Friday, December 11, 2015

Christmas Reads

I love Christmas books. They give me the feelings that actual Christmas no longer does. They leave me feeling warm and hopeful, while actual Christmas leaves me feeling stressed and anxious. I'm not a Grinch at all, however, I do struggle with Christmas. My favourite part is all the decorations and lights. My least favourite is shopping. It's become way too stressful and frustrating. I also lost my grandma on December 22nd, 2011, so Christmas just isn't the same anymore.

That all being said, I do love the feelings that Christmas books give me and I always look forward to reading them each year. So far this year, I've only read two. The first was Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber. I've read a few Macomber books and she definitely knows how to get that Christmas feeling flowing. This book wasn't my favourite. It had a great premise, but it fell a little flat for me.


Ashley has to get home to her mom in Seattle for Christmas and Dash has to get to Seattle for a job interview, but there's a problem, all flights are booked. They both decide to rent a car, but there's only one car left. Despite being strangers, they decide to share the car. I love road trip books, and this one had its moments but I had some issues. I did enjoy the banter between Ashley and Dash. I did not enjoy how elusive Dash was with his job interview. I just wanted to know what job he was interviewing for.

The entire FBI/mistaken identity of Ashley was a little too much and too unbelievable for me. I honestly could have done without that entire setting. The ending was very anti-climatic, and it all ended way too perfectly. I expect Christmas books to be cheesy, but this was almost too cheesy. I did give this 3 stars because I was looking for something quick and cheesy and that is exactly what I got.

I received this book through NetGalley

The next one I read was One Wish in Manhattan by Mandy Baggot. I really adored this one! Hayley is heading to New York with her nine year old daughter Angel with one wish: to find Angel's dad. Angel is the product of a one night stand in New York and now Hayley is determined to find him, even though they've had no contact whatsoever since that one night.

Oliver Drummond is the CEO of a large company, and has a reputation of being a bit of a ladies man. A chance encounter at a Chinese restaurant sets the whole book in motion, but Oliver also has a secret. He believes he has a life threatening gene defect that could end his life at any moment.

As I said, I really liked this book. I could see the setting perfectly, and to see New York at Christmas is on my bucket list. Baggot did an incredible job of setting up the scenery and I really did feel like I was there. Angel and Hayley were so much fun. I loved their relationship and banter. It reminded me a little bit of Rory and Lorelai in Gilmore Girls. They got themselves into a few silly situations, but they only added to the story.

Oliver was a little frustrating at times, but I liked his character, too. He was a little misunderstood, and through the book he really came into himself. I liked the romance because while it was a little unbelievable, it was sweet and imperfect.

My only complaint about this book was that it felt a little bit long at times. It dragged a little bit, but I still really enjoyed it and gave it a 4 out of 5 stars. It's the perfect book to read during this time of year.

What are your favourite Christmas books? I'm always looking for more to add to my list.

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