One shattered window. Two bruised hearts. And twelve days until Christmas.
Tessa Doyle’s semester in Europe left her a much wiser woman. But then she takes a job referral from her ex, and agrees to repair the stained-glass window, the last work she will need for her MFA. With a two-week deadline, she will have no time for anything else, especially men.
Sean Cavanagh’s Christmas season has lost all its cheer. Nothing has gone according to his plans for Christmas since the drone broke the window. Now organ pipes are missing, and a blizzard is threatening to cancel what could be Granda’s last sermon.
With a little magic and a lot of snow, Tessa and Sean work together to repair not just a window, but also their hearts.
Lorin Grace was born in Colorado and has been moving around the country ever since, living in eight states and several imaginary worlds. She holds a degree in graphic design which comes in handy with creating book covers. Currently, she lives with her husband, and a dog who is insanely jealous of her laptop. When not writing, Lorin enjoys creating graphics, visiting historical sites, museums, painting furniture, and reading. Three of her books, her debut novel, Waking Lucy (2017), Mending Fences (2018), and Not the Bodyguard’s Baby (2020) have won Recommend Read awards in the League of Utah Writers Published book contest.
Art, music, friends, a broken stained-glass window, two broken hearts and Christmas, mix with a heaping spoonful of humor and a giant cup of love, add a dash of heat from the fireplace, a cozy blanket and this is the perfect recipe for a cozy Christmas read.
I started reading this last night and could not put it down. I stayed up just a little bit past my bedtime to finish it *blushes*. I had to know what happened. I forced my eyes to stay open until I had enjoyed every moment. I loved the first book, Mending Fences and was so happy when the author kept getting such great feedback from readers asking for more about the group of roommates from that book that she decided to create a whole series about it. Yay for me because I wanted more too! Mandy was the first roommate to have a book and now Tessa gets to shine in this one. And boy does she shine! Not in a show off way, but in the way that her character's goodness shines through in all her actions. For those of you wondering if you need to read the books in order...You don't have to read the first book to enjoy this one but I think it would help because the roommates are introduced in the first book. But if you don't have the time to read both and want to dive into this one, the author does a great job of giving a little intro to the roommates as they appear in the story. So either way, read in order, or as stand alones.
So the author got to help with this big stained glass mural recently and used that to shape and create this story. I absolutely loved the art aspects in both books so far. I wanted to join in with them in creating the different mediums of art used. And I will readily admit that I want to go out and learn how to make stained glass windows right now. I was very intrigued reading the process of how Tessa was fixing the window and all the different steps, especially the info about the glass and finding the right pieces. Tessa is helping to fix a very old church's stained glass window of The Nativity. Reading the descriptions makes me want to go find a stained glass window that portrays The Nativity right now. I've seen it several times before but I want to see it again after reading about it. I love stained glass, it's just beautiful and amazing to look at. The church I go to built a new building years ago because the original one wasn't working anymore(really old and too small). So they pulled all the stained glass windows from it and used them in the new building. It's so beautiful and I love looking at the pieces every Sunday. In the Primary room there's a large circular one that has a beautiful flower at the center, absolutely gorgeous. Ok, sorry for the little tangent there. I just have stained glass on the brain I guess after reading this book. Tessa's love of all things art is kind of addicting and added a great depth to the story.
The author also integrates organs and music into this book as well and I loved it. So neat to learn a little bit more about the upkeep of the big church organs and pipes. Amazing! Not to mention, it's Christmas time, and the characters are playing The Messiah. I love that Oratorio. I'm actually in a community choir right now preparing to perform it and every week singing those words and the music is just amazing! Ok, again another little tangent there. I can't help it though, I love music and art. If a book has that within the story, I'm sucked in if it's written descriptively and well.
Tessa and Sean were such a fun couple to read about. Their pasts have hurt and heartache in them. So much so that they are trying to avoid any relationships. Imagine their surprise when they stumble into each other's lives and find peace and healing with each other. It was beautifully written. Not a forced love story but a trust and friendship grown and nurtured into love. There are some little snags along the way but these two characters were open and upfront about the snags and fixed it. Oh, and that ending...LOVED IT!!!!!! I loved having all these characters that I love together and seeing their happiness. (Lots of love in this review...figuratively and literally with how many times I've used the word).
