the perfect book to read during the Christmas season sitting by a fire with a warm cozy blanket and some hot chocolate. If you love hallmark Christmas movies then this is the perfect book for you!! 🎄

First off, can we take a moment to appreciate that cover! It is gorgeous. The story is just as fun and beautiful as the cover! I definitely got Hallmark vibes with this lovely Christmas romance. This is the second Christmas romance I have read by Julia McKay. I enjoyed both books and look forward to more in the future. I love a good second chance romance! It’s my all time favorite trope! Lots of good conflict, character growth and emotion in this small town romance. Add in horses and a ranch and I was completely hooked. I devoured this book from start to finish for Christmas in July. Anyone looking for a heartwarming small town Christmas romance should look no further! I received this book from Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley. All opinons are my own.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title, but unfortunately it didn’t quite capture my interest. While the premise was promising, I found it difficult to stay engaged. That said, I’m sure it will find its audience with readers who connect more strongly with the writing style or pacing.

Emory Oakes is a journalist finds out her father has been arrested. He was running a financial fraud, and his wife also knew. When Emory finds out she goes to the only place that ever felt like home a small town named Evergreen. Emory spent a Christmas there ten years ago and meet Tate Wilder and fell in love. When the Christmas vacation end in her broken heart she doesn't hear from Tate.
When she reconnects with the town and spends time with Tate and his father she learns to live a simple life.

This was my first read by McKay, and it was such an enjoyable story! I got all the holiday romantic warm and fuzzies…even though I read it in August! I appreciated the decade long slow burn love story, and I knew there would be a HEA, but I still had the “will they or won’t they?” Feeling until the end. Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read!

I congratulate Falon on venturing in to the fantasy world! This didn’t quite hit for me, despite the moulin rouge references. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

Oh my god this book made me melt into a chaotic, weepy puddle of emotions. This was happy and sad and adorable and a little tragic. It kind of feels like a cross between Love and Other Words and In a Holidaze, but if it were set at a ranch. I loved the smalltown, cozy vibes this book gave off. I'm not usually a huge fan of second chance romance, but this was well pretty well executed. I love the way Emory and Tate's story is told. The book bounces between present day life and the Emory's old diary entries, slowly unveiling the past between she and Tate as the present-day story progresses. The angst and unresolved, unspoken feelings between the two of them was palpable and kept me turning pages, pretty much begging them to talk to each other already. I will say that the ending left me unsatisfied. Spoilers ahead! I was expecting more from Tate after that kind of buildup, but when the issues finally came to light and he cooled down, he revealed that he had tried to see her but then chickened out and decided 'if it's meant to be we'll find our way back to each other'. It makes me not like Tate as a character as much anymore. You LOVED her. Still love her. But are willing to just leave you being together up to fate??! I get that Emory made a mistake too, but she was doing it in an attempt to help him, with nothing but the best intentions. I wanted him crawling back to her, groveling, trying everything to make them work. Not just accepting that fate may not be in favor of their relationship. It just seems lazy and uncaring, which is contradictory to everything else we learn about him. I hate it. Emory honestly deserves better. Despite this I still really enjoyed the book, and if you're looking for a cozy cute Christmas romance, you'll probably enjoy this too! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

4 out of 5. I really enjoyed her book last year, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, and this year she does not disappoint. It kind of helped that I've been on a Cowboy romance kick so maybe I appreciated the setting even more? Everly is a well developed character and you totally feel for her journey. Also you have to love that she's a bit of a book lover as well. It is also not that predictable (again its a Christmas story so it will be a bit predictable) and the connections are sweet and enjoyable. The local was a whole character in itself and now I want to get lost in Evergreen Lake.

This was a sweet, feel-good, second chance city girl x country boy holiday romance that takes place in Cottage country in the small town over Evergreen where Toronto native Emory visits one Christmas with her parents and falls for the rancher's son next to their vacation rental. Fast forward ten years later and Emory's life has exploded with her father's arrest for corrupt business practices and she escapes to the last place that felt like home and the one she never got over. Can she and Tate find a way to heal past hurts and fall in love again this Christmas? Read to find out. I think this is my new fav holiday romance from Julia McKay (aka Marissa Stapley)! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This was the perfect cozy Hallmark Movie holiday style romance!

Steam level: one open door scene at the end, mild details

This is my second read from Julia McKay, and I was so excited to break into it. McKay writes romance, but her novels are well-written, belying the stereotypes of romance novels being all fluff. Journalist Emory returns to small-town Evergreen, where she had a Christmas romance with a local, Tate, as a teenager. The romance ended due to a miscommunication, but a decade later, feelings remain when she and Tate reconnect. I couldn't put this down and can't wait to read more from McKay!

🎄ARC Review 📚
Christmas at the Ranch by Julia McKay

🐎💔✨ A heart-tugging second-chance holiday romance set against the snowy beauty of Evergreen, Christmas at the Ranch delivers all the feels nostalgia, redemption, and the magic of love rekindled.

Emory Oakes, once a rising journalist 🌟📰, returns to the last place she felt whole—Wilder Ranch—after her father's high-profile fraud scandal leaves her reeling 💼🚔. But fate (and a snowstorm❄️🚗) traps her in the very town where she first fell for Tate Wilder—the rugged cowboy who broke her heart 🧡🐎.

