All She Wants for Christmas by Jaci Burton

Big Star, Small-Town Christmas

Country singer Riley Jensen would never have returned to her small Missouri hometown if her publicist hadn't come up with the scheme to tape a Christmas special there. So she never would have known that the man who broke her heart at eighteen—causing her to flee to Nashville—was now a widower with a seven-year-old daughter. Riley has ten years of angst-filled hit songs and Grammy awards to prove she doesn't need Ethan Kent. But suddenly, she can't help thinking of all she gave up by running away...

Ethan Kent knew Riley had the talent and the drive to make it as a singer. He also knew she wasn't going anywhere if she stayed in their nowhere town for him. Then one night and one huge mistake sent her running on the road to fame. Which doesn't mean he ever stopped loving her...

But with so much separating them, can Riley and Ethan find their way back together one magical country Christmas?

Christmas reads for me aren’t complete without an offering from Jaci Burton and this year she not only delivered but her book was centered around a famous country music store. Second to read music is my favorite thing and country seriously tops my list. So when I saw this book was coming out I was anxiously counting down the days till it’s release. December 6rth couldn’t get here fast enough and well real cut in and ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS sat languishing on my hard drive waiting for me to read it. The wait was brutal I tell you but so worth it.

Riley is a strong woman even though it seems as though she doesn’t see it. At eighteen she ran away when her heart was broken and took a chance on her dream. That to me is brave and well scary, but she did it and it paid off. She has fame, fortune, everything a girl could want right? Wrong, but this trip home may end up being the one thing she really needs. Jaci could have gone so many different ways with this, she could have made Riley bitter and mean, but she chose to make her genuine and friendly. I liked her from the word go, she wasn’t some over inflated ego, she was a woman, one who'd been hurt and who used her pain to build a career she could be proud of.

Ethan, well from the blurb I was unsure if I was supposed to like him or not, but I figured that was the point. Without ruining the story I will say that Ethan was in the wrong when he and Riley were teens, but I believe him when he says he never meant to hurt Riley and he paid for his mistake a million times over IMO, but darn it I like him, he’s a good dad, a good brother and a good friend. There is nothing sexier than man who’s a good father, a nice body and good looks are pluses and hello I have eyes don’t I, but a man who loves his kids now that is Sexy!

Jaci is the queen of back story when it comes to short novellas. I always learn so much about her characters is a short amount of time, I have no idea how she does it but she’s good at it and I end up devouring her books in one sitting only to be disappointed when I’m done. Not because the story is bad, but because IT’S OVER!

I really enjoyed going to Riley’s hometown, I felt a real connection to her, she came across real and true to me and I was thrilled she got her HEA, but I have so many questions about characters that appeared in this book.

Like will Wyatt ever be happy again and what happened with his wife Cassandra? Will Brody and Tori hook up? What will Zoey be when she grows up and what will happen to her? So much depth and character development in so short of a book.

So this book is a keeper for sure and I hope just the beginning for some of the secondary characters, It’s well written, sad is some place, happy in others and sexy enough to be enjoyable for any romance reader.

ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS is a firm 9.5 out of 10.

You can grab a copy here.