Keep Me at Christmas

Romano Family, Book 4

By: Lucinda Whitney

Narrated by: Mary Jane Conlon

Length: 5 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

She's only passing through. He's not ready for love. Can the magic of the season keep them together beyond Christmas?

Top one Amazon best seller in American literature anthologies
Top three Amazon best seller in holiday fiction

When Luciana Romano arrives in Hudson Springs, New York, her plan is to complete her restoration job at the museum so she can return home to her family right after Christmas. But a blizzard grounds all flights, and she finds herself stranded. The DiLorenzo family offers her a place to stay, and she accepts their hospitality. But the unexpected attraction between her and the quiet, good-looking son makes it hard to want to leave.

Jack DiLorenzo is stuck. Managing the family’s Italian café is not what he’d planned to do with his life, but his sense of duty won’t let him quit. When his grandmother invites a Portuguese woman to stay with them, Jack feels something he hasn’t felt for a long time: hope. He knows he shouldn’t get close to Luciana since she’s leaving as soon as the airport opens, but he can’t help himself.

Yet as the magic of the season begins to work on them, he wonders how he can let go of the woman who’s awakened his heart.

The Romano Family series follows the stories of the Romano cousins of northern Portugal as they find love and their happily ever afters. Each book may be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

Books in the Romano Family series:

1. Hold Me At Twilight
2. Meet Me At Sunrise
3. Love Me At Sunset
4. Keep Me At Christmas
5. Kiss Me At Midnight
6. Marry Me At Dawn

©2018 Lucinda Whitney (P)2019 Lucinda Whitney

Charming Christmas story. I love the Romano Family

What happens when you try to escape from all the reminders of your lack of love (romantic love that is), and end up running headlong into the greatest surprise of your life? Luciana loves her family but needs to get away. Away from all the wedding planning for her two cousins and the joy they are all experiencing. The pain of knowing she hasn't found that deep connection with another needs to be set aside, and she can divert herself and dive right into her work and the enjoyment and contentment she finds there. She is leaving Portugal for New York to help get a collection ready to be on display in a museum. All starts out wonderful until she meets Jack. She realizes that he could easily be someone that she could fall for. Yet, fate thinks itself funny because she and Jack live in completely different countries. She has two weeks to work, finish her project and not let her heart become attached to the one man it wants to attach itself to.

When the author said she was writing Luciana's story, I was pretty excited. This Romano family is wonderful and full of life. In the previous book, Love Me at Sunset, we see a tiny glimpse of Luciana's story. It left me really hoping for a bigger glimpse, and quite possible a full story about her. And here it is! If you've been following the Romano family novels, I think you're going to really enjoy this one. The best part is that we get to have a glimpse into previous characters (and their weddings too)! If you haven't been following the Romano family, now is the time to do so! You can read them as stand alone novels but you do get a better sense of the family and the individuals by reading all of them.

Luciana and Jack both have dreams. Some of those dreams haven't come true, and quite possibly may never. But I loved watching them realize that dreams could and oftentimes do change. And what they change to can be even better than the original dream. I loved this story. The rush of emotions of an initial meeting. That one, where the sparks are electric and very real. Where there is such a pull towards this person that it is undeniable of the connection. Yeah, all those feels and emotions were very palpable between Luciana and Jack. The author did a great job showing that pull and yet, also showing these characters withdrawing due to reality. Distance, past hurts, family, and many other reasons are enough to make the two weeks that Luciana and Jack have become just a distant memory. So the question is how will they make it all work? What sacrifices are they willing to give?

Ladies, be warned. Jack is a cook/baker extraordinaire. So you might be reading along and it comes to a description of food and you will probably be thinking you need some of that right then. Don't read when hungry! ;-) I think I'm going to have to try a couple of these food items. Especially the Portuguese Sweet Rice, and yes, the recipe is included at the end of the book. Yum!!!

This book and these two characters were a very pleasant way to spend my free time reading and enjoying watching their story unfold. The hurt, and pain. The healing and love. And I absolutely can't forget to say how much I loved Jack's mom and grandma. Oh, those two are fun! A perfect addition to this story!

Go grab a copy and enjoy! Make sure you have a tasty treat and drink on hand to enjoy when you start reading about the food and wishing you had some. Just saying, fair warning there!

Content: Clean

Happy Listening!!!

So Sweet

I love Luciana and Jake and watching their relationship grow and develop. It was great to get a peek at Catarina and Afonso as well as Jacinta and Knox. I always love getting more of the Romano family.

Mary Jane Conlon's narration was great, I love her pronunciation.

Another Great Romano story

I'm loving this Romano series. The narrator does a great job portraying the Portuguese accents. Even thought they loved on different continents, love conquered all, in the end.

Could be a Hallmark movie

I listened to this one as an audio book. I thought the narrator did a good job and the accents sounded good to me (I don't know much about Portuguese accents though).
This is the third book I've read in this series, (I missed #3) and this was different in that it took place mostly in the states instead of Portugal. But the love interest in New York is from an Italian family so there was a little twist.
I found the characters to be likable and I wanted them to succeed. The romance is quick moving and other than the geographical distance there isn't a lot of conflict. It is just a nice, fluffy romance for when you want a feel good quick read. It could be the premise for a Hallmark movie.
I enjoy books with big noisy and nosy families so it was fun that they both have that.

No sex, language or violence
*I received a complimentary copy of this audio book and voluntarily chose to review it.

Sweet holiday story

Keep Me at Christmas is sweet holiday story about second chances. The author describes cultural differences and similarities which add to the story. The characters are well rounded and the narrator does a fantastic job of bring even more life to them.

Holiday Magic

Taking place largely in New York rather than Portugal, two gentle souls are pulled together. Mary Jane Conlon provides her usual adept narration with careful pronunciations of Portuguese and Italian and New Yorkese. LOVED this--I'd been waiting for Luciana's story =o]

Hold Me at Christmas

A wonderful Christmas time audio book! The narrator Jane Conlon did an amazing job with the narration!

First snow lasting love

Luciana comes to Hudson Springs, New York to prepare a clothing collection for exhibit in the local museum. She meets Jack at his family’s Italian cafe. There is instant interest but Jack is reluctant at first. They fall in love over Luciana’s two week visit. They work through difficulties to create what looks to be a lasting love.
The narrator did a good job. All the characters were lovely.
I enjoyed listening to this sweet contemporary romance.

Sweet, clean holiday romance

Luciana is in New York for a short time to do a job and then return home to Portugal, she meets Jack by chance. With a little meddling from mother nature and Jack's mamma and nonna, the two are thrown together during the and and a romance develops. Will the two be able to make it work or will distance come between them?

This is book 4 in the Romano series but they can be read as a standalone. Lucinda Whitney has done a wonderful job with bringing us books focusing on family and traditions. Mary Jane Common brings the characters to life through her narration.

I was given this audio book at my request and am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion in this review.

So sweet

Keep Me at Christmas is such a sweet HEA about second chances and dreams realized. I love the details of the cultural differences and similarities. The characters are well rounded and the narrator does a fantastic job of bring even more life to them.

Nice clean romance

This is book 4 in a series, out of all the books it had a more interlinked story, with characters from each previous book in this story. It was a lovely sweet romance which is well narrated and written.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Great Winter Whirlwind Romance

Great Christmas love story including Christmas traditions from Italy, Portugal, and the US. Cozy winter story.