This installment follows Mallory, a nurse suffering from burnout, and Hollis, who wants to start his own business training rescue dogs. Mallory and Hollis are Savannah and Evan's (from the first book) best friends, and Hollis has had strong feelings for Mallory for his entire life.

Now that the tone of the community and its relationships has been set during the first book, it was so much fun to revisit characters that I got to know there. Savannah and Ryan are doing well after getting married, and so is Aunt Eleanor. I loved spending a lot of time with Mallory and Hollis, and felt even more invested in their relationship. I felt overwhelmed right along with Mallory, with everything that she's trying to juggle in her life, and I felt uncertainty right along with Hollis, who is A SWEETHEART. Mallory has some huge decisions to make with regard to the local community theater-founded and owned by her grandmother-and Hollis has some huge decisions to make about which direction his career will take (it's complicated!). I don't want to get too deep into these details, because it's really great to watch everything unfold, but trust me when I say that both Mallory and Hollis have a lot on their plates, and they needed one another to bounce successes, stresses, and ideas off of. Hollis' feelings for Mallory are so sweet and pure, and for some reason, he really pulled on my heartstrings. That may be mostly because of how he feels about dogs, because I too am a dog person.

They had a slow-burn friends-to-more relationship during this story, and it was so much fun to see.

I didn't particular warm to the journal entries from Mallory's Nan, but I understand that they play a huge part in the way this story unfolds. I think a lot of people will feel emotions attached to this part of the story, but each time I was reading a journal entry, I just wanted to be reading more about Hollis and Mallory spending time together.

It's a solid addition to this series, and I really enjoyed re-visiting all of the characters from the previous book. I love the way Ms. Rains gives each characters really full lives and subplots-it was a lot of fun to get caught up in each characters' life the same way I did with the first book.

I liked this book even more than the first one in this series. Hollis and his dogs were the best part. :)

I read an early digital review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you so much for sending it my way, Forever Publishing!

This is a beautiful Christmas 🎄 tale full of hope love and trials. Wholesome just sums it up in a word! Mallory and Hollis are two amazing characters you just cheer for and want them to find love, and peace...joy for living. It is a testament to how life can always come full circle even when it seems hope is lost.

It was magical visiting Bloom again. This book is #2 ,but can easily be read as standalone. I loved reading Mallory & Hollis’ story. Thank you Annie Rains For this beautiful love story. It’s full of family drama,heartbreak & second chances. This great 5 ⭐️ book releases on 10-7,make sure you grab a copy,you won’t be sorry.

The Christmas Keepsake was phenomenal!
Heartwarming and heartbreaking.
A wonderful story from beginning to end.

Mallory is doing her best to keep her promise to her gran. Before the Dementia really got bad, gran made her promise that she would put on the play at Christmas. She's working extra shifts to pay for her gran's care, working extremely hard to get the theater ready for the big play, but things are not looking good. Cast members are quitting, her sister wants nothing to do with any of it and to top it all off, the theater just failed it's inspection and is now closed. The only thing saving her from a complete meltdown is Hollis and the box her gran gave her full of keepsakes and a journal with the real story of gran's life.

Hollis has troubles of his own. He had a really rough childhood that led him down a path of destruction. Being taken in by Matt, Sandy and Pop really changed his life for the better. He has always liked Mallory and being with her while they both navigate their crazy lives not only helps him but Mallory as well.

I admit I cried an awful lot while reading this book. It was just so good. Emotional yet touching. It is for sure my favorite read this year.

Highly recommend!

I have adored every Annie Rains book and this is my new favorite ones of hers! This is ADORABLE! Like every gal needs this in her Christmas stocking.

The Christmas Keepsake by Annie Rains is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. While this is another installment in the Love in Bloom series this can be read as a stand alone. Mallory and Hollis are both in need of direction. Hollis' foster grandfather Pops and Mallory's grandmother Nan are both dealing with memory loss. Mallory is working hard to pay for the memory care facility and is dealing with what to do wtih the local community theater which is her grandmother's legacy. Hollis is trying to find a way to honor Pops' legacy with the local Christmas tree farm while being pulled by his foster dad's desire for him to take over the construction business.

