Book Review: A Lawman's Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

At First Sight: Clay McKettrick has left the comfort of his family's ranch behind to start his own ranch in Blue River, Texas. To keep himself busy until spring (when he can start building), Clay accepts the job as Town Marshal.The job comes with a house, which is currently being occupied by the former's Marshal's wife and children. 

Upon meeting the eldest child, Edrina Nolan -an adorable girl, only six years old who charms him with her outspokenness and smarts - and learning of the hard times the Nolan women have fallen into, Clay decides to let them stay in the house.

Dara Rose Nolan is glad for the small reprieve, though she knows it can't last forever, and she is desperate to find a way to keep her children and herself feed and with a roof over their head. She doesn't have time to think about the new Marshal's blue eyes or the strange things she feels whenever he's around. 

But Clay can't seem to stay away, drawn to Dara Rose and her little girls, and with Christmas coming up, in a place far, far away from his family, he rather thinks is time he had a family of his own.

Second Glance: I have to say that I love reading Linda Lael Miller's Christmas stories, I have never dared to read her series - the McKettricks or the Stone Creek one - because they are so far advanced and I feel weird just jumping in the middle of things, but I love reading the holiday stories because they kind of stand alone and I can enjoy them without knowing all the backgrounds and who is married to who and what have you. 

A Lawman's Christmas is on the shorter side, just over 250 pages, but it's a lovely story that can easily be read in one single afternoon. I adored Dara Rose's daughters Edrina and Harriet, they were way too cute, smart and generous. Dara Rose was a bit prickly sometimes but it made sense given her history and her circumstances. 

I did love Clay and for the length of the story I think he was the most developed character and I really liked seeing his attempts to woo Dara Rose and spoil the Edrina and Harriet. 

Sadly, I wasn't happy with the Epilogue, it felt like a bit of an afterthought just thrown in, but I'm willing to overlook that. 

Bottom Line: A Lawman's Christmas is a lovely holiday story that will give you some warm fuzzies and entertain you for a good while. 

2/3