All He Wants for Christmas
Kismet, Michigan, #4
Lisa Plumley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Zebra Books
Date of Publication: September 30, 2014
Number of pages: 367
I am a sucker for Christmas stories and though I don't normally like to pick up in the middle of a series, I figured I would give this one a go when I saw it on Netgalley. I just fell in love with that snowman and his purple scarf on the cover. Living in Florida means that we don't experience the joys of building snowmen, so I have to enjoy them vicariously.In Kismet, Michigan, Christmas is special: big fluffy snowflakes, sleigh bells, carolers singing. It's a picture-perfect holiday—you just have to choose who's in the frame...
Jason Hamilton is on thin ice with the board of his toy company. The young CEO may be a kid at heart, but his party boy reputation requires damage control. So Jason's off to Kismet to inspect a model store, stay on Santa's Nice list, and stick to business—no goofing around. Which is too bad, because the store manager, Danielle Sharpe, is the definition of what makes Naughty fun...
Danielle is thrilled to show off her thriving little toy store—especially if it's her ticket out of Kismet. The single mom is tired of manufacturing cheer solo while her ex-husband has all the fun. But if she'd known Jason was this hot, she wouldn't have offered to host him. With Jason in her house, Danielle is getting warmer than spiked cider. She's supposed to impress him with her expertise, not daydream about catching him under the mistletoe. Now whatever she does, she can't get swept up in the magic...
This was a great feel good Christmas read. We have the womanizing bad boy CEO Jason, who though he plays up the image, is much more of a good family guy than he likes to admit. Then there is Danielle, divorced single mom, who likes to downplay that she is a bit of a rebel. She disregards irrational company policies and uses her organizational skills to make her tiny store one of the best in the country. There is even an evil villain in the mix; the head of the board of directors of the toy company out to oust Jason and has no problem using Danielle to get the job done.
Take two people highly attracted to one another, make them keep secrets from one another while trying to withstand the machinations of the board of directors. Add three cute kids, a town full of classic holiday activities and mix thoroughly. It's a combination for a great story. Other couples are mentioned, hinting at some back story, but it wasn't enough to feel like part of the story was missing. On a personal note, like Danielle's oldest daughter, I too got a 'Mom's New Boyfriend' at about that age, and it was amusing to see some of the same attitude and stunts that I played on my soon to be step-dad. This really helped to ground the story in reality for me, while losing non of the holiday charm. I gave it 3 stars.
Oh sounds good. I'm a sucker for Christmas reads too and was thinking oh that cover! Too cute. I don't think I knew you were a Florida girl! I lived there until college so had to live vicariously through others for my snow too. lol
ReplyDeleteI have experienced snow one time in my life. I lived in Kentucky, Lexington to be exact, from October with the change of the leaves through to March with the spring flowers. Snow was quite the experience. It was pretty and beautiful until I drove in for the first time. And though everyone tells all about snow, no one warns about the ice. Sheets of ice on the top of your car that will slide down and cover the windshield when you stop. Nope, don't miss it at all. LOL.
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