Somebody like Santa by Janet Dailey: Book Review

  **I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

For Cooper Chapman, moving next door to his newlywed sister in Branding Iron, Texas, is the biggest gift he could ask for this Christmas. The divorced single dad knows his troubled teenaged son only needs the healing balm of big skies and family ties.  But soon after settling into their new home, Trevor falls in with some wild friends at his new school, leaving Cooper leaning hard on youth counselor Jess Graver. With grace and wisdom, Jess soothes Cooper’s worries over his son, even as the elusive beauty stirs romantic feelings to life . . .

With the holiday growing closer, young Trevor finds an unexpected mentor in a local farmer, helping him build a horse-drawn sleigh for the Christmas parade. Now the only thing that could make Cooper’s New Year brighter would be making warm-hearted Jess his own. But when he stumbles upon a secret from her past, it will take more than mistletoe to bring them back together and keep her at his side for all the sweet seasons to come . . .

Janet Dailey’s first book was published in 1976. Since then she has written more than 100 novels and become one of the top-selling female authors in the world, with 325 million copies of her books sold in nineteen languages in ninety-eight countries. She is known for her strong, decisive characters, her extraordinary ability to recreate a time and a place, and her unerring courage to confront important, controversial issues in her stories. To learn more about Janet Dailey and her novels, please visit JanetDailey.com or find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/JanetDaileyAuthor.   

Somebody Like Santa is the fifth book in The Christmas Tree Ranch series. To be honest, I actually didn't realize that it was part of a series until I started to write this review... though looking back there were a few hints that suggested perhaps some side characters may have been introduced previously. That said, I definitely think this read just fine as a standalone.

If you'd have asked me even just a few short months ago if I enjoyed cowboy romances, I likely would have said no--- or not too much anyway. The more I read of them though, the more I find myself enjoying them. Especially when they are as well written as this one was. In many ways, this was a feel good Christmas story--- similar to what you'd see on a Hallmark movie, and just the type of story I absolutely adore. However, it did also broach some more difficult subjects (such as domestic violence) and had a bit of suspense to the story as well. That worked together to create a story that I truly enjoyed and wanted more of. 

There was some language in the story, but not overwhelmingly so. While I personally prefer no language at all in a book, I also found I was still able to enjoy this story despite it.

Overall, this was a good holiday read and one that I would recommend to fans of contemporary romance.