A Sugar Plum Christmas

A Sugar Plum Christmas by Susan Hatler
Publisher: Hatco Publishing
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Women's Fiction
Release Date: December 14, 2020

A Sugar Plum Christmas is the eighth book in the Christmas Mountain series by Susan Hatler. I had not read any of the previous books, but I was able to jump right in and not feel like I was missing anything. While this is the first book I've read by the author, I know it won't be the last!

This is the perfect Christmas romance book! I already told my husband that we are moving to Christmas Mountain so I can experience that magic every day!

This book should be a Hallmark Christmas movie! I loved the characters and the small town traditions. The story was beautiful and brought me such joy. I love the sweetness of this book and the self-discovery journey that Lacey went on. This book truly captured the spirit of Christmas magic and the power of love and community.

I look forward to reading the previous books in the series (thank you Kindle Unlimited) and any future books that are on the way! I couldn't get enough of this book! This is a fast read and so worth it! There will definitely be a series binge in my very near future!

I'm so grateful to Susan Hatler, Hatco Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Cute, Christmassy romance.

By the end of this book, I had fallen in love with Christmas Mountain. I could picture this magical town in my mind's eye and I don’t usually do that. I honestly could imagine this book as a Christmas movie.

My reason for four stars is that it was a little corny at the start with the way Lacey described how she was feeling and that as a short book of only 177 pages we didn’t get to know the characters as much as I would have liked. I would have been more than happy to spend a few more hours and pages in this lovely setting.

There are more books in this series by Susan Hatler on Kindle Unlimited. I will definitely pick these up and continue reading about the other characters we met in this story, and spend some more time imagining myself wandering around Christmas Mountain. Therefore I recommend this book to those who want to while away some time exploring a beautiful place and finish with a smile on their face.

- Blurb from the publisher, as they do it best -
City girl and former foster child Lacey Lane arrives in Christmas Mountain to do research for a hit reality dating show she produces. If the location gets approved for filming then she’ll receive a bonus that will allow her to buy her own house—a forever home after a lifetime of moving from place to place.
Jacob Curtis is a small-town guy who doesn’t want his hometown exploited for ratings. Lacey might think he’s her tour guide, showing her all the best places to film her show, but he has a different agenda: show her all the reasons the town wouldn’t appeal to her TV audience.
Lacey catches on quickly to Jacob’s goal to undermine her research and soon they’re engaging in a dance that takes them from one end of Christmas Mountain to the other. Before long, she’s charmed by the town and its people, including Jacob, who is funny, heartfelt, and honest. For once in her life, she’s slowing down long enough to focus on things other than her career.
But when it’s clear Lacey and Jacob have developed feelings for one another, Lacey is torn. Regardless of where the show is filmed, will she return to the city to buy her dream house? Or will she stay in Christmas Mountain and make a home with the man of her dreams?

Thank you to NetGalley & Hatco Publishing for an advance copy.
#ASugarPlumChristmas #NetGalley # HatcoPublishing #BubblyBookReviewer

The perfect small-town holiday romance! Susan Hatler brings all the Christmas joy in this sweet romance. Lacey is a reality tv producer, scouting locations for the next season, but what she finds might be the one thing she's always wanted. Jacob loves his small town and wants the forever love his parents have, but then he's literally swept off his feet by Lacey. A wonderful romance that'll open your heart to possibilities, and filled with tender moments that make you wish you lived in Christmas Mountain!

A quaint small town, engaging characters,romance and sweet moments make for a perfect Christmas read.
My first book in this series and I had no problem reading it as a standalone read.
I really enjoyed getting to know Lacey Lane and Jacob Curtis. They are just so perfect together.
A Sugar Plum Christmas is a heartwarming Christmas story that will put you in the spirit of the holiday season.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a feel good Christmas story. We should all have the chance to spend time at the magical Sugar Plum Inn at Christmas Mountain. This is the first book I have read by this author but reading this story has made me want to read more of her book. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read. Easy, light and full of romance. Lacey Lane is a producer of a reality dating show and goes to Christmas Mountain to scope out the town for the next season. What she finds in Christmas Mountain is more than she dreamed of. This was my first book by Susan Halter and I am looking forward to many more of her books!! She makes you feel like you are reading a Hallmark movie 🥰

Thank you NetGalley and Susan Halter for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

This book is a Hallmark Holiday movie.
Characters Lacey and Jacob are likeable - and their tension and chemistry is palpable.
A great escape into a small town with all the Christmas, Cheer, feels.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this wonderful ARC.

