His Christmas Gift

A different kind of Christmas story.

The first time Jenna Macintosh met her client Lacey Gallagher's brother Sawyer, she didn't think much of him. The second time she met him, she couldn't forget him. While Jenna was visiting Lacey, Sawyer is hit by a car and his leg broken. Jenna was there to help Sawyer when Lacey was out working.

The next day, Jenna comes down with chickenpox. This is not what she needed when she was due back at work soon. Lacey is sent to stay someplace else so she doesn’t come down with the pox too. Sawyer is there to help Jenna while she's recuperating. Being homebound together has its advantages. Jenna and Sawyer get to know each other very well after spending so much time together.

Christmas is a sad time for Jenna because it brings back painful memories. Will Sawyer be able to help Jenna overcome those feelings and help her enjoy Christmas once again?

A quick novella that can be read in one sitting. Very likable characters and storyline make this book one to put on your reading list this holiday season. You'll definitely fall in love with Jenna and Sawyer.

I was so excited to read Sawyer and Jenna's story, I'd met them as secondary characters in a holiday book from Kat Latham and Tule Publishing. Right from the start you feel the attraction these two characters have for each other. A past Jenna can not talk about and Sawyer's Alpha male attitude make for a great holiday read. Sexy Chemistry, stubborn attitudes keep you turning those pages!

Used to being on her own Jenna Is one tough bird. Who needs the pain, disappointment and betrayal that happens when someone gets too close? Sawyer's contentment with his lot in life hides secrets and insecurities. His Christmas Gift examines the secrets of the heart and the miracle of love. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Your sister gets out of prison, and you don't hug her? You suck!

He bakes? Okay. He's forgiven.

Sheriden wasn't good enough for him.

"Lumbersexual" is a stupid word.

Why do I feel like this is too easy?

Oh, her sister died?

Well, he hasn't exactly been Mr. Supportive, so why would Lacey tell him until she knew for sure?

"Butt-hurt"?

Control-freak much? Lacey knows what to do, same as you.

Scrabble is so difficult.

Americans don't say "mum" and "capsicum".

Chocolate-whiskey pudding? Sounds yummy.

Her father really shouldn't blame her. What if she had died as well?

Wow, way to overreact. He was trying to do something nice!

Don't you hate it when you realize you've read a book before?

ARC received from: Netgalley
Rating: 3*

Chemistry: Low Boil
Review: I am a big fan of Sarah Mayberry, especially the other books she has written for this publisher. However, this one didn't work for me.

The focus was so much on the Hero's sister and her ordeal that I don't think the attraction between Sawyer/Jenna was properly built up and then all of a sudden they are in bed and saying "I Love You"s ...... bad case of "insta-love".

A short, appropriate read for the coming holidays by Sarah Mayberry, on whom I can depend on plumbing the depths of characters regardless of the length of story. The conflict at the end however, seemed blown out of proportion and left me bewildered at what shouldn't normally be an issue at all - and felt like it was written for the sake of creating conflict in a story that could have easily gone without that traditional route of "short-lived happiness-big quarrel/climax-happy resolution".

Another incredible holiday read from Tule Publishing! Celebrating Christmas isn't something Jenna McIntosh generally does. Being estranged from her father, the only family she has left, doesn't leave her in a celebratory mood. This year however, she finds herself stuck in a cabin on a tree farm, with one very sexy (if somewhat grumpy) Sawyer Gallagher. Attraction and chemistry are not to be denied with these two and they soon find themselves hoping for more. Will good intentions get in their way?? You want to grab a copy of this one and find out. You won't be disappointed. I highly recommend it.

​​​​​His Christmas Gift by Sarah Mayberry is an engaging holiday novella. Since I read and enjoyed Three Nights Before Christmas, I was already familiar with the characters that crossover into this book. This is the love story between attorney Jenna Macintosh, and Christmas tree farm owner Sawyer Gallagher. There is an instant chemistry between them, which develops into so much more when they get stuck living together for a short time.