I absolutely loved coming back to this series. It felt like coming home and all my dear friends were waiting for me. Pure warmth and happiness while reading this one. *Happy Sigh* I can't recommend either book enough...and I can't tell you how excited I am for the next one in the series. LOL! I'll be patient because this one just barely released and I'm sure the author is trying to live life and enjoy the holiday with family and friends. But I will be very happy to learn who the next roommate will be getting their own book in the series. Go grab yourself a copy and snuggle in for a cozy Christmas read!
Content: Clean
I received a copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Mending Christmas is a beautiful love story with the added bonus that it expands the reader's education on the subjects of stained glass windows and the maintenance of organs. When Tessa's ex cheating boyfriend recommends her as a skilled artisan with no mention of being paid for her services, he never anticipated the end result. Sean, on the other hand is morose, battling with the loss of his father in tragic circumstances, and his pride and joy needs more repairs than he is able to afford. Between the smashed stained glass window and the dysfunctional organ, it looks as if Christmas is going to be a no go area. However, Reverend Cavanagh's belief in the spirit of Christmas knows no bounds, and as Tessa and Sean battle through the obstacles in their paths, they overcome the hurdles. However, despite their best intentions, the spark between them is too strong to ignore, but when the project reaches completion it would seem that their brief love affair will reach its culmination as well. Although a fairly short book, it is packed full of interesting details that keep the reader engrossed and it leaves one with a warm feeling. This book is part of a series but is a a standalone and can be read as such. It is also well written with a good flow of language and as an added bonus it is clean and can therefore be read by any age group. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Romance, clean; This was a fun read! I read with a different cover and title: Mending Christmas with the Billionaire: A Clean Billionaire Romance (Artists & Billionaires Book 2). Tessa and Sean meet as Tessa arrives to repair a broken church window at Sean's Granda's church. Beautifully detailed with the art of stained glass, the history of the church building and some organ repair and music. It was a lovely novella, with some great chemistry between the two main characters. Nice development between the two of them. My only complaint was wishing it was longer. More of a 3.5 for me as a reader, but loved the detail with the glass window repair, plus Christmas miracle...had to be a 4. It really was a fun read.
Another great book. I am so excited about the Frida Night Art Society series. I loved the first book, Mending Fences and am so excited to read about all the other roommates. Tessa is an incredible woman and I loved getting to know her. Sean is also amazing and even though he claims his heart is closed to love, you can see it isn't with the way he cares for his Granda. Such a sweet Christmas romance. I loved it and can't wait for the other books in this series.
Beautiful story. And very interesting to read about repairing stained glass and also the maintenance of pipe organs. Tessa and Sean were both hurting and not wanting a relationship. But they found out God had different plans for them. I loved Sean’s Granda and his strong faith that everything would work out for Christmas. Have marked the rest of the series as want to read and can’t wait to find them.
A beautifully written small town romance by talented author Lorin Grace. She brings alive the characters in this book, and I truly love the unique professions her characters have, too. A great holiday story and a fabulous addition to this new series, although it can easily be read as a stand-alone!
I received this book as a gift and have voluntarily reviewed it.
The story of a small town and its people that capture a woman's heart. The setting has beautiful descriptions and the characters have depth. In my mind I can see the action as it takes place. Highly recommend this enjoyable read.
Loved reading this book! It would have been a 5 star. If writer and it editor knew that New Rochelle was not in Long Island. I hate it when geogrAphy is not right in a book
This was a sweet clean story about two people brought together to repair a church glass window and organ. He is the grandson of the presiding preacher. Can the two of them be able to let love grow during this holiday season?
This is a wonderful little window onto a beautiful little romance and heartwarming love story with adorable and charming characters definitely enjoyable romance.
Can a two week romance really become a happily ever after? Tessa is only going to be there two weeks, but love can happen at anytime. Good clean romance.