Christmas at the Ranch: A Novel by Anita Hughes

4.1 (7)
$16.99

Product Details

Web ID: 15011217

Filled with Christmas cheer, and the magic that can only be found in Jackson Hole, Wyoming under the shadow of the Tetons, Anita Hughes's Christmas at the Ranch is a love story that is sure to enchant, and warm your heart like a cup of hot apple cider. Its days before Christmas and Samantha Morgan is in her Brooklyn apartment when her editor, Charlie, shows up. Her publisher Arthur Wentworth is throwing a Christmas party and wants Samantha to be the guest of honor. Samantha tries to come up with an excuse to miss it. She writes a series of books featuring a female James Bond-type heroine named Sloane Parker and Charlie is the only person who knows that Samantha is the opposite of Sloane, though the marketing team has built up an entire social media presence for her claiming that she is just as adventurous. In reality, Samantha rarely leaves her neighborhood and does her research online. She is afraid of almost everything and is only happy when shes sitting in her apartment and writing.Samantha reluctantly agrees to go. But instead of taking her to Arthurs house in Connecticut, the driver goes to the airport. On the phone, Charlie admits that the party is at Arthurs new ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For a person who hates even walking around the block when it snows, this is her worst nightmare.But when a handsome stranger sits next to her on the plane, things begin to look up.

  • Product Features

    • Author - Anita Hughes
    • Publisher - St. Martin's Publishing Group
    • Publication Date - 09-27-2022
    • Page Count - 304
    • Paperback
    • Adult
    • Fiction
    • Product Dimensions - 5.3 W x 8.1 H x 0.9 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9781250818584
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Ratings & Reviews

4.1/5

7 star ratings & reviews

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2 years ago

Setting is the best part

The beautiful setting of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is what drew me to this otherwise regular romance. An author of adventure novels pretends to be as active as her heroine, when in fact, she is afraid of everything. When she gets tricked/guilted into joining her publisher at his ranch in Wyoming over Christmas, she faces many challenges, including, possibly, love. The descriptions of Wyoming's landscape and the town of Jackson Hole are the best parts of this novel. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Griffin for providing an ARC.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Savannah, GA

Jackson Hole Romance

Christmas at the Ranch Anita Hughes St Martin’s Griffin 2022 Samantha is the writer of Sloane Parker books. Charlie Green, Samantha’s editor has told her that she has been invited to the CEO’s Christmas week party in Connecticut. She wants to stay home with her dog, Socks, but agrees to go. But the taxi drops her at JFK Airport. She is deathly afraid of flying and feels this must be a mistake; but it’s not. Charlie tricks her and reminds her that she can’t say no to the CEO of the publishing house, Arthur Wentworth. She boards the plane to fly to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, seated next to a handsome gentleman who helps her through her anxiety during the flight. Turns out, it’s Arthur’s son, Drew Wentworth. And she had revealed that she wasn’t the social media star that her boss believed she was! Thank you marketing department! Hughes has written a love story set in beautiful, snowy Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The characters are well-defined and believable and you will love Samantha and her books’ star, Sloane. I usually don’t read romance novels, but this book was a pleasure to read even though you know where the plot is going. It’s an easy read and the descriptions of Jackson Hole remind me of my trip there. Truly lovely wilderness. I recommend this book and give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Rancho Cucamonga

Delightful Story

The lovely backdrop of the Teton Mountains and Jackson Hole, Wyoming become the prefect locale for and author from New York with big fears who finds so much more that she ever could imagine. Samantha is perfectly happy living her dog and her small life. She writes espionage novels and the heroine lives the life Samantha shuns. Invited t her publisher’s Christmas party week, she very reluctantly goes only to find herself in Jackson Hole instead of Connecticut as she assumed. Who she meets and how it influences her is the real story in this engaging and delightful novel. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Arlington Heights, IL

