This is the first book in the Holiday Express series. I really enjoyed this story and it was a surprise. Looking at the cover you would expect an historical romance which it is but this is so much more. As well as romance we have danger and turmoil as emotions run wild. I loved Cory’s character, she is a strong determined woman who won’t have the wool pulled over her eyes. I also love Jace. He is a good hearted man who you know would make Cora really happy if only they could give into their feelings.
Cora leaves her home and take the holiday express to meet the man she is supposed to marry. Having no idea who he is and what he’s like Cora is filled with apprehension and scared she has made the right decision. On arriving she is met by her future father in law and when it seems that her future husband to be isn’t around or interested Cora starts to doubt whether her future husband wanted this marriage or not.
Meanwhile Jace is the brother who drives the Holiday Express. When he meets his future sister in law he knows things aren’t as they seem and wonders if his dad is trying to play matchmaker again. Now they are all living together and Jace is finding it harder everyday to keep his feelings away from being romance towards Cora.
With a mystery, trains, train robberies and secrets that will come unravelled will Cora stay and marry Jude or will she finally give in to her true love?
Whimsical A beautiful holiday romance drenched in history and emotions. The writing drew me in and the storyline kept me there. I felt transported through time and I could visualise the twin of Holiday and Cora Lee and Jace. The story is heartwarming and the world building fantastic. The little snippet of book 2 makes me want to continue this series immediately.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Rayne Easthttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngRayne East2021-12-16 08:35:062021-12-16 08:35:06Holiday Hope (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield – Review by Rayne East
This book was such a delight to read, and after a weekend of craziness this was exactly what I needed to read. I was hooked right from the start The story brought on much intrigue and love for the characters. I could not get enough, it truly was a joy! Wonderful read!
I loved this book how it takes place, meeting the person you are the spend your life with then all the action and hiccups along the way. I loved how Cora handled everything. She was strong and independent and you could tell she would not let anything stop her from reaching her goal and that was being and meeting her husband, The book flowed so easily and nicely. It was a pure joy! The author really knew how to keep my attention, as well as that, it was very realistic, it was as if a series of true events was happening before my eyes! Loved this book! I will defiantly be reading more by this wonderful author!
Wonderful read, and perfect time for the holidays! I could not get enough of the joyous feelings I got as I read this wonderful book! I highly recommend this book and this series as well as this gifted author! Truly a perfect read with a nice cup of hot coca! Loved it from end to finish! Amazing enjoyment!
Historical romances are one of my favorite genres to read. This story was full of historical details and I appreciated the accuracy of them. Cora Lee is a mail order bride and is running low enough on funds that even though some strange happenings take place she decides to wait and see. Happily enough for Jace she does. Their love blossoms even though Jace isn’t her intended. Loyalty and love of family makes for some awkward moments but in the end we get a wonderful HEA. I can’t wait to read the next tale in the series.
Hooked on this series from page one of this book! We meet Cora Lee as she’s beginning her travels. After losing both of her parents and making the choice to become a mail-order bride, she is on her way to Holiday by train. She becomes close with Anne – who is traveling for the same reason – and the two go through quite the ordeal when the robbers come onto their train car. Once the women finally arrive at their destination, she is greeted by the father of her husband-to-be (Grant) and not the man himself. First red flag! The ranch is lovely and the family is even better. I love Mae and the fact that she is a “tell it like it is” type of person. Jace is sweet and silly, but hardworking and determined. Grant has his heart in the right place considering all that he has been through, but he made some poor decisions that could have potentially ruined Cora Lee’s life going forward. Anne and her new husband are an adorable couple and it brought me joy that she found happiness in Holiday. Jace and Jude could not be more different in personality, but in looks – it may be hard to tell who is who. After seeing both men’s true colors, it became apparent what the end result SHOULD be. But did it work out the way we all hoped? Read and find out! It’s the perfect story for a one-night read during the holiday season. I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series.
Cora Lee Schuster is setting out on a cross country journey by train to meet her soon to be new husband. After both of her parents passed away, Cora Lee felt that she didn’t have much of a chance of a future or much in the way of prospects. When she stumbles onto a mail order bride advertisement, she figures that is her chance at a bright future. Cora Lee starts corresponding back and forth with her future husband, Jude Coleman, and then sets out by train to meet him and his family in the new town of Holiday, Oregon.
When Cora Lee arrives, her soon-to-be husband is nowhere to be found. The location of Jude is unknown, and nobody seems to want to approach the subject of where he is or what he is up to. Despite that, the Coleman’s welcome Cora Lee with open arms and she instantly feels like she’s part of the family. The more time Cora Lee spends on the ranch with the Coleman’s the more she feels like she is truly at home. This is a mutual feeling and the Coleman’s feel the same way about Cora Lee.
What Cora Lee is not anticipating happening is falling for Jude’s brother Jace. Now Cora Lee is conflicted as her feelings for Jace grows but she feels an obligation to follow through with her marriage to his brother Jude. Likewise, Jace did not expect to fall for his brother’s intended bride. Although he chooses not to say anything, he knows that Jude would not be good to Cora Lee and would not treat her right. Yet at the same time, Jace is not ready to be married. He finds himself equally conflicted as he is developing feelings for Cora Lee but does not want to admit them.
The author has done an amazing job with this period piece set in the late 1800s. She clearly did a lot of research as there is a great attention to detail throughout her writing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and instantly loved the character of Cora Lee. She is the epitome of the down home, honest, sweet, girl next door. I felt like I was right there with her in the kitchen baking up the homemade bread and other sweet treats. I equally loved the character of Jace and loved the fact that he was a train engineer. He is the epitome of the hard-working, down to earth, genuine, and honest man that I think every woman dreams about. After reading about a typical day running a train, I have a whole new appreciation of just how much hard work it went into running a train back in the 1800s. I now realize just how dangerous the work was and how many people it required to run trains back then. I found myself swept up in Cora Lee and Jace’s love story wondering what was going to become of the two of them. Would they ever admit their feelings for each other? Would Cora Lee marry Jude? Or would she end up with Jace?
I have always been intrigued by the idea of living a simpler life and often wondered what it would be like living back in the time that this book was written in. While reading this book I felt like I got to experience that first hand with the characters of Cora Lee and the Coleman family. Every scene is described with so much detail and the scenes are so vivid that you feel as though you were in the room with the characters watching them interact with one another. I found myself feeling as though I was part of the Coleman family living on the Elk Creek Ranch. The family had such a sense of bonding and true love for one another. It made my heart all warm and fuzzy. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for book number two in the series, Holiday Heart.
As a wonderful bonus, the author has included a recipe as a special surprise at the end of the book. It is one of the baked goodies Cora Lee makes in the book. I am anxious to try it and will be doing so very soon. I love that the author included this as a special little surprise along with her write up about the story, and her inspiration for it. I thought that these were both amazing little personal touches that gave a bit of insight into the author.
Absolutely loved this book! Thank you Shanna Hatfield!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Tara Johnson Barneshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngTara Johnson Barnes2021-12-15 14:57:552021-12-15 14:57:55Holiday Hope (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes
Holiday Hope is the first book in the Holiday Express series by Shanna Hatfield. I really enjoyed this delightful historical holiday romance. It is such a wonderfully woven story with endearing characters who I was immediately invested in, as well as the outcome of their story. But the story isn’t just a light and fluffy romance- it has plenty of depth, tension, angst, drama, danger, and emotion. This was nothing like I expected- but in the best possible way! Cora Lee finds herself alone in the world, struggling after the death of her beloved parents. She dreams of a better life- so takes a chance and answers an ad for a mail-order-bride. This sets her off on a cross-country journey to meet her perspective husband- only when she arrives at the station he is nowhere to be seen, sending his father to meet her instead. Cora Lee is warmly welcomed by the rest of her betrothed’s family and immediately feels like she has found ‘home’. But when her groom seems to want to avoid anything to do with her, Cora can’t help but wonder what is really going on. Throw in some train robbers, dramatic developments, danger, family, friendship, intrigue, mystery, and emotion- and this story becomes quite unputdownable! After reading this first captivating instalment in the series, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the books will bring! I will leave you here as I have a date with Book #2! Happy Reading!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Angela Hayeshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAngela Hayes2021-12-15 08:32:242021-12-15 08:32:24Holiday Hope (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield – Review by Angela Hayes
This is an absolutely wonderful book. It is such a sweet and heartwarming story, perfect for a holiday romance. Jace and Coral are the perfect characters for this book. You are just drawn to them and their connection. This book was so easy to read because it was so enjoyable. Everyone I picked it up I just lost myself in it entirely. This is a brilliant historical romance that I would highly recommend.
