Do Not Open ‘Til Christmas
By Sierra Donovan
Publisher: Kensington / Zebra
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Reviewed by Janga



Tall
Pine, California, is a Christmas town. It has a year-round Christmas store,
Snowed Inn (a Christmas-themed hotel that serves hot chocolate that may have a
magical effect), a tree-lighting tradition as old as the town, and annual Santa
sightings. It may be Bret Radner’s hometown, but it is a poor fit for a man who
hates Christmas. Seven years ago, Bret finished up a prestigious internship
with the Washington Post and was
looking forward to a career as a high-powered journalist when a phone call
brought him home to spend four months watching his mother die of cancer. She
died shortly before Christmas. Bret remained to care for his ailing father, but
he has avoided everything to do with Christmas, from lighted trees to mistletoe
to church services. As a reporter for the Tall Pine Gazette, he writes articles about town council meetings and school
test scores that leave him longing for more important subjects. When his editor
is sent to Chicago to straighten out a problem there, Bret eagerly accepts the
position of acting editor. He is less enthusiastic about his boss’s hiring a
freelancer as the Gazette's newest
staff writer, albeit a temporary one.
Chloe
Davenport always wanted to be a writer but journalism was not what she had in
mind. However, she has enjoyed her freelance work for the local paper, and she
approaches her new job as a full-time reporter with optimism. That optimism is
soon tempered by the reality of working with Bret, a demanding editor with the
temperament of a less miserly Scrooge. The sunny-natured Chloe and Bret clash over
her story ideas, many of which are connected to Christmas, and he is horrified
by her lack of journalistic experience and her ignorance of AP style. Chloe
feels as if she can never please him. Some days only coffee and pie and the
sympathy of her roommates keep her going.
Despite
their differences, Bret recognizes Chloe’s writing talent and mentors her to
good effect, although in a mostly curmudgeonly fashion. Chloe learns from him,
and she also learns that there is more to Bret than his dour image. These
opposites do indeed attract, but for every step Bret takes toward Chloe, he
retreats two. Even Chloe recognizes the problem of a relationship between her
and her boss. It will take a near tragedy to resolve all their issues.
Chloe’s
life and her human interest features give the reader a look at Tall Pine, its
traditions and its people. There are heartwarming encounters with a wounded
veteran, a lost-and-found kitten, and Chloe’s family and friends. Fans of
Donovan’s earlier Evergreen Lane books will be pleased to see appearances by
Mandy and Jack Wyndham (Do You Believe in
Santa?