How do they get saddled with each other? Jenna is in town to meet with Lacey, Sawyer's sister, about her ongoing case. Simultaneously, Jenna comes down with chicken pox and Sawyer breaks his leg when he walks into a car that is backing up. In a nutshell, they share Sawyer's home until Jenna is not contagious, while Lacey runs the business. Lacey is staying with a friend because she and Sawyer believe she has never had the pox. Jenna and Sawyer's attraction continues to grow until Jenna can't take it any longer, and she seduces him, which is no easy feat because Sawyer is in a leg cast. Unfortunately, Sawyer's subsequent interference into Jenna's life has the potential to stop their burgeoning relationship before it really even begins.

Jenna and Sawyer are a hot couple and the situation that causes their solitary is both comical and serious. As they get to know each other, Sawyer realizes that not all city girls are like his ex-girlfriend. Jenna's tragic past broke my heart and Ms. Mayberry tells her story with warmth and realism. Overall, I liked this heart-warming story and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Mayberry. This novella can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Jenna MacIntosh is the first face Lacey Gallagher sees when she steps out of prison, after being framed by her no good, drug dealing boyfriend, who testified against her to lessen his own sentence. Jenna has a soft spot for Lacey, and has high hopes of soon clearing Lacey’s name once and for all. When she picks Lacey up and drives her to her family’s Christmas tree farm, Jenna gets the wrong impression of Sawyer, Lacey’s brother. She mistakes his gruff, mountain man appearance/demeanor to mean he has taken an instant dislike to her. Of course, that’s not the case at all. By their second meeting, Sawyer has definitely tidied up his appearance. Enough so that Jenna hardly recognizes him and continues to find herself attracted to him. The feeling, not surprisingly, is mutual. After Sawyer is injured and Lacey finds herself helping out at the farm, the couple begins to spend more time around each other. When Jenna comes down with the chicken pox soon afterwards, they spend even more time alone as she is quarantined in Sawyer’s cabin until she recovers. Lacey is kept away as it is believed she might catch it from Jenna.

***spoiler alert****

I think I was about 40% into when I kept noticing the couple still wasn’t a couple yet. Needless to say, I was rather frustrated it took until almost 75% until that happened. Just to have an argument between them over Jenna’s father, who she hadn’t seen in six years, to cause a huge rift. She had confided in Sawyer about her family’s tragic past, and he, being the good guy he is, tried to help.

If you are in the mood for a short, slow build to a relationship romantic tale that occurs close to Christmas, you might want to consider this one. A rather large portion of the book revolves around Lacey and Sawyer’s past and Jenna’s regarding her deceased sister and estranged father. There are also parts that include Lacey’s love interest, Austin Wilder, the cop who testified against her. He doesn’t make an appearance, but it is inferred she is spending time with him. Her story continues in Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham. Throw in the descriptive details regarding their Christmas tree farm, and it isn’t surprising there wasn’t much time spent on the main couple. I would have given this book a higher rating otherwise.

In summary, this book was more sweet than overly steamy, as it wasn’t until nearly the end that only a couple of passionate scenes occurred.

Title: His Christmas Gift, Pages: 179, Series: Mountain Born Christmas, Author: Sarah Mayberry, stand-alone, HEA, no cheating, lawyer heroine, Christmas tree farm hero, only a couple of steamy scenes.

(This review is based on NetGalley ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. It will be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, and NetGalley.)

Other books in this series:

Book 1 – Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins Book 2 – Mistletoe Wedding by Melissa McClone Book 3 – Her Mistletoe Cowboy by Alissa Callen Book 4 – Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside by Katherine Gerbera Book 5 – Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy by Megan Crane

A Mountain Born Christmas…Eight books in one…As of 11/4/15 is only $2.99 on Amazon. Has some of these but different ones, as well.

Sawyer is a great big brother, holding on to a lot of guilt and anger about his sister's incarceration. Running the family tree farm and looking after Lacey are basically his whole life. Jenna has been through some serious trauma and the holidays have lost their magic for her. She has taken on Lacey's case and manages to help her regain her life. While visiting Lacey, she and Sawyer grow closer and realize that the holiday's can be magical, that neither of them need to live swamped with guilt, and that sometimes the best things can come at the worst times imaginable. While visiting Lacey, she and Sawyer grow closer and realize that the holiday's can be magical, that neither of them need to live swamped with guilt, and that sometimes the best things can come at the worst times imaginable.
I really loved the banter between Lacey and Sawyer and Jenna and Sawyer. I loved how Jenna and Sawyer took care of each other. It was really sweet and explained how they got in so deep so fast. Great read.

