What do you think?
Rate this book
Blossom Street #3.5
Christmas Letters
Katherine O'Connor often spends her days at a cozy cafe on Blossom Street in Seattle--where she writes Christmas letters for other people. She's good at making their everyday lives sound more interesting. More humorous. More dramatic.But for Dr. Wynn Jeffries, who also frequents the cafe, Christmas means lies and deception. In fact, the renowned child psychologist recommends that parents bury Santa under the sleigh. Katherine, however, feels that his parenting philosophy is one big mistake--at least, based on her five-year-old twin nieces, who are being raised according to his Free Child methods.She argues with Wynn about his theories, while he argues that her letters are nothing but lies. They disagree about practically everything--and yet, somehow, they don't really want to stop arguing.As the days--and nights--move closer to Christmas, Katherine and Wynn both discover that love means accepting your differences. And Christmas is about the things you share....
269 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
119 people are currently reading
4537 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Macomber
894 books20.6k followersDebbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 820 reviews
November 3, 2012
This is kind of a spoiler review but not really, I mean we all know how all romance books end don't we, happily ever after.
This is a hard review for me because I really enjoyed reading this book but at the same time there were a lot of things that really bothered me about it too. I think the best way to review this book is to give a list of the things that bothered me and then sum it all up with why I liked it.
Things that bugged me
1- Katherine's nickname being K.O. it's just dumb I trained myself to call her Katherine every time it said K.O. because it bothered me so much.
2-So many times the people in the book acted like 2 year olds, it was SO DRAMATIC that it wasn't fun to read because adults would never act the way they do in this book. Examples; When Katherine first meets Wynn she starts off all nice to him and the goes crazy screaming at him in a public place. I know she dislikes his books but really who would do that to someone famous who you have never met in a public place? Plus she never even read his book which seemed crazy to me, you can't hate something you don't know anything about.
3- When Katherine introduces Lavonne to Max this nice sweet kitty all the sudden goes crazy like a rabid animal and attacks Max. Then there is so much blood all over everything but Max doesn't even need stitches. Then Max although normal up until this point starts acting like a crazy man who is going to sue Lavonne over the cat incident and fakes amnesia then a few chapters later he is a normal man again and with no explanation why.
4- The ending was so rushed, it was like the author looked up from writing and realized that her book was due to be finished so she wrapped it up in like 3 pages. All of the sudden after babysitting 2 naughty kids Wynn decides that he is wrong and is going to write a retract his last book and write a new book saying kids do need boundaries. It just doesn't make sense at all, didn't Wynn a child psychologist who works with children every day do any research or have any proof his theories worked before writing a book? Then one day he babysits twin girls who's mother read his book and raising them like it says, when he sees how naughty they are then all of the sudden he realizes he is wrong. You would think he would have realized that before publishing a best selling book right? So Katherine knocks on Wynn's door says she loves him, he says his book is wrong they decide to get married and have kids and Max and Lavonne are engaged all in a few pages.
5- And lastly, it bugs me that without even discussing important issues like how they will raise their own children they decide to get married and start a family and everything turns out happily ever after. It would never happen, people who disagree on important matters like how children should be raised in such a big way should never have children unless they want to eventually get divorced.
But really at the end of it all it is a cute little Christmas romance. The characters are funny and mostly likable even if they aren't realistic. The story is funny and made me want to keep reading. The language was good and I like a romance where there aren't sex scenes and groping, those kind of romance books just aren't my type of romance.
Read this book if you are in the mood for a mushy sweet romantic book that you won't try to take to seriously.
I would rate this book a B- or a C+, not the best book ever but I enjoyed it and would read more by this author.
This is a hard review for me because I really enjoyed reading this book but at the same time there were a lot of things that really bothered me about it too. I think the best way to review this book is to give a list of the things that bothered me and then sum it all up with why I liked it.
Things that bugged me
1- Katherine's nickname being K.O. it's just dumb I trained myself to call her Katherine every time it said K.O. because it bothered me so much.
2-So many times the people in the book acted like 2 year olds, it was SO DRAMATIC that it wasn't fun to read because adults would never act the way they do in this book. Examples; When Katherine first meets Wynn she starts off all nice to him and the goes crazy screaming at him in a public place. I know she dislikes his books but really who would do that to someone famous who you have never met in a public place? Plus she never even read his book which seemed crazy to me, you can't hate something you don't know anything about.
