Review to come.

It was okay. I liked the multicultural aspect of it. Still, the cover had me thinking it was a holiday romance about Hanukkah and it barely dealt with it at all. Big disappointment.

s/o again yo Priya for our tradition of reading gag paperbacks and for helping me achieve my gr goal

Reviewed for Wit and Sin

You can’t judge a book by its cover, and that’s definitely the case for Holiday by Candlelight. While the couple embracing and lighting the menorah on the cover (not to mention the book blurb) might indicate a warm Hanukkah romance in the vein of the thousands of Christmas romances out there, it honestly has nothing to do with the holiday. Caleb, the Jewish hero of the story, is either an observant Jew or a bacon-loving nonobservant Jew. Either one or somewhere in between would be all well and good by me – how someone does or doesn’t practice their faith or incorporate their religion’s culture into their lives varies from person to person – but I wish it had been consistent for the length of the story. It felt like author Laurel Greer Googled some key words related to Judaism (and Hanukkah in particular) and then inserted them randomly in a few spots without any follow through. And presto! Diversity!

Not so much.

False advertising and the half-baked way Ms. Greer treats Judaism aside, Holiday by Candlelight had its ups and downs. Caleb was a top surgeon whose career came to a screeching halt when he was trapped in an avalanche and his hand was crushed. Caleb can’t perform surgery anymore and on top of that he has severe PTSD. Moving to Sutter Creek, Montana was supposed to help him move forward. But falling for Garnet James, a woman as adventurous and risk-loving as Caleb used to be, triggers him. Garnet has lost herself trying to fit in with others before and she’s determined not to compromise what she wants ever again. So her falling for the risk-adverse Caleb is an equally terrible idea. Of course, mutual attraction has other plans for them…

Caleb is an interesting and well-drawn hero. The avalanche, how it shaped him, and how he works through his fears and PTSD are compelling and make it easy to root for him. He was truly the big draw in this book and kept me turning the pages. Garnet…is not as appealing. She has potential, and I understood why she didn’t want to lose herself in a relationship, but for much of the book she comes across as selfish. A relationship isn’t balanced when only one person is compromising and given how Caleb struggles to work through his fears for her as well as himself, it was frustrating that Garnet spent so much of the book refusing to look beyond her own wants. Eventually she becomes a character I could enjoy more, but it takes most of the book. The romance between them was lacking in chemistry, which was a huge letdown. I really wished I could feel the pull between them, but everything about their supposed attraction felt flat. I was much more interested in the dynamics between side characters, past and possibly future Sutter Creek, Montana heroes and heroines.

Holiday by Candlelight isn’t a bad book, per se. There is simply a lot of potential to the characters and the story that goes unfulfilled. The story did finish strong, which was nice and left me with enough of a warm and fuzzy feeling to bump up the rating. Perhaps if it had had more of that energy throughout it would have been a more exciting tale. If you’re looking for a good interracial, interfaith, or Hanukkah-specific romance, this isn’t the book for you. But if you simply want a wintertime romance with skiing, Search and Rescue, an interesting hero, and guaranteed happily ever after, Holiday by Candlelight checks those boxes.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/12/22/holiday-by-candlelight-by-laurel-greer/

3.5 stars — While I really enjoyed how unique this book was, I found all the conflict and strife to be a bit hard on my heart. It was real, but I’m just not as into that much push and pull I guess. It’s like, we had 2 characters who were both struggling with the after effects of trauma/life changes, and while they were totally pulled in by the other, they couldn’t seem to find a way to meet in the middle. Don’t get me wrong, they got there…and I think I actually believed it in the end, it felt realistic and right. But it was a HARD journey, with both characters having some less than stellar moments that just…well, it made it a bit harder.

I enjoy them together, but I think I just personally prefer couples with less…conflict? Angst? I don’t know. I don’t know how to describe it.

While I’m wanting to go back and read the rest of this series, I picked this one as my current read because I thought I might get some religious diversity for my challenge. Alas, Caleb is non-practicing, so I can’t see myself counting it.

Damn, this was an *excellent* way to get into the Hanukkah spirit. Caleb and Garnet were extraordinary together. Reading them work through their PTSD and their plethora of issues truly wrenched my heart out. This book is a beautiful, brilliant book.

A bit of false advertising - not really a "holiday" romance in the true sense of the word. Yes, Christmas/Hanukkah are taking place but they're fairly incidental to the plot. I came for the Jewish/biracial hero but left disappointed.

The romance is fine, I guess. Former hot-shot surgeon Caleb is recovering from the PTSD of surviving an avalanche and losing the use of one of his hands, and he can barely get on a ski lift, much less consider having a girlfriend who takes dangerous risks working for Search And Rescue operations. Garnet is tired of changing who she is based on what her boyfriend wants, so there's no way she's giving up the job she loves for the cute doctor. Complications ensue.

I'm not a big M/F romance fan, much less a category romance reader, so I wouldn't have even looked at this book if it weren't for the menorah on the cover. Unfortunately, other than a Hanukkah dinner (that mostly happens off page) and a few Skype conversations with Caleb's Jewish mother, this could have been any other generic romance. I'm not saying Laurel Greer had to write Fiddler on the Roof, but a little more integration of Jewish themes in the plot would have been greatly appreciated given the title and blurb.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

In this new release by Laurel Greer, two people will have to learn to work through their trauma in order to find love.

Caleb is looking for a way back to normal. After being caught in an avalanche that ruined his surgeon career, he's moved to a sleepy ski town to find himself again and work through his trauma. Garnet has enough trouble knowing herself. She's always changed for others, and wants no part in changing for yet another man. But when the two meet, sparks fly. Will they be able to work through their separate traumas in order to find a life together?

I'm pretty disappointed in this book. First things first, the cover implies that Hanukkah has a front and center part in this story. In reality Hanukkah, or any Jewish theme, is really not mentioned much. It felt a little like false advertising, and I was super upset that Jewish themes didn't play a larger role. Another thing I didn't like was the way PTSD was handled. The way Garnet was written was too blunt to handle such a topic, and it came off as completely insensitive writing. I found myself really not enjoying Garnet as much as I would have liked because of it. There were definitely some plot holes with Garnet's character, as well. I didn't really understand her backstory or where she came from, and it made the story feel really lopsided. I will say that Caleb's character was decently well written; the way he handled PTSD was real, and the way he worked through his trauma was believable. Overall, I feel really let down by this read.

Super irritated how the book handled the PTSD and Garnet was incredibly insensitive to both the hero and side characters multiple times

In this new release by Laurel Greer, two people will have to learn to work through their trauma in order to find love.

Caleb is looking for a way back to normal. After being caught in an avalanche that ruined his surgeon career, he's moved to a sleepy ski town to find himself again and work through his trauma. Garnet has enough trouble knowing herself. She's always changed for others, and wants no part in changing for yet another man. But when the two meet, sparks fly. Will they be able to work through their separate traumas in order to find a life together?

I'm pretty disappointed in this book. First things first, the cover implies that Hanukkah has a front and center part in this story. In reality Hanukkah, or any Jewish theme, is really not mentioned much. It felt a little like false advertising, and I was super upset that Jewish themes didn't play a larger role. Another thing I didn't like was the way PTSD was handled. The way Garnet was written was too blunt to handle such a topic, and it came off as completely insensitive writing. I found myself really not enjoying Garnet as much as I would have liked because of it. There were definitely some plot holes with Garnet's character, as well. I didn't really understand her backstory or where she came from, and it made the story feel really lopsided. I will say that Caleb's character was decently well written; the way he handled PTSD was real, and the way he worked through his trauma was believable. Overall, I feel really let down by this read.