What can I say? I'll read and love anything by this author.

Sarah Mayberry always writes fantastically real characters, and such sweet and poignant stories - this one was no exception! Although short (it's a novella), it manages to build the physical and interior worlds of our main characters easily, while also dropping hints about the other characters and stories in this series. A sweet holiday read!

His Christmas Gift is a connected story with Three Nights Before Christmas and since Lacey and Austin are secondary characters in this story we get to go a little further in their romance beyond the ending in Three Nights Before Christmas – totally satisfying on all counts. :)

Sawyer hated what had happened to his sister Lacey. The fact that she had gone to prison because of that lying scumbag of a former boyfriend simply wasn’t fair, certainly not justice – and it ate at something inside of him that he couldn’t fix this in the way that big brothers were supposed to. But Lacey was home now, she was safe once again with him and he’d do anything to protect his sister.

Lacey’s lawyer, Jenna, was a beautiful lady and one with a bit of mystery as well. Sawyer was attracted to her, but what could such a classy lady see in a Christmas tree farmer. When fate turns the wheel of chance and Jenna comes down with Chickenpox… well, Sawyer has his chance to see if this attraction goes both ways. Although him with a broken leg and her with a miserable, itching virus made a great pair at the moment, who knows what might happen.

As the attraction between Jenna and Sawyer heats up Jenna shares a painful reality with him – never expecting her confession to go any further. When Sawyer takes it upon himself to try to fix Jenna’s problem, the results are certainly not what he expected.

Where Laney and Austin’s romance was an emotional roller coaster – Sawyer and Jenna’s romance is a bit sweeter, a slow burn as a shy man and a wounded woman feel their way through an attraction neither one expected.

I enjoyed His Christmas Gift very much. In spite of their outside differences, Jenna and Sawyer are a perfect fit for each other.

I would strongly suggest that you read Three Nights Before Christmas first as that novel is complete in itself, but it also sets up His Christmas Gift as the stories of these two couples continues and combines. You don’t have to – but it would be a richer reading experience if you can do that.

I would definitely recommend His Christmas Gift for any reader looking for a good, strong romance with likeable characters and a satisfying outcome for two very special couples.

*I received an e-ARC of His Christmas Gift from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

a wonderful romance. Enjoyed it.

This was a fun and poignant holiday romance about two unlikely people, clearly attracted to one another but needed a boost of the chicken pox to keep the ball rolling. This is actually a novella that runs parallel to another Montana Born Christmas novel, Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham and although it can be read as a stand alone its actually much better if the other book is read first. I had fun reading Sawyer and Jenna's story and although it was short it did give me that warm happy feeling most holiday romances do. This is low heat however and had some insta love happening but I found the time jump in the end quite satisfying.

I really enjoyed this story. It is definitely a stand alone I do think it is best read with Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham as they involve the same group of characters and time period and there are crossover scenes told in differing POV’s. This is Jenna and Sawyer’s story (Lacey and Austin are in the other book) Jenna is such a giving person but she’s carrying a lot of guilt Sawyer on the other hand is a fixer, and he’s struggling with the fact he couldn’t save his sister or fix her current situation. These two fight their attraction so hard but in the end they just couldn’t resist. I really enjoyed these characters and I think this is a great quick, easy Christmas read and it will be going on my re-read shelf. I received and ARC of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

His Christmas Gift was a sweet feel good afternoon read.
The storyline was enjoyable and the characters were both likable and relatable.

His Christmas Gift is a lovely holiday read.

Thank you Tule Publishing via NetGalley for the advance copy.

