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#Review of This Christmas (a North Star series novel) by Lauire Winter w/a rafflecopter giveaway! @lauriew_author @PrismBookTours #TCPrism


On Tour with Prism Book Tours


This Christmas
(The North Star Series #1)
By Laurie Winter
Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Paperback & ebook, 240Pages
October 20, 2020

‘A beautiful story of loss and new love, set in a snow-capped mountain ski resort town.’

Celia Batista waited a long time for all three of her sons to be together for Christmas. But after one of her identical twins disappears without a trace, Celia must rely on Police Captain Luke Veldkamp for help. Despite Luke’s accusations that her other twin son is involved with organized crime, she falls for the handsome, Stetson wearing cop.

Luke Veldkamp is facing his first Christmas after the loss of his wife, working nonstop to avoid the holidays and his grief. His daughter, who’d moved home to care for her mom before her passing, pushes him to face his pain. Luke pushes back, telling her to return to college and regain her own life. If his own strife isn’t enough, the mission to locate the missing son of his beautiful neighbor grows more personal than any other case.

While Luke and Celia fight to keep their families from falling apart, they find comfort and strength in one another. And when love blooms between their children, Luke and Celia’s own relationship takes root and grows. But Celia is used to living on her own terms, and loving a man who has isolated his heart is a risk too great. Now, Luke must either confront his emotions or face a life without the woman he’s come to love.

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Oh my word.  I was not prepared for this book at all.  For some reason, I thought it would be kind of like a fluffy Christmas book about a missing person case that has a neatly tied up ending.  Yep, I was wrong.  This book is so much more than that.  It’s a beautifully written book about dealing with loss, new love, and realizing that your adult children aren’t children anymore.  Adult children can be even messier than when they were younger.  Celia found this out the hard way and then some.

I adored Celia and Luke from the beginning.  These two shouldn’t be together, at least on paper.  Neighbors, Luke’s wife’s friend, and a sounding board for his daughter, Kenna after the loss of her mother.  And of course, Luke hasn’t moved past the death of his wife.  It shows in how he treats the people around him.  Ms. Winter’s take on his loss is realistic.  It’s like he can function with his job but he just didn’t get the memo on how to deal with the people in his life now.  Celia on the other hand, her loss was much earlier in life.  And of course, when she tried to talk to Luke about it, he wouldn’t listen.  Their conversations were real, poignant, and heartfelt.

I loved how this book had two romances going at the same time.   Luke and Celia.  Alex and Kenna.  Neither romance overshadowed the other and in some ways, it only enhanced the other couple.  The stink eye that Luke gives Alex is too funny and in some ways, the way Luke tries to “lecture” Kenna is hilarious.  The one scene in the garage is too funny.  Luke just didn’t know what to think or do.  Perfection.

The suspense part of the book is top-notch.  It is what drives the plot.  Plausible and tension-filled at times but not over the top.  Ms. Winter does an excellent job of keeping the tension up while keeping the book character-driven and the potential romances in the front.  She blends it seamlessly for me as a reader.  You know me, I’m a huge romantic suspense reader so for an author to do that, I’m hooked.

Do yourself a favor and pick up the first book in this series.  It’s a great start to seeing the town, the ski resort and I can’t wait to see Luke and Celia again.  I miss them.

About the Author

Laurie Winter’s head has always been full of stories. Then a dream gave her the inspiration to put her thought into written words, sharing a part of her heart and soul. Now, she creates authentic characters who overcome the odds and find true love. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog. Please connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bookbub.

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