Back on the ranch, old feelings thaw like ice in the sun ☀️💞. Their chemistry? 🔥. But with painful betrayals from the past and new secrets coming to light 🕵️‍♀️📖, Emory and Tate must decide if love is worth the risk.

This book is perfect for fans of:
🎁 Holiday coziness
🐴 Ranch romance
📓 First loves and fresh starts
💋 Slow burns with deep emotional payoff

Verdict:
Curl up with some cocoa ☕, because this snowy love story will warm your heart even in the coldest season. 💌🎅🌟

Decided to get a little Christmas in July reading done and went with this one first. It definitely has Hallmark movie vibes all over it, but the main character drove me a bit crazy with how immature she was at times. And it took forever for the love interest to show up. But it definitely was sweet if that’s what you’re looking for.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Merry Christmas in July!!!! 🎄

After reading and enjoying <i>The Holiday Honeymoon Switch</i> by this author last year, I was excited to pick up her next release.

And boy was this a Hallmark movie in book form!!! (That’s definitely a compliment!)

Fleeing family scandal, Emory drives back to the small town where she and her family enjoyed one magical Christmas when she was a teenager. While there, she gets reacquainted with Tate, who broke her heart 10 years prior.

I thought this book was so cute! I loved the small town and the fun and quirky inhabitants. I also loved both Tate and his father. They had such a nice bond and the father was really sweet to Emory as well.

I will say that the story isn’t terribly Christmassy. There are references to Christmas songs on the radio and such but it really has more of a winter vibe since there are a lot of snow storms and such. It also takes place in Canada which was a fun change. I haven’t read many Christmas books set there.

There is some miscommunication, but I didn’t mind it in this book since it worked for the story with Emory being somewhat shy. I also enjoyed the segments following the couple as teenagers. I liked seeing Emory fall for him in the past (and present as well).

Overall this was a really cute Christmas/wintry read

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Putnum for the ARC opportunity.

Calling all second chance trope lovers, RUN, DONT WALK! This one is for you! Readers are introduced to Everly, whom is running from Toronto after being let go from her job and finding out that her father is in jail. She returns to the last place she felt was home which is Evergreen, Ontario.

Unfortunately Everly isn’t welcomed with open arms by all, and is eventually forced to a car repair shop due to a blizzard and having not equipped tires. There she meets up with someone she used to know. She is then told of where she can stay, and lo and behold it is her ex boyfriends place. A shocked Everly immediately knows that she has to get out but cannot because her car is in the shop.

Tate, the former boyfriend immediately sets out to assisting Everly and welcomes her openly. He seems to be keeping busy on his ranch but quickly readers find out that he is having just as many lingering thoughts as Everly is. Will the two be able to work around their history and be civil with one another? Will things take a turn for the better for both of them in time for Christmas?!

I absolutely loved this book! It definitely helped set the mood for Christmas in July!

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Christmas at the Ranch follows Everly as she flees the city following the announcement that her father has been arrested for financial fraud. Her heart takes her back to the last place that felt like home to her: Evergreen. This small town was where she found love, and heartbreak, in her youth. It's also the only place that ever made her feel connected. Her ex Tate is shocked to see her. Can the two overcome their past to find love again at Christmas time? Christmas at the Ranch comes out on September 23rd and is available for preorder now.

This is going to be hard to review because this book was good, not great, and it hasn't really done anything wrong. I just found it to be pretty boring and I found that I didn't connect to the characters at all. It's one of those novels where I know I'm supposed to feel things as I'm reading and I just don't. I enjoyed seeing Everly and Tate reconnect and I enjoyed seeing them work on the horses. But it felt like nothing was explored in depth. Everyone fell rather flat and this cute, quaint Canadian town wasn't given enough of a set up for me to fully be able to picture it in my mind. I never felt like I could feel the character's emotions. I never truly knew what anyone was thinking or feeling at any given time. I don't love being kept at arm's length when I'm reading a novel.

I think as a whole I just wanted more from this one: more Christmas, more emotions, more character depth, more world building. The one thing I think the author did well was setting up the past timeline. We were given those details in small chunks throughout the rest of the novel and where those were in the story and how everything came together was done well. I also enjoyed the horses because how could you not. The Starlight Ride on Christmas Eve was cute without being too sweet.

Overall, this was fine. It doesn't do anything upsetting and it delivers a Romance set during the holidays for folks looking for that. I just think the author's other Christmas Romance might be more my speed.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC!

The summary is very misleading and not in a bad way. Its enough to bring the reader in without telling the reader everything. I liked it. The book is very cute and cozy. I loved the progression of the book from start to finish. The characters are very likable. Easy to follow along and read.

OMG READ THIS BOOK!!!! It is just perfect. It is cozy, heartfelt, has real drama and made me fall in love with Evergreen. If small towns like this existed in real life, I’d never leave them. I devoured this book in one sitting and absolutely loved it. It’ll be a go to comfort read for me from now on. I cannot wait to read all of the authors other books! Highly recommend Les reading regardless of the time of year. Christmas is not overwhelming in this book.