Jenna is glad when she can really help someone she knows it gives her the balance in her career and in her life that she needs and that is no different when it comes to Lacey. She is on a mission to find away to get the case thrown out and she meets Lacey's brother and sees him as a gruff man with not a lot of help coming from him. When life happens and throws them together she starts to wonder if her thoughts on him may be all wrong. Sawyer is glad to see his sister home but he is just waiting for the shoe to drop. When he finds some news out and now he has to help his sisters attorney get to the bottom of it he is not happy about the situation that is throwing them together but know this will work in his favor to get to know the talented women he can't seem to get his mind off of. This book goes hand in hand with Three nights before Christmas, in this story you get the other view of what went down in Lacey;s life from her brother and lawyers stand point. It makes for an interesting part since some of it seems to be a little of a repeat but as the story goes on it really turns out to be a great story. I loved the smart aleck of the characters through out the whole story and the chemistry that was coming off the pages. I really did enjoy this fun christmas read...the only down side is it did have some strong language through out.

I loved how this book paralleled Kat Latham's "Three Nights Before Christmas"! I love how real this story felt! Definitely a keeper!

Jenna is visiting to help Lacey plan out her upcoming retrial, but the unexpected happens when Lacey's brother Sawyer is hit by a car at their Christmas tree farm, and breaks his leg. Jenna then falls sick with the chicken pox, and ends up being quarantined with Sawyer. Over "to-the-death" Scrabble games Jenna gets to know the kind and sensitive man that lurks under Sawyer's gruff attitude, and Sawyer learns about the sadness that Jenna carries inside her heart.

We met Sawyer and Jenna in Three Nights Before Christmas....which is Lacey (Sawyer's sister) and Austins story. Jenna is Lacey's lawyer and she is the person who picks Lacey up when she is released from prison. Jenna has never met Lacey's brother...she has only communicated with him by phone and email. When Jenna finally meets Sawyer her first impression is that he is a bit gruff, he looks like a mountain man and it appears he doesn't liker her much....but she does find herself attracted to him. Of course she has it all wrong. Sawyer is attracted to her and he doesn't quite know what to do about that. When they meet again, Sawyer definitely looks different. He cleaned up his appearance and she sees how attractive he is when the beard is gone. After Sawyer is injured, Lacey offers to help out at the farm. Then Jenna comes down with chickenpox and Sawyers takes care of her. There is much more to this sweet story and it was nice to see Sawyer and Jenna figure things out.

I received an ARC copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was well written with plenty of detail you just cannot put it down. Both Jenna Macintosh and Sawyer Gallagher are strong intelligent characters and the story keeps you turning pages through twists and turns while they overcome their past mistakes.

It’s not my style to review a book I enjoyed by trashing another one I didn’t, but this needs to be said so please bear with me: a few days ago I was reading a collection of holiday romance stories and my biggest complaint was the fact that the male main character was always the same type of rich manwhore jerk with issues–every single story had a slightly different version of this guy and I was so fed up. Other thing these stories had in common was how the main characters would look at each other once and immediately nothing else occupied their minds except the idea of tearing each other’s clothes and do the dirty all night long. This was a holiday themed book and honestly none of these stories cheered me up or put me in a Christmas mood, because, really, jerks and sex? Is that what holiday romance has come to?

That said, His Christmas Gift by Sarah Mayberry totally restored my faith in the genre because oh my goodness, it made me laugh and cry and feel all the things in between and I wish it was Christmas already so I could put up my tree and daydream about nice, good-looking, plaid clad lumberjacks. This is how you holiday romance, people!

I absolutely loved the hero, Sawyer, a big, humble, kind-hearted and shy tree farmer who may come off as grumpy at first but who is really not, and, sweet baby Jesus, I swooned so much over this guy throughout the whole story, SO MUCH. The way he cares so much for his sister, the way he takes care of Jenna, the other main character of this story, when she’s sick and has to stay at his house, the way he doesn’t think he has a chance with her but still wants to impress her and runs to town to cut his hair and buy new shirts, the way he cooks for her and tries to distract her from scratching her smallpox blisters, gaaah, he’s so cute, honestly I could keep gushing about this character until I doubled the size of this paragraph, I really could. Nothing beats a nice guy who actually treats a girl right, nothing. I’ll take Sawyer over brooding millionaires any day.

