Review: Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek #5) by Brenda Novak

Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek #5) by Brenda Novak

Published October 29th 2013 by Harlequin MIRA

(first published January 1st 2013)

Paperback, 400 pages

Series: Whiskey Creek

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Heat Rating: Kissing

Source: From the publisher through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review!
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Summary from Goodreads

Christmas is a time for remembering….

Too bad all memories aren't pleasant. Everyone in Whiskey Creek remembers Sophia DeBussi as the town's Mean Girl. Especially Ted Dixon, whose love she once scorned.

But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive. So when he goes missing, she secretly hopes he'll never come back—until she learns that he died running from an FBI probe of his investment firm. Not only has he left Sophia penniless, he's left her to face all the townspeople he cheated….

Sophia is reduced to looking for any kind of work to pay the bills and support her daughter. With no other options, she becomes housekeeper for none other than Ted, now a successful suspense writer. He can't bring himself to turn his back on her, not at Christmas, but he refuses to get emotionally involved. He learned his lesson the last time.

Or will the season of love and forgiveness give them both another chance at happiness?
 

Brenda Novak strikes again and this time she blows it out of the park. I read book three in Whiskey Creek series, Callie's story but it doesn't compare to Teds and Sophia. I have been curious about Sophia ever since she appeared in book three, and the part about her hiding at home because her husband beat her senseless.

Now Chip is gone, accidental death while trying to abandon his wife and daughter penniless when the FBI comes after his investment firm for stealing money from the people. Now left alone with nothing Sophia has to face the dark truth of her life and the townspeople that her abusive and powerful husband had cheated.

This story was absolutely fantastic. I really liked Ted from the book before and was always curious about his relationship with Sophia. Sophia had cheated on Ted with Chip when they were young, had his daughter and had to marry him. What came out of it was a lot of years of abuse she couldn't escape. Chip treatment of her was absolutely horrible. His parents didn't like her. She had no one to turn to without the fear of him doing something to make her regret it. He dangled his daughter in front of her if she tried. He displayed her in front of people as a trophy and rubbed it in everyone's faces that he had a gorgeous wife.

It's bad enough that Sophia is not very liked to begin with, growing up as the towns Mean Girl. She had also broken Ted's heart and has been pushed out of his circle of friends. But miracles can happen. So while the town is too busy turning against Sophia and demanding that she should repay the money her husband owned the people, Ted and Eve step up to help her and her daughter.

Oh gosh the romance in this book is slow but it was so worth it. I found myself so invested in the story, my emotions took me on a wild ride. I was angry, and sad, and happy and everything else in between. I was angry that the towns people took everything out on Sophia, angry and disgusted about how they had treated her. The fact that her husband stole all their money wasn't exactly her fault, plus he left Sophia and her daughter alone without anyone or a single penny to her name. But I loved Ted and Sophia, I loved their interactions and watching the way Sophia had changed for the better. Honestly the excuse she gave Ted about leaving him had me scratching my head, I did not think it was good enough. Somehow along the way she had managed to redeem herself with me.

I was so touched with Eve and Ted stepping up to the plate and even liked Eve up until her and Ted hooked up and she became downright nasty. Thought she didn't show it outright in her behavior towards Sophia, but just the fact that I knew how she felt was enough.

Then there was Chief Stacy, I hated his guts in book 3, and he has become the most hated character for me so far. What he did to Sophia and how he hounded her made me kind of sick. He was suppose to be someone that protects the town, instead he became it's enemy. The ending had me squealing with delight, I absolutely loved the way Brenda Novak had ended it!

Brilliant story, one of her best. I loved the simplicity of her writing and the way she tells the story. It's worth the read even way after Christmas for it had touched my heart and will always make me remember.