I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Evergreen Christmas
by Janet Dailey
Series: Frosted Firs Ranch #1
Series Rating:
Published by Kensington Books on September 24, 2024
Setting: Noel, North Carolina
Genres: Holiday Romance
Pages: 268
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
The first in a new cozy Christmas series where the 12 annual Competitions of Christmas in the, close-knit town of Noel, North Carolina are underway! This year horse breeder, and newcomer, Jordyn Banks decides to take on the resident Christmas tree decorating champion, who happens to be her handsome next door neighbor.
Barrel racer Jordyn Banks is thrilled to discover affordable land for sale in charming Noel, perfect for breeding her horses. But that’s not all. A nomad with no family—other than her beloved Quarter Horse, Star—she also hopes to find a home within the close-knit Appalachian Mountain community. Yet Jordyn didn’t bargain on inheriting a controversial Fraser Fir—or falling for a handsome single dad whose adorable little girl tempts her to dream of being far more than a property owner . . .
Since losing his wife in childbirth six years ago, Nate Reed has devoted himself to their daughter, Roxanna, and built up their thriving Frosted Firs Ranch. For nine years straight he’s won Noel’s contest for the most perfect Christmas tree for the Town Square. It’s a tradition he began with his late wife. But this year, Jordyn Banks is determined to harvest her Fraser Fir and compete—meaning Nate will finally be challenged—in more ways than one . . .
Throughout the event, Nate can’t help noticing that Roxanna is dazzled by Jordyn’s strength, beauty, and quirky sense of humor. Soon enough, Nate is falling for her, too. But can a feisty wanderer ever really settle down? Is Nate ready to open his heart to someone new? And is it possible that sometimes love does grow on (Christmas) trees? . . .
Evergreen Christmas by Janet Dailey has set the stage for an excellent holiday series.
Will Jordyn and Nate be more than just competitors for the Christmas competition?
The Christmas Competition has twelve events that end near Christmas Eve so that the Christmas tree that wins the competition can be displayed for the whole town to celebrate and marvel over. Will Nate, Roxie, and Tucker Reed’s tree win for the tenth year in a row, or will newcomer Jordyn Banks beat him? Only time will tell on that front.
Jordyn Banks
Jordyn Banks bought Chestnut Ridge while finishing her last circuit in the Rodeo before semi-retiring to set down some roots somewhere. She arrives in Noel, North Carolina, on Black Friday and falls in love with the town. As time passes, Jordyn falls in love with the town and their competitive spirit for the competition. I love Jordyn and how she pushes Nate’s buttons in a good way that draws out his competitive spirit and maybe a little spirit he hasn’t had for the season since before his wife died. Jordyn is awesome.
Nate and Roxanna Reed
Nate Reed has been raising his daughter Roxanna (Roxie) with the help of his baby brother Tucker for the past six years since his wife passed away. He thinks winning the yearly competition will help his daughter feel closer to her mom. Nate doesn’t realize that he’s been hogging the glory by being the winner for too long. Not only that, but he hasn’t been living either. Roxanna is just the cutest little six-year-old who knows who her mom is and is ready for her dad to do more in his life than just how he has been living. These two are the cutest little family pairing ever, and I love how Roxie unintentionally gravitates to Jordyn for help with things like a daughter would with a mother. 
The Romance and Family
The romance between Nate and Jordyn was more of an instant connection that Nate denied. Jordyn respected his wishes, especially during the competition, but she couldn’t help how her feelings for him kept growing. Nate’s own feelings for Jordyn kept increasing as well. These two are so cute together, and how they helped each other during the competition events was cute. Nate, Roxie, and Jordyn as a family unit are adorable since they began feeling like a family at the first event, even if they were still denying it.
Five Stars
My rating for Evergreen Christmas by Janet Dailey is five stars. Evergreen Christmas by Janet Dailey is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Dailey, and I loved her writing style and how jumping between being with Jordyn and Nate happened seamlessly so that it didn’t make me go, “Wait, what is going on?”. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Evergreen Christmas by Janet Dailey.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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About Janet Dailey
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Janet Dailey was born and raised in the small farming town of Storm Lake, Iowa and attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband and settling in southern Missouri. After publishing her first novel in 1976, she went on to become one of the top-selling female authors in the world, with more than 325 million copies of her books sold in nineteen languages in ninety-eight countries.
Dubbed “America’s First Lady of Romance” because her groundbreaking novels celebrate the triumphs and struggles of working class women with American values and themes, she is known for her strong, decisive characters, her extraordinary ability to re-create a time and a place, and her unerring courage to confront important, controversial issues in her stories.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2024 Goodreads RC
- 2024 Romance Book Reading Challenge
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