What also impressed me about this story was the fact that there is an actual story going on, and how the whole thing is not just about the couple getting together and the sexy parts--there's this whole situation going on with Sawyer's sister, Lacey, who just got out of jail and is struggling with so much regret and guilt, there’s the brother&sister relationship which needs some patching up, there's Jenna's own situation with her family and personal demons, her so natural growing friendship with Lacey, and of course the Jenna and Sawyer slow-burn--all this in this small book. It's remarkable. (Also, Sawyer with a broken leg! I shouldn’t say this was adorable BUT there’s something about the idea of a big, strong, extremely physical guy who is so used to do everything by himself and who suddenly can’t because he needs to slow down, keep his leg up, walk with crutches and accept help from others in general-–there is something awfully endearing about this situation, but I admit I’m still a terrible person for saying so.)

I really enjoyed the writing, especially the witty dialogues, Jenna and Sawyer’s easy banter was deliciously addictive, I found myself smiling like an idiot most of the time. It’s extraordinary how they go from barely saying hi to each other, to having long talks about silly things, about serious things, about themselves, and how it never felt forced. I’ll definitely check out other books by Sarah Mayberry.

I’m participating in a holiday read-a-thon at the moment, hence this book, and when I finished it, and for the sake of meeting my goals, I started reading another one immediately, and let me tell you guys, I’m totally going through a book hangover, reading this new story with new characters, the whole time wishing I still had Sawyer and Jenna to read about.

Absolutely recommend it. Happy holidays!

Although His Christmas Gift was an enjoyable enough festive read, I have to be honest and say it didn't particularly grab me.

I think part of the problem was the fact that is runs alongside Kat Latham's Three Nights Before Christmas and opens with a mirrored conversation of her book. Don't get me wrong, Sawyer and Jenna we good together but they were very slow off the mark and I felt that their story wasn't detached enough from his sister, Lacey's; her serving 3 years in prison is bound to have affected him yet it was just too focussed around her and not enough was given to the couple in question.

Whilst is was an easy read, it's one of those that I've read and will have forgotten about in a couple of weeks; it wasn't bad, it just didn't quite hit the spot for me.

I loved how this book could be read as a stand alone or as part of the series. I would suggest reading the whole series because they are all great!

His Christmas Gift tells the story of Sawyer Gallagher and his sister Lacey's lawyer Jenna. A pigeon pair to Kat Latham's book You For Christmas, this book is set almost exclusively at Gallagher's Christmas Tree Farm where Sawer and Jenna find themselves holed up together in the lead up to Christmas, he with a broken leg and she with chicken pox. Written with Sarah Mayberry's usual blend of sexy meets witty, the book is fun to read from start to finish while also throwing in a dose of angst as Jenna deals wth her family issues and Sawyer tries really hard to be less of a Mr Fix It.
The plot flows nicely, the narrative is good and both Sawyer and Jenna are likeable. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to my next dose of Mayberry magic. Recommended, but read You For Christmas first, both for context and because it too s a good book.

This book was a continuous emotional roll-a-coaster to me, and I loved every word of it.
It goes deep into the emotions, both joy and despair, of the destiny Lacey have faced with being jailed, and now free after the three years. The responsibility that Sawyer feels for his sister, his worry for her future, and joy of being freed is all bundled up in a big ball of emotions inside of him.
The sibling love Lacey and Sawyer have for each other is touching, but also fun with all the teasing and banter.
And when life happens, and Sawyer ends up taking care of Lacey's hot lawyer, Jenna, all the lives are about to change forever.
Sawyer and Jenna, in isolation in the cottage, get to know each other, while playing board games, watching movies, and spending time together. The bond between them is palpable, and they fit together so well. They both have deep personal wounds, issues they need to deal with. And together, by supporting the other, they work through the painful things, but not without taking some hits into their fragile relationship as well. I loved the story, the characters, and the setting of the Christmas tree farm. It went deep on the emotional side, at least for me, I laughed, was in tears, and just lived through this turmoil with the cast. There's a lot of love, Christmas spirit, passion, and forgiveness in this tale, and there's a pair for it, with Lacey's story as well.
~ Five Spoons

