It's Christmas in Catalina Cove, a time of promise and
second chances. But when you're starting over, love is the last thing you're
wishing for…
Vaughn Miller's Wall Street career was abruptly ended by
a wrongful conviction and two years in prison. Since then, he's returned to his
hometown, kept his head down and forged a way forward. When he is exonerated
and his name cleared, he feels he can hold his head up once again, maybe even
talk to the beautiful café owner who sets his blood to simmering.
Sierra Crane escaped a disastrous marriage -- barely. She
and her six-year-old goddaughter have returned to the only place that feels
like home. Determined to make it on her own, Sierra opens a soup café.
Complication is the last thing she needs, but the moment Vaughn walks into her
café, she can't keep her eyes off the smoldering loner.
When they give in to their attraction, what Sierra
thought would be a onetime thing becomes so much more. Vaughn knows she's the
one. Sierra can't deny the way Vaughn makes her feel, but she's been burned
before. With Christmas approaching, Vaughn takes a chance to prove his love,
and it will be up to Sierra to decide if her one Christmas wish -- true
happiness -- will come true.
Terrific story of two people who left their small
hometown of Catalina Cove behind to pursue bigger dreams. Vaughn went to New York
and had a successful Wall Street career until he was convicted of a crime he
didn't commit. He spent two years of a five-year sentence in prison, where he
credits his success to the encouraging words of an anonymous pen pal
known only as Marie. He then went home to Catalina Cove to start over. He kept
to himself, kept his head down, and moved forward until the day he was
exonerated and his name cleared. He finally feels that he can hold his head up
again.
Sierra moved to Chicago, where she had a great job and
what she thought was a happy marriage. Then she returned from a business trip
early and found her husband in bed with their neighbors. To make matters worse,
her best friend was dying of cancer, and Nathan resented Sierra's trips to see
her and Sierra's promise to raise Rhonda's daughter, Teryn. So Sierra divorced
Nathan and took her goddaughter back home to the Cove. Determined not to rely
on anyone else, Sierra opened a soup café that became very popular.
I loved watching the relationship between Sierra and
Vaughn develop. Vaughn usually takes his soup orders to go and eats alone, but
one night he decided to stop hiding. He couldn't help noticing the beautiful
café owner as he sat eating his meal. Sierra notices him, too, as he stirs up
feelings she's kept buried for two years. But Sierra is reluctant to trust
again and makes it clear to Vaughn that she's not interested in a relationship
with him. But Vaughn is a patient man. He is confident that Sierra is the one
for him, and he will take it as slow as he needs to for her to be comfortable
with him.
I loved Vaughn. He is charming, sweet, and kind. He
doesn't push Sierra to move faster than she is comfortable with. He also knows
that she and Teryn are a package deal, which is okay with him. There are some
adorable scenes with Vaughn and Teryn as they quickly connect. I especially
loved how Teryn included him in her Christmas plans. Meanwhile, Vaughn slowly
works his way past Sierra's defenses, enough that she's ready to give in to the
attraction that burns between them. For a long time, Sierra tries to convince
herself that attraction is the only thing between them, but eventually, even
she must admit that there's more to it.
It's not all smooth sailing. Vaughn's ex-fiancée, who
dumped him when he was arrested, wants him back now that he's been proved
innocent. There is also a local divorcee who is determined to catch his eye. But
Vaughn focuses on Sierra, and no one else makes an impression on him. At the
same time, Sierra's ex-husband is pestering her to come back to him. He needs
to marry her to get the promotion he wants, and he'll do anything to get his
way. To that end, he threatens to take Teryn away from her by suing for
custody. This is where Sierra's trust issues come roaring back. She's afraid to
depend on anyone but herself to deal with the threat, pushing Vaughn and his
offer of help away. Vaughn, who will do anything to protect the woman he loves,
tries to help anyway. Sierra overreacts and pushes him even further away. I
wanted to shake her for being an idiot. You don't turn down honest help when it
comes to something important. I loved how Vaughn came through anyway and that
Sierra realized how badly she'd behaved. I laughed out loud at Nathan's
reaction.
Teryn was an adorable little girl. I ached for her losses
and loved how Sierra was there for her. Thanks to Sierra's love, Teryn is a
happy and well-adjusted child. She had a unique way of looking at the world,
and I loved some of the things she said. I laughed at her take on Christmas
wishes: kids get as many as they want, but adults only get one (hence the book
title). She insisted that Sierra and Vaughn put their wishes in letters to
Santa. I loved the unexpected twist of Vaughn's wish (though I had an inkling
of it earlier in the book).
Two characters in the book look like they will be the
subjects of the next book in the series. Sierra's friend Velvet has been burned
by love. She's happy being a teacher and has no plans to add a relationship to
her life. Jaye is the new owner of the Catalina Cove bank and has come to the
Cove to supervise the turnover himself. He and Velvet have a history, and he is
determined to fix what he broke. I'm looking forward to reading their story.
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