The Christmas Plan (Silver Bell Falls #6) by Samantha Chase-a review

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Release Date: November 17, 2020

If only life was a cheesy holiday movie…
Unfortunately for Aspen Harris, her life doesn’t even come close.

Finding herself unemployed just before the holidays, she has no choice but to move back home and in her parents’ house. And that means leaving behind her best friend Gabriel and all her dreams of someday owning her own chocolate shop. So when Gabe suggests she come to Silver Bell Falls to spend the holidays with his family, it seems like the perfect distraction.

What’s so great about holiday movies?
Don’t people realize that living in an actual Christmas town is anything but magical?

Every year, Gabriel Andrews goes home to Silver Bell Falls to help his father run the family Christmas tree lot. When Aspen tells him she has to move to the other side of the country after losing her job, he suggests she come home with him for the holidays. It’s the perfect way to spend as much time together as possible before a whole country separates them.

But this is Silver Bell Falls at Christmas time…between a mother with matchmaking tendencies, tight living quarters and far too much chocolate, it doesn’t take very long for life to start imitating art.

••••••••

REVIEW:THE CHRISTMAS PLAN is the sixth instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult SILVER BELL FALLS romance series. This is videographer Gabriel Andrews, and chocolatier Aspen Harris’ story line. THE CHRISTMAS PLAN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. All of the story lines in this series take place around the Christmas holidays.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Gabriel and Aspen) THE CHRISTMAS PLAN follows in the aftermath of chocolatier Aspen Harris quitting her job, just weeks before Christmas, having finally had enough of the sexual harassment from the man in charge. With her best friend Gabriel Andrews heading home to Silver Bell Falls to help with his family Christmas tree farm, Aspen jumps at the chance to spend the holidays in a ‘real-life’ Hallmark™ movie but Gabriel is reluctant knowing not everything is as it seems especially when it comes to his well-intentioned but meddling family. Having never spent the Christmas holidays in a wonderland of snow, Aspen is drawn to the small town and its’ people, who have taken to Aspen, and her chocolate fancies. What ensues is the building romance between Gabriel and Aspen, and the potential fall-out as Aspen’s time in Silver Bell Falls comes to a close.

Aspen Harris’ welcome to Silver Bell Falls is punctuated with orders and requests for her delectable chocolates, and with it an idea is about to form as Aspen considers a different path for her future, a path in which Gabriel struggles to understand or accept. Gabriel wants his best friend Aspen Harris to remain to Atlanta but there is currently no work or opportunity for Aspen to follow. While Gabriel insists that his ‘best friend’ should remain in Atlanta, an new opportunity reveals in Silver Bell Falls.

The relationship between Gabe and Aspen is a best friends to lovers romance, a romance in which Gabriel battles between head and heart fearing the loss of his best friend should their romance go sour. Forever reminding Aspen that she is his best friend, Gabriel continues to break a little bit of Aspen’s heart with every reminder. All of the $ex scenes are implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, meddling and familiar secondary and supporting characters including most of the previous story line couples, as well as Gabriel’s parents Mr. and Mrs. Andrews.

THE CHRISTMAS PLAN is a sweet, charming and chocolatey story of love and romance, friendships and relationships, family and fun. The premise is delightful and captivating; the characters are energetic and lively.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Christmas in Silver Bell Falls
Christmas on Point
A Very Married Christmas
A Christmas Rescue
Christmas Inn Love

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in NorthCarolina.