The first book in the Smoky Mountain First Responders series brings us Officer Jonathan Maxwell who was a city detective prior to losing his wife in a car crash. He moved with his young daughters to a quiet town and concentrated on raising the girls well. THE SINGLE DAD’S HOLIDAY MATCH gives Jonathan a few chances to make good. He can try to solve a scattered case; he can apply for a detective’s job, and he can get to know a new lady in town.

Brooke Novak has arrived to manage the popular community center in Hollydale. The facility is run with the aid of an ongoing donation, and Brooke is left with no doubt that she has to smarten up procedures, improve the premises, and be considered suitable herself before she’ll be offered a permanent job. She starts straight in with plans around the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, but disaster strikes. Someone has been selling fake IDs in Hollydale, and the transfer is said to be occurring at the community center. Brooke is now obliged to aid Jonathan’s discreet inquiries. He’s good on the procedure, but sometimes suspicious and close-mouthed.

The Great Smoky Mountains shower this romance with beauty. The warm people of Hollydale, who featured in an earlier series, throng the town and local pumpkin patch, having tremendous fun. Turning leaf colour and festive decorations welcome Brooke to the home she and her tall teenage son Colin share with Brooke’s aunt. While reading, I thought that if this was filmed, we should see Jonathan’s scenes mainly in brown and white until he falls for Brooke, whereupon he should see the oranges, yellows, reds she has been seeing all along. Hearty local characters from budding artists to bait shop owners make this a town I want to return to.

Tanya Agler has packed conflict, drama, and crime-solving into one family-friendly romance. She’s also built extremely solid characters. Valuing the kids’ viewpoints plays a huge part for the two adults, especially Brooke, as the only parent her child has known. At the same time, I’m delighted that Brooke didn’t let her sense of self-worth depend entirely on how Colin turned out. She’s a smart, capable lady with a big heart, and she just needs a chance to prove herself. THE SINGLE DAD’S HOLIDAY MATCH shows the best side of the season. Enjoy with a pumpkin spiced latte.

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