"One Enchanted Eve" by Melissa Tagg

Last Christmas, I read Melissa Tagg's completely charming One Enchanted Christmas, which brings together writer Maren and farmer-turned-builder/craftsman Drew Renwycke. This year, Tagg is continuing the Renwycke family's story with a novella about Drew's brother Colin.

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After years of mistakes and regret, Colin Renwycke finally has a plan: Hone his baking talent at the Denver Culinary Institute and embark on a new career as a pastry chef. If he's lucky, he might even manage to earn back his family's respect. But despite his skills in the kitchen, Colin's a mess in the classroom and his ongoing disasters are proving too much for his prickly instructor. If he loses his spot at the school, he's out of backup plans.

Culinary school instructor Rylan Jefferson has the chance to reclaim her dream of running her own bakery. But she only has until Christmas Eve to come up with the perfect recipe to impress an eccentric investor. She has no time for holiday parties or family plans . . . and especially not for the unruly student baker who couldn't follow a recipe if his life depended on it. 


But Colin has the one ingredient Rylan needs most—talent. Lots of it. And when he makes a proposal that just might solve both their problems, Rylan can't say no—even if it does mean traveling all the way to Iowa. It just might be that the snow-covered plains and a charming small town full of postcard Christmas cheer are exactly what her hungry heart needs . . . along with a man who is much more than he seems.

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One Enchanted Eve is just as delightful and charming as its predecessor! While I was singularly unimpressed with Colin in last year's One Enchanted Christmas, I grew to love him dearly in One Enchanted Eve! (I also didn't love Drew nearly as much in this novella. It's amazing how looking at a person from a different perspective—in this case, seeing Drew through Colin's eyes—can change your perception! That's not to say I don't still love Drew, but he doesn't seem as perfect anymore.)

I loved the slowly building attraction and then relationship between Rylan and Colin, and I enjoyed seeing how perfectly they complemented each other. Theirs is a story that I could see as a wonderfully delightful Hallmark Christmas movie.

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the novel is the disease that has stricken Colin's father. As someone who lost a grandfather to Alzheimer's (thankfully not early-onset), I could understand the family's emotions and the rough road that lies ahead of them, which I assume we'll get to glimpse when Tagg writes Drew and Colin's sister Leigh's story.

One Enchanted Eve is a perfectly romantic, humorous, and touching Christmas novella. Once again, Tagg left me wanting to pack my bags for Maple Valley, Iowa! 5 stars.

Buy the novella.
Read my reviews of One Enchanted Christmas (5 stars) and the Walker Family books Three Little Words (5 stars), From the Start (5 stars), and Like Never Before (5 stars).

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Melissa Tagg is a former reporter, current nonprofit grant writer and total Iowa girl. She writes romantic comedies in the banter-filled style of her favorite 1930s and 40s classic films. The second book in her popular Walker Family series, Like Never Before, was named by Publishers Weekly to their spring 2016 "Religion and Spirituality" Top 10 list. When she's not writing she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever, watching old movies, and daydreaming about her next book. Melissa loves connecting with readers at www.melissatagg.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased this novella myself and chose to review it. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”