stepgg's review
3.0
It took me a while to get over the unrealistic I'm 26 and my daddy doesn't let me date so I sneak around when I can penis but the rest of the book was enjoyable
bryanfarmer's review
2.0
I have been so excited to write this review! It started out so good. I was on board with the story...and then...whoa. Not sure what the hell happened. Lots of screwed-up toxic masculinity (the phrase "man-to-man" was said often, and usually after some sort of asshole behavior like face punching), stupid woman-in-peril stuff (a bull almost killed her! Her wedding dress didn't fit right and she turned into a Bridezilla!), people being total assholes to each other (She had cancer and kept it a secret...shun her!), and cowboys who don't like curse words (these guys punch each other, but gasp at the f-word, and never once can they even say the word "hell" in front of a lady!). In all honesty, I almost laughed my ass off through this entire book and how out-of-control is was. Two stars for the first half. Zero stars for the last half.
panics70's review against another edition
3.0
This is the newer Nancy Drew series and just isn’t as enjoyable. My 9 year old daughter said she didn’t like the style of the book. She did enjoy the story line.
I thought this was missing the charm of classic Nancy Drew.
I thought this was missing the charm of classic Nancy Drew.
hmcendree's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
xkay_readsx's review
4.0
3.5 Stars
This is my first book by Catherine Anderson and what a wonderful read it was.
I appreciate that the book started in August and didn't jump right into Christmas, after all this was released in September. Call me a holiday book rookie, this is my first year reading Christmas book this early. As the story develops through the season, it felt really natural.
I love the setting and also another first to read anything ranch/cowboy related. I loved it. The characters are all likable, especially Sam who is my favorite. It cracks me up when he swears.
The downside was it was a tad too long. Certain topics were mentioned more than once. I didn't enjoy the sneak around part when Cam and Kirstin stayed out either ...the drama afterwards was also unnecessary.
This is my first book by Catherine Anderson and what a wonderful read it was.
I appreciate that the book started in August and didn't jump right into Christmas, after all this was released in September. Call me a holiday book rookie, this is my first year reading Christmas book this early. As the story develops through the season, it felt really natural.
I love the setting and also another first to read anything ranch/cowboy related. I loved it. The characters are all likable, especially Sam who is my favorite. It cracks me up when he swears.
The downside was it was a tad too long. Certain topics were mentioned more than once. I didn't enjoy the sneak around part when Cam and Kirstin stayed out either ...the drama afterwards was also unnecessary.
crafalsk264's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Cam McLendon has bought ranch land in the high Montana mountains and along with his 16 year old son (Caleb) and his mother (Maddie) have relocated from California. They are living in a compound of a RV, tents, and sheds until their two houses can be built on the property. After a long day of showing property to potential buyers, he decides to treat himself to dinner at a local cowboy bar. There he meets a beautiful girl named Kirsten Conacher, daughter of the meanest man in the county who has made it an art form to ruin the lives and careers of any man who looks twice at Kirsten. Of course, Cam and Kirsten are soon falling in love.
Their relationship soon comes under stress when Kirsten’s father, Sam, and Maddie, Cam’s mother, become sworn enemies over their children’s liaison. Maddie is also keeping a secret. She has been diagnosed with cancer and because of the deep wounds from her husband’s death of the same disease, she decides to go through her surgery and treatment by herself without telling anyone. As Cam and Kirsten work through their issues, their parents are becoming friends then loving companions. When a serious accident occurs on the Conacher ranch and Cam is severely injured protecting Kirsten, the entire family begins to become closer. All comes together as the Christmas holidays approach.
This is the first of Catherine Anderson’s books, I have read. The book is long but since two romances and a Scrooge-like conversion on Sam’s part it wasn’t too bad. However I do think it could have been considerably shorter. The characters are likable (or become that way). The story lines are complementary. Altogether a good holiday read. Recommend to readers of Christmas romances, contemporary Women’s literature, and family dynamics.
hkeeney7398's review
1.0
Seriously disliked this. I finished it but it took every bit of willpower I had. Not a fan.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published on my blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty:
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2017/12/bookish-thoughts-christmas-room-by.html
The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson
Berkley, 2017
Romance (Holiday); 428 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was my first time reading something by Catherine Anderson and The Christmas Room did not disappoint. I am used to Christmas-themed romances starting up closer to Christmas than this one did, and so the August start threw me for a minute. I didn’t mind though.
The Christmas Room was a double romance, really. Catherine adeptly showed the nuances of love earlier in adulthood and in later adulthood through both of those relationships. I enjoyed following both Kirstin and Cam’s story as well as Maddie and Sam’s.
Sam Conacher is a wealthy widowed rancher who has no patience for anyone and not only runs off his twenty-six year old daughter’s beaus, but also makes sure to ruin their reputations as well. Kirstin wants a life of her own and to get out from under her father’s thumb. She loves him though and loves the ranch she grew up on.
