A Portuguese Christmas

De: Josie Riviera

Narrado por: Allyson Voller

Love can come softly, like holiday snow. Or sweep you away like a riptide.

World-class surfer Krystal Walters would have appreciated the beauty of her surroundings - a quaint cottage in a fragrant Portuguese olive grove - if a wipeout hadn't changed all her holiday plans.

Now, suffering the dizzying aftereffects of multiple concussions, she's determined to make it home to Rhode Island for Christmas, even if she has to defy doctor's orders. Except those orders are being enforced by Adolfo Silva. A man as arrogant as he is ruggedly handsome.

Spending every waking moment working to make the family olive farm a success, Adolfo barely has time to savor a traditional Feliz Natal. But the moment Krystal disappears under a mountain of sea water, his focus shifts to a sun-kissed spitfire with golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and a will as immovable as his own.

Keeping her safe is his first priority, but this bold, courageous woman's wings won't be clipped. Before they can plant the seeds of a future together, he'll have to convince her that spending Christmas - and maybe every holiday to come - with him isn't the end of the world. Because she's become the center of his.

©2017 Josie Riviera (P)2017 Josie Riviera

Sweet Christmas Romance

This is a sweet, light Christmas romance....perfect to get you in the Christmas spirit. Allyson Voller did a great job with the narration. I received a review copy at my request and voluntarily reviewed.

A change of heart

Both the main characters are determined not to look for love. When an accident occurs, and time is spent in each other’s company, a softening begins to allow the hope of connection, of being cherished.
Through tough situations and conversation, they both realize how much they stand to loose if there is no understanding. A well told story of a blossoming romance set in beautiful Portugal.
I loved how both main characters grew and their willingness to take an honest look at their faulty beliefs helped them become more together than they ever could have achieved apart.
The reader has a clear, upbeat voice that suited the story well. She kept me wanting to continue listening even when I needed to do other things. A delightful story well told! This is a clean, easy read suitable for young teens on up.

An Awesome Christmas Story

I truly enjoyed this story! Story and narration were great! I highly recommend this to everyone!! I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it.

Hallmark in book form

Krystal is in Portugal for a surfing competition when a fellow competitor causes her to crash, sustaining a concussion. Adolfo, a friend of her good friend who lives in Portugal and who owns an Olive farm, offers a cabin on his property to help her rehabilitate, but all she wants to do is surf in the finals (against doctor’s orders) and then get back the US and her dad for Christmas. Adolfo, however, is finding himself attracted to Krystal, and wants her to stay for Christmas, and maybe even longer.

Adolfo is a little bit of a conflicting character. He has some pretty misogynistic tendencies, and he seems fairly oblivious to them. It takes a turn of events out of his control for him to recognize that he is being a bit of a jerk and own up to it. Krystal on the other hand, is very single minded, and seems intent on surfing in this competition even though she was advised not to, not to mention her trepidation that seems to arise when she has the opportunity to get back to the beach to practice. That said, I was going to be pretty annoyed if this turned into a « he doesn’t want me to surf, and I don’t want to lose him so I won’t «  situation. Fortunately there’s a better story arc than that, and it’s plays very much along the ways of a Hallmark movie in that regard.

I loved the culture incorporated into the story

Crystal was such a headstrong and stubborn woman that I just wanted to shake are a lot of times in frustration. Adolfo, although he did come of as somewhat arrogant at the beginning, was just as stubborn. It was interesting how they butted heads all throughout the story. I enjoyed the cultural background since I really have very limited knowledge of Portuguese Christmas.

Finding love in Portugal

Who would believe Krystal would find love in Portugal & perhaps have to give up her winning the championship surfing competition. She will have to choose which she wants? This is a sweet story. Ms. Voller does an excellent job reading the book. I received a free copy of the audible copy from the author. This is my unbiased, voluntary opinion.

A great story

I greatly enjoyed this. A stubborn American surfer and an equally stubborn Portuguese farmer going head-to-head, while fighting their attraction to each other, makes this a great story. Josie Rivera
has written a great story and Allyson Voller is a narrator that I like.

Decent listen though room for improvement

This is the story about a pro surfer, Krystal, who gets cut off by another surfer during a competition and suffers a bad concussion while in Portugal. One of the spectators, Adolfo, witnesses the accident and escorts her to the hospital and basically ends up becoming somewhat obsessed with Krystal. Not in a weird, creepy way, but he's so enamored with her and keeps fairly constant contact with her throughout her recovery. Krystal has family in Portugal too, though she ends up spending the majority of her time with Adolfo. There's an attraction there between both of them, though both are fighting it, while still spending tons of time together. Krystal is determined to make it back to the US for Christmas with her father, though Adolfo is trying to keep her in Portugal with him. Though he keeps telling himself that he doesn't want a relationship, his actions and innuendos tell something different.

This was a decent listen, though I really was confused by Adolfo's attitude that he didn't want a relationship, while in the next instant he was telling the twins that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. Allyson Voller did a goof job narrating and I'd listen to her again, though I would likely look at a books reviews before listening to another book by Josie Riviera. It wasn't bad, but I didn't feel any connection to the characters and was sometimes confused by their seemingly contradictory actions. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

Great read

A Portuguese Christmas was another great read by Josie Riviera. Krystal is a surfer who had a wipeout that changed everything. She is trying to spend Christmas back at Rhode Island but the after effects of her wipeout are keeping her in Portugal.

A lovely Christmas story

I enjoyed listening to this lovely Christmas story written by Josie Riviera and narrated by Allyson Voller.
It was fun to go on an adventure to Portugal with Krystal and learn about some of the Portuguese Christmas traditions, all without having to leave home.