Home for Christmas: A Texas Story

Texas Series, Book 9

By: R.J. Scott

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Can Connor show River a real family Christmas?

When Connor finds River on the roof of the campus admin building, he doesn’t know what to do. His friend is drunk and shouting into a snowstorm, a bottle of vodka in his hand. The easy part is getting River down; the hard part is insisting River comes home with Connor for Christmas.

River doesn’t have a family or any place outside of college that he calls home. Not that it matters to him; he’s happy being alone for Christmas in his budget motel, watching reruns of Elf. Only, Connor keeps telling wildly improbable stories of the perfect family celebrations at his parents’ ranch in Texas, and it’s wearing River down. He didn’t ask to be kidnapped. He didn’t want to fall in love with the entire Campbell-Hayes family. But he does.

From one Christmas to the next. This is Connor’s year to rescue River, and himself, for them both to mess things up, make things right, fall in lust, and finally, for Connor to show the man he loves what being part of a family can mean.

©2018 R.J. Scott (P)2019 R.J. Scott

The next chapter

It was many years ago that we first met the Campbell-Hayes family. We watched Jack and Riley fall in love and start their family and watched it grow, and grow. In Home for Christmas we follow the next generation; their son Conner.

Conner is studying at college and has been in love with his best friend River for ages. And after their very hot encounter during a Halloween party he had hopes it was the start of something more. Only River started to avoid him instead, culminating to finding him drunk and on the roof of a building in the middle of a snowstorm. Not daring to leave his friend alone, Connor drags River back to Texas with him to spend Christmas with his family.

For River spending time with the exuberant and loving Campbell-Hayes family is a blessing and a curse. He loves being part of a loving and welcoming family, but it also hammered home how utterly alone he was. How much he missed growing up, not having anywhere to call home.

I liked River and Conner together, they were sweet and cute and they’d danced around each other long before this book picked up, up on that roof. On the other hand I also felt like it was too easy. I mean there were issues that needed to be dealt with, things to say and work through. But I never felt like it was given much space. For the most part Conner didn’t even try to listen to River. Try to talk with him. And whenever there was a modicum of seriousness either it was interrupted by lust or a family member. So yeah, I can see them together, they just need more time to work through some stuff before they can really be something more.

Sean Crisden captured the characters just right. He captured Rivers longing for a family and place to belong, at the same time as being afraid of taking a leap and trust. But also the fear Conner had for River when he found him balancing on that ledge. He also made you feel the longing and attraction between them and the love the whole family shared. He brought this family and story alive and made you long for Christmas.

If you haven’t read any of the previous eight books in the series you could probably still listen to this book without much hassle. Sure you’ll miss out on some of the back-story but it’s not something that will leave you unable to follow the story. If you have read all the books, this will be a nice interlude to catch up with the family we’ve loved for so long.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

More Texas? Yes, Please!

I loved it when I read it and even more when I listened to it.

It's been a year since I read Home for Christmas but it all came rushing back to me as I became absorbed in the wonderful voice of Sean Crisden while listening to the audiobook. He will always be the voice of Jack – no one else could ever do Jack's voice like he can. Of course, he does all of the other characters well, too – especially Connor and River. There isn't much else I can say other than, just as when I read the book last year, the tears fell when I listened to it. Sad tears and ultimately happy tears. ❤

Below is a copy of my original review from December 2018.

* * * * * * * *
Home for Christmas is RJ Scott's latest story in her wildly popular Texas series. If you follow this series at all you have to read this one. It's Connor's story – one of Jack and Riley's children and Lexi's twin. If you haven't read anything in this series Home for Christmas actually stands alone quite well. You maybe won't get the same tingly, deep feelings when reading as I did but you will still enjoy it very much. I wouldn't suggest reading any of the other books in this series out of order but this one will work.

The blurb tells you everything about the story except how heart wrenching it is to learn about River's background. With no family of his own, he's envious of what Connor has but still isn't happy when Connor forces him to go home with him to Texas and witness the perfect family that he'll never have.

