REVIEW: The December Market by RaeAnne Shayne

The December Market by RaeAnne Shayne: Amanda Taylor is living in her grandmother Birdie’s home after Birdie moved into a retirement community when her vision got worse. As Amanda is delivering some food for Birdie to make Thanksgiving, she is tripped up by a little boy’s toy. Isaac is the son of Rafe Arredondo. Rafe is the assistant fire chief in the town of Shelter Springs. He apologizes and helps her with the groceries. Rafe and Isaac are at the retirement community to visit his grandfather, Paolo.

Rafe and Amanda find out their grandparents have become very close and are a little nervous about it? Should they just let the two have a good time together or try to intervene?

Amanda stays very busy with her shop, especially between Thanksgiving and Christmas. She also works extra hard on the annual December Market. A portion of the proceeds go to charity. Amanda ends up having extra help this year after Rafe suffers a broken arm when trying to help put up lights for a couple senior shop owners. He can’t work as a firefighter for a long time, so he agrees to help Amanda with her kiosk and other tasks he can do one handed.

Amanda knows some of why Rafe is a single dad. Rafe has still been wary of getting toon close to another woman. Will the time Amanda and Rafe spend together help him see that a new chapter to his life is possible?

Amanda is such a sweet, caring person who goes above and beyond helping those in need. She has her own baggage to deal with. Rafe had lost his wife even before she died. She left because of her addiction and overdosed. Rafe was left to deal with grief and raising his son. Isaac was young when his mother died, but it was bound to have a huge impact later.

I think Birdie is my favorite character. She doesn’t let her loss of vision get her down and is willing to become involved in a relationship even at the age of eighty.
There are secondary characters who are fully fleshed out and contribute enormously to the story. The small town setting is lovely, but there is always gossip along with the closeness.

Christmas novels are my go to favorites from October on. RaeAnne Thayne is an author who can craft an excellent holiday tale. She is so prolific that I may never catch up on her backlist. I love all of her books that I’ve read so far. This novel is #2 in a series and works quite well as a standalone. I will be ready to read another in this series as well as any future releases.
 

Book Info:

Publication: October 8, 2024 | Canary Street Press | Shelter Springs #2

The magic of Christmas—and a second shot at romance—is in the air in Shelter Springs this holiday season…

Amanda Taylor isn’t a fan of Christmas, but as the owner of a local soap shop, ignoring the holiday season isn’t an option. To forget the pain of Christmases past, Amanda focuses on making the season bright for her customers at the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market. But when her beloved grandmother, Birdie, starts dating the dashing new resident of the Shelter Inn retirement community, Amanda smells trouble. Fortunately, Rafe Arredondo, the grandson of Birdie’s charming suitor, is equally dubious of the match. Unfortunately, he’s just as fiery as his grandfather—and Amanda has zero interest in getting burned.

As a single father, paramedic and assistant fire chief, Rafe has more than enough on his plate. Sure, he and Amanda share a common goal in keeping their grandparents apart. Still, that doesn’t mean he should allow himself to feel as drawn to her as he does. Even if she is great with his young son. Even if she does help the burden of his own painful past feel a little lighter… But when their paths keep crossing at the holiday market, it starts to feel like fate, prompting them both to wonder if taking a chance on love might gift them everything they’ve been wishing for.