Rains has the best way of addressing sensitive issues in a kind way. This book really does feel like a cozy blanket wrapped around the reader. As we join Mallory in exploring her grandmother's memories through specific Christmas ornaments and Hollis as he tries to honor the man who had the most impact in his life we are shown that our memories help shape us and our future, and are encouraged to take time to discover what is truly important. Hollis and Mallory bond through these experiences, and also the experience of being raised by people other than their birth parents.

If you enjoy small town stories, personal growth, touching romance, and sweet memories, you will enjoy The Christmas Keepsake by Annie Rains.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

First all, thank you to the publisher, Forever, the author, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. This is an excellent book! It's an uplifting story about love, family, life, and everything in between. You will ride the roller coaster of emotions through this well crafted story. If you're a fan of Annie Rains, and particularly the first book of this series, you will absolutely LOVE this book. Can't wait for the movie!!!

This was a very good book. This was a roller coaster of emotions. I love both Mallory and Hollis, they overcome so much. Definitely recommend this book.

I went into this book with high expectations, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. While the premise was interesting, the pacing felt slow and the characters never fully pulled me in. The writing style was serviceable, but I often found myself disconnected from the story, and some plot points felt predictable or underdeveloped.

That said, I can see how other readers might enjoy it—especially those who like quieter, character-driven stories. For me, though, it just wasn’t engaging enough to stick with.

With her beloved grandmother Nan in an assisted living facility due to dementia, Mallory is working extra shifts to afford to keep her there, while also assuring that the annual Christmas play at her grandmother’s community theater will go off without a hitch. She’s not getting any help from her sister, Maddie, who thinks they should just sell the theater. She learns a lot about her grandmother though a journal and an odd assortment of what her Nan called Christmas decorations.

Hollis is dealing with his own issues. His foster grandfather is in the same assisted living facility as Nan, and he promised he would run the Christmas tree farm this year. That means he has to put his construction job, working for his foster father, on hold until Christmas is over. But when surprising details emerge regarding the Christmas tree farm and the construction company, Hollis is torn. He loves the farm, but not so much the construction business. His plan was to continue working the farm while also starting an animal rescue, but his foster father isn’t happy with his plans.

With support from one another, can Mallory and Hollis follow their heart’s desires while dealing with the stress and pressures of the family issues they’re dealing with?

I loved this story! Family dynamics, heartbreak, second chances, and more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Christmas Keepsake by Annie Rains. A heart warming story about a grandmother in a nursing home. The grandmother does not remember the granddaughters she raised.

'The Christmas Keepsake' is a tender story infused with the importance of the past and how it relates to the present, especially with the looming influence of Alzheimer's Disease. The outcomes are very heartwarming in themes of childhood trauma, redemption and family love and devotion. In some instances it is not easy, but growth seldom is. The characters are all relatable and I found myself rooting for the success of Mallory and Hollis in all of their life problems. I think readers will find it enjoyable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Annie Rains has created magic once again with her story, The Christmas Keepsake. The magic of the season is all around Mallory. This year she will be directing the Christmas show at her Nan's community theater. While doing so, she finds her nan's journal that gives history to all the handmade ornaments on her Christmas tree. She also has Hollis who has re-entered her life and proving he is no longer the rebellious boy she grew up with.
The story was well written and the characters were full of rich detail. This book will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit. Highly recommend!

This was such a cozy Christmas read. I loved the strong family storyline and the small town setting made this even more enjoyable!

What a beautiful book! Annie Raines has written a novel that is a story within a story, about love within a family and the effects dementia can have on it. The idea of a memory tree full of ornaments is a beautiful idea and one that should be adopted for all of us. Mallory is doing everything she can to keep her grandmother’s memories alive but also to continue to spend time with her even though she isn’t recognized. Trying to be everything to everyone, to keep her grandmother’s memories alive in her memory care home, to support her wheelchair bound sister but also to keep the promise going that she made to her grandmother, Mallory’s story unwinds through the novel to a beautiful conclusion. Five stars, Ms. Rains for your holiday novel that brings to life the holiday spirit even in the midst of adversity.