Cameron (also known as Cam for short) and his son, along with Cam’s mother, Maddie McLendon, have moved to Montana to start a new life. Cam has long wanted to settle in the state, having been stuck in California for years due to custody issues. Now in Montana, the McLendon's haven’t been able to break ground on their house, and have set up camp on their land.
When Cam and Kirstin meet at a local bar, there is an instant connection. Cam is reluctant to pursue a relationship at first, given who Kirstin’s father is. Both, however, decide it is worth the risk. Sam Conacher is not at all happy when he finds out they’ve been sneaking around behind his back and threatens to ruin Cam. Only, every time he tries to confront Cam, he instead ends up in a face down with the formidable Maddie McLendon, a popular mystery author.
Caleb isn’t without his own troubles as he tries to adjust to being in a completely new environment, struggling to fit in. Cam was young when he became a father, and Caleb was raised by his grandparents for a good part of his childhood. At sixteen, he is proves to be a loving son and good all-around person. It is obvious Cam and Maddie love Caleb and he them.
I enjoyed The Christmas Room more than I thought I would. I had gone in expecting a straight forward romance, but what I got was so much more than that. I adored Maddie and not just because she is a mystery author. I loved her spirit and how she protected her family. She is such a strong woman, and I enjoyed watching her confrontations with the curmudgeonly Sam. When she finally was able to break through his protective shell of grief over the loss of his wife, she did not hold his past actions and words against him, but encouraged him to step up and be a better person.
I have found that many romance novels touch on the subject of grief in one form or another. This one deals with the grief from the loss of a parent and a spouse. Grief is such an individual process—how we cope, the guilt and anger we may carry, and the pain and sadness that can linger. It has been six years since Sam’s wife died, and yet it is like yesterday for him. Kirstin misses her mother, but also her father—the man he used to be before grief took over his life. When Cam’s dad died of cancer two years before, Cam stepped up to take care of his mother the way she had taken care of him and his son. Maddie is afraid to burden her son any further than he already must feel—keeping her health issues to herself, not wanting to have to worry him and her grandson.
I really came to care for all the characters in The Christmas Room. This was a heartwarming book and made for a wonderful holiday read.
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2017/12/bookish-thoughts-christmas-room-by.html
The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson
Berkley, 2017
Romance (Holiday); 428 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was my first time reading something by Catherine Anderson and The Christmas Room did not disappoint. I am used to Christmas-themed romances starting up closer to Christmas than this one did, and so the August start threw me for a minute. I didn’t mind though.
The Christmas Room was a double romance, really. Catherine adeptly showed the nuances of love earlier in adulthood and in later adulthood through both of those relationships. I enjoyed following both Kirstin and Cam’s story as well as Maddie and Sam’s.
Sam Conacher is a wealthy widowed rancher who has no patience for anyone and not only runs off his twenty-six year old daughter’s beaus, but also makes sure to ruin their reputations as well. Kirstin wants a life of her own and to get out from under her father’s thumb. She loves him though and loves the ranch she grew up on.
Cameron (also known as Cam for short) and his son, along with Cam’s mother, Maddie McLendon, have moved to Montana to start a new life. Cam has long wanted to settle in the state, having been stuck in California for years due to custody issues. Now in Montana, the McLendon's haven’t been able to break ground on their house, and have set up camp on their land.
When Cam and Kirstin meet at a local bar, there is an instant connection. Cam is reluctant to pursue a relationship at first, given who Kirstin’s father is. Both, however, decide it is worth the risk. Sam Conacher is not at all happy when he finds out they’ve been sneaking around behind his back and threatens to ruin Cam. Only, every time he tries to confront Cam, he instead ends up in a face down with the formidable Maddie McLendon, a popular mystery author.
Caleb isn’t without his own troubles as he tries to adjust to being in a completely new environment, struggling to fit in. Cam was young when he became a father, and Caleb was raised by his grandparents for a good part of his childhood. At sixteen, he is proves to be a loving son and good all-around person. It is obvious Cam and Maddie love Caleb and he them.
I enjoyed The Christmas Room more than I thought I would. I had gone in expecting a straight forward romance, but what I got was so much more than that. I adored Maddie and not just because she is a mystery author. I loved her spirit and how she protected her family. She is such a strong woman, and I enjoyed watching her confrontations with the curmudgeonly Sam. When she finally was able to break through his protective shell of grief over the loss of his wife, she did not hold his past actions and words against him, but encouraged him to step up and be a better person.
I have found that many romance novels touch on the subject of grief in one form or another. This one deals with the grief from the loss of a parent and a spouse. Grief is such an individual process—how we cope, the guilt and anger we may carry, and the pain and sadness that can linger. It has been six years since Sam’s wife died, and yet it is like yesterday for him. Kirstin misses her mother, but also her father—the man he used to be before grief took over his life. When Cam’s dad died of cancer two years before, Cam stepped up to take care of his mother the way she had taken care of him and his son. Maddie is afraid to burden her son any further than he already must feel—keeping her health issues to herself, not wanting to have to worry him and her grandson.
I really came to care for all the characters in The Christmas Room. This was a heartwarming book and made for a wonderful holiday read.