Christmas at the Ranch, Julia McKay
Christmas at the Ranch, Julia McKay
List: $22.00 | Sale: $15.40
Club: $11.00

Christmas at the Ranch

Author: Julia McKay

Narrator: Kai Kennicott

Unabridged: 7 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 09/23/2025


Synopsis

A second-chance holiday romance about a woman who flees family scandal by returning to Wilder Ranch for Christmas, where she first found love—and heartbreak.

She hasn’t been in love in ten years, but she’s about to get back in the saddle.

With the holidays around the corner and her father recently imprisoned for financial fraud, disgraced journalist Emory Oakes doesn’t know where to turn. She’s only certain of one thing: She needs to get away.

Fate takes the wheel, leaving her stranded in snowy Evergreen, the picturesque town where she spent her happiest Christmas as a teen — and chronicled every moment in her journal as she fell in love with handsome local, Tate Wilder, at his family’s idyllic horse ranch — until it all went wrong.

Emory isn’t ready to face Tate, but kismet and Christmas magic have other ideas. As the love they’ve denied for a decade rekindles, the betrayals that kept them apart resurface, as does Emory’s family scandal. Yet Tate Wilder and his ranch feel more like home than anywhere ever has. Will Emory and Tate’s alchemy fizzle or will their Christmas wishes come true?

About The Author

Julia McKay is the pen name of Marissa Stapley, a former magazine editor and the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick Lucky, soon to be an AppleTV series, as well as many other international bestsellers. She has coauthored several holiday rom-coms, including bestseller The Holiday Swap, writing as Maggie Knox. She lives in Toronto with her family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bethany on June 14, 2025

If you love Hallmark Christmas movies, this book is for you. Julia McKay brings us a long-lost love connection in the snow-sparkled town of Evergreen, Canada. After her father is arrested as an orchestrator of a Ponzi scheme, Emory flees Toronto and on instinct, arrives in Evergreen, a tiny town whe......more

Goodreads review by Erica on October 25, 2025

I love when books are set in Canada and now I want it to be Christmas so I can go to Muskoka and be festive.......more

Goodreads review by Caitlin on April 22, 2025

This book was adorable. Very "Hallmark" vibes on this second chance romance. I flew through this book in 4 days - very easy and fast-paced read. I really enjoyed the overarching conflict of the main character's life situation and thought that was a unique twist from typical romance books. After I fi......more

Goodreads review by Ashlee (bookswithnopictures) on October 27, 2025

4.5 stars Emory’s Christmas is anything but merry. She finds out her dad has been arrested and she only wants to get away. Driving north during a snowstorm lands her in the last place she felt like she belonged but also is the last place anyone would want her to be. Emotions are high and Emory has no......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on July 28, 2025

This was a sweet, feel-good, second chance city girl x country boy holiday romance that takes place in Cottage country in the small town over Evergreen where Toronto native Emory visits one Christmas with her parents and falls for the rancher's son next to their vacation rental. Fast forward ten yea......more


Quotes

A Brit & Co. “Merry” Christmas Rom-Com Book We’re Excited About this Year
A Southern Living New Book Everyone Will Be Reading this November

"Swoony Christmas cowboy magic! This second chance love story crackles with chemistry and holiday cheer." —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script

"Scandals, betrayals, snowy horse rides, hot chocolate, and even hotter kisses—Christmas at the Ranch is a complicated love story, and the perfect holiday escape.” —Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters

"In this heartwarming holiday romance, McKay delivers plenty of small-town charm and some adorable equine moments along with a message of love and forgiveness that is welcome all year round." —Booklist

“The book is a wonderful choice for romance fans who enjoy themes of forgiveness and second chances in a satisfying love story. McKay’s (The Holiday Honeymoon Switch) latest is a tender and nostalgic romance set against a snowy backdrop of traditions and holiday magic.” —Library Journal

“Escapist, chemistry-fueled and with the perfect amount of Christmas magic, Christmas at the Ranch is the perfect book to whisk you away this holiday season.” —Emily Stone, author of Always in December

"Readers who fondly recall the one who got away will fall hard for Julia McKay’s Christmas at the Ranch, a swoony, snowy second-chance romance." —BookPage

“Here we have ourselves a fun little second chance romance book, written masterfully by Julia McKay. Can you make it work with a past love without old wounds getting in the way?” —Brit & Co.

“If you’re looking for a second chance holiday romance filled with heart, soul, and a sexy cowboy hero, look no further! You’ll want to bust this baby out every year.” —Codi Hall, author of There’s Something About Merry

"Christmas at the Ranch is an emotional and romantic, snow-kissed love story about rediscovering your first love when it matters the most." —Heidi McLaughlin, New York Times bestselling author of Forever My Girl

“Tender, transporting, and impossible to put down. Christmas at the Ranch is a heartwarming holiday escape filled with snow-dusted second chances, soulful romance, and the kind of magic that only comes when you return to the place that once held your heart. Julia McKay writes with so much charm—and this book is a winter dream.” —Chantel Guertin, bestselling author of It Happened One Christmas

"Julia McKay sets a swoony second-chance romance against the fairytale backdrop of a small-town horse ranch in winter. With plenty of chemistry and charm, as well as a cast of quirky locals, Christmas at the Ranch is a funny, warm, and cozy holiday read. —Jennifer Whiteford, author of Make Me a Mixtape