Candlelight Christmas (Lakeshore Chronicles #10) by Susan Wiggs

Title: Candlelight Christmas
Series: The Lakeshore Chronicles (Book 10)
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Hardcover; 336 pages
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA (October 29, 2013)
ISBN-10: 077831474X
ISBN-13: 978-0778314745
Author's Website:  http://www.susanwiggs.com/

Notes: I received an eARC Loan from the publisher via NetGalley

"Remember the definition of insanity?" she asked India, who was taking pictures on her smartphone. "Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result." 

Darcy Fitzgerald has been through the wringer.  Her ex-husband is the brother of her sister's husband and the son of her parent's best friends. She survived the divorce, but didn't tell any of her relatives what really happened to mark the end of her marriage--namely, her husband cheated on her with his first wife. Hence, every year since the divorce, the holidays--events shared between the two families--have been awkward, painful and something Darcy has come to dread.

Now her friend, India, is convinced that Darcy and her brother, Logan, would get along famously. She's offering Darcy a means of escape from her family's holiday gatherings by inviting Darcy to spend them with her and her family. While India has let her wishes be known, she's letting nature take it's course and hoping fate is on her side. Fate will have its job cut out for it because Darcy has vowed never to make the same mistake twice.

Upon their introduction, a spark of interest between Darcy and Logan was ignited. After their second meeting a fire began to smolder. Will their third encounter prove to be lucky and ignite something more--perhaps love? After all, candlelight and Christmas can be a heady concoction.

This is the tenth book of the Lakeshore Chronicles, but I didn't feel lost jumping right into this one. I thought it was refreshing how the story wasn't an instant love match and things progressed rather slowly at the beginning. It seemed to truly reflect how a person who'd gone through a terrible divorce would act--cautious, skeptical, and leery.

Darcy is not your typical woman. She's into sports marketing, a fairly specialized field. She's a sponsored athlete who tests gear and apparel for companies as well as being featured in advertisement campaigns promoting the garments and equipment of her chosen sport--snowboarding. She's always been a confident individual, but the divorce took its toll on her. She's decided never again to open herself so fully to another individual, especially not one with kids. She had completely thrown herself into the marriage and had fallen in love with not only her husband, but his kids too. It made the divorce doubly painful, and learning that Logan has a son from a previous marriage makes her reluctant to start anything with him.

Logan is a great dad and tends to put his son first. He had done everything within his power to try to make his marriage work, but in the end he and his ex-wife just weren't compatible. Now, when his son comes to visit, he makes sure to take full advantage of the little time they have together. He's dated some since his divorce, but nothing serious. He's realized he's more of a family man, but hasn't yet met a woman who could keep his attention and fears he never will. When he marries again he wants it to last forever.

Darcy, Logan quickly realizes, is not like other women. Every time he thinks he's got her figured out, he finds out something unexpected about her. She's not the type to make a man bend to her will and while she said she doesn't like kids, it's obvious that she does. He finds her a tempting puzzle he'd like to solve.

Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. I enjoyed seeing Darcy and Logan fall in love. I loved the little extras, such as recipes, that Ms. Wiggs included within the pages. I personally can't wait to try the Eggnog Pancakes with Whiskey Butter recipe she included. Additionally, I was charmed by the story of the Christmas pickle--something I'd seen in ornaments, but knew nothing of the tradition behind them. Those little extra touches added a touch of whimsy to an already sweet and charming read. I felt this one is a perfect read for the holiday season. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one scores a FAN rating--the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice.

Most Anticipated New Releases of December 2013

The following list is comprised of books and novellas my friends, family, and I are most looking forward to reading in December. It also consists of books by popular authors and others I've heard a lot of hype about. I am not flawless and sometimes I'll accidentally leave one or more books off the list that I shouldn't. Let me know if one of your favorites is missing. Sometimes my search techniques just don't work as well as I wish they did.

The list is divided into weekly releases, of which there are 5 this month. If you'd like to read a book's description, just click on the cover photo and you'll be magically transferred to Goodreads. Remember a book a day keeps the boredom at bay! Happy reading.

