Holiday Hope: Sweet Historical Holiday Romance (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur.

Holiday Hope by Shanna Hatfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cora Lee Schuster is a young woman who has been left all alone after her parents died and with few prospects for work or her future where she is currently living, she decides to apply for the advertised position of a mail order bride. Jace Coleman is a young man who lives on his fathers ranch with his father and aunt, by day he is an engineer on the Holiday Express line where he works on the newest train, Hope and during his free time he helps out on the ranch and around the house as needed, he has always had a love of trains from childhood and has his dream job with the best hours he can get.

Cora Lee’s decision is quickly made and after corresponding with her betrothed, she packs up her things and takes the train to her future home of Holiday, Oregon, as she is travelling she ends up sitting in the same bunk as another young woman heading to the same place for the same reason and so the journey passes quickly as the two young women become fast friends. The journey isn’t completely without hitches, however, when Cora Lee arrives in Holiday, she expects to be meeting her future husband, but instead it is her future father in law complete with excuses that she will meet him as soon as he is back home.

Cora Lee says goodbye to her friend after having dinner at the local hotel and restaurant and goes with her future father in law to see where she will be living, when there, she meets his sister and decides to retire to her room until she has had chance to freshen up and rest before dinner. Later on, she hears voices and goes to investigate and hopefully introduce herself to her future husband, however, it is not to be and instead she is introduced to his brother Jace, she is as surprised to see him as he is to see her, but they are polite and courteous towards each other as the family have dinner and get to know each other. Later that evening after the ladies have retired, Jace asks his father why there is a mail order bride and what he thinks that his brother will get out of it, but his father has hopes that it will settle him down, even if Jace isn’t as hopeful.

As the weeks pass and Cora Lee becomes a fixture of the household, it is clear that her intended isn’t coming back to the house while she is there, but yet she doesn’t want to leave, meanwhile, Jace is fighting his attraction to Cora Lee and is finding it harder to stay away from her. Will Jace and Cora Lee allow themselves to listen to their hearts, or will they fight against what is right to maintain what is proper? This is a heart warming and sweet romance which gently draws you into the ranch and the lives of those who dwell within it, as you discover the meaning of a Christmas romance in the west.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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