This book becomes available to the public today! Even though this book is the second book in a series, it works pretty well as a standalone. I think the first book might just give you a bit more background into the town and some of the supporting characters in The Trouble With Christmas. I think my favorite part of this book was the town and its interesting characters, so I feel the author has got the setting right for sure.
Suzanne St. Michelle escapes New York City for a holiday in Credence to inspire her to create her own artwork (legal art forgery is a thing and is Suzanne's main job in NYC). She ends up renting the cottage at the ranch that Joshua Grady runs. The attraction between the two main characters, Suzanne St. Michelle and Joshua Grady, is definitely there, but it takes so long to get there. The first 100 pages were slow and somewhat boring. Much of the character development actually happens when the story picks up, so I don't really see the need for such a long plot setup. The one big plot point from the first 100 pages that plays a recurring role throughout the story is that Joshua Grady appears to be Suzanne's muse, so she paints him A LOT. She paints him as Michelangelo's David, Da Vinci's The Vitruvian Man and even on a cherub. Once he discovers these paintings, he is horrified and wants those paintings (I assumed to dispose of). She ends up using the paintings as a bribe to get him to play her fake boyfriend for her parents over the holidays. I can get behind the fake boyfriend concept, but the paintings were a bit much. If I found out that someone painted me without my permission, I would definitely do what I could to legally take them and destroy them. It's creepy and a bit stalker-like. It was a plot point I found a hard time moving passed, but I can admit that it is unique for sure.
When Suzanne's parents arrive, the story really picks up and becomes a lot of fun. The side story is that Suzanne's parents' marriage is on the rocks, and so they are in Credence for their relationship as well as for their daughter, and you can't help but support their reunification. At this point in the story, the two main characters really start to display their attraction for each other, and the line between this being a fake relationship and a real relationship gets blurred. At the end, Suzanne uses her paintings again to manipulate Joshua, and it works one more time to give the reader a nice happy ending.
I think I would have loved the story a bit more if it was just a bit shorter by cutting much of the first 100-150 pages. However, it is a romantic story with a holiday setting filled with snow and Christmas decorations. It is a nice way to start getting in the holiday spirit!
Suzanne St. Michelle escapes New York City for a holiday in Credence to inspire her to create her own artwork (legal art forgery is a thing and is Suzanne's main job in NYC). She ends up renting the cottage at the ranch that Joshua Grady runs. The attraction between the two main characters, Suzanne St. Michelle and Joshua Grady, is definitely there, but it takes so long to get there. The first 100 pages were slow and somewhat boring. Much of the character development actually happens when the story picks up, so I don't really see the need for such a long plot setup. The one big plot point from the first 100 pages that plays a recurring role throughout the story is that Joshua Grady appears to be Suzanne's muse, so she paints him A LOT. She paints him as Michelangelo's David, Da Vinci's The Vitruvian Man and even on a cherub. Once he discovers these paintings, he is horrified and wants those paintings (I assumed to dispose of). She ends up using the paintings as a bribe to get him to play her fake boyfriend for her parents over the holidays. I can get behind the fake boyfriend concept, but the paintings were a bit much. If I found out that someone painted me without my permission, I would definitely do what I could to legally take them and destroy them. It's creepy and a bit stalker-like. It was a plot point I found a hard time moving passed, but I can admit that it is unique for sure.
When Suzanne's parents arrive, the story really picks up and becomes a lot of fun. The side story is that Suzanne's parents' marriage is on the rocks, and so they are in Credence for their relationship as well as for their daughter, and you can't help but support their reunification. At this point in the story, the two main characters really start to display their attraction for each other, and the line between this being a fake relationship and a real relationship gets blurred. At the end, Suzanne uses her paintings again to manipulate Joshua, and it works one more time to give the reader a nice happy ending.
I think I would have loved the story a bit more if it was just a bit shorter by cutting much of the first 100-150 pages. However, it is a romantic story with a holiday setting filled with snow and Christmas decorations. It is a nice way to start getting in the holiday spirit!