MARRIED BY CHRISTMAS by Karen Kirst

Caleb O'Malley witnesses the murder of a friend and is badly wounded in the process. He escapes but the cold and his wound is taking its toll. Rebecca Thurston is alerted by her dog that something is in the woods. When she investigates, she discovers it's Caleb. He was once a close childhood friend but Rebecca blames him for the accident that changed her life. She knows she must help him or he'll die, but she has no idea what helping him will mean to her future. Caleb has been plagued with guilt about the accident that changed the lives of his two best friends. Now he has brought trouble to Rebecca once again. Because they have been alone together (except for Rebecca's younger sister) for more than a week while she nursed him back to health, the town is demanding that they marry. Neither one wants to do that but Caleb doesn't want Rebecca or her sister to be the topic of gossip and he wants to somehow make up for the past by taking care of her now. The more time they spend together, the more they realize how much each of them has changed. Have they changed enough to forge out a future together or will they settle for only keeping the terms of their agreement?

Married by Christmas is an excellent story! Karen Kirst really has a remarkable talent for writing a heartwarming story, loaded with lots of romantic tension, lively characters and even some edge-of-your-seat moments. I read the first book in the Smokey Mountain Series (The Reluctant Outlaw) awhile ago and just loved it. When I saw this was up for review, I knew it was a must read. I can only say that I absolutely loved it! Caleb is a tortured hero who is haunted by past mistakes. His kind and gentle ways made him completely swoon-worthy! Rebecca was a woman of great strength and spunk, yet she really had a soft and tender heart. Together they were pure magic! I loved the whole theme of forgiveness and second chances running through the story. We know that the Lord forgives us, but sometimes it's hard for us to let our mistakes go. The verse listed in the beginning of the story was Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." That really fits the story well. I also enjoyed the element of danger in the story and thought it was nicely played. The O'Malley's are a great group and I now want to go back and read the ones I missed. Married by Christmas is a story with Christmas in it but can be enjoyed any time of the year. It's one I highly recommend and one I would definitely read again.

*This complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *

Series: Love Inspired HistoricalSmoky Mountain Matches
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (October 7, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0373282834
ISBN-13: 978-0373282838

For more information about this book or other books by this author, I recommend you visit her website at http://www.karenkirst.com/