3- When Katherine introduces Lavonne to Max this nice sweet kitty all the sudden goes crazy like a rabid animal and attacks Max. Then there is so much blood all over everything but Max doesn't even need stitches. Then Max although normal up until this point starts acting like a crazy man who is going to sue Lavonne over the cat incident and fakes amnesia then a few chapters later he is a normal man again and with no explanation why.
4- The ending was so rushed, it was like the author looked up from writing and realized that her book was due to be finished so she wrapped it up in like 3 pages. All of the sudden after babysitting 2 naughty kids Wynn decides that he is wrong and is going to write a retract his last book and write a new book saying kids do need boundaries. It just doesn't make sense at all, didn't Wynn a child psychologist who works with children every day do any research or have any proof his theories worked before writing a book? Then one day he babysits twin girls who's mother read his book and raising them like it says, when he sees how naughty they are then all of the sudden he realizes he is wrong. You would think he would have realized that before publishing a best selling book right? So Katherine knocks on Wynn's door says she loves him, he says his book is wrong they decide to get married and have kids and Max and Lavonne are engaged all in a few pages.
5- And lastly, it bugs me that without even discussing important issues like how they will raise their own children they decide to get married and start a family and everything turns out happily ever after. It would never happen, people who disagree on important matters like how children should be raised in such a big way should never have children unless they want to eventually get divorced.
But really at the end of it all it is a cute little Christmas romance. The characters are funny and mostly likable even if they aren't realistic. The story is funny and made me want to keep reading. The language was good and I like a romance where there aren't sex scenes and groping, those kind of romance books just aren't my type of romance.
Read this book if you are in the mood for a mushy sweet romantic book that you won't try to take to seriously.
I would rate this book a B- or a C+, not the best book ever but I enjoyed it and would read more by this author.
February 3, 2016
A nice Christmas story about two completely different people coming together. Debbie sure knows how to write a romance. Recommend, definitely around Christmas!
December 18, 2023
I felt bad rating a DM novel so low, but this was not a quality book. The narrator had an off-putting tone, kind of breathless and this was noticeable throughout. Also worth noting is the audio version does not make mention of the series this is a part of, and I prefer reading in order.
I chose this as a Christmas read, and the content lacked the Christmas spirit. It was an easy read about a couple falling in love, with a strange narrative covering a psychologist writing a book about letting your child choose their own way of living, no boundaries – basically let them run wild. I don’t know how realistic this was.
Katherine challenges the author, Wynn, on this as her twin nieces have become a menace after their mother has been converted to this parenting style. It’s all the rage. She challenges him on this, which becomes a stumbling block to their romance. Throw in a couple of other side characters, a disastrous babysitting adventure and an attacking cat which results in so much blood lost!
Another negative here is the issue of body image for women (I have never noticed it so harshly in fiction). This is written in 2006, so the author may have been behind the times, but she wrote Katherine to be obsessed with her weight after meals, weighing herself, talking about the amount of weight gained after a special dinner, and more insipidly, carrying around a toothbrush to discourage hunger. This was mentioned SO many times. This is really quite bad form. It was talked about in the tone of 'he will not like me' if I gain some pounds. Ugh. A wife also was subservient to a husband at one point, also, which to me shows some kind of lack.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me, and I was glad it was a short one.
I listened to this via the cloudLibrary app and my public library.
I chose this as a Christmas read, and the content lacked the Christmas spirit. It was an easy read about a couple falling in love, with a strange narrative covering a psychologist writing a book about letting your child choose their own way of living, no boundaries – basically let them run wild. I don’t know how realistic this was.
Katherine challenges the author, Wynn, on this as her twin nieces have become a menace after their mother has been converted to this parenting style. It’s all the rage. She challenges him on this, which becomes a stumbling block to their romance. Throw in a couple of other side characters, a disastrous babysitting adventure and an attacking cat which results in so much blood lost!
Another negative here is the issue of body image for women (I have never noticed it so harshly in fiction). This is written in 2006, so the author may have been behind the times, but she wrote Katherine to be obsessed with her weight after meals, weighing herself, talking about the amount of weight gained after a special dinner, and more insipidly, carrying around a toothbrush to discourage hunger. This was mentioned SO many times. This is really quite bad form. It was talked about in the tone of 'he will not like me' if I gain some pounds. Ugh. A wife also was subservient to a husband at one point, also, which to me shows some kind of lack.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me, and I was glad it was a short one.
I listened to this via the cloudLibrary app and my public library.
November 27, 2023
A cute Christmas read, nothing overly terrible happens and everything is pretty much rosy.
Mind numbing in the nicest way.
Three stars.
Mind numbing in the nicest way.
Three stars.
December 21, 2014
★★½
Christmas Letters is #3.5 of Debbie Macomber's romance/women's fiction series titled: Blossom Street. I have never read any of the books in this series before; Christmas Letters was the first. I wanted to read a Christmas story and the audio was available at my library so it was kind of a convenience reading choice. Overall, it was OK. I didn't dislike it but it's not something I would necessarily recommend to others either. Some parts of the story put me in the Christmas mood which is why I bumped up the rating of 2 stars to 2½ stars (and ultimately rounding up to 3).
Please note: It's possible that my enjoyment was affected by reading this story without reading other books within the Blossom Street Series. However, it seemed like a standalone story - I wasn't aware it was part of the series until I began to write a review on goodreads.
Christmas Letters is #3.5 of Debbie Macomber's romance/women's fiction series titled: Blossom Street. I have never read any of the books in this series before; Christmas Letters was the first. I wanted to read a Christmas story and the audio was available at my library so it was kind of a convenience reading choice. Overall, it was OK. I didn't dislike it but it's not something I would necessarily recommend to others either. Some parts of the story put me in the Christmas mood which is why I bumped up the rating of 2 stars to 2½ stars (and ultimately rounding up to 3).
Please note: It's possible that my enjoyment was affected by reading this story without reading other books within the Blossom Street Series. However, it seemed like a standalone story - I wasn't aware it was part of the series until I began to write a review on goodreads.
December 18, 2018
This is definitely not my favorite Debbie Macomber book. Everything about it was just... off. The ridiculously fast romance between Katherine and Wynn, the various odd characters (Zelda, Max, etc.) and - worst of all - Katherine's obsession with her weight. This is a woman who runs on the treadmill for hours after gaining just one pound, and starves herself to the point that she carries a toothbrush around everywhere she goes and, whenever she gets hungry, brushes her teeth instead of eating. It's written like it's supposed to be funny, but what's funny about a stick-thin woman who clearly has an eating disorder? I kept hoping this would be addressed but it never is, it's seriously written like it's just an amusing little quirk of hers.
Overall, this one was a bust for me.
Overall, this one was a bust for me.
December 5, 2010
Um.... Is there supposed to be someone in this book I actually like? Because it just did NOT happen for me.
The main Character "K.O." allowed her sister to treat her like crap. Seriously. If someone treated ME like her sister treated her - I would go OFF. I think the rudneness and selfish behavior of the people in this book was supposed to be the comedy portion of the book - but I was NOT feeling it. It just came across as a bunch of immature jerks banging into each other.
I had a really hard time with the whole book honestly. K.O. was dating a man whose lifework as a psychologist was putting a theory out into the world that children should set their own boundaries and he advocated "the free child" theory. K.O. watched her nieces go from well adjusted children to BRATS on this system that her sister (the jerk) implimented. So K.O. goes into the relationship with the attitude "He's perfect except for this whole "Lifework" thing". Um... That is not a small thing people. Why would you go into a relationship with someone who you had THAT large of a difference in world view. This guy is on radio shows talking about his book, going to book stores to autograph this book, and spent years perfecting his theory. He is being called the "Next Dr. Spock" - and you vocally HATE his theories - but maybe you can still date him? Um. No. Not buying it lady.
This one was a dud for me.
The main Character "K.O." allowed her sister to treat her like crap. Seriously. If someone treated ME like her sister treated her - I would go OFF. I think the rudneness and selfish behavior of the people in this book was supposed to be the comedy portion of the book - but I was NOT feeling it. It just came across as a bunch of immature jerks banging into each other.
I had a really hard time with the whole book honestly. K.O. was dating a man whose lifework as a psychologist was putting a theory out into the world that children should set their own boundaries and he advocated "the free child" theory. K.O. watched her nieces go from well adjusted children to BRATS on this system that her sister (the jerk) implimented. So K.O. goes into the relationship with the attitude "He's perfect except for this whole "Lifework" thing". Um... That is not a small thing people. Why would you go into a relationship with someone who you had THAT large of a difference in world view. This guy is on radio shows talking about his book, going to book stores to autograph this book, and spent years perfecting his theory. He is being called the "Next Dr. Spock" - and you vocally HATE his theories - but maybe you can still date him? Um. No. Not buying it lady.
This one was a dud for me.
December 30, 2014
For my first debbie macomber book, this was a pretty good read about a Christmas romance in Seattle and christmas letters.