I absolutely adored this book!. The characters were wonderful, and the setting of Christmas Mountain was like a dream... somewhere I would love to be at this time of year!.
I really enjoyed following Lacey's character grow throughout the story as she began to love herself more and realise what is truly important in life. And the relationship between Lacey and Jacob was delightful too! Two people who are so different, yet their love and understanding for one another so incredibly strong.
I loved this book and would recommend it to everyone who loves a feel good festive read.

What is better than a small town with mountains, ice skating, sledding, warm hot cocoa and that feel of home. Lacey is a producer for a tv show that plays match maker and wants this small town to be the place to shoot the next season for her show. What she doesn't expect ia to fall in love with town and one of it's local. A great read especially around the holidays!

I received an ARC from Hatco Publishing for an honest review. Lacey Lane arrives in Christmas Mountain to do research for a hit reality dating show she produces. The first thing she does when she arrives is knocked Jacob Curtis off the ladder he was on to change a bulb into a pot of poinsettias. This book made me chuckle, made me feel such joy, and I could feel the magic in Christmas Mountain. Lacey grew up in the foster care system and she was working so hard that she could buy a home for herself. Jacob grew up and stayed in Christmas Mountain and he was going to be her tour guide. We meet some wonderful people, and sometimes it was like stepping back in time, like meeting the man that still made skates and rented them out to skate on the ice rink.
When Lacey's boss shows up and demands a tree has to be cut and moved, thinks have to be dug up and moved, Lacey speaks up.
This story and the location has so much spirit and it comes through every page. As I read this book it seemed to envelop me into it.

How lovely to be transported to Christmas Mountain to enjoy the skating rink, the sharing tree and the friendly people. Lacey works 24/7 for a reality TV programme and is researching the next venue. It’s only when she gets to know the place and it’s people that she starts to question her life in New York

A beautifully written book and I loved everything about it

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This was an amazing story. The characters had so much feeling. They grew throughout the story. They were the best versions of themselves together. The story had a great ending and hit hard with lots of emotion. The writing style was amazing. It really captured my attention and then didn’t let me go until the end. I look forward to the next book in the series.

The story follows Lacey. She’s going to Christmas Mountain for the next two weeks to look around. She wants to use it as the set of the next season on the dating show that she runs. She meets Jacob when she runs into him. He is the innkeeper’s son. They both develop feelings for each other but Lacey doesn’t know whether to choose her job or Jacob.

I wrote this voluntary review in exchange for an ARC copy.

Looking for a quick little Christmas read, I stumbled upon this holiday romance, rom-com. Popular right now to introduce the main character as a foster child, fiercely independent, unattached and staying that way. She is excited about her scouting trip to beautiful little Christmas Mountain to find the sites and scene settings for their fourth season of her reality romance TV show series.

Descriptions of the little town and the friendly people certainly bring that small home town nostalgia to focus, imagining the little shops, their decorations, smells, sounds, and lights. Meeting the townspeople, contending with the temperatures and snow and learning about their traditions is sweet.

Of course it wouldn’t be complete unless she stumbled, literally, into the fella who’ll become the romantic interest. And actually, seems she stumbles quite often. She’s just clumsy. He’s gorgeous, unattached, and talented with his wooden projects, loves his family and his small town.

Totally enjoyed the interruption to the love fest when the boss from New York showed up. All right! A little conflict! (As if a cross country romance isn’t conflict enough.)

My first romp with the series and the author. Those who are fans of small town romances will greatly enjoy and those like myself will have no problem reading as a standalone. 3.5/5 stars

*** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

This is the first book I have read by Susan Hatler and the first I've read in the Christmas Mountain series. I really enjoyed the plot and characters. This book is full of Christmas fun and festivities. The setting is perfect, I mean I'd love to visit Christmas Mountain, Montana! This is a story of ambition, romance, Christmas, and finding home. I'd recommend A Sugar Plum Christmas to anyone looking for a light, fun, holiday read. I'd also like to read more books from this series in the future.

