Season of Joy: Includes a bonus novella

Annie Rains

Oct 2020 · Sold by Forever

About this ebook

Fall in love with this heartfelt holiday romance between a down-on-his-luck Christmas tree farmer and a woman with plans to bring the merriment back to their town.
Tis the season for love

For single father Granger Fields, Christmas is his busiest and most profitable time of the year. But when a fire devastates the Merry Mountain Tree Farm, he fears the season won't be holly or jolly unless he can convince free spirit Joy Benson to care for his two rambunctious daughters. Yet while Granger wants to focus on saving his business, Joy seems determined to shake up his family's Christmas with her festive ideas and merry making.

Joy is counting down the days until she can open her own art gallery. Babysitting Abby and Willow will help her reach her goal, and when inspiration strikes, Joy convinces Granger that her craft classes can bring even more holiday cheer to the farm. As crowds return and Joy's creative side flourishes, life with Granger and his girls begins to feel like home. But with Christmas coming nearer, can Joy convince Granger to open his heart again? Or will their newfound happiness be as fleeting as the newly fallen snow?

Ratings and reviews

3.75 stars--SEASON OF JOY is the sixth instalment in Annie Rains contemporary, adult SWEETWATER SPRINGS romance series focusing on the people of Sweetwater Springs. This is thirty-one year old, tree farmer and single father Granger Fields, and thirty year old, artist Joy Benson’s story line. SEASON OF JOY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from dual third person perspectives (Joy and Granger) SEASON OF JOY follows the building romance and relationship between thirty-one year old, Christmas tree farmer and single father Granger Fields, and thirty year old, artist Joy Benson. The Merry Mountain Tree Farm is struggling in the wake of a devastating fire and a low inventory for the upcoming holiday season. When his nanny suddenly quits, Granger Fields is desperate enough that he asks his friend, and art teacher Joy Benson to help until the end of the holidays but Joy doesn’t want to be a nanny-been there ,done that-she wants to get her own business off the ground. Offering to help until after Christmas, Joy finds herself falling for the father of her two new charges, a man who finds himself falling for our story line heroine. What ensues is the building romance between Granger and Joy, and the potential fall-out as Granger’s past comes looking for a second chance. Joy Benson has loved and lost, and losing meant more than anyone could have imagined. Trusting again was difficult in the wake of her fiancé’s betrayal but falling for Granger and his daughters was easy and fun. Granger Fields also has issues of trust -as a single father whose wife and mother of his children was no longer in the picture, Granger knew his daughters would always come first, and entrusting their care to Joy meant trusting his heart for the foreseeable future. The relationship between Joy and Granger begins as friendship but struggles with demons from the past. Joy and Granger have both been burned by previous relationships, and in this, the pain is still real, and the anger simmers at the surface. The romance is passionate-there are no $ex scenes. Several of the previous story line characters play secondary and supporting roles including fudge shop owner Dewanda. We are introduced to Joy’s parents Drs Benson; Joy’s Aunt Darby and her boyfriend Ray, and Joy’s ex-fiance Dan, as well as Granger’s parent Gene and Debbie, his daughter’s Willow and Abby, and his ex-wife Erin. SEASON OF JOY is a sweet story line, perfect for the holidays. Although Granger often is quick to judge, Joy is a passionate woman who wears her heart on her sleeve. The premise is charming; the romance is wistful; the characters are colorful and spirited.

Any time we get to return to Sweetwater Springs, you know it's going to be a great time and this holiday novel was certainly no exception. It was filled with wonderful characters, romance and plenty of holiday cheer. Granger Fields is a Christmas tree farmer who runs the family tree farm with his parents and he's also a single father of two adorable little girls. This year things aren't going to be as they've always been due to a recent fire that claimed part of their tree inventory which means they are going to have to get creative at Merry Mountain Tree Farm if they are going to make ends meet this year. All Joy Benson has ever wanted to be is an artist. The only person in her family that has supported her is her Aunt Darby. Her parents are both doctors and they would prefer that she get a "real" job instead of trying to make a go of her art. When it turns out that Granger needs someone to watch his girls after school when their nanny is forced to retire, Joy becomes the leading candidate. It will help her to have some additional income to make her dream of owning an art studio happen quicker than it would have otherwise. As the girls begin to fall in love with Joy, Granger seems to be following a similar path. Will the hurt that both of them have suffered in past relationships cause theirs to fizzle out before it really begins? Both Granger and Joy had things they had to overcome in this book, but the good news is they took that challenge and bettered themselves in order to be better for the other person. They knew it had to start with themselves. I enjoyed all of the supporting characters in this book as well; they were such a great bunch, whether we are talking people or animals! If you are in the mood for some holiday cheer, pick this one up for sure!

You can never go wrong when you pick a book by this talented author, and this one proves it. Granger Fields is a single Dad of 2 sweet girls. Girls he adores and will do anything for them. His family own Merry Mountain Tree Farm. A farm that this year is going to struggle since last year an accidentally started fire, destroyed many trees. Joy Benson is an artist and teachers an art class which the 2 girls attend. From afar there is an attraction between the two, but it isn’t until Granger needs help with the girls , that a friendship begins. Keeping things casual is not easy. Love , like life is messy, complicated , and risky. Add trust issues to the mix and you know that a heartbreak is likely to occur. Aside from an engaging plot, it’s a story about family dynamics or lack thereof. About how our past affects our present and possibly our future. But above all, about how love can heal and fill our hearts with hope and new beginnings. This was another winner in this endearing series. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

About the author

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn't writing, she's living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.