Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell

Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell is the latest short story from author Lilah Hart to be checked off my to be read list. It is book number three in a five part series called Wildwood Valley Christmas.

I first became a fan of Lilah Hart when I read her Wildwood Valley Brides series, and I have to admit that her stories based in the fictitious Wildwood Valley are my favorites. This is the third series from her based in this place.

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Short stories like this are perfect to celebrate the upcoming holidays. It is a busy time of the year, and I swear that somehow time speeds up. This means there is less time for reading. But I still crave the feeling of accomplishment that comes from finishing a book. I can have that with a short story.

They also all have a happily ever after ending, which is something I think everyone craves during the holidays. It is comforting, the same way that a good soup is in cold weather.

At the time of publishing this review, all of Lilah Hart’s short stories are available via Kindle Unlimited, making them easily accessible to readers. This always helps me to utilize my subscription more often, as I tend to forget it is there while still paying for it month after month.

Have you read Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell? Come on in and let me tell you about it!

About Wildwood Valley Christmas

When crafters flock to Wildwood Valley’s Christmas Festival, they expect sales and holiday cheer—not six rugged mountain men with hearts as tempting as the town’s twinkling lights. From soap makers to jewelry designers, each woman discovers that love can be handmade too, especially when it comes wrapped in flannel and spoken with a slow mountain drawl. In the Wildwood Valley Christmas series, every booth hides a spark, every kiss feels like a gift, and happily ever after is always in season.

About Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell

He needs her bells for the Christmas ceremony. She rings his bell in ways he never expected.

I’m dreaming of tacos when the hottest mountain man I’ve ever seen storms up to my booth at the Wildwood Valley Christmas Festival.

No introduction. No smile. Just those intense brown eyes pinning me like I’ve committed some crime, and a gruff demand for three of my hand-painted Christmas bells. Apparently the mayor needs them for tonight’s tree lighting ceremony, and I’m supposed to ring them on stage in front of half the town.

My price for public humiliation? He buys me dinner.

What I don’t expect is the way my skin burns every time we accidentally touch. Or how his rare smiles make my heart race faster than jingle bells. Or that a simple conversation over pie will have me confessing my most embarrassing secret—that at twenty-three, I’ve never been with anyone.

The way Jonas looks at me after that revelation could melt every snowflake in the mountains.

He tells me he’s glad I waited, that he wants to be my first everything. But when I catch him watching me with the festival kids, something shifts in those beautiful eyes. Suddenly he’s pulling away, convinced his foster care past makes him damaged goods.

He thinks he’ll ruin my chance at a normal life.

I think he’s the missing piece I never knew I was searching for. Now I just have to convince this stubborn, sexy carpenter that some of the best families are the ones you choose for yourself—and that our love is strong enough to create the Christmas magic he never had as a child.

Because I’m not leaving Wildwood Valley without him.

Thoughts on Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell

In Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell we meet Paige and Jonas.

Paige is selling hand painted bells for Christmas, while dreaming of tacos. A woman after my own heart when it comes to tacos. I could eat them every day, and I actually have for about the last week or so. It was a perfect lunch when my husband was away for a card tournament.

Jonas fell hard in love with Paige at first sight. But he’s busy overthinking everything about their potential relationship.

Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell heated up quickly for Paige and Jonas. I loved their banter together, and the fact Paige made him buy her tacos. My husband and I have a saying, I can’t give you the world, but I can buy you tacos and touch your butt. So I thought it was super cute that they got to know each other a bit over tacos.

My biggest complaint was the spice/sex/smut/whatever you want to call it was lackluster. I’m not going to spoil where or how it happened in the story, but it felt like it was almost an afterthought to me. I don’t know why, that specific part of this story just didn’t impress me much. I have no idea if that is just because I’ve read so many Lilah Hart stories and have high expectations, or if it really was just kind of boring.

But that specific scene really is my one and only complaint with Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell. It is hard to pick apart Lilah Hart’s stories, because they are all great. It’s simply inevitable that some are going to stick in my mind faster and longer than others. It is still a great story.

On a cold and wet day in the great pacific northwest, this was a fun hour-long read for me, and a great way to start my day. I’ve been making it more of a point to put my phone down and pick up my Kindle and read instead of mindlessly doom scrolling social media. I know I was nitpicking a bit earlier, but I have no real complaints about this story.

Final Thoughts on Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell

I’m calling Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell a four star read. It was a good story, don’t get me wrong. But it didn’t resonate with me the same way the first two did. But it was still an excellent way to spend an hour of my morning.

I can’t say that I would go out of my way to read Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell again, which is why I’m calling it a four star read. I can’t call it a three star because I enjoyed it. But I’m not reading it again. That is why a four star rating is the best for me.

I’m looking forward to the next three books in the Wildwood Valley Christmas series. It’s been great so far, and I have high expectations for the rest of the story.

Discussion

Have you read Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell or any other writing from author Lilah Hart? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

About the Author

Lilah Hart has been writing and publishing for more than a decade, both for traditional publishers and independently. She writes short, steamy reads with plenty of heart. When she’s not writing, she loves binge-watching reality TV shows while sipping moscato. She lives in Knoxville with her husband and her pet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Purchasing Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell

If you are interested in buying the Kindle version of Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell, click here.
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Mountain Man’s Holiday Bell