This is a fun, light Christmas book. It is clean and well-written and makes you want to transport yourself there immediately. Lacey visits Christmas Mountain to see if it will be a good setting for an upcoming episode of a reality tv show. What she finds makes her rethink her life as it is in NY. I received this ARC with no strings attached.

I loved this beautiful Christmas romance! I just adored the magic of belonging and finding love as well as your home. Lacey and Jacob were just perfect. Lacey is such a strong and independent heroine, and it was great to see her finally find family and learn to lean on others. Jacob put her first and never stood in the way of her dreams. I also so appreciated how she really came into her own in a work sense as well at the end. I can't wait to read every installment in this series!!

*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Set in Christmas Mountain, this was a sweet Hallmark movie like Christmas romance. It is book #8 in a series, but worked well as a stand alone book. The small town businesses named in a Christmas themed way was a little corny, but cute. The book had some laugh out loud moments, and was a feel good holiday read.

I watch Hallmark Christmas movies every year and love them. This book was a little more over the top than some of those movies. I wanted to like this book more, but it could be too corny at times. If you love sweet romances, this one would be a great pick.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. These are my honest opinions.

This sweet story reminded me of one of my daughter's favorite Hallmark movies. Big town girl comes to small quaint town looking to make changes, but falls in love with the town instead. I have read several books lately with either an orphan or someone raised in the foster system. It's interesting how they all have the same struggle, trying to find a home by working hard to prove they can succeed. Lacey definitely struggles with this. I love how Jacob just quietly tries to show her how loved and wonderful she is. This was a sweet story in a wonderful town.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley but this is my honest review.

What an adorable and magical Christmas rom-com! Perfect for the Christmas holidays! It definitely reminded me of some of my favorite Hallmark movies and just warmed my heart!
I loved the setting of Christmas Mountain and really liked the characters.

Christmas Romance

Lacey arrives in Christmas Mountain a small quaint town in Montana. She is scoping it out for a reality TV show. As she is walking in the snow in her high heels, looking at her phone, she knocks the most gorgeous guy off a ladder into a pot of poinsettia's. He is Jacob the son of the owner's of the Sugar Plum Inn where she will be staying the next two weeks.

He is her tour guide for the town of Christmas Mountain. As she tries to find reasons to shoot her next reality film in this town he discourages her at every turn because he doesn't want his town exploited on TV. As the explore the town they develop feeling for each other, but how can it work she lives in New York City, he lives in Montana.

How will the story turn out? Will Lacey give up her career for Jacob? Will Jacob follow her to New York? Is it just a short fling in a small town? All questions will be answered in this delightful Christmas story.

I really liked this story, a lot of Christmas in the air, warm hospitality, some humor and a bit of romance. Good clean reading and a delightful story.

Thanks to Susan Hatler, Hatco Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this cheery Christmas story in return for an honest review.

Lacey's dream job producing a reality dating show brings her to Christmas Mountain to research a location for its next season - with the promise of a bonus that will enable her to finally buy an apartment if she succeeds. But on arrival, she meets Jacob, who, while showing her around town, does his best to sabotage her plans - and almost has her second-guessing her life-long ambitions. When forced to choose between the show and Jacob, which will win?

This was another enjoyable visit to Christmas Mountain, and even reading it during our hot Christmas season didn't destroy the atmosphere! It was nice to see a bit more of some old friends from previous books, but this could be read on its own with no problem. As usual, this was a well-written, clean and heart-warming story - though I'd hate to have to deal with Lacey's boss! An enjoyable light read, perfect for a relatively brief but unhurried escape from 'real life'.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Let me start off by saying something I didn’t realize at the onset of this story. A Sugar Plum Christmas is actually book EIGHT in the Christmas Mountain series. However, this is easily read as a standalone and is a lovely little dollop of holiday sweetness that you can chomp on long after your cookies are gone.

Basically A Sugar Plum Christmas is a Hallmark movie that stepped out of your TV and onto a page. The entire town embraces their name, Christmas Mountain, and all the businesses behave accordingly by giving all their businesses Christmas themed names. This… got a little corny after a while, but… so do Hallmark movies if we are being honest. And that is kind of the draw, right? Losing yourself in something wholly impossible and excessively cheesy, but sweet and romantic to make you forget the reality that is the news and current world events. It’s called escapism and you can’t help but appreciate a little cheese with your fantasy.