This is a lovely, sweet, heartwarming historical, holiday romance by an author that was new to me before reading this book. I don’t read a lot of historical romance but I really enjoyed this one and could be persuaded to read more. This is the first book in a new series and judging by how much I enjoyed reading this book, I’m pretty sure that I will read the future books in the series. This is the story of Cora Lee Schuster who has come west to be a mail order bride, only to find out that her future husband has absolutely no interest in marrying her. Living with his family she forms close bonds with his father, aunt and brother when he disappears. As they spend more time together Jace Coleman, brother of her betrothed, has to fight with his growing feelings for Cora Lee. I really loved reading the interactions between Cora Lee and Jace, watching them tip-toe around each other, unwilling to accept that there could be something growing between them. The author does a great job of character building, particularly in how different Jace is from his brother Jude. Jace is a fantastic character, as is Cora Lee, and I could have read about them for hours and hours. I was really drawn into their story and found it very entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Karyn Taylorhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngKaryn Taylor2021-12-14 12:14:352021-12-14 12:14:35Holiday Hope (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield – Review by Karyn Taylor
This is a sweet romance novel. Focused as a historical novel, the main character comes to town as a mail order bride. I love the fact that the groom is a no-show but his brother is an identical twin and their dad is the matchmaker. This made the plot very entertaining and this a truly fascinating and fun read. Quick read for those cold nights tucked under a blanket with a hot toddy or hot chocolate. The characters are well-written and so relatable. You can feel their angst. It was nice to read a happy and inspirational romance. I love to have those thrown in. Since this is Book 1 in the series, I can’t wait for the next one to come out. I’m hooked.
I thoroughly enjoyed this period romance set around the holidays. It’s one of those sweet, innocent romances that has just the perfect balance – wonderful character development, scene-setting that builds a world without being overly descriptive, and a genuine story. The author did a great job weaving a historical tale of a young woman setting off for adventure as a mail-order bride in the Wild West and the family who takes her in as one of their own. Such an engaging story, I read it almost completely straight through.
This is such a sweet romance full of action, suspense and true love. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. It was like stepping back through time, reading about the trains and the beautiful clothing. Cora Lee is so nervous but also excited when she takes off for a whole new life with a man she’s never even laid eyes on. She fits in with country life like she was always meant to be there. She doesn’t find the man that she was expecting to marry but she finds and gains something so much better, and makes some amazing friends along the way. This is such a sweet, heartwarming romance and I absolutely cannot wait to read the other books in this series.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Elenahttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngElena2021-12-13 08:11:482021-12-13 08:11:48Holiday Hope (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield-Review by Elena Tobar
This holiday romance story was everything you could ask for in a romance/ historical fiction book!
Cora Lee is on the train to Holiday to marry a guy she has never met! After being picked up at the train station by her soon to be father in law they go home to find out her groom(Jude) is no where to be found! What a horrible way to start a relationship!! But as they try to figure out what to do next, Jude’s brother (Jace) steps in and well things between him and Cora Lee heat up! You will have to read it yourself to find out the ending!! This book is such a great read. Happy reading!
Holiday Hope is differ because it’s a period romance, but I loved it. First time I’ve really enjoyed a period piece that wasn’t a movie that starred Kiera Knightley. Anyway back to why I loved Holiday Hope and why you should too! Cora Lee is a sweet, independent, intelligent woman who has no living family left in the states. She decides her best course of action is to answer a mail order bride article that was in the paper. Now I knew during those times arranged marriages were a thing, but I never expected the mail order bride aspect. Unfortunately the whole reason for her to uproot her life to Holiday, Oregon was under false pretenses which leaves a decision for her to make. Stay with the lovely Coleman family and continue to fall in love with Jace, the twin brother of the man who rejected her, or move on. Jace swore off women and marriage because he feels all women are like his mother, floozy and vindictive. He never wanted to risk happiness because of what happened to his father. Instead he fell in love with the railroad and trains. Then when he meets Cora who was brought here by his father to wed his twin Jude, aside from his slight attraction, he swears to himself he will nor let Jude destroy her. Throughout the story Jace and Cora Lee’s character development apart and together is what makes this book work. The things they decide and overcome make this a sweet story in an idyllic setting of the gold rush during the Holidays in Oregon. I was skeptical going in, but not so much that I wasn’t intrigued, and I glad I jumped in, because the author won over and made me toss all skeptics to the wayside.