P.S. Sorry for being so late with this list this month. I had a family emergency that kept me from creating it earlier. I decided to no break with tradition and put this one up despite the late timing. I can now concentrate on the list for January. Enjoy!


December 1st - Dark Wolf Running (Bloodrunners #5) by Rhyannon Byrd
December 1st - Disappear by Iain Edward Henn (Novella)
December 1st - Last Hit (Hitman) by Jessica Clare
December 1st - Married for Christmas by Noelle Adams
December 1st - Nightmaster by Susan Krinard
December 1st - No Place for a Dame by Connie Brockway
December 1st - Silent Echo by J. R. Rain
December 1st - Until You (Fall Away Series) by Penelope Douglas
December 2nd - Brazen(Novella?) by Kelley Armstrong
December 2nd - Grimnirs (A Runes Book) (YA Paranormal Romance) by Ednah Walters
December 2nd - Roman Holiday 4: Ravaged: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Ruthie Knox
December 2nd - Steel World by B. V. Larson
December 3rd - Alien Research by Gini Koch
December 3rd - Autobiography by Morrissey
December 3rd - Brandon's Bride: A Family Secrets Novel by Lisa Gardner
December 3rd - Brown Dog: Novellas by Jim Harrison
December 3rd - Dangerous Women by George R.R. Martin
December 3rd - Darklove by Elle Jasperby Elle Jasper
December 3rd - Dead Eye (A Gray Man Novel) by Mark Greaney
December 3rd - Deadly (Pretty Little Liars #14) by Sara Shepard
December 3rd - Downton Tabby by Chris Kelly
December 3rd - Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World by Alison Weir
December 3rd - Full Throttle (Fast Track) by McCarthy, Erin
December 3rd - Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy) by Sylvain Reynard
December 3rd - The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley
December 3rd - Home For the Haunting (Haunted Home Renovation Series #4) by Juliet Blackwell
December 3rd - Inside the Dream Palace: The Life and Times of New York's Legendary Chelsea Hotel by Sherill Tippins
December 3rd - Kicking It by Faith Hunter & Kalayna Price
December 3rd - The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams by Ben Bradlee Jr.
December 3rd - The Killing Code by Craig Hurren
December 3rd - Kinsey and Me: Stories (eBook) by Sue Grafton
December 3rd - Kisses, She Wrote: A Christmas Romance by Katharine Ashe
December 3rd - Mitosis: A Reckoners Story by Brandon Sanderson (35 pages)
December 3rd - Murder, She Barked: A Paws & Claws Mystery by Krista Davis
December 3rd - Lending a Paw: A Bookmobile Cat Mystery by Laurie Cass
December 3rd - Never Trust a Pirate (Scandal at the House of Russell, Book Two) by Stuart, Anne
December 3rd - Once Upon a Highland Christmas by Sue-Ellen Welfonder NOVELLA
December 3rd - The Prince of Risk: A Novel by Christopher Reich
December 3rd - Quilt Trip (Southern Quilting Mystery Series #3) by Elizabeth Craig
December 3rd - Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally
December 3rd - Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Retribution (Jason Bourne) by Eric Van Lustbader
December 3rd - Something About Harry by Dakota Cassidy
December 3rd - Studs and Stilettos (Romantic Mystery) by Bev Pettersen
December 3rd - Sweet Revenge by Rebecca Zanetti
December 3rd - The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker
December 3rd - Unclaimed by Sara Humphreys
December 5th - Command Authority (Jack Ryan 13) by Tom Clancy
December 5th - Misled by Kathryn Kelly
December 5th - Random Acts of Trust by Julia Kent
December 7th - Enslaved By The Ocean (Criminals Of The Ocean #1) by Bella Jewel
December 7th - Reviving Izabel (In the Company of Killers #2) by J.A. Redmerski


