An Unexpected Christmas Helper + Giveaway

Sometimes forgiveness
is the best present.

After discovering he has a toddler daughter, engineer Evan Dukas needs all the help he can get—even if it comes from Vanessa Johnson, the woman who once crushed his heart. With financial worries mounting and Christmas just around the corner, the single mom agrees to be little Lily’s temporary nanny, and vows not to let working for Evan derail her recovery from an eating disorder. With her service dog, Snickers, at her side, Vanessa is on the path to healing, and soon old feelings reawaken between her and Evan. But when buried secrets regarding Vanessa’s son are revealed, they must decide if what they have is worth fighting for…

My Review:

Love Inspired Christmas cover art is among the best and they really out did themselves with this irresistible cover! If that doesn’t say ‘buy me’, I don’t know what does. And the story inside is just as charming.

Lee Tobin McClain knows how to create an emotionally compelling romance that pulls at a reader’s heartstrings and this one is full of holiday cheer as well. A winning combination!

Doting (but untried and completely clueless) daddy Evan makes for a great flawed hero. He made me laugh and swoon and even wince a few times. And I might have wanted to throw a projectile at him once or twice as well! Vanessa feels much the same way and their rollercoaster, ‘will they or won’t they give their reunion romance a chance’ escapades held me captive (while alternately cheering and groaning!)

Thankfully, there’s lots of Christmasy distractions and two cute kids and a very special dog to deflect the angst. I love the way McClain blends humour with raw emotion and all kinds of real life tough stuff. And the significant faith elements in this novel bring an even deeper satisfaction to the read.

This is #41 (!) in the K-9 Companions multi-authored series and I am amazed at how much I’ve learned about service dogs and all the varied assistance they can provide. Snickers’ job was a total surprise for me. I had no idea that a dog could be trained to serve in that way.

I listened to the audio edition of ‘An Unexpected Christmas Helper’ narrated by one of my favourite voice performers, Tanya Eby. She does a wonderful job bringing these characters to life in.a way that enhances McClain’s storytelling and creates a captivating listening experience.

My thanks to Harlequin Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

US – available in paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – paperback, ebook or audible — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of An Unexpected Christmas Helper  leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 11 2025