March 11, 2024
2.5'tan 3 veriyorum. Soft bir enemies to lovers hikayesiydi. Enemies to lovers olması için fazla naif ve bir yandan da hızlı gelişen bir aşktı aralarında. Düşmandan aşka trope'u bir yemekle harcadı kadın ya şok oldum (Ksksksjdjdjejje) Ama tatlılardı. Neyse kız sinirimi bozdu yalan yok ama sonda topladılar. Pek beklentisiz okunacak kitap. Soft bir şeyler okuyayım diyorsanız gelin okuyun ama çokta önermiyorum.
November 3, 2013
My mom has been on a Debbie Macomber kick since I introduced her to the tv show Cedar Cove, which is based on Debbie's writing. Mom went through all the Cedar Cove books and is now working on the Blossom Street ones. This is one of the Blossom Street ones. I heard her laughing as she read it, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. This was exactly what I needed to read today. It was light and fluffy and funny and what you expect from a Christmas romance.
February 26, 2021
Christmas letters is an amazing book. It is technically a half book in the series. It an amazing addition to the blossom street series
I highly recommend this book and series if anyone is looking for a cute easy to read series
I highly recommend this book and series if anyone is looking for a cute easy to read series
November 7, 2020
Oh, boy. I hated every single character in this book. I only finished it because it checked off a task in a reading challenge I'm doing.
September 27, 2021
Debbie Macomber writes the best Christmas romantic comedies. I don't think Hallmark could ruin this book it's so good. I'm going to read this series starting with The Shop on Blossom Street.
October 25, 2011
What a cute book about Christmas this was. I loved the spin with the writing of the Christmas letters. Although this book takes place partially on Blossom Street, it really has nothing to do with the Blossom Street series. Until the very end of the book, very little is written about Blossom Street.
As always there were likeable characters such as Max, Wynn & LaVonne. The "Z" household was also a lot of fun with everything from dogs to adults having a name with a "Z". The unique twist of the controversial book that Wynn Jeffries authored called The Free Child helps to keep the story moving along and yet allows for different opinions.
As usual, I love the HEA books that are lighthearted and are just plain fun Holiday reads.
As always there were likeable characters such as Max, Wynn & LaVonne. The "Z" household was also a lot of fun with everything from dogs to adults having a name with a "Z". The unique twist of the controversial book that Wynn Jeffries authored called The Free Child helps to keep the story moving along and yet allows for different opinions.
As usual, I love the HEA books that are lighthearted and are just plain fun Holiday reads.
December 14, 2017
She writes lies in other people's Christmas letters, so they can pretend their lives are better than they are and thus make their friends feel bad. Because nobody's life is always perfect. He tells parents how to raise their kids, though he's never been a parent. I dislike phonies, so this is not a book for me.
July 5, 2012
Another excellent book by Debbie Macomber! This book is a part of her blossom street series. Did not know that while I was reading the series so I went back and read it. A very easy read. Could not put the book down once I started it.
January 2, 2024
Irritated by Wynn's parenting advice, Katherine, a Christmas card letter spin doctor extraordinaire, is determined not to fall for him. Can she accept him but not his views?
This was a light, quick Christmas-themed romance. Just like Katherine, I was frustrated by Wynn's beliefs that kids should be raised without rules, especially since he doesn't even a parent himself, and I was glad when Katherine showed him the error of his ways while babysitting her twin nieces heehee.
Location: Seattle, Washington
This was a light, quick Christmas-themed romance. Just like Katherine, I was frustrated by Wynn's beliefs that kids should be raised without rules, especially since he doesn't even a parent himself, and I was glad when Katherine showed him the error of his ways while babysitting her twin nieces heehee.
Location: Seattle, Washington
December 26, 2020
❄Əslində tamamilə gözləntisiz və sırf yeni il ab-havasını hiss etmək üçün oxumuş olsam da, yenə də xəyal qırıqlığına uğradığım yerləri oldu kitabın. Ümumi götürəndə mövzusu bəsit də olsa, maraqlı idi və biraz da yaxşı yazılaraq daha yaxşı bir romantik kitab ola bilərdi, hətta bəlkə ən yaxşılar arasında gedərdi, lakin yazarın bunu həba etdiyini düşünürəm.
