This book is pretty much a Hallmark Christmas movie turned into a book.
This book is pretty much a Hallmark Christmas movie turned into a book.
Suzanne St. Michelle is the child of parents who were well known in the New York art scene and has decided she finally wants a traditional Christmas. She rents a cabin on the lands of grumpy rancher Josh. Unfortunately, her parents are having marital issues and decide they need to follow her to middle of nowhere Colorado. Through a series of lies and issues Suzanne convinces Josh to play the part of her Christmas-loving boyfriend.
Like I said, this book is pretty much a Hallmark Christmas movie, however the transition in medium doesn't do this book many favors. The insta-love that pops up in this book is frustrating in a way that it isn't usually when watching two actors interact.
I'm going to start with a number of the items I had some trouble with. I thought there were some fairly large issues with plot-related moments. Suzanne mentions that the paintings she recreates often take two-three months but she creates five life-size canvases each in a day? Suzanne also has these mini-struggles with her "muse," which was clearly supposed to be cute and funny, but also felt kind off to me? I might not be a painter but as someone who works in a creative field, it felt like a trite way to deal with the legitimate work that goes into making something creative.
I also find it kind of hard to root for a couple that starts out with blackmail. Suzanne's reasons for avoiding her parents made sense to me, but the blatant lying (for a character that apparently NEVER lies) felt forced.
For the neutral, I don't really have much to say about Grady. I thought his history was fairly interesting, and I liked his interactions with his family, but I felt that he was very much a blank slate that could adjust slightly one way or another to fit whatever Suzanne needed from him at the moment. I didn't really understand Suzanne's attraction to him, or his attraction to her.
For the good, I liked the setting. I didn't read the first book in the series, but thought the tie-in was subtle enough to not make me feel alienated, while hopefully being enough to make any readers of prior books happy. The people who make up the town all feel very distinct, and I'm excited for the book that is clearly going to be coming up with Suzanne's writer friend and the town police officer.
Suzanne St. Michelle is the child of parents who were well known in the New York art scene and has decided she finally wants a traditional Christmas. She rents a cabin on the lands of grumpy rancher Josh. Unfortunately, her parents are having marital issues and decide they need to follow her to middle of nowhere Colorado. Through a series of lies and issues Suzanne convinces Josh to play the part of her Christmas-loving boyfriend.
Like I said, this book is pretty much a Hallmark Christmas movie, however the transition in medium doesn't do this book many favors. The insta-love that pops up in this book is frustrating in a way that it isn't usually when watching two actors interact.
I'm going to start with a number of the items I had some trouble with. I thought there were some fairly large issues with plot-related moments. Suzanne mentions that the paintings she recreates often take two-three months but she creates five life-size canvases each in a day? Suzanne also has these mini-struggles with her "muse," which was clearly supposed to be cute and funny, but also felt kind off to me? I might not be a painter but as someone who works in a creative field, it felt like a trite way to deal with the legitimate work that goes into making something creative.
I also find it kind of hard to root for a couple that starts out with blackmail. Suzanne's reasons for avoiding her parents made sense to me, but the blatant lying (for a character that apparently NEVER lies) felt forced.
For the neutral, I don't really have much to say about Grady. I thought his history was fairly interesting, and I liked his interactions with his family, but I felt that he was very much a blank slate that could adjust slightly one way or another to fit whatever Suzanne needed from him at the moment. I didn't really understand Suzanne's attraction to him, or his attraction to her.
For the good, I liked the setting. I didn't read the first book in the series, but thought the tie-in was subtle enough to not make me feel alienated, while hopefully being enough to make any readers of prior books happy. The people who make up the town all feel very distinct, and I'm excited for the book that is clearly going to be coming up with Suzanne's writer friend and the town police officer.