A Christmas Keepsake is a sweet and emotional holiday story about love, legacy, and holding on to memories. When a young woman visits her grandmother, now in a care home, she’s given a box of old ornaments. Each one comes with a story from her grandmother’s life, revealing a rich history of love, struggle, and joy. As she fights to keep her grandmother’s cherished theater running, she also meets a man whose life was forever changed by a kind mentor from his past. Heartfelt and nostalgic, this story captures the true spirit of Christmas.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of The Christmas Keepsake. This is second in a series to The Finders Keepers Library and unlike some books, this does not have to be read first to enjoy The Christmas Keepsake. She did a great job of blending them, catching you up on the past without making you feel like there was a whole book before it. However, I enjoyed the first and recommend reading it as well.

This was a very heartwarming read and covers many aspects of life that’s not always so quaint and often not covered in cozy reads like this. I enjoyed it a lot although it was quite a predictable read for me.

Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time, if that's possible. Having dealt with a family member with dementia, I loved the whole idea of the keepsake memory book, especially done via collected Christmas keepsakes with a written memory attached to them. Although I hadn't read the first book of the series, it worked very well as a standalone. In fact, I wasn't even sure it was a series until I double checked the title and say book two indicated. Watching Hollis and Mallory find their way to each other despite the very strong walls they'd built around their emotions to protect themselves was a delight. I immediately liked them both, especially Hollis and his work with dogs. A foster child himself, he was sort of giving unwanted dogs the second chance they needed, even when he frequently seemed to need patching up from canine related accidents.

It certainly didn't hurt that Mallory was a nurse and frequently the one applying the care, especially since she's working extra shifts to help pay for her grandmother Nan's spot in the memory care facility. Nan doesn't remember Mallory anymore but her story is told through the, oh, so honest journal she kept to explain the keepsake items. It's both sweet and sad, though the book manages never to let us sink too far into the "I need a tissue" range. As it turns out, Mallory's emotional trip via the journal opens the way for her to both give and take support from Hollis. He's dealing with a host of roller-coaster emotions, too, torn between his own dreams and those of others. You'll like his Pop, I'm sure, and come to love the Nan we meet through the journal stories. "Santa, Baby", the play she wrote that has become a holiday tradition, is one with a message for many, too, I'm sure.

I won't share any more of the plot as it's a joy to read and get to know the characters almost as they're rediscovering who they are and reaching for their own dreams. I think it's a John Lennon quote about life being what happens when we're making other plans and that is surely true here. Life, both the good and bad, is very much what we make of it. Hollis rescues dogs. Can he rescue himself? Will Mallory let him into her heart? Will family drama take over or love? Will the Christmas play be the beginning or the end of Mallory's dreams? Thanks #Forever - #GrandCentralPublishing for reminding me why I so loved Annie Rains' books in the past. Thanks for bringing me back with this warm hearted look at memories, dreams, family, and, yes, dogs. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

as Nan's memory begins to fade, she makes a memory tree, with handmade ornaments, she makes a journal talking about the ornaments. It is for her granddaughters, Mallory and Maddie.

The Christmas Keepsake is a wonderful, heartwarming story about love, struggles of self-worth, and courage in the face of adversity. It is Mallory’s and Hollis’ story but it is also Nan’s story of days long gone, stolen from her by Alzheimer’s. Mallory is given the gift of her grandmother’s journal which opens her eyes and heart to what she went through as a young woman. Hollis, as a rebellious teenager growing up in foster care, receives his forever family a few months before aging out of the system. But he is dealing with his foster grandfather who is in the beginning stages of dementia. Together, Hollis and Mallory learn about second chances and how love can get them through the good times and the bad times. All they need to do is learn to lean on each other. I highly recommend this very special book.