I'll never get tired of reading books set in this world. RJ Scott knows the perfect writing formula to grab at all of my emotions, make the tears fall, and deliver the perfect happy ending. Home for Christmas is another special gift to her fans of the Texas series. I can't forget to say that there's a dog in the story with a very cute name. 😊

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Great series

This has been a Great series beginning to end! I need more especially from the ranch hands and the school!

Wow

Tbh this book is not well known, but it should be. I love how they portrayed the complex Character River. It’s too rare to have a Gay man with problems with mental health be as fleshes out. Overall the book is cute, funny, and heart warming. It feels like a series and I would pay anything to read a series based on the Camble-Haynes family.

always love the CH Boys

I will forever love anything from the Campbell-Hays family forever in my ❤ and Sean C is the best voice for all the characters!

Love and Laughter Comes to Life

Any time I can read an RJ Scott Texas series book, I’m happier than ..... Home for Christmas was classic Texas series; Jack, Riley, Lexie, Max, and the star of the book, Connor.
Home for Christmas was everything one could expect in a Ms. Scott story- love, laughter and heartache- but always coupled with family members who strived to be a loving and understanding family.
River was lost in the world and his own head. What he needed was a large dose of the Campbell-Hayes clan, especially Connor. Together River and Connor were tender, charismatic, and full spirited. Their passion radiated through the author’s writing and transcended the lines of life and love.
As always Jack and Riley make any Texas story worth reading, as do the rest of the clan.
A beautiful addition to the series.
Definite S.E.X.
A five handcuff review

Another sure-fine winner by Sean Crisden. The inflection and cadence created a dreamy world, yet angst-filled. Anyone who narrates a Texas book needs to be larger than life in their delivery, as all the Texas characters are bold and charismatic. Mr. Crisden- you did your job and sucked me right in.

One of my favorite narrations.

Please LetThere be MORE!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Texas series, and this additional offering. I hope Ms. Scott will see fit to grace her following with yet another extension of the beautiful Campbell-Hayes progeny!!

Lovely holiday extension of this series

I was a big fan of the Texas series when it first started… I’m not sure I’ve actually read every book in the series – but most of them?

In any case, this is the next generation and it’s Jack and Riley’s college aged kid. I’m not sure – but this feels like soap opera aging – where you see the child born and then in 2 years they’re a teenager! LOL or I’m just getting too old to remember everyone’s age!

In any case this was really sweet and it was fun seeing Jack and Riley again as parents.

If you’re a fan of the series you’ll love this, if you just want a sweet holiday hurt/comfort – this is for you, too!

3.75 (rounded to 4) of 5 stars

A little Christmas Love

A really sweet Christmas story full of love, joy and willpower, because love will always win. And Christmas is the right time for love to win.
I really enjoyed listening to this sweet Christmas story.

Beautiful story

Loved the story and characters. Will become one of my regular Christmas stories. Thank you for such a great book.

proves life is not always perfect

Life proves it's not always perfect great stormes cause serious problems and Jack and the gang dash to help. Life takes a turn for the better for a man named River and love prevails on the ranch
. Another great episode of life on the D ranch.

Fabulous extra to this series.

A much loved series comes back to show us how life is treating the residents of The D. It’s a complete story in itself, showing Connor all grown up. He gets his HEA after a shakey start. River takes a lot of convincing, but truly deserves the life Connor and his family offer.
Sean Crisden as always is fabulous as our narrator, listening to him become Jack, Riley and all the other characters, feels like coming home.

a great holiday novella

Home for Christmas is a great holiday novella. It’s full of love and family with characters you couldn’t help but be drawn to. It’s a well-done hurt/comfort story with just the right balance of angst and sweetness. Recommended if you are in the mood for a Christmas story about opening your heart to love, hope and future possibilities.

I am a bit torn with the narration. Sean Crisden did a stellar job portraying the different characters and all the emotions really came through, especially River’s and Connor’s. However, I found his reading a little too fast. There were some moments where I thought a slightly longer pause would have been needed. I almost missed some parts where the characters did something because the sentences ran together. Slowing down the audiobook to 0.5X made it sound weird. I’m not sure if the reading speed is how Crisden typically narrates. I have listened to two of his audiobooks by Megan Derr and Riley Hart and I enjoyed how he read them.