This book took me awhile to get into. This book is about Jenna and Sawyer and his sister Lacey. for more than half of the story is about Lacey. Jenna is Lacey's lawyer and story starts when Jenna picks Lacey up from prison. Her brother couldn't come to pick her up so Jenna decided to give her a ride home. Sawyer and Lacey relationship had a strain when she was away. She went to prison because of her ex-boyfriend. Sawyer never approved of her ex boyfriend. Sawyer wasn't really talkative and he is not a person who will share his feeling with her. Sawyer took over his parents Christmas tree farm and it is busiest time of the year. Both Jenna and Sawyer were drawn to each other but both were too proud. When she comes back to tree farm to talk to Lacey after finding out her ex-boyfriend recanted his testimony, she was preparing for her new trial. When everything happens for all three of them. He falls down behind the pickup and brakes his leg and Jenna came down with chickenpox. Sawyer suggest Lacey stay away from the house and both stays at the house. While they were forced to stay together, they get to know each other. They were uncomfortable at first but they finally gave into their attraction. He wanted to give Jenna a best Christmas present after hearing about her sorrow. Jenna lost her sister during car accident and she blamed herself for so long and her relationship with her father was strained. He wanted to ease her pain by contacting her father but... Will Jenna forgive Sawyer and herself for her sisters death? What will happen to Lacey??? I did enjoy reading this one.. this was between 3- 3 1/2

3 Stars!
I think this was a case of “I wish I would’ve known that before I read this….”. His Christmas Gift is actually the sequel and companion novella to Three Nights Before Christmas written by Kat Latham. I thought this was a stand-alone novella and in retrospect should’ve done more research before diving into this one. As I started reading His Christmas Gift, I felt like I was missing something, and I was!

Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham tells the story of Lacey Gallagher, a woman released from prison and her romance with the police officer that put her in prison. His Christmas Gift is the story of Lacey’s defense attorney and Sawyer Gallagher, Lacey’s brother.

I feel that these two books are so interconnected that they should’ve been put in one holiday collection. They deserve to be read in sequence, and I regret that I lost out on an experience not knowing this beforehand.

The book itself was sweet. It is a perfect quick and light holiday read that could easily be read in one sitting. I did feel that it was a bit rushed with the romance, but it’s difficult not to rush things within the confines of the novella’s length.

The setting of a Christmas Tree Farm was very festive and I love a great “cabin romance” where the couple gets to spend concentrated time alone. I really enjoyed this book but felt that the entire story seemed a bit rushed and improbable.

I rate this one three stars, but don’t regret the time I spent reading it.

Kitty's review:
His Christmas Gift was such a pleasant surprise. While reading Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham, my interest was really piqued about Jenna and Sawyer and I was absolutely thrilled that their story was being told. It was really interesting to see what really happened at the house while Jenna was quarantined with the chicken pox and Sawyer had a broken leg.

Jenna blurting out the news that Lacey was getting a new trial sent Sawyer into a tail-spin causing him to break his leg right before Christmas. The need to know everything, control everything was always going to be his downfall. His need to be able to help and fix things, to make people listen to him is definitely his downfall with Jenna. It’s a lot to swallow when he finally realizes that Lacey is a grown woman and has to make her own mistakes but it doesn’t stop him from making the same mistakes with Jenna.

Jenna can’t believe that she is stuck in Christmas Hell with Sawyer. He’s one of the hottest men, once he cleaned himself up, that she has ever known. He most definitely pushed all her buttons. But, what would a man like him want with a woman who is covered with the “pox” and is as needy as she is?

Together, they make the best out of a bad situation and realize that there is a mutual need that only the other one can fulfill. Jenna brings out a side of Sawyer that I never thought I would see and Sawyer learns all about Jenna’s past and what made her the woman she is today.

Unfortunately, Sawyer’s need to fix things comes between them and the first chance she gets, Jenna leaves and takes Sawyer’s heart with her. He’s miserable, Christmas is nothing to celebrate and he ruined it all with one little phone call.

Jenna has been living with guilt all her life and has pulled away from father because of it. Now, Sawyer having to be Mr. Fix-it, has turned her world upside down and brought back all the old memories. Or, was that one phone call exactly what she needed to find out the truth and let herself finally live her life?

