Christmas in Good Hope

A Good Hope Novel, Book 1

By: Cindy Kirk

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

Ami and Beck would rather forget the past, but this Christmas of love is one to remember.

Amaryllis "Ami" Bloom's cheerful smile greets everyone in Good Hope, Wisconsin. But her merry façade hides a dark secret she won't ever forget. Still, she throws herself into celebrating Christmas - and convinces her handsome, and stubborn, new neighbor to join her.

Beckett Cross, however, is determined not to celebrate the holidays. He moved to Good Hope to leave behind reminders of how he'd had it all...and lost everything. But it's hard to resist the adorable Ami, the designated keeper of the small town's holiday traditions, when she asks for help with the 12 Nights celebration. And Ami has a hard time resisting Beck's soft Southern drawl and gentle eyes. Will a Christmas miracle give them a second chance at love and the hope to heal both of their hearts for good?

©2015 Cynthia Rutledge (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Small town, second chances

Ami and Beck are a friends-to-lovers romance with a nice slow-build.

This is a small town romance featuring a tight-knit community and sibling relationships - in this case, Ami has a group of sisters that are featured in subsequent books. Ami is a baker and Beck owns a nearby cafe. Both have things from their past they are trying to move beyond and there is a certain amount of guilt that they carry.

This book has themes of "neighbors helping neighbors" and forgiveness.

I've listened to this one twice and I love it! I'm sure I'll be listening again in the future.

Fun HEA

I enjoyed this book. It is a sweet small town story with a little drama and spice thrown in to keep it interesting. The narrator was good with the voices. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Christmastime in a Smalltown, USA

Sweet story. Ami owns a bakery next to the cafe that was recently bought by Beck Cross. Ami quickly befriended Beck and they have a daily ritual of morning coffee together. As part of her 'initiation' into the ladies auxiliary, Ami is tasked with talking Beck into opening his house up for the annual Christmas tour...something in which the previous owner participated. Ami is an all-around do-gooder. She collects donations for various charitable groups, delivers food baskets, etc....and she's slowly breaking through the ice around Beck's heart. Beck moved to the town when after a devastating personal tragedy and not looking for romance...but there's just something about Ami. We see the relationship grow into move than friends and start feeling happy but, will this truly last? Each has a secret that they haven't shared. We do get an HEA...yay!

Christmas In Good Hope

This book was a very sweet romance full of compassion, forgiveness, and neighborly love. The author did a good job telling the story of Ami Bloom and Beck Cross. Without being weighted down there backstory was woven in to give understanding into the depth of these two. Enjoyed the flow of the book and how the couple’s conflict did not drag on forever like in some romance novels. Looking forward to reading the remainder of the series and seeing other characters stories unfold. Amy McFadden was an excellent narrator.

Will be looking for more stories from Cindy Kirk!

The characters are well written and believable. You can’t go wrong with this book! Hi on ...give it a go!! Oh and it’s performed by Amy McFadden!! I count myself lucky whenever I get an audible book performed by her!!

Okay

I enjoyed this book. Very predictable. It was not exactly what I was expecting. The big reveal was lacking.

More sex than I planned for

While it was a sweet story and very predictable ending, it had too much sex for my taste. That said, it wasn’t a great deal, but I didn’t feel the story needed it.

A Surprised LOVE for series

What made the experience of listening to Christmas in Good Hope the most enjoyable?

The narrator was excellent. I was sucked into this from the beginning.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are believable and all have their faults, but they work to overcome them. Who doesn't enjoy a story about a baker. Plus, the sisters are hilarious and I am so excited to read more about this small town in WI.

Have you listened to any of Amy McFadden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first time listening to this author, but this series is actually one of the only ones I pre-ordered the second book as soon as it was available and I am going to for the third book also.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I listen to books at work and I have many in my audiobook collection. This one is one I keep downloaded and have listened to at least 5 times thus far and have no doubt it will be at least another 5 times in the next 6 months. :D

Any additional comments?

I got this book because it was on one of the specials buys and I love Christmas. I am beyond thrilled I took a chance on this one. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good romance story and Christmas.

Heartwarming story

Everyone will want to live in a town like Good Hope-even if it’s for the short time it takes to listen to the story.

Predictable

I've enjoyed this narrator reading other stories but here she seemed flat and uninteresting. I didn't mind how she did the main character but the others just lacked any pizazz. Several sounded the same.

The writing was similar. Even though most of the characters were several years past college and were the business people and upstanding citizens of the town, they seemed extremely immature. Also the whole premise of a furnace not working in a business that far north and NOT affecting business seemed far-fetched. Plus it was hardly mentioned after the opening chapters. Finally, the one sex scene was far more graphic than what I am used to and really didn't contribute to the story. Doesn't anyone use window shades any more?