An Inspiring Story about Learning to Enjoy Life

Christmas is just the back drop for this enchanting story of a woman afraid to live life. Forced outside her comfort zone, she has no choice but to suck it up and learn to experience life. She discovers that with the right person next to you life is most definitely worth living. Samantha has a great imagination and she makes great use of it to write her Sloane Parker stories of intrigue. Samantha sends Sloane on hair raising adventures and her Instagram account leads her fans to believe she enjoys Sloane like adventures of her own. In truth, Samantha has a great fear of almost everything. She spends most of her time on her couch, crafting her Sloane Parker stories and cuddling with her dog Socks When her editor, Arthur Wentworth, invites her to his home for a house party Christmas week, Samantha is not in a position to refuse. What she doesn’t know is this house party is actually to take place at his ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With no option, Samantha is forced to face her fears as she boards a plane to Wyoming. Looking for a distraction, Samantha strikes up a conversation with the gorgeous man sitting beside her . Before long she is sharing her fears and her secrets. Upon arriving at Arthur's ranch Samantha is surprised to find her gorgeous seat mate., and horrified to discover he is Arthur's son. Drew is enchanted by Samantha. He has no problem keeping her secrets. But he’s also determined to bring her out of her comfort zone and teach her how to live a little. Samantha reluctantly agrees to participate in activities that terrify her but leave her feeling invigorated. Time spent with Drew brings her back to life, gives her the confidence to grow beyond her fears. After only a few days with Drew, Samantha realizes she's quickly falling for him.. There's just one small problem, he's engaged to someone else.. Being somewhat of an armchair adventurer myself – I’m really excited about trying new activities until it comes time to, you know, actually do them. I appreciated the way the author used Sloane’s adventures as a contrast to Samantha’s real life. As Samantha breaks out of her shell, those same adventures seem less outrageous, instead helping to illustrate the changes in Samantha's mindset. It’s inspiring to watch her take chances, to gain confidence and to realize she can do Sloane like things and enjoy them. Thank you to #SMPRomance and @anitahughesabriel for the ARC of this book. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Pennsylvania

Sweet tv movie material

Kept me reading but some issues:-\ 3.5-4.0 stars I don't believe I've ever read a book by Anita Hughes before and, on the whole, Christmas at the Ranch kept me engaged and was a fine story. The vivid descriptions of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the surrounding countryside were great: I want to experience it myself, now! The discovery of a mystery diary was a good addition to the story that was well woven into the rest of the plot. I also really appreciated the author's transformation of author Samantha, the main character, into someone ready, albeit reluctantly, to get out there and try new things despite her multitude of fears. And Samantha's steadfast affection for her dog Socks and dedicated work ethic. The romance started with a good meet-cute but then got a bit muddled. Okay, I accepted that life is like that. But there's a relationship built between Samantha and her rival for Drew's affection that just seemed off and very unrealistic. Though I did find the sympathetic treatment of her rival refreshing, the woman's changing behavior just did not add up. Drew's backstory comes briefly revealed and I felt his behavior during their holiday was also strange and came up a bit short in the romance department. A good portion of the story is riddled with Samantha's ideas for new book plots or memories of old ones. For me, this could have been cut back without weakening the obvious contrast between Samantha' and Sloane, her brave, confident and intrepid book heroine. I fully understood that Samantha is imaginative and constantly creating new book plot scenarios; I just did not need to read so many of them. Overall, this was a mild romance that might easily translate to a sweet, made for television movie. The holiday atmosphere and the gorgeous landscape particularly. I just wish there had been more focus on Samantha and Drew's connection. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Miami, FL

Successful author who struggles with fear

Samantha is a successful author. Her female protagonist is a female James Bond, but the antithesis of Sam herself. Her publisher has invited her to a Christmas party which Sam does not want to attend. She ends up going quite reluctantly which sets in motion the rest of the story line. Fear prevents her from truly living and the rest of the book centers on her internal struggle to break out of her shell. The near constant pedantic focus on Sam finding stories for her protagonist does slighlty detract from the overall story line; less would be more. I did receive an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Dallas, TX

Beautifully written

This is an amazing story about friendships, secrets, letting go of the past and facing your fears. And, finding love when you least expect it. I enjoyed this book right from the start. Samantha is a popular author, but very few people know about her anxiety issues. It’s so bad, she almost turns down the chance to spend Christmas week at her publisher’s luxurious ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The trip was life changing as she learns to face her fears and makes new friends and even falls in love. She becomes a better version of herself. This book is also filled with a lot of wisdom and great advice.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com