❄Yenə də bir oturuşda bitirə biləcəyiniz, bir çox yerində gülüb əylənə biləcəyiniz və iç isidən bir hekayəsi var idi və üstəlik kitabda Chronicles of Narnia dünyasına göndərmə vardı və bu qisim məni çox sevindirdi🥰
❄Yazarın digər kitablarına da şans tanıyacam, xüsusilə Christmas temalı kitabları məni cəlb edir📚 qısa və əylənə biləcəyiniz, əsas da yeni il bayram ab-havasını hiss etmək istəyirsinizsə oxuya biləcəyiniz bir kitabdır
❄Yenə də bir oturuşda bitirə biləcəyiniz, bir çox yerində gülüb əylənə biləcəyiniz və iç isidən bir hekayəsi var idi və üstəlik kitabda Chronicles of Narnia dünyasına göndərmə vardı və bu qisim məni çox sevindirdi🥰
❄Yazarın digər kitablarına da şans tanıyacam, xüsusilə Christmas temalı kitabları məni cəlb edir📚 qısa və əylənə biləcəyiniz, əsas da yeni il bayram ab-havasını hiss etmək istəyirsinizsə oxuya biləcəyiniz bir kitabdır
December 15, 2010
Tis the season, so I picked this up at the library knowing I would be able to finish it in an hour or two when I needed not to think.
I was actually expecting something a little more sacharine than this turned out to be. The protagonists start out disliking each other intensly before inexplicably falling in love within a week. There really isn't enough depth to the story to comment on the characters or plot but I enjoyed Dr Jeffries getting his comeuppance in regards to his 'Free Child' theory, most reasonable parents would choke at his textbook psychology.
Predictable but not without charm, Christmas Letters is a cozy romance for the Christmas season.
I was actually expecting something a little more sacharine than this turned out to be. The protagonists start out disliking each other intensly before inexplicably falling in love within a week. There really isn't enough depth to the story to comment on the characters or plot but I enjoyed Dr Jeffries getting his comeuppance in regards to his 'Free Child' theory, most reasonable parents would choke at his textbook psychology.
Predictable but not without charm, Christmas Letters is a cozy romance for the Christmas season.
July 12, 2018
Hiç beğenmedim 😒Resmen bitirmek için okudum 😑
September 21, 2022
Ir's been several years since I've read from the Blossom Street series, but this was exactly what I always expect from Debbie Macomber! A sweet story, with a predictable romance but with added Christmas charm. I do thing this was a bit too long, though.
December 29, 2018
orta dərəcədə ve tez oxunan, axıcı kitabıydı. Başqa heç nə :)
March 14, 2016
I really enjoyed this story!
Katherine ( nickname K.O ) does not agree with the theories in Wynn Jefferies book -- but despite that...they are drawn to each other.
They live near each other - and they have a neighbor who predicts romances in a very cute way!
I like the idea of Christmas Letters, and the way that Christmas Letters are interwoven in this story.
Great Christmas book!
Katherine ( nickname K.O ) does not agree with the theories in Wynn Jefferies book -- but despite that...they are drawn to each other.
They live near each other - and they have a neighbor who predicts romances in a very cute way!
I like the idea of Christmas Letters, and the way that Christmas Letters are interwoven in this story.
Great Christmas book!
February 6, 2017
Blossom Sokağı'nda geçen keyifli bir Noel hikayesi :)
K.O. ve kedi aşığı komşusu, ilerleyen kitaplarda örgü kursunda karşımıza çıkacak herhalde..
K.O. ve kedi aşığı komşusu, ilerleyen kitaplarda örgü kursunda karşımıza çıkacak herhalde..
January 28, 2019
Loved it! This story was soooo sweet I think it gave me a toothache 🤣🤣🤣 💖💖💖
November 16, 2018
I don't care for romance, but I do like a Christmas story, so I thought I'd give this a chance. The author has been around a long time and is one of those "book factory" types that has a billion titles published, so I keep thinking there has to be something to that every time I buy a book like this, and every time I find out that it's all... empty.
The main character is a know-it-all. She thinks she knows better than everybody what is best for them. She writes letters for people that are all-out lies, but you could sort of forgive that because they're literally paying her to do that for them, so it isn't like they didn't walk in there with that exact expectation, but it doesn't speak too well of her character that she's willing to do it in the first place. Her sister is a complete bitch and she lets her treat her like garbage.
The author makes her personal opinions very, very obvious in every facet of this book, too. She thinks that if it's cold for a day or two in ONE CITY that means there's no such thing as Global Warming (which is why it's called Climate Change, because people like the author apparently don't understand it well enough), she treats people who don't hold the same feelings about Christmas as she does as something to be converted (damn those heathens!). There are any number of other opinions she peppers the story with that made me wrinkle my nose.