December 8th - The Arrangement 12 (The Ferro Family) by H.M. Ward
December 8th - Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law Mystery/Romance Series) by Jana DeLeon
December 9th - Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror #8) by Karina Halle
December 9th - Blade to the Keep by Lauren Dane
December 9th - Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Toni Aleo
December 9th - Roman Holiday 5: Ignited: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Ruthie Knox 

December 9th - The Knight (A Highland Guard Novella 7.5) by Monica McCarty
December 9th - Silent Night (Raine Stockton Dog Mystery) by Donna Ball
December 10th - All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan
December 10th - A Beautiful Wedding: A Novella (Beautiful Disaster) by Jamie McGuire
December 10th - Captain Of My Heart (Heroes Of The Sea) by Danelle Harmon (eBook)
December 10th - A Christmas Wish: Dane (MacKenzie Family) by Liliana Hart
December 10th - Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells
December 10th - Elect by Rachel Van Dyken
December 10th - Hunted by Karen Robards
December 10th - Innocence: A Novel by Dean Koontz
December 10th - Innocent Blood: The Order of the Sanguines Series by James Rollins
December 10th - The Last of The Wise Lovers (A Suspense and Espionage Thriller) by Amnon Jackont
December 10th - Snakeroot: A Nightshade Novel by Cremer, Andrea
December 10th - Storm Warning (Broken Heartland) by Caisey Quinn (eBook)
December 10th - These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
December 10th - True: 11 (New Species) by Laurann Dohner
December 10th - 'Twas the Night Before Mischief(A Daring Hearts Novella) by Nina Rowan
December 10th - Wolf Quest by Bianca D'Arc
December 11th - After the Rain by Lisa De Jong
December 11th - Truman's Spy: A Cold War Spy Story by Noel Hynd
December 12th - Empires of Moth (The Moth Saga, Book 2) by Daniel Arenson
December 12th - Mail Order Love (A Sweet Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Novel) (Oregon Mail Order Brides) by Amy Blakelear (eBook)
December 12th - The One You Trust by Paul Pilkington (eBook)
December 13th - Nobody but You (A Callaway Wedding Novella) by Barbara Freethy


December 16th - The Professional: Part 1 by Kresley Cole (eBook/audio)
December 17th - Dragon Awakened: The Hidden Series: Book 1 by Rush, Jaime
December 17th - Fracture Me (Shatter Me #2.5) by Tahereh Mafi
December 17th - Last Stand of the New York Institute (The Bane Chronicles) by Cassandra Clare
December 17th - Misbehaving (Sea Breeze) by Abbi Glines
December 17th - Out of Turn (The Kathleen Turner Series #4) by Tiffany Snow
December 17th - Reaver by Larissa Ione
December 17th - The Redhead Plays Her Hand by Clayton, Alice
December 17th - Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan


December 23rd - Needing Her: A Novella by Molly McAdams
December 24th - French Women Don't Get Facelifts: The Secret of Aging with Style & Attitude by Mireille Guiliano
December 24th - The Spider by Jennifer Estep


December 31st - Big Sky Secrets (Big Sky (Harlequin)) by Linda Lael Miller
December 31st - Born in Blood by Alexandra Ivy
December 31st - Deadshifted by Cassie Alexander
December 31st - Desperately Seeking Fireman: A Bachelor Firemen Novella by Bernard, Jennifer
December 31st - The Greatest Lover Ever by Brooke, Christina
December 31st - The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin
December 31st - Hazardous Duty (A Presidential Agent Novel) by W.E.B. Griffin
December 31st - Heart of Stone by Christine Warren
December 31st - How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
December 31st - If Wishes Were Earls: Rhymes With Love by Boyle, Elizabeth
December 31st - Killing Cupid by Laura Levine
December 31st - The Scandal in Kissing an Heir: At the Kingsborough Ball by Barnes, Sophie
December 31st - The Sharpest Blade by Sandy Williams
December 31st - Somebody to Love: A Cupid, Texas Novel by Lori Wilde
December 31st - Sweetest Mistake by Terry, Candis
December 31st - Taste of Darkness by Maria V Snyder
December 31st - The Wedding Favor: A Save the Date Novel by Cara Connelly