I received a paperback copy of this book via the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

What a sweet story! A Christmas Bride by Hope Ramsay is the first book in the small town romance series Chapel of Love. It tells the story of coming home again and finding love after loss. Heart-warming and uplifting A Christmas Bride is sure to put a smile on your face.

Willow Peterson left home and never really looked back. After losing her dream job, Willow returns looking to find a purpose to her life now. I instantly understood Willow. She’s driven and full of passion. Losing her best friend a few years prior affected her in ways she didn’t fully admit to herself until she’s home, seeing her friend’s inn and their old stomping grounds. Willow finds herself drawn to her friend’s daughter, seeing a bit of the friend she misses in her. And then there is the inn that is falling apart since Shelly’s death and her husband who has closed himself off to anyone that might give a care for him. Determined to make her friend proud, Willow sets out to do the impossible: resurrect the inn.

David Lyndon is Shelly’s grieving husband. Even two years later, her death is still at the forefront of his mind. When we are first introduced to David, I think he’s a bit of a jerk. Then Ramsay gives us some time from his POV, and my heart just broke for him. He works to keep the status quo. His mother wants him to run for Congress, has groomed him for that since he was a kid. So he’s making a bid for it. That means it’s time to sell the inn and everything that reminds him of Shelly. Losing her around the holidays makes him a bit of a Scrooge (rightfully so). Then Willow shows up and turns his life upside down.

While the book focuses on the budding relationship between David and Willow, it also focuses on the town and those people affected by Shelly in one way or another. I love that about small town settings. This book packs a lot of people into its pages, and yet they all felt real and relatable. I know a Gracie and Poppy, even a Pam Lyndon