Although this is a clean and wholesome read you can easily see the chemistry between Lacey and Jacob when the big city foster child with some serious baggage meets the small town loving soul who doesn’t want to see the town he loves exploited for TV ratings. I honestly can’t blame Lacey. If I had a highly competitive producer position like her and I stumbled across an idyllic locale like Christmas Mountain as a possibility for a reality dating show, I would jump all over it too. But Jacob’s protectiveness and concerns that his beloved hometown will be victim to big city executives is valid and wholly endearing. Especially when he uses his de facto job as “tour guide” as a way to deter her from choosing Christmas Mountain for the show which leads to SEVERAL hysterical moments that made me literally LOL.

As much as this book met my personal requirements for the label “romcom,” there was that story long worry. Will they be more than just a fling when she lives a far different life than his? Who is going to compromise and can it really work?

Never fear, Ms. Hatler ties this story up with a beautiful, red glitter, bow that leaves you with that gloriously contented feeling that only comes from a decadent holiday meal or a fully satisfying HEA.

This book would make the perfect Christmas rom-com movie. The small town of Christmas Mountain, all the quaint shops with the Christmas names, the town traditions like the Sharing Tree, an adorable, sometimes clumsy, somewhat overworked leading lady, and a handsome leading man who makes handmade wooden ornaments (swoon).

From the meet-cute of Lacey knocking Jacob off of a ladder into some poinsettias to the heart-melting ending I loved this book. Lacey is sweet and hard working. She's worked hard to get the job she has on the reality show Fourteen Day Till Forever, and she wants the upcoming season to be the best ever. Lacey needs the bonus to buy her own place--something that's important to her since she spent so much time bouncing around in foster care. Lacey immediately falls in love with Christmas Mountain, who wouldn't? It sounds beautiful and quaint, and except for all the snow (I'm a born and raised deep south girl), I'd love it too. I could warm up with hot chocolate from Jingle Bells Bakery or Prancer’s Pancake House.

Can we talk about Jacob? Making hand-crafted sleds, wooden ornaments, showing Lacey around town and explaining traditions to her, helping Lacey with her ice skates, helping his sister find a dog that constantly runs away. The man is so kind and sweet. He wants a forever love like his parents and grandparents had.

Lacey's boss was over the top, as were his ideas for the show, but since his part was kind of small it didn't detract from the story for me. This is part of a series of Christmas books, but can be read as a standalone. I havent' read them all yet, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Hatco via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Loved the premise of this book so I decided to give it a try. Definerly got the Hallmark vibe and had its cute spots. Was just a bit too meh for me. All in all a cute Christmas read.

I really enjoyed this story and found it to be a light hearted read that came just at the right time. The town of Christmas Mountain made me instantly want to pack up and take myself and my family there forever. I loved both lead characters and I’m sooo glad they saw sense in the end. It is the family that Lacey thoroughly deserves.

Arriving in Christmas Mountain Lacey Lane has work to do finding wonderful places for settings for a tv series. She hadn't any thoughts of falling in love with the small town and its people but she did. Follow her story and see for yourself what a wonderful place this is. A very well written novel and a real pleasure to read. 5 stars and worth every one of them.

Thanks to Netgaley and publisher for this ARC

A "Hallmark Movie" type romance. A pleasing read on a cold winter day. While love at first sight is an standard of the romance genre, this one brings hints of realism to any reader who experiences winters with lots of snow.

A sugar plum Christmas by Susan Hatler.
City girl and former foster child Lacey Lane arrives in Christmas Mountain to do research for a hit reality dating show she produces. If the location gets approved for filming then she’ll receive a bonus that will allow her to buy her own house—a forever home after a lifetime of moving from place to place.
A brilliant read with great characters. Great story. I love the cover. 5*.

"A sugar plum Christmas" by Susan Hatler is so sweet and easy going story. It has laugh at loud moments, it's without emotional whirlwind, simple story as it is. I loved it!
5 stars- I imagined it coming to the TV screen with all the scenery and cute moments!
Thanks to author
and netgalley for ARC. All opinions are my own!

This is a very sweet and easy to read book. You will enjoy the fact that it is clean fiction and it reads very easily from a character development standpoint.

Well written and entertaining romance. Good plot and character dynamics. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.