Garland and the Grinch by B.R. Goodwin: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Her heart’s been hardened… his is two sizes too small.

There’s nothing sweeter than going home for the holidays. The calendar, filled with festivities, years’ worth of treasured decorations scattered across every inch of my childhood home, and the scent of specially baked treats, made with love and spices, filling the air with a buzz of expectation unlike any other time of year.

Gifts. Music. Traditions. Christmas movies and… the cynical, holiday-hating grump who broke my heart, stinking up every minute of it all.

Merry Christmas to me.

I knew moving home after two years in DC would mean my path would inevitably cross with Grant Cunningham’s. I just never expected it to be the moment my feet touched down in Georgia or that we’d be thrown together at the height of the holidays in the most inconvenient of ways. But spending so much time with Grumpy Grant might be the gift I never asked for, and I’m determined to prove that not even the biggest Grinch can ruin the magic of Christmas.

I can name hundreds of uncomfortable tasks I’d rather tackle than celebrating my least favorite holiday with the Garland family. But when Josephine Garland flies back into my life unexpectedly—and we’re bamboozled into working together—reclusing into hibernation until after Christmas is no longer an option.

I foolishly believed two years was enough time to get her out of my system. But the more she’s in my personal space, spreading Christmas cheer and unknowingly stirring up pain I’d rather leave in the past, the more I’m confronted with my unresolved feelings for Josephine and my aversion for what has always been my hardest day of the year.

Not surprisingly, it’s the self-proclaimed Christmas Queen who begins to make me believe that the holidays and memories I’ve run from can be redeemed.

And, maybe Christmas can mean a little bit more.

Garland and the Grinch is a Christian Christmas romantic comedy that pairs well with it's sister novel, Grits and Glamor, but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

The Author

B.R. Goodwin is a Georgia native, married to her college sweetheart, and the mother of three wild animal children she adores.

When she isn’t writing whimsical romcoms and Christian Fiction, she’s reading, hiking, chauffeuring kids... probably running late, or planning her family’s next big adventure while drinking as much coffee as possible. Above all else, the heartbeat of everything she does in life, friendship, and writing is with an eye to sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ with everyone she meets.

She currently lives in Western Germany with her family.

Book Review

I don't know how a story can be equal parts laugh out loud hilarious and heartbreakingly tender... and yet, B.R. Goodwin made it happen with Grant and Joey's second chance romance. Simply put, I loved these two. Joey is a self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas and Grant... well, he was perfectly grinchy. This definitely leads to some fun banter throughout, but as we start to discover WHY Grant doesn't care for Christmas... oh, my heart! As many times as the holiday shenanigans had me literally laughing out loud, Grant's story had me reaching for the tissues. This story touched on some really tough topics like foster care, abandonment and childhood trauma, but it did so with so much grace and with beautiful messages of faith making it a truly wonderful holiday romance as this can definitely be a time of mixed emotions for so many. I've never read a B.R. Goodwin book I didn't love, and this one might be one of her very best. Truly, I loved it. 

Garland and the Grinch is a Christian romance with kisses only and no language. It is connected to Grits and Glamour, but I do believe it could be enjoyed just fine as a standalone as well. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://link.amazon/B0057YtG1