I think one of the reasons I dislike romance novels is how unrealistic they are, and this book really reminded me of that. Almost every romance novel I've read has featured a woman falling for some guy who would otherwise not be a good fit for her, she does something stupid and nearly loses him, they go through some angst, and this happens within, like, a week. It's like a woman walks into a coffee shop, sees a guy who is even mildly easy on the eyes, walks over to him, holds out a hand, and says to him, "Hello, sir. My name is Mary Sue and I have decided this very moment that you and I are soul mates!"
*shakes head*
This wasn't a BAD book, but it was boring. It was a fast read or I'm not sure I could've kept my attention on it long enough to finish it, so I was glad that it was easy to read and also quite short. I'm just not a fan of this fluffy stuff, though. I want something with more substance. If there has to be a romance, I want it to be something more important and with deeper feeling. I want characters that have more complex personalities, motives, and emotional reactions.
Then again, when you pound out 80 books a year you probably do start writing boring, rehashed, frankly colorless fluff with no dimension.
Hey, though, there wasn't a bunch of trashy sex scenes in it, though, like most other romance writers seem to resort to in order to keep their fans coming back for more, so if that's typical of this author, I DO want to applaud her for that much.
The main character is a know-it-all. She thinks she knows better than everybody what is best for them. She writes letters for people that are all-out lies, but you could sort of forgive that because they're literally paying her to do that for them, so it isn't like they didn't walk in there with that exact expectation, but it doesn't speak too well of her character that she's willing to do it in the first place. Her sister is a complete bitch and she lets her treat her like garbage.
The author makes her personal opinions very, very obvious in every facet of this book, too. She thinks that if it's cold for a day or two in ONE CITY that means there's no such thing as Global Warming (which is why it's called Climate Change, because people like the author apparently don't understand it well enough), she treats people who don't hold the same feelings about Christmas as she does as something to be converted (damn those heathens!). There are any number of other opinions she peppers the story with that made me wrinkle my nose.
I think one of the reasons I dislike romance novels is how unrealistic they are, and this book really reminded me of that. Almost every romance novel I've read has featured a woman falling for some guy who would otherwise not be a good fit for her, she does something stupid and nearly loses him, they go through some angst, and this happens within, like, a week. It's like a woman walks into a coffee shop, sees a guy who is even mildly easy on the eyes, walks over to him, holds out a hand, and says to him, "Hello, sir. My name is Mary Sue and I have decided this very moment that you and I are soul mates!"
*shakes head*
This wasn't a BAD book, but it was boring. It was a fast read or I'm not sure I could've kept my attention on it long enough to finish it, so I was glad that it was easy to read and also quite short. I'm just not a fan of this fluffy stuff, though. I want something with more substance. If there has to be a romance, I want it to be something more important and with deeper feeling. I want characters that have more complex personalities, motives, and emotional reactions.
Then again, when you pound out 80 books a year you probably do start writing boring, rehashed, frankly colorless fluff with no dimension.
Hey, though, there wasn't a bunch of trashy sex scenes in it, though, like most other romance writers seem to resort to in order to keep their fans coming back for more, so if that's typical of this author, I DO want to applaud her for that much.
January 27, 2021
This did not age well. This also took me more than a month to finish but I think that had nothing to do with the book and everything to do with me.
Although I found this to be very endearing and quite cute, the constant talk of weight, weight loss/gain, and brushing your teeth to stop yourself from eating was very triggering and took away from my enjoyment of this novella. As for the plot, it was fine. A bit over-the-top at times but an enjoyable read overall. I hope to continue to read more books from this series but this one wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.
Although I found this to be very endearing and quite cute, the constant talk of weight, weight loss/gain, and brushing your teeth to stop yourself from eating was very triggering and took away from my enjoyment of this novella. As for the plot, it was fine. A bit over-the-top at times but an enjoyable read overall. I hope to continue to read more books from this series but this one wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.
December 9, 2014
That sound you heard was me gagging and gafawing as I rolled my eyes while listening to this book. Oh and don't worry about the fact the main character clearly has an eating disorder that the author doesn't seem to care about but instead supports. I hated this book and will never read another Macomber. Sorry for choosing hot book club friends.
April 5, 2018
Such a lovely story! I'm so glad I didn't skip this one! K.O. and Wynn are perfectly mismatched. I love LaVonne too! Christmas is the perfect setting for any love story but Blossom Street makes it that much better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 820 reviews