A charming and sweet historical western romance story but it is not all sunshine and roses. There are kidnappings, train robberies and plenty of danger as we see mail order brides on hard times trying for a better life. The authors passion for facts shines through in her writing and makes the story more interesting. The story is intriguing and well written. It is an emotional tale filled with tension and anxiety, heartbreak and hope, frustration, and mystery, lies and deceit, and love. Cora Lee has nothing left to lose or so she thought. Hoping for a better life and someone to love is what she thought she was getting but the lies she found wrecked her. However, fate had something more in store for her. I look forward to reading the other books in the series. Reviewed by @jennadb
Holiday Hope (Holiday Express Book 1) by Shanna Hatfield. I loved this book. It was a great holiday read. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the Holiday Express Book series. This is the story of Cora Lee Schuster who after her parents die answers an ad for a mail order bride. She boards the train to Holiday Oregon and on board she meets another lady heading to the same town as her for the same reason. She is so happy she will have at least one friend when she arrives to this new town. When the train arrives she is met by her future father in law not her groom and she realizes that his father had set it up not her finance. When Jude doesn’t want anything to do with her his brother Jace decides to befriend her. As they spend more and more time together Jace starts to have feelings for Cora and can’t decide what to do. Will Cora and Jace give romance a shot or will Cora be out in the cold again with no one to call family? Read Holiday Hope to find out!
I could not put Holiday Hope down. It was such an enjoyable read and swept me up into the late 1800s setting. The author did a wonderful job of the description of a small western town and how community, family and friendships were valued among all else in this era. Holiday Hope is a sweet romance between Cora Lee and Jace. Cora Lee is a mail order bride intended to Jude, the brother of Jace. Jude is not an ideal match in many ways but Jace, who claims he is married to his career as a train engineer, begins to feel different upon him meeting and getting know Cora Lee. I put this book down wanting more of this relationship and getting to know more about this lovely town of Holiday. I’m excited to read the next in this series.
I enjoyed this historical romance holiday story. This is the first book in this series and I look forward to reading more from this author. This is a well written story about Cora and Jace and their discovery of hope along with the holiday spirit. They are great characters that I had no problem connecting to. They brought the story to life on each page. They are full of heart and I enjoyed their chemistry together. The growth of the plot throughout the story really added to the reading enjoyment of this book. This story brings the holiday spirit as well as just sets you in the mood for the holidays. This is one of my favorite holiday stories yet this year. I highly recommend this book. You don’t want to miss this one.
Left alone in the world after losing her parents, Cora Lee Schuster travels across the country to the newly-established town of Holiday, Oregon, to become a mail-order bride. She arrives in town to be greeted by her future father-in-law with her betrothed nowhere to be found. When it becomes obvious her reluctant groom-to-be has no intention of showing up at the family ranch where she’s staying, Cora Lee must decide if she’ll follow her head or heart.
Jace Coleman has loved trains since the first time he rode on one as a boy. Now, he spends his days as an engineer driving the Holiday Express line on a new engine named Hope. When a mail-order bride turns up at his father’s ranch to wed his brother, Jace has an idea his meddling father has tried his hand at matchmaking. The longer Cora Lee stays at the ranch, the harder Jace works to keep from falling for his brother’s intended bride.
Will Jace and Cora Lee discover the gift of hope? Find out in this sweet holiday romance full of memorable characters, warmth, and Christmas cheer.
Holiday Hope is the first book in the Holiday Express series, a collection of heartwarming, wholesome, holiday romances brimming with the spirit of the season.
USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is a farm girl who loves to write. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances are filled with sarcasm, humor, hope, and hunky heroes. When Shanna isn’t dreaming up unforgettable characters, twisting plots, or covertly seeking dark, decadent chocolate, she hangs out with her beloved husband, Captain Cavedweller.
Cora has answer a mail 6 order Bride requested after the death of her parents. Jude who she’d be ordered for refusing her so his brother steps in as her friend. Jude and Jace are twins. After Cora discovers the truth she’s shocked. A lovely start to the series a most read this Christmas season 2021.
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