The December Market

A tender, small-town holiday romance where the unexpected power of love melts the hardened hearts of two, grief-stricken locals.

 

The spirit of Christmas mends broken hearts in The December Market, a tender holiday romance by RaeAnne Thayne.

 

As in book one in the series, Christmas at the Shelter Inn, the story is set in Shelter Springs, Idaho—a small town that nourishes a sense of community, especially at Christmas. But for 31-year-old resident Amanda Taylor, the holidays resurrect sad memories of how her father’s alcoholism destroyed many lives and how her fiancé’s drinking problem ended their relationship.  As owner of an eco-friendly, skin care product shop, wounded Amanda buries herself in work and even oversees the Holiday Giving Market, where local merchants and artisans gather to sell their wares during the month of December.

 

Hard-working Amanda keeps crossing paths with Rafe Arredondo, a handsome paramedic and firefighter who tends to the first-aid booth at the market. Amanda learns that Rafe and his lovable six-year-old son, Isaac, live in her neighborhood—Rafe is widowed; his wife died of a drug overdose. When Amanda pays a visit to her plucky grandmother at the local retirement community, she and Rafe meet again and discover they have even more in common: their grandparents, both residents, are dating. As fate brings together Amanda and Rafe, their past heartaches are confronted by the prospect of a budding romance.

 

Prolific Thayne (15 Summers Later) unravels a heartfelt, hopeful story where grief is transcended by the power of love.

The December Market (Book 2 of 2: Shelter Springs) by RaeAnne Thayne

Canary Street Press (HarperCollins/Harlequin Books), $18.99 paperback, 9781335929358, 304 pages

Publication Date: October 8, 2024

To order this book via INDIEBOUND/Bookshop.org, link HERE

 

NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission of Shelf Awareness. To read this review as originally published on Shelf Awareness (October 11, 2024), link HERE 

15 Summers Later

A moving, thought-provoking story about how a shared, horrific experience from the past resurfaces and upends the lives of two, estranged sisters. 

The different ways individuals process, cope with, and try to move on from trauma marks the central theme of 15 Summers Later, a thought-provoking novel from prolific author, RaeAnne Thayne. 

The past is never past for the Howell sisters of Emerald Creek, Idaho. The two girls suffered a life-changing trauma in their childhoods that became a secret that impacted and forever changed both of their lives…and also estranged them. 

The one sister, Ava, moved away and built a new life for herself via a seemingly happy marriage to Cullen. However, when Ava publishes a memoir that details the private horror from the past--the book becomes a best-seller--Cullen cannot deal with the publicity. He feels Ava, harboring a shocking secret, has betrayed him. Thus, their marriage comes undone. With her ‘perfect’ world in a shambles, Ava returns home to try and make amends with her sister, Madison. 

“Madi” has taken years to overcome and heal. Tenacious, she, too, has struggled to move on. Working hard to establish a “no-kill” shelter for abandoned pets, she finds herself falling in love with her long-time, secret crush—local veterinarian, Dr. Luke Gentry. But when Ava resurfaces in her life and the past again comes calling, questions are raised: If Luke knew the truth about Madi (and her sister)--the horrors faced fifteen years before--would he, too, turn his back on her? 

Readers--especially fans of Debbie Macomber, Susan Wiggs and Robyn Carr--will bask in Thayne’s (The Café at Beach End, Christmas at the Shelter Inn) characteristically sensitive, compassionate storytelling. Readers will not soon forget this suspensefully drawn story--infused with themes of love, forgiveness, and redemption--that maps sibling drama, family loyalty, affection for animals, and two, tender love stories that unfold side-by-side.

15 Summers Later: A Novel by RaeAnne Thayne

Canary Street Press (Harlequin Books/HarperCollins Publishers), $17.99 paperback, 97813350009333, 352 pages

Publishing Date: June 18, 2024

To order this book on INDIEBOUND/Bookshop.Org, link HERE