A Christmas Kiss

Harper Avery is a divorce attorney. So is Gabriel Hart. The similarities stop there.

Harper is a bit jaded. Because one of her earlier relationships didn't work out, she feels that moving on quickly forces things to hurt less. Gabriel believes in second chances, believes that love can work miracles.

Harper's client's soon-to-be ex-husband wants to reconcile. Gabriel is his attorney and goes head to head with Harper over letting the couple get on with a second chance.

With Christmas right around the corner, Harper decides her spend her holiday in a friend's cabin. Only when she arrives, she finds that someone is already there.... Gabriel Hart.

With neither of them willing to give up the cabin, they decide they can spend a few days sharing without coming to blows.

The last thing she expected was Gabriel turning into a really nice guy .. someone she could fall for ... hard and fast! But can he change her mind about second chances?

This is a short story/novella ... less than 100 pages. If you're looking for a feel-good Christmas story, this one fits the bill quite nicely.

The characters are credible and likeable. The setting of Christmas in a Lake Tahoe cabin makes me want to pack my parka and go. The author packs a lot of story into these pages and once started, it's hard to put down.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to the author / Hatco Publishing / Netgalley. The opinion expressed here is unbiased and completely my own.

Sweet read! Enjoyed. My review

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A Christmas Kiss is a sweet romance that is perfect to read at this time of the year. It's a short read so you can take a break, relax and enjoy a holiday story. I highly recommend it!

Once again, Susan Hatler doesn't disappoint. The book is about two divorce attorneys who end up sharing a vacation house in the days before Christmas. Two very different personalities so you know there will be conflicts!

I enjoyed the Christmas spirit in this story along with the romance. I like reading how others decorate and their family traditions. This is an all around good book that also gives you food for thought concerning giving second chances!

* I was gifted an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Hatco Publishing and author Susan Hatler are offering us a brilliant Christmas story you’ll read from cover to cover in no time. The 100-page long rom-com stars two headstrong attorneys who have had their hearts broken in the past and are in need of some peace and quiet over the holidays. But fate had another plan in store for them. Chance has it that they are "stuck" with one another in a lodge cabin in the woods over Christmas. The perfect setting for a budding love story between two opposing counsellors.

This festive, feel-good story is about believing in true love and second chances. Harper and Gabriel are relatable and easy to like, although Gabriel’s personality may sound too good to be true at times. He’s such a helpless romantic, almost sappy character, you think it is indeed a fiction. But, it is precisely why we, romance aficionados, love romance fiction so much, right?!

We want more Gabriels in real life as well!

A Christmas Kiss was utterly sweet. I loved the simplicity of this romance. The story was clean, adorable and memorable. The characters were strong, yet flawed just enough to be interesting. My favorite part was their second chance reunion.

and Gabriel's story brings together two unlikely people during the time of year where anything is possible. Ms Hatler's created two characters with a simplicity that spoke volumes of her ability to bring the written word to life through emotions...Harper and Gabriel bring out a plethora of emotions throughout the story. This is a holiday story that'll touch your heart.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

A sweet short romance that's perfect for the season!

Take two divorce lawyers with vastly differing views on marriage. One cabin in the woods. A divorcing couple who can’t make up their minds. Toss with memories that hurt but can be healed… and you have a charming, entertaining and touching holiday romance – A Christmas Kiss.

Harper firmly believes that when a marriage is over, it’s done and move on quickly and as painlessly as possible. Her view is backed up by a devastating break up of her own, and the example of her Aunt Lucy who has lived by the motto that her own divorce was the best decision of her entire life. Harper has major suspicions that love doesn’t truly exist or if it does nothing lasts forever – she’d rather guard her heart than take a risk.

Gabriel believes in second chances. He is a divorce lawyer who constantly looks out for the long term emotions of his clients. Yes, some marriages are better off done with. Yet there are times when the love is strong and obvious but someone messed up, surely they deserve a second chance to make things right again. He’s watched his parents have a lifelong loving relationship right up until his father’s death. Dad’s belief in second chances has formed Gabriel’s view on marriage and divorce.

When Harper and Gabriel face each other across the table in one divorce case, all bets are off when the couple decide to make a go of their marriage just as the final signatures on the divorce papers were nearly signed. Harper is furious at what she believes is Gabriel’s influence on his client, and at her own client who Harper believes is making a huge mistake by offering her almost ex a chance to hurt her once again.

