Sleigh Bells Ring, by RaeAnne Thayne

December 30, 2021 Book Reviews 2 ★★★½

Sleigh Bells Ring, by RaeAnne ThayneSleigh Bells Ring by RaeAnne Thayne
Published by HQN Books on October 26, 2021
Genres: Christmas, Contemporary Romance, Small-town romance
Pages: 341
Format: Kindle or ebook
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp
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three-half-stars
Also by this author: A Cold Creek Christmas Surprise, Snow Angel Cove, The Christmas Ranch, Redemption Bay, Evergreen Springs, A Cold Creek Christmas Story, Riverbend Road, Snowfall on Haven Point, The Holiday Gift, Serenity Harbor, Sugar Pine Trail, The Rancher's Christmas Song, The Cottages on Silver Beach

Ranch manager Annie McCade thought her twin niece and nephew could join her at the Angel View Ranch for Christmas with her absent employer being none the wiser. But when the ranch's owner, Tate Sheridan, shows up out of the blue, Annie's plans are upended. Soon she finds herself helping Tate make a Christmas to remember for his grieving and fractured extended family.

Sleigh Bells Ring is New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne's latest heartwarming Christmas novel.

A relaxing Christmas romance

A warm, sweet romance novel set on a Montana ranch. The main romance between corporate CEO Tate Sheridan (whose family owns the ranch) and ranch house caretaker Annalise McCade is complimented by a secondary relationship between Tate’s sister Brie and ranch manager Levi Moran. Throw in Tate’s extended family, Annie’s adorable niece and nephew, and lot of Montana snow, add a few complications but plenty of good will, stir them together, and pair with a mug of hot cocoa for a relaxing Christmas (or post-Christmas) read.

The plot is somewhat formulaic, there’s not a lot of interpersonal tension between the main characters, and the hero’s emotional arc/problem is solved a little too easily and off-page. I also felt that Brie and Levi’s secondary romance really deserved its own book; they had more going on individually and more potential chemistry than Tate and Annie. But like a light, fleecy blanket, Sleigh Bells Ring is cozy and comforting, a pleasant escape from yet another pandemic winter.

three-half-stars

About RaeAnne Thayne

RaeAnne Thayne majored in journalism and worked as a reporter, then an editor, before she began writing fiction. She now writes full-time, and lives in the mountains of northern Utah with her family.

2 Responses to “Sleigh Bells Ring, by RaeAnne Thayne”

  1. Katherine

    This sounds nice and light and cozy which is sometimes exactly what I want. It does sound a lot like another book by Thayne – the first book in the Haven Point series.