A red-hot romance between a career-focused woman and a determined younger man? 

Doctor’s orders! 

Dr. Julian Brandon is too charming, too sexy, and too young for Chandra Valentine.

But after the successful bachelor rescues her—twice—she owes him.

Still reeling from life-changing family revelations, Chandra somehow agrees to pose as Julian’s girlfriend.

And now the irresistible Julian has plans that start with seduction under the mistletoe and end with their fake relationship erupting into a scorching affair.

Now Chandra’s questioning everything she believed about love… 

Titles in the Valentine Vineyards series include —  A Valentine for Christmas —♥— One Summer of Love —♥— Snowbound Second Chance —♥—

*This series is a spin-off from The Bourbon Brothers and those titles include —  Savannah’s Secrets —♥— The Billionaire’s Legacy —♥— Engaging the Enemy —♥— A Reunion of Rivals —♥— Waking Up Married —♥— The Bad Boy Experiment —♥—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  A Valentine for Christmas
Series:  Valentine Vineyards #1
Author:  Reese Ryan
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  November 29, 2022
Publisher:  Harlequin Desire
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Alright, let me just get the gushing out of the way, okay?  I absolutely loved everything about A Valentine for Christmas — the characters, the setting, the families, the drama, the sizzling chemistry, and the process of letting go and falling in love for both of these delightful main characters.  Plus, this is a spin-off series, which means I’ll probably run into familiar faces now and then… what is not to love about all of that?  Seriously!

*takes a deep breath* Now, on to what I feel I can safely say about Chandra and Julian in a spoiler-free review.  Fate is odd sometimes, isn’t it?  Two strangers, traveling to the same small town, both not really wanting to do so but family is family, and obligations must be met, eventually.  This couple first meets on the small plane taking them to Magnolia Lake and to situations that each dreads almost as much as they need to deal with choices made.  To say that they each had an instant attraction would be an understatement, but also each had other things on their minds as well so call it a complicated meeting that gets interesting and intense real fast.  Julian steps up to calm Chandra during the rough flight and the sparks continue to fly.  But each journey comes to an end and so it seemed when they landed in Magnolia Lake… or did it?

Julian will be a hero for Chandra once again, and a second chance meeting will lead to complications and eventually that kind of love that means a life-long commitment.  I loved their back story full of choices, family obligations, and other commitments, as well as a strong sense of pride for each in their life choices.  They’ve each suffered losses in their lives and have, to some degree, reinvented themselves to fit that new reality.  They each are strong and somewhat stubborn (although Chandra wins that contest), and will put others before themselves far too often.  There is also an age gap here… one that Chandra is almost obsessed about.  In reality, the heart doesn’t understand numbers, that emotion only knows when it has found the perfect match… but try telling that to Chandra.  Yeah.  Stubborn.

I adored Chandra’s family.  Her brothers and sister are each unique and I can’t wait to discover their stories… especially one grumpy brother in particular.  If you love a Romance that gives you all the feels and the complications you could ever desire, if watching two people fall in love while balancing other events going on in their lives, and if seeing that love works no matter the time, the situation, the age of those in love when it’s with the right person — then you are going to love A Valentine for Christmas, the Valentine Vineyards series so get ready for an emotional ride and get started today!  I had a blast and cannot wait to return to this world.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

Available in print or for your favorite e-reader