Harper’s traditional Christmas was to spend it with her Aunt Lucy, but this year her aunt has other plans. And not being an overly sentimental woman feels that her friend’s divorce becoming final deserves her attention to her friend this year not her niece. Harper’s an adult, and they can meet up in January for a delayed celebration. This leaves Harper even more unsettled. Escape comes in the form of a message from a college friend who has a cabin at the lake that she’s willing to rent out at half price since the expected guests bailed on them. It’s perfect. Away from town and worries, a snowy quiet Christmas… Harper snatches up the cabin before she can think twice about it The problem comes when her friend’s husband has also offered the cabin to a college friend… yep, Gabriel.

Watching Harper and Gabriel navigate the week of Christmas is full of laughs, sighs and a few “ah ha” moments for them each. Harper is opening up to Gabriel’s way of facing life, and Gabriel is healing from the loss of his father. Both are falling for each other over chopping down their own Christmas tree, baking a secret ingredient batch of gingerbread cookies and decorating their cabin for Christmas. Life is good, and promises to get even better until the outside world interferes with that troublesome couple who can’t make up their minds on a divorce barge into the perfect romantic Christmas.

If you’re looking for a feel good Christmas romance then I would highly recommend Susan Hatler’s A Christmas Kiss this season. Seeing Harper be transformed by a love that asks for nothing but to be returned is eye opening and emotional. Watching Gabriel make a difficult decision that he knows may change everything is heartbreaking yet understandable. Two people face discovering love… and heartache within the week of Christmas. It’s up to them to figure out what truly matters. I loved this couple, and I believe you will too.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this novel. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this story.*

A CHRISTMAS KISS by Susan Hatler. It is part of the Bay Series, but can be read alone. Her books are always delightful, and getting to know the characters. The plot and characters are very well done, in this story, with the added " how they met" . How two divorce attorneys , Harper is jaded, dubious, when a client says they want to try again. While Gabriel is all for second chances. Five days before Christmas the clients list seems to be growing, for Harper. A last minute cancellation, up in Lake Tahoe, finds them both there. Was it fate or friends that did this mixup.Neither one wants to leave, the fun and maybe romance will follow. Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Harper is a very jaded divorce attorney. She was raised by her aunt who told her that her divorce was the best thing that ever happened to her. She doesn’t believe in love or second chances. She casually dates for companionship but doesn’t let anyone close.

Gabriel is looking for love and believes everyone deserves a second chance. He has had a good example in his parents.

Due to a mix up by their mutual friends, they end up spending a few days in a mountain cabin together. Gabriel was very sweet and attentive. I loved his Christmas gift to her. He was almost too perfect.

This is a light, quick, clean read.

A perfect romance for the holiday season! Thank you to NetGalley and Hatco Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book with the magic of Christmas amongst us. The characters were alive and although the end was predictable the way to it was a pleasant journey.

A Christmas Kiss marks my first time reading Susan Halter. If all of her books are like this, then she definitely has a new fan.

The cover for A Christmas Kiss drew me in and well, I might have forgotten to read the blurb and see what the book was about. Sometimes going in blind makes for a good story. You as a reader don’t have a preconceived idea of what’s going to happen or what should happen. You just read the story for what it is.

Harper Avery and Gabriel Hart are both divorce attorneys, working and living in Blue Moon Bay, California. Though they are both attorneys, they each have different ideas on marriage and love. Harper doesn’t believe in true love and looks at marriage like it’s a contract. Gabriel believes in love, marriage, and second chances. The two first meet as opposing counsel in a divorce proceeding. When Gabriel’s client asks his wife for a second chance, Harper is skeptical, but Gabriel reminds her that people make mistakes and that everyone deserves a second chance. To say Harper isn’t happy by this turn of events is an understatement.

Christmas is approaching and the plans they each had to spend with their families fall through. They each receive word from a friend that a mountain cabin is available. Too bad that said friends are married to each other and failed to communicate that they plan on offering the cabin to their individual friends.

Harper arrives at the cabin to find Gabriel there and tries to convince him that he should leave. When he refuses, Harper has no choice but to stay and share the cabin with him. Neither expect that this time away will make them see the other in a new light or fall in love. But Christmas is a time for love and a Christmas kiss can and will be the best kiss of all.

A Christmas Kiss is a sweet romance, and while it is the fifth book in the Kissed by the Bay series, it is a standalone read. Now it’s time for me to read the rest of the series.

A Christmas Kiss is a cute Christmas novella. It is well written with a good plot. I enjoyed the book and the characters.