Home for Christmas by Melissa McClone

Synopsis:

Ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon...the smells of Christmas. The smells of home.

Rachel Murphy longs for home and family. Since childhood, she's dreamed of owning her own pastry shop, but after being burned by a celebrity chef and losing her new bakery in Arizona, Rachel's spending the holidays with her brother in Montana. To keep her dream alive, she's creating custom gingerbread houses and selling them around town. All she needs is a bigger kitchen...and to stay away from her brother's handsome boss.

Former venture capitalist Nate Vaughn has embraced his inner cowboy and now runs a successful dude ranch where Rachel's brother works. Nate's commercial kitchen is perfect for Rachel's baking needs, and seeing the cute blonde's business acumen, Nate knows she'd be the perfect partner for a new venture. When he makes her an offer she can't refuse, he discovers he's interested in more than her gingerbread.

While Nate could make her dreams come true, Rachel's heart, as well as her head, tells her mixing business with anything else could be a recipe for disaster. Should she return to Arizona, and leave Nate and her new eager-for-more customers behind? Or can Nate convince her that, here with him in the mountains of Montana, she's already home? For Christmas...forever.

My Review: 4 Stars

Rachel has been hurt, betrayed and had her dreams ripped right out from under her. Longing for home and family, she heads to Montana to spend Christmas with her brother, Ty. Determined to keep her dreams of owning her own bakery alive, she sets out to make customized gingerbread houses to sell all over town. Hopefully she can earn enough money over the holidays for a new lease deposit. 

But if she's going to do this, she needs a bigger kitchen than the one in her brother's apartment. Enter Nate, her brother's boss and best friend. He'll do anything he can to help out his best friend's little sister. From the moment he lays eyes on Rachel, he knows he's in trouble. He's definitely going to need to keep his distance. Best friend or not, there is no way her overprotective brother will ever see Nate as good enough for his baby sister. 

But the more time the spend together, the closer they become, and the stronger their feelings grow. Nate knows that Bar V5 is not only where Ty belongs, but where Rachel belongs as well. He needs to help change her mind and get her to stay in Montana. He can't take the chance of losing his best friend, or his little sister. The businessman in him sets out to make a plan that she won't be able to say no to. 

However, he takes his plan one step too far and does the unthinkable. He has hurt Rachel and sent her running in the opposite direction. He's going to have his work cut out for him if he's going to prove to her what she really means to him and what he's willing to sacrifice if she'll just give him one more chance. With a little Christmas magic and help from the Santa of What Could Be, Rachel and Nate just might get their happily ever after after all. 

Home for Christmas was such a cute book! It's perfect for an afternoon read to help get you in the Christmas Spirit. If I have only one complaint it would be that it just ended! I really, really wish there would have been just one more chapter... or even an epilogue! I was left wanting more! 

This is my first book by Ms. McClone and I already have others on my list to read! And I will definitely be reading the remaining books in this series. I love adding new authors to my list! 

And of course we can't forget my casting! I am loving these two! 

Content: Mild swearing. Mild innuendo.