This story is proof positive that one mistake does not define who we are. That is why I fell in love with this book and these characters. Lacey is a good person that trusted the wrong man and it ended up costing her three years of her life, her reputation and her self- respect. Austin has seen Lacey at her lowest and was instrumental in her spending three years in prison. Trusting Lacey is not easy for him. Needing her help is unexpected. As they work together for a good cause and he gets to know the insecure girl with the big heart, he starts to question all he thought he knew. Will his actions years before ending up costing him dearly? Or will Austin and Lacey find their own Christmas miracle? Kat Latham has written another wonderful tale. Lacey was one of Ms. Latham's best character's. In spite of the shame she endured she was still determined to prove she was more than her criminal past. ( )

Three Nights Before Christmas by Kat Latham is a 2015 Tule publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Don't let the holiday season pass by without reading this book!

Lacey has just been released from prison for a crime she committed unwittingly. But, the evidence was compelling, and her own boyfriend testified against her.

Now three years later, Lacey is home, helping her brother with his Christmas tree business, when she comes face to face with Austin, the man who helped send her way. If that weren't bad enough, Austin has decided that, although Lacey has served her time, she is still not trustworthy. So, he makes a point of checking up on her frequently.

When a situation arises that calls for Lacey's expertise with steam engine trains, Austin has to swallow his pride and ask for her help in order to make a Christmas wish come true. In the process, Austin gets to know Lacey a lot better and is stunned to discover she is not at all like his preconceived notions of her.

I read A LOT of romance novels, and one thing I'm always sure to point out in my reviews is how love can change a person's life, heal all wounds, forge hope, forgiveness, and inspire us to do things we never thought possible.

But, in this case, I found that belief challenged just a little bit. Austin is not a guy I liked at first. He's in law enforcement, but takes that power a little too far by harassing Lacey. His motto is 'once a criminal, always a criminal'. It felt like he just could not wait for Lacey to make on misstep so he could send her back to the pen. He also seemed to bask in his alleged 'all knowing' authority, arrogantly believing he knows the way of things and practically beats his chest with pride that he sent Lacey to prison, his only regret being that she didn't have to serve her full term due to good behavior.

But, as you have guessed by now, Lacey's only real crime was in trusting the wrong people and never questioning anything. She obviously paid a high price for her mistake.
Still, it seems important to her to show Austin she is not the scum he thinks she is, and she agrees to help with the train, in part, in order to impress him. I wondered a little if Lacey had learned her lesson about trusting men, since Austin seems bent thinking the worst about her…

Austin has some real eye opening experiences with Lacey, he learns that he is not as smart as he thinks he is, that there are often gray areas in life, and that he has a lot to atone for. Will Austin step up and do the right thing?

The set up for this story had me on edge a little, right from the start. A man sends a woman to prison and she falls in love with him? Seriously? I was not sure how to feel about that and I admit to feeling a little skeptical. I mean, how do you forgive someone for robbing you of three years of your life and for continuing to look for the bad in you instead of the good?

Well, that's where we go back to the whole power of love thing. Only real love could open a heart up wide enough to close the gap between these two. Lacey will have to dig deep into her battered soul to forgive something that big, and Austin will have to humble himself and do one of the hardest things in the world… admit he was wrong. It's against all odds this pair will make it, and it's not a bowl of cherries. It's a hard fought battle with many obstacles in the way. Lacey doesn't just pop back into society and make an overnight adjustment. Lacey's body and spirit bear the scars of prison life, which was very realistically addressed, and she struggles with all that Austin represents, as well as trying to reconnect to her brother.

But, this story is not just about heavy drama, it's also about falling in love, however, the pacing had to be timed delicately, but , Lacey and Austin do have a lot of sizzle and burn chemistry between the sheets. The author did a great job of balancing these elements, giving us a steamy holiday story with a lot heart.

Warning Label:

1: Keep the tissues handy! This story pulls on the heartstrings and is very emotional.

2: The steamy level is Spicy

5 stars ( )

I was given this book in exchange for a fair and honest review, and fell in love with Lacey and her story! Lacey Gallagher was set up by her boy friend charged with drug tracking and she was innocent! Stupid but innocent! After three years in prison, she was released the day before Thanksgiving, her new lawyer took over for the public defender and got her out early. Once she returned to the family farm, she told her brother that she would work in their back lot to stay away from the condemnation of folks that knew her, then the man that arrested her and testified against her when she was caught holding Dave's suitcase..............

Austin Wilder had caught Lacey getting on her train with a suitcase full of money that had traces of pot on it and he swore that she was guilty, but since she returned home, he never saw her work harder, and she intrigued him like no woman ever had and he knew it would be trouble getting involved with an ex-con ( )

What an awesome read! A very unique storyline and amazing characters pull you into this one and keep you there until the end. After spending three years in prison for a crime she wasn't guilty of you would expect Lacey to be bitter and angry but she isn't. Well maybe a little angry but she puts it behind her. And being crazy attracted to the person who arrested her originally is nuts, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

A truly great story of forgiveness, hope, and love. I highly recommend this one! ( )