I was thrilled that we were going to find out what happened when Jenna got the chicken pox. Sawyer really got under my skin in Lacey’s story so it was nice to see him finally understand what his meddlesome ways could do to a person. It was nice to see him finally accept Lacey’s mistake and tell her that he knew she deserved happiness and that he was proud of her. Jenna’s story was heartbreaking and you finally understood why she fights for the underdog and takes on those pro-bono cases. They each had something that molded them into the people they are today and it was up to the other one to accept those flaws, heartaches and move one.

So, no, we do not do the Marietta Stroll in this story. How could we when one person has the chicken pox and the other has a broken leg? But, Lacey’s hot chocolate makes another appearance so, grab a cup of hot chocolate and some of grandma’s cookies, sit in front of the fire and enjoy the angels flickering light.

A superb spicy mix, containing miscarriage of chickenpox, a lumberjack, lawyer, policeman, two accidents, misunderstandings, wrongs righted, Christmas and so much more!

Jenna Macintosh is a lawyer and the pro bono case she’s working on at the moment concerns Lacey Gallagher who is due to be released from prison when the story starts. Jenna is going to take Lacey back to Marietta where she lives with her handsome brother, Sawyer. Unfortunately snowy weather is forecast and snow and Christmas are things Jenna tries to avoid after tragic events estranged her from her family. The Gallaghers own and run a Christmas tree farm and when Jenna meets Sawyer for the first time he’s belligerent, unwelcoming and somewhat rude because Jenna just isn’t how he’d thought a lawyer would be! However an accident gives him good reasons to reevaluate his opinion of her and when she develops chickenpox and is too ill to drive home he volunteers to look after her . . . .

Jenna feels guilty over the death of her beloved young sister in a car crash where she was the driver. . . . . Sawyer feels guilty for not protecting Lacey from the bad influence of her ex-boyfriend and everything that ended up with her serving time in jail. These and other characters are portrayed brilliantly, you feel their sadness, regret and turmoil. It is a total emotional roller coaster with lots of twists, turns and changes in height and direction. They all mean well but mistakes are made and you just hope things will work out well in the end. It is another great Marietta romance written by a talented author who is a skilled wordsmith. It is a delectable novel that I have no hesitation in highly recommending to anyone looking for a very moving festive romance to read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

There are a few things I need to say about His Christmas Gift by Sarah Mayberry. Number one and foremost this is a 5 stars book. Any time a book moves me to tears, I know it is a great book. Without giving too much away, I will say Jenna’s reunion scene did exactly that. Besides that I learned to understand and appreciate Sawyer Gallagher. It is more than just being able to see his perspective on all that had happened to his baby sister, Sarah Mayberry fleshed him out so that he and Jenna too for that matter seemed earnestly real.

His Christmas Gift and Three Nights Before Christmas parallel each other perfectly. I don’t think I have ever read two books by different authors do it this well. I do think that fans of Sarah Mayberry my say that they just would want to read this book. Well, they easily could, it is self-contained enough to be a stand-alone. Honestly they would be cheating themselves since Kat Latham’s book is from Lacey’s point of view. It too is an excellent read. Since I consider them to be reasonably priced (all of Tule Publishing are great buys), it is certainly worth the investment. These are both stories that one would want to reread.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a copy.

This is a lovely companion novella to Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham. Both can be read as standalone stories, but have an interlinked plot in that the hero of this story, Sawyer, is the brother of Lacey, the heroine of Kat's story. This story is about Sawyer and Jenna, Lacey's lawyer. Sawyer's still trying to accept that his little sister ended up in jail for a crime she didn't commit but is finally coming home. Knowing he was unable to protect her, he still feels guilty about the whole situation, even though Lacey was responsible for her own choices. But what he doesn't expect is that Lacey's lawyer will show up at their family tree farm, and even worse, that she's going to stay overnight. Because she appears, on the outside at least, to be just like his ex - a successful business woman who'd have no interest in a down to earth guy of the land like him. And the attraction he feels for her is particularly inconvenient. But when a case of the chicken pox results in Jenna being stranded with Sawyer for a week, he soon learns that what's on the outside isn't what's on the inside. But will their fast friendship that soon comes with added benefits be enough to convince Jenna to consider a more permanent relationship?

After reading Kat's story and getting a hint of what would happen with this couple, I was expecting something sweet and sexy and that's exactly what I got. Sawyer and Jenna definitely had some great chemistry, though it's a slow burn story (no surprise, since having chicken pox doesn't bode well for romance!). It gives them a chance to really know each other though, to get past the stereotypes and find out they have a lot in common underneath. They both harbour guilt and pain over incidents in their pasts, and sharing these things with each other just makes their bond that much tighter. Because it's novella length, the story takes place over a short span of time, but we get some sexy scenes, a lovely romance and a sweet epilogue. 4 stars.

Review has been posted on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Goodreads.

3 - ”That’s a real gift you’ve got there…” Stars.

The second book in the Montana Born Christmas duology didn’t quite live up to the high standards of its predecessor. To say the story-line between Sawyer and Jenna was a slow burner would be a bit of an understatement.

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I think the main issue that I had with the book is although it can completely be read as a standalone, a large portion of this book sort of rehashes a lot of what happened in Kat Latham’s offering Three Nights before Christmas but is told from a different couple perspective.

I can kind of understand that there isn’t going to be a huge amount of sexy times between a couple who are dealing with a broken leg and Chicken Pox between them, but the chemistry from being holed up and quarantined together should have been intense and constant, and I didn’t get a lot of connection from this couple for a good 75% of the book.

An easy enough book to read, I just expected a little more from this couple in the attraction stakes, there is a huge amount of internal monologue, but very little action.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

Another great book from Sarah Mayberry. A nice holiday novella that was sweet, funny, and heartwarming. I also thought it intertwined nicely with Kat Latham's "Three Nights Before Christmas" without retreading familiar ground. Great duology.

Just not for me. A bit slow. Characters felt saccharine. Just couldn't get into this book.

I have to say that this was the quintessential Christmas story, it had everything long lost family, brooding hot Christmas tree seller, a do-good lawyer, a broken leg and the chicken pox. Sawyer and Jenna were just a great couple, even in their moments of awkwardness, they seemed to work. I loved how Jenna helped Sawyer and his sister get through some really tough times, and how he looked after her so willingly, it was clear that Sawyer needed someone like Jenna in his life, someone who could love his surly ways. And Jenna definitely needed Sawyer in her life, someone who could show her what true love really means, and who could show her how important family is no matter the circumstances. I really liked this story! Great Christmas read.

This book is tied closely to Three Nights Before Christmas since it features Lacey's brother and Lacey's attorney. It does not pack the same emotion in it though. Sawyer is Lacey's brother, the one who loves her to distraction, always knows better, and is bitter over her incarceration. Within days of Lacey's return home, though, Sawyer breaks his leg in an accident. Now he is unable to manage his Christmas tree farm during the busiest time of year. Lacey steps into the breach to help. Jenna, her attorney is right there and she gets sick at the same time. So now there is one person with a broken leg and one person with the chicken pox staying together in the "sick house" while Lacey who has somehow managed not to get sick is shooed out of the house.

It's a nice vehicle for both Lacey's love story and Sawyer's. Both stuck in separate houses with their respective love interests. But Sawyer and Jenna are both sick, and not much into company. Once they settle into a routine though, they rub along well together, both in their own separate emotional and physical painful worlds. But though both are attracted and they both enjoy each other's company, the book itself isn't all that memorable. Evenings playing Scrabble and watching movies is about the speed we're moving here.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development and a bit more about why they were attracted to each other in the end. The story might have fallen a bit flat but read in tandem with Three Nights Before Christmas, it works well since they are mostly the same story from different perspectives.

Sarah Mayberry is an awesome writer she brings us such beautiful reads.
His Christmas Gift is a sweet feel good read with the extra added bonus of Christmas which makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

The story was enjoyable i really got in too it and the characters were so well written you could relate too them easily.

Overall a great holiday romance.

I love Sarah Mayberry and this one was no exception. Delightful and just the perfect novella.

I already sent in my review for this title. I emailed NetGalley and they said they’re having problems with titles appearing to need feedback when it’s already been sent.