In this fun and charming Christmas romance novel, Roxie Clarke continues the Draper Falls Christmas Romance series in this second book about new head chef Tara and her boss Alex at Hudson Vineyards in the lead-up to the big Christmas in July event. Tara, finally feeling valued and reaching for the prestigious position she has craved, is thrilled to be in this new role, and even Alex, as distracting as he is and her complete opposite, cannot possibly do anything to hold her back. Despite being new to the job at the vineyard in the Pacific Northwest, Tara is confident in her skills and ready to convince Alex that her food will make the event perfect. With a focus on relationships of all kinds and personal and professional growth (for individuals and for their relationships), and with two narrators who are total opposites, readers will explore life at Draper Falls through both Alex and Tara’s perspectives, and their tension will definitely draw readers into this new release. The other characters -- Margot, Dina, Sarabeth, and others -- complement the two protagonists brilliantly, and readers will enjoy this nontraditional holiday romance for its characters and look forward to seeing the novel’s satisfactory resolution.

This is a love story with an age gap. Tara works as a cook at Alex's vineyard, and it’s only when she fights for the annual summer event that the spark between them ignites. Alex has many worries—from his mother and son to his ex-wife, brother, and managing the vineyard—so he doesn’t have time to think about love. But despite all this, a spark forms between him and Tara, and even though there is a significant age gap between them, love knows no boundaries. What bothered me in the story was how the age difference was portrayed.

I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for NetGalley.

This was a pretty good age gap romance story.
Main characters, Tara and Alex, are likable and engaging. It was fun watching them navigate their relationship.
A fast, easy read that kept me entertained.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a free copy of, Catering to Christmas, by Roxie Clarke, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Tara has one, goal, to be head chef at a Hudson Vineyard. Tara gets the job, but her boss Alex, is more then she reckoned for. A delightful read. I enjoyed this short story.

A fun holiday book - the setting is Christmas in July, a neat twist!

Tara, new head chef for a vineyard, is trying to make her mark on the winery and is planning a huge Christmas in July party. Alex, her silver fox of a boss isn't sure she can handle it all. They're working together to make the event a success and falling in love. The characters are great - lots of humor in the dialogues - the smaller characters are important and well developed, too. It's a fun story and a cool twist on the normal holiday romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

4.5 stars.
A lovely story with wonderful, realistic, likable characters and lots of humor, “Catering to Christmas”, by Roxie Clarke, shows how age difference doesn’t really matter when attraction and love happen.
This is such a delightful, pleasurable read. Alex and Tara feel like real, vibrant people, and their reactions seem so authentic. And the same happens with the secondary characters.
The chemistry/attraction is made of so many different things we appreciate: simple affection, kindness, respect, appreciation. The step into something deeper and more complex is almost organic.
The hero’s initial apparent indifference or antagonism is really well done, creating tension between him and Tara which will vanish later so smoothly.
I loved how different Alex’s and Tara point of views are and how the author so smartly wrote them with distinctive voices. The transition between POV was often very interesting.
There are some lovely scenes with lots of showing instead of telling, and phenomenal humor (loved the scene in the Camas Country Western Bar and Burgers).
The humor is also present in the dialogue, the leads’ thoughts and it’s so refreshing and makes for an easy, fluid read.
The supporting characters are great, too. Max is a realistic young man and I adored the father/son relationship and the closeness between Alex and Angus.
I appreciated the easy affection, the honesty and humbleness in the characters in general.
I also liked watching life in the vineyard, the cooking and eating.

Loved reading this book and series. New author for me. Will enjoy more books from this series. Hope you enjoy the bookd also

I have read so many fabulous holiday reads recently. Catering to Christmas was my most recent. Don’t miss this one.