The Christmas Keepsake (Love in Bloom, 2), by Annie Rains

 

Publication October 7, 2025

Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time, if that's possible. Having dealt with a family member with dementia, I loved the whole idea of the keepsake memory book, especially done via collected Christmas keepsakes with a written memory attached to them. Although I hadn't read the first book of the series, it worked very well as a standalone. In fact, I wasn't even sure it was a series until I double checked the title and say book two indicated. Watching Hollis and Mallory find their way to each other despite the very strong walls they'd built around their emotions to protect themselves was a delight. I immediately liked them both, especially Hollis and his work with dogs. A foster child himself, he was sort of giving unwanted dogs the second chance they needed, even when he frequently seemed to need patching up from canine related accidents. 

It certainly didn't hurt that Mallory was a nurse and frequently the one applying the care, especially since she's working extra shifts to help pay for her grandmother Nan's spot in the memory care facility. Nan doesn't remember Mallory anymore but her story is told through the, oh, so honest journal she kept to explain the keepsake items. It's both sweet and sad, though the book manages never to let us sink too far into the "I need a tissue" range. As it turns out, Mallory's emotional trip via the journal opens the way for her to both give and take support from Hollis. He's dealing with a host of roller-coaster emotions, too, torn between his own dreams and those of others. You'll like his Pop, I'm sure, and come to love the Nan we meet through the journal stories. "Santa, Baby", the play she wrote that has become a holiday tradition, is one with a message for many, too, I'm sure.

I won't share any more of the plot as it's a joy to read and get to know the characters almost as they're rediscovering who they are and reaching for their own dreams. I think it's a John Lennon quote about life being what happens when we're making other plans and that is surely true here. Life, both the good and bad, is very much what we make of it. Hollis rescues dogs. Can he rescue himself? Will Mallory let him into her heart? Will family drama take over or love? Will the Christmas play be the beginning or the end of Mallory's dreams? Thanks #Forever - #GrandCentralPublishing for reminding me why I so loved Annie Rains' books in the past. Thanks for bringing me back with this warm hearted look at memories, dreams, family, and, yes, dogs. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.