Review: Christmas at Copper Mountain

Title: Christmas at Copper Mountain
Author: Jane Porter
Publisher: The Tule Publishing Group
Release Date: November 2013
Length: 119 pages
Series?: Copper Mountain Christmas #4
Genre: Romance

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Since the loss of her family in a plane crash, Harley Diekerhoff has led a quiet life and keeps to herself. Taking the temporary job at the Copper Mountain Ranch as widower Brock Sheenan’s housekeeper seems perfect for her. But her calm cocoon is invaded with the arrival of Brock’s pre-teen twins, Mack and Molly who’ve never experienced a proper Christmas and before she knows it, Harley’s determined to make their holiday perfect.

Annoyed at first by Harley’s interference, Brock is secretly pleased she’s changed Mack and Molly’s world. It doesn’t hurt that he finds Harley incredibly attractive, fierce, smart and passionate. It’s also an added bonus that she’s not afraid to challenge him and get his blood heated! But when sparks fly and the attractions sizzles between them, Harley’s not so sure she can handle something permanent with this dark, taciturn cowboy who doesn’t know how to let her in. But Brock is determined to hold on to her and praying for a Christmas miracle.

***** Review *****

She’d come to Montana to work. She’d taken the temporary job at Copper Mountain Ranch to get some distance from her family this Christmas, and working on the Paradise Valley cattle ranch would give her new memories. 

Harley needs to be away from her family this Christmas. She needs to define herself by her work and have new memories, so she took the temporary housekeeping job at the Copper Mountain Ranch working for Brock Sheenan.

The agency briefed Harley before her arrival about her employer. She is there to feed the ranch hands and take care of the house, and doesn’t get involved in the ranch affairs…until the sheriff shows up with two children in tow and Brock is nowhere to be found.

Having lost her own children, being around children is very hard for Harley. She is more than capable of caring for the ranch and the children, but she just can’t. It sets the entire family on edge in their own ways, and the personalities and individuality of both Molly and Mack shine through the novel. Mack and Molly both have their own moments with Harley, and they are incredibly sweet and slightly heartbreaking. They are adorable and wanting for love, and Harley seems to be the one to bring that out in their father.

This is a very quick and heartwarming read for the holidays, with a sweet and sentimental ending.

***** About the Author *****

I’m a small town girl at heart. Born in Visalia, California, I love central California’s golden foothills, oak trees, and the miles of farmland. In my mind, there’s nothing sweeter in the world than the heady fragrance of orange blossoms on a sultry summer night.

As a little girl I spent hours on my bed, staring out the window, dreaming of far off places, fearless knights, and happy-ever-after endings. In my imagination I was never the geeky bookworm with the thick coke-bottle glasses, but a princess, a magical fairy, a Joan-of-Arc crusader.

My parents fed my imagination by taking our family to Europe for a year when I was thirteen. The year away changed me (I wasn’t a geek for once!) and overseas I discovered a huge and wonderful world with different cultures and customs. I loved everything about Europe, but felt especially passionate about Italy and those gorgeous Italian men (no wonder my very first Presents was Italian).

I confess, after that incredible year in Europe, the travel bug bit, and bit hard. I spent much of my high school and college years abroad, studying in South Africa, Japan and Ireland. South Africa remains a country of my heart, the people, the land and politics complex and heart-wrenching.

After my years of traveling and studying I had to settle down and earn a living. With my Bachelors degree from UCLA in American Studies, a program that combines American literature and American history, I’ve worked in sales and marketing, as well as a director of a non-profit foundation. Later I earned my Masters in Writing from the University of San Francisco and taught jr. high and high school English.

After sixteen years in Greater Seattle, I’m back in California, making my home in a historic Ole Hanson home in San Clemente, with my surfer husband and three very active sons. I love being near the beach and being able to walk everywhere, but I also love being at my desk, writing stories about women and our lives, as well as the need to love, and be loved. I like a story with a happy ending. But then, I believe, we all do.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads