Thursday, December 3, 2020

Blog Tour: Write Before Christmas by Julie Hammerle


Write Before Christmas
Julie Hammerle
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday Romance
Publisher: Entangled: August
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
You’ve probably heard of me.
Reclusive fantasy author turned famous when his series got developed into a mega TV hit.
Except now I’m way behind deadline, and the whole world is waiting to see what I’ll write next.
The pressure is getting to me, and I. Can’t. Write.
Cue: small town where people don’t recognize me.
Cue: my assistant insisting on a personal chef to keep me fed and nothing more.
Cue: finding the first bit of inspiration I’ve felt in months whenever she’s around… Am I a walking cliche now, or what?
Dani Cooper seems to have her own hurdles to jump this holiday season. Newly divorced, looking for her next move. She’s the first person who’s seen me for me in way too long. And I see her, too--as way more than just an employee, a divorcee, a cook. She’s becoming my muse…
But when my Christmas deadline hits, will it spell the end of us, too?
REVIEW

With the pressure to deliver the final book in his hit fantasy series, Matt was experiencing a severe case of writer's block. His solution? Escape to a small town, where he could enjoy some anonymity. He did find some solace in said small town, and it came in the form of his new housekeeper. 

I started out as a fan of Hammerle's YA books, but after reading Knocked-Up Cinderella, I knew I would be reading more of her adult books. Write Before Christmas was fun and heartwarming, and I would say had a Hallmark feel, which is something that always delights me.

First of all, can we just thank Hammerle for writing books featuring mature heroines. It's wonderful seeing women over forty finding love, and in this instance, finding her second chance at happiness. Dani spent over twenty years in an unsatisfying marriage. I wanted her to find her soulmate with every ounce of my being. She deserved someone who would love and respect her and make her happy. It was kismet that her dog ran over Matt and brought the two of them together. What started as a holiday fling quickly showed signs of becoming more, and I was here for it. Why? Because I thought they were fantastic together. 

Dani was also at a crossroads in her life. While she was married, she played the role of homemaker. Now, she was on her own and needed to figure out what to do with her life. It was great seeing her parlay some of her domestic talents into a possible career. She was seizing opportunities, while also making some of her own. I loved that she wanted to rely on herself and cheered all her successes. 

I was in such a funk when I picked up this book, and I have to say, this was the right book at the right time. Books set during the holidays have been my panacea and are especially effective, when they incorporate the holiday fun into the story. It was great partaking in all the Christmas events celebrated by the whole town. I loved baking the cookies and going to the holiday bazaar, but I really delighted in spending time with Dani's family. They were such a fun and welcoming group. I could feel the love that existed between them all, and they made me laugh. In fact, I laughed a lot as I read this book, and yes, that's a good thing. 

Overall, I had a fabulous holiday with Matt, Dani, and the rest of town. It was a treat watching these two figure out their future and get their HEA. I adored all its fun fluffy goodness, and was left feeling all the holiday cheer. 

* ARC received in exchange for an honest review. 
 



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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author Julie Hammerle writes young adult novels that focus on nerds, geeks, and basket cases falling in love. On the YA side, she is the author of The Sound of Us (Entangled TEEN, 2016) and the North Pole romance series (Entangled Crush, 2017). For adult romances, look for Knocked-Up Cinderella in the fall of 2018. A graduate of Butler University with degrees in secondary education and Latin with a minor in music, Julie lives in Chicago with her family and enjoys reading, cooking, and watching all the television.














Favorite holiday treat?
Let us know in the comments!

22 comments:

  1. I am glad you were able to enjoy this book and it could pick up your mood quite a bit. Some of my favourite romcom films are about older people finding love, so it's lovely to know that these is this book with forty + characters finding love too! It sounds lovely ^.^

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    1. Always good to see old people out there still getting a happy ending

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  2. You said the magic words: fluffy goodness! In addition though, I agree, a mature heroine getting her HEA is <3

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  3. I haven’t read anything by Hammerle before but I’ve had Knocked Up Cinderella in my Amazon Wish List for ages. I really like the sound of this one. Between the holiday feel, the small town, and great secondary characters (Dani’s family sounds wonderful) I was sold, but you totally clenched it when you mentioned an over-40 heroine. Yes! Finding female leads over 20-something can be tough so I consider an over-40 heroine a huge bonus!

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    1. Yes. We need more "mature" heroines for sure, and I hope you someday get the chance to read Cinderella. It was fun and feel good, which are my go-tos

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  4. This sounds like such a fun holiday read. If it's like Hallmark, sign me up!

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    1. I see a Hallmark reference in a review and I'm all in

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  5. I love the premise of a fantasy author losing his muse, as it were (reminds me of a few fantasy authors with overdue books I can think of lol) and the mature heroine sounds like another plus. I like seeing older protagonists in cute stories like this, we need more of that!

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    1. They were definitely going for a GoT thing. They talked about how they needed the book for the last season to begin.

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  6. Yes! Give me mature heroines Sam! This is so refreshing! I recommend Not What I Expected or Fortuity by Jewel E Ann. You'd love them.

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    1. Thanks! Always looking for more books with older heroines.

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  7. This sounds like a fabulous Christmas read!

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    1. It was cute. Small town holiday celebrations and a comeback romance. I enjoyed it.

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  8. This sounds like a great book! I have a bit of a soft spot for older heroines :)

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    1. Right, Carole. We need some older heroines every now and then

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  9. Ohh this sounds like such a lovely read Sam! I'm a big fan of mature romances and finding that happily ever after and really enjoying the twist of Matt being an author, always a massive plus for me to have books involved in the narrative. I'm so glad you enjoyed this one Sam and looking forward to checking it out!

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    1. I cannot say that I have found too many mature heroines, but I am happy to be seeing more and more these days. The author wrote a GoT type book, so I thought that was pretty fun.

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  10. A book about writing and Christmas. Sounds perfect right now!

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    1. The Christmas bits were some of my favorite parts.

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  11. I won a copy of this from Goodreads and I started it a week or so ago, but then had a bunch of review books that I had to get done, so I still need to finish it. Glad to hear you liked it, gives me the motivation to get back to it as soon as I can! Great review!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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    1. I hope you get to finish it. I thought it was fun and heartwarming.

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