The Christmas Keeper

August 26, 2019
McKinlay’s second Happily Ever After contemporary (after The Good Ones) has sugar, spice, and everything nice. Publicist Savannah “Red” Wilson grew up loving the hustle and bustle of New York City. When she’s unfairly fired, she goes to Fairdale, N.C., to help her best friend promote her new bookstore, believing putting the new business on the map will rejuvenate her damaged reputation. Her goal was to reclaim her career, not to fall for the hunky, Christmas-loving Joaquin “Quino” Solis. At their first encounter, Quino knows Savannah is the one, and he gets the chance to prove it to her when they join forces to work on a PR campaign to save the bookstore from financial ruin. With mistletoe kisses, ice-skating, and “ugly” Christmas sweaters, Quino charms his way into Savannah’s heart. Just as Savannah starts warming up to the festive holiday and to Quino, things get frosty when he learns the part she played in his tangled family history. Witty dialogue and a charming small town filled with warm, loving characters will keep readers coming back to this tender series.

October 1, 2019

Joaquin Solis has been in love with Savannah Wilson ever since she waltzed into his North Carolina town, on a mission to save her best friend's romance bookstore. Winning her heart won't be easy for this Christmas-loving cowboy, especially as Savannah is determined to head back to New York as soon as she hatches the perfect plan to keep the business afloat. Even though it could mean losing her, Joaquin decides to help Savannah convince a famous romance author to come out of seclusion. In the meantime, with the right amount of holiday magic, a little mistletoe, sleigh rides, and tree decorating, our kind and thoughtful cowboy might be able to win over the somewhat curmudgeonly Savannah. VERDICT A delightful supporting cast of friends and family members round out this sequel to The Good Ones, which is as cozy as the hero's favorite Christmas sweater, with a warm, home-for-the-holidays feel.--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019
A North Carolina bookstore is the setting for this Christmas romance featuring a lovesick cowboy and the New York City publicist who resists his charms. Publicist Savannah Wilson is visiting Fairdale, North Carolina, to help her best friend launch a bookstore specializing in romance novels. Raised by a cold, uncaring family, Savy has no intention of marrying or having children. Her heart's desire is to get her career back after a professional disaster ruined her reputation, so she ignores the longing looks thrown her way by hunky Joaquin Solis. Quino also has a tragic backstory: His parents were killed in a car accident, making him guardian of his younger sister, who barely survived a traumatic brain injury. He's a good old boy who runs Shadow Pine Stables, loves Fairdale, and thinks, for pretty much no reason at all, that Savy would be the perfect mate. Quino has turned tragedy into a love for Christmas, but for Savy, the holidays are a reminder of what she lacks. Savy "got the feeling he was one of those people who found joy in every day, not just the holiday." Their sexual attraction is instant, but as Quino's cheesy sweaters and ever ready mistletoe wear her down, Savy begins to appreciate more than his biceps. Quino's difficulty accepting his little sister's independence is handled with subtlety, but a subplot involving a reclusive romance novelist is just silly. A predictable small-town romance that adds nothing to an already overcrowded genre.

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Starred review from September 15, 2019
Joaquin Quino Solis can't figure Savannah Wilson out. Quino is smart, sexy, and a super-sensitive family man, so why does Savannah keep turning him down when he asks her for a date? Savannah knows that Quino is the total package when it comes to datable men, but she only plans on staying in Fairdale long enough to help her best friend, Maisy, open her new bookstore, which Savannah hopes will help her relaunch her own career as a literary publicist back in New York City. The last thing Savannah needs in her life is a sexy distraction like Quino keeping her from reclaiming her dreams. However, after sharing one unforgettable kiss with him under the mistletoe, Savannah starts to wonder if she's pursuing the right dream. With the second superbly entertaining book in her Happily Ever After series, McKinlay (The Good Ones, 2019) once again serves up her signature literary cocktail of sassy humor and sexy romance expertly spiked with a surfeit of small-town charm and holiday cheer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)