Christmas in Smithville

A quote:
“She looked up, searching his face. He was very striking with his strong jaw, wavy mass of hair, and easy grin. His fine physique certainly didn’t hurt either. But he was Ned. The deputy. Solid and true; kind and thoughtful. And his stutter… she smiled at him, tenderness showing through. His tripped-up words were the thing that made him seem human, accessible”. (Quote from ARC)

This is a really entertaining book, with great main characters and a cast of secondary characters that are complex and interesting too. I read it in one setting and found it delightful.
The hero, a small town deputy with a stutter, is really the highlight of the book. It’s incredibly sexy to read a hero who is both a law enforcement officer and has such an impediment. Ned is just adorable. The author, Kirsten Fullmer, really does a superb job in crafting the personality of Ned: his always alert persona as a deputy, his anxiety, shyness and fears because of his stutter, his sweetness and protectiveness and his hidden talents. All in all, Ned makes an alluring hero, with a mix of shyness (he even blushes) and resoluteness (he’s very convincing in his functions as a deputy). And, of course, who doesn’t fall in love with a man who is so good with babies (his interactions with baby Bella are delicious)?
The small town context was rather developed in the story. I had a little trouble understanding the women’s hostility towards the heroine, but that didn’t detract from the overall pleasure of reading the book.

NOTE: I got this book free from Netgalley for an honest review.

Christmas in Smithville is about redemption, an unforgiving small town, a woman changing her ways, and a man trying to express his affection... While it is sweet and sad at times, I didn't feel something a bit stronger. This is a cozy Holiday romance, and for that, it surely succeeded.

Gloria, starved for attention when younger, gained a bit of a reputation as the Smithville's loose girl with looser outfits... and this town has long memories, esp. all the women who had their men "stolen" by Gloria, even years later. Ned, the deputy of the area, knew the gossip, but he knew to look past the surface and look for the truth, and Ned knew Gloria has a good heart... and he wanted her for a long time, but he has a very bad stutter and he never knew what to say to a woman who's not his relatives. When the two had to collaborate on the Christmas Pageant, sparks flew. But can the two overcome their respective problems and come together by Christmas?

Both characters have good characters arcs, but somehow I feel Ned's arc was better than Gloria's arc. Ned definitely overcame his problems and was able to express his affection for Gloria by doing it in a way that he knew how (not spoiling that!) but Gloria's arc... She didn't make ANY headway toward her goal, despite doing all she could, including spending almost all her time for the pageant, like making costumes, helping make the sets, and so on. Her goal was NOT accomplished until a certain situation presented itself, and that almost feels like a *deus ex machina*. But I do have to say, the end was very romantic.

A nice romance of stuttering Ned, and insecure and shy Gloria. I liked the story overall, but the constant insecurities from both characters got a little tiresome at times, and cost a star in my rating. Still, I enjoyed the story, and wanted to see how the HEA came about, and it was worth it. A quick and nice read for Christmas, and one I highly recommend.

“A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ear.” Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac

I would like to thank the publisher for this ARC [advanced reader copy] provided via Netgalley.

Book 1: Hometown Girl at Heart: Tara and Justin
Book 2: Hometown Girl After All: Julia and Chad
Book 3: Hometown Girl Forever: Lizzie and Elliot

After I started reading this… I discovered it was part 4 of the Hometown Series. That explained my feelings of “what the heck is going on” and solved my question of ‘did I miss a book somewhere?’ Yeah, I did, three in fact. Having said that, in all fairness, it held fairly strong as a stand-a-lone. I just didn’t have the foundation and backstory to the many characters and friends of our main couple. However, the author did an excellent job in providing enough clues that I could enjoy the story and not worry about how these people became friends or how their relationships came about.

I enjoyed the story; I liked the supporting characters and I was instantly drawn into the budding friendship and romance between our main couple. It had the feel of Cyrano de Bergerac in that our hero [Ned Knight] hid his identity so he could communicate with his lady interest. He spoke to her from the shadows, and sent her poetry… unsigned. The poor man was self-conscious about the defect in his speech… he stuttered when nervous. He felt that his speech imperfection disgusted women and he would not woo her because of it. Little did he know that women were drawn to his physical appearance and that negated any notice of his speech patterns. Poor man.

Gloria, on the other hand, was dealing with her own set of problems. She felt the distrust and jealously from some of the women in the community as she tried to overcome the gossip regarding her shady past. She had determined to prove she had changed and declared that 'she could do things without attracting male attention' . Well, that may be a bit harder than she anticipated, short of no contact with men.

Will our couple overcome their reluctance to step out and conquer their fears? Or will fear prevent their finding a lasting love?

Rating: Clean. This story had so many references to other popular stories. It had the feel of ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ ‘Cinderella’ and her fairy godmother, Cyrano, and any of the miracle stories where good triumphs over evil or a pack of snarky women. Yeah, this was a feel-good Christmas story with a surprise ending that you will not believe. There were subtle clues, but I missed them completely. I had sort of an idea but this author took it to the extreme. Wow!! Just wow!!

Gloria is back home. She's taking care of her grandfather and trying to fit into a community where the women don't like her. She'd worn revealing clothing and dated most of their husbands in the past and they think she's back and intends to carry on the same way. It was before they married but it doesn't mean she's not as bad as they thought she was. She tries to ignore them but it's not easy. It's a good thing she has a few friends she can lean on.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

Ned is the deputy sheriff now and when he goes to the meeting on the pageant they are having, he finds Gloria crying on the porch. He tries to talk to her but she won't talk. He goes on in and asks the woman who owns the house to check on her. He's stunned by how pretty she is and wonders if she might consent to date a stuttering deputy sheriff. He rebukes himself and gets involved in the pageant planning.

It isn't long until others notice the attraction between them. Since this is a small town, you know that everyone will jump in to help the romance along.

This is pleasant Christmas read as two people dance around each other. She's going to stay away from men to make the women in town feel better. He's not good at small talk. But they do develop a friendship. She has a secret admirer she can't wait to meet, too. Maybe a new romance might not be a bad thing.

When she helps her worst female enemy during a health crisis and stays to take care of her children, things begin to turn around a bit. It gets even better when she finds out Ned's secret.

Have a great Christmas colored with a little romance!

Small town America with characters that have real struggles makes this an interesting, albeit light read.

Smithville is set in somewhat rural Pennsylvania, less than an hour from the big city. Gloria is the gal who struggles to be accepted by the members of the community. Her boss and a few women have welcomed her with open arms while others are downright nasty to her.

She's volunteered to help with the upcoming Christmas pageant. Mutual friends notice a 'connection' or chemistry between her and Ned, the Sherrif's Deputy. So, they do their best to push them together.

In typical holiday romance style, Gloria and Ned become completely smitten with each other. However, can they move past their hang-ups and actually have a real relationship?

Overall, this is a cute holiday time romance which makes for a great winter night read.

Christmas in Smithville is a very well written book. Great plot. I truly enjoyed this author’s writing.

Christmas in Smithville was an enjoyable read for the holiday season. Gloria is trying to overcome her reputation as a tramp, which was well deserved at the time, but that was years ago. Ned, the sheriff's deputy has heard the rumors but is so shy that he doesn't care about them because he would never speak to her anyway. However, as circumstances throw them together repeatedly, They find they enjoy each other and it really doesn't matter what other people say. A lovely romance.

4.5☆
Cute and fun
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Hometown
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from Kirsten Fullmer.