The spirit of Christmas mends broken hearts in The December Market, a tender holiday romance by RaeAnne Thayne (15 Summers Later).
As in Thayne's 2023 novel Christmas at the Shelter Inn, this one is set in Shelter Springs, Idaho, a small town that nourishes a sense of community, especially at Christmas. But for 31-year-old Shelter Springs native Amanda Taylor, the holidays resurrect sad memories of her father's alcoholism, which destroyed many lives, and her fiancé's drinking problem, which ended their relationship. As the owner of an eco-friendly skin care store, Amanda buries herself in work and oversees the Holiday Giving Market, where local merchants and artisans gather to sell their wares for two weeks during the month of December.
Amanda keeps crossing paths with Rafe Arredondo, the handsome paramedic and firefighter who tends the first-aid booth at the market. Amanda learns that Rafe and his lovable six-year-old son, Isaac, have moved to her neighborhood. Rafe is widowed after his wife died of a drug overdose. When Amanda pays a visit to her plucky grandmother at the local retirement community, she and Rafe meet again and discover they have even more in common: their grandparents, both residents, are dating. Fate brings Amanda and Rafe together and their past heartaches are confronted by the prospect of a budding romance.
Prolific Thayne unravels a heartfelt, hopeful story in which grief is transcended by the power of love. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines