Love & Worth

By: Halley Royal Hupp

Narrated by: Hannah Marie, Nick Crawford

A fierce snowstorm in Leavenworth, Washington, brings together two lost souls—William, a tech mogul and single father, and Adi, his high school sweetheart. As the snow falls, will they melt the ice around their hearts and give love a second chance?

In the tech world, William Monroe is a success. A fleeting encounter turned into a life-changing event leaves William grappling with fatherhood, and an untimely loss forces him to navigate this fresh path alone. Then a twist of fate and a snowstorm reroute him back to his quaint hometown of Leavenworth, Washington. Amidst the snow-capped peaks and Bavarian-style buildings, William crosses paths with his high school sweetheart, Adi Lewis.

Adi, fresh from the heartbreak of a dissolved marriage and the pain of unfulfilled dreams of motherhood, faces the man who once held her heart. Will's return and his new role as a father become the talk of the town, causing old wounds to resurface and adding to the heartbreak Adi already endures.

As the snow falls and Christmas lights twinkle in Leavenworth, William and Adi are drawn together once more. But are they ready to rekindle old feelings? And what will become of them when William and Jamison must inevitably return to their life in Edmonds?

©2024 Halley Royal Hupp (P)2025 Halley Royal Hupp

So cute!

A sweet little Christmas story with all the Hallmark vibes! Very cute and quick to read, so it's a great choice for the holiday season.

Hallmark movie vibes

Duet narration - Hannah Marie & Nick Crawford

Both new to me narrators and they were great. I enjoyed their performance.

This is a very sweet and romantic hallmark vibe book. I found it to be very enjoyable to listen to. Cute and cozy.

Must read this Holiday

Okay, so the author actually sent me this book to check out, and here's the real talk.If you grew up associating Christmas with those Hallmark movie marathons like me you know, the ones Mom had blasting from every TV in the house—then this book is exactly that vibe, but better. Halley Royal Hupp nailed it. It's about Will, who's forced to go back to his hometown of Leavenworth,,Washington after 12 long years, and deal with all the painful stuff he ran away from. I was so hooked! Seriously, I didn't want to turn the audiobook off. I basically listened to the whole thing in one day off and on between my work and doing chores because I needed to know what happened to the characters Hupp came up with. If you need a great book to get cozy with this holiday season maybe with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate , this is the one you need to grab!

Heartwarming Christmas Magic.

I actually listened to this audiobook Christmas Day while prepping and making Christmas dinner. I didn’t have the Christmas vibe at all but this story melted me! I originally felt the narrator a bit stilted but the emotion soon shone through and I was swept along with the many twists and turns of fate and Christmas magic.

3.75 stars

Love & Worth by Halley Royal Hupp
Narrated by Hannah Marie and Nick Crawford
Standalone Christmas Romance

Love & Worth was offered to me by the author last year when it first released, but there was no audiobook at the time. This year, the audiobook came out and the author again offered me a copy, which I happily accepted. I’ll admit that Love & Worth isn’t a book I would normally choose on my own, as I tend to reach for shorter holiday romcoms. Still, I figured I’d try something new this year.

Love & Worth by Halley Royal Hupp takes place in Leavenworth, Washington, a Bavarian-themed town that fully embraces Christmas, which also helps explain the title of this holiday romance.

Twelve years ago, William left his high school girlfriend and his family behind in Leavenworth, Washington, to make it big in the tech world. He hasn’t been back since. His circumstances have changed, though. A one-night stand resulted in a pregnancy. He supported her during the pregnancy and wanted to be a good father when the baby was born, but due to birth complications that were never really explained, the baby’s mom passed away three months later, leaving William as the sole guardian.

On his way home with his baby, William gets caught in a massive snowstorm and realizes he’s close to Leavenworth. He decides to surprise his parents after 12 years with a Christmas visit and an unexpected grandchild.

Adi, his high school sweetheart, loves Leavenworth and never wanted to leave, not even for William. She married someone else, became a teacher, and started trying to have a family. When she found out she was unable to have children, her life dream, her husband left her. She now lives alone in her house right across from William’s parents.

As the couple reunites, it’s clear they still have feelings for each other. But with a baby in the mix, things are complicated. William lives hours away from Leavenworth, a place Adi will never leave. He also can’t help but wonder if Adi wants him for him, or for the child he now has.

Love & Worth had Hallmark movie vibes and was a sweet story. I just felt like there were a lot of plot holes that never really filled in for me. I especially don’t see why he hasn’t been home to visit his parents in twelve years. They seem like great people who love him very much. Why didn’t they visit him? I’m not sure I ever really got past this enough to completely fall for Love & Worth. There was no trauma, and his parents were good people who clearly loved him, but twelve years? As a mom of sons, I can’t even imagine that.

The Narration:
Both narrators, Hannah Marie and Nick Crawford, were new to me, and I think they did a good job with the material. At first, the narration felt a bit stilted and choppy, but once I adjusted, it became clear that this likely came from the author’s writing style. The short, clipped sentences created the rhythm I was hearing in the audio.

All in all, Love & Worth was worth the listen, and I’m glad I gave it a try, but it wasn’t a standout for me. I never fully connected with either character and found myself feeling more sympathy for William’s parents than anyone else. I also wish there had been more town descriptions. I didn’t realize until later, thanks to TikTok, that Leavenworth is a real Bavarian-style town, and I would have loved to see that setting brought more fully to life.

Rating: 3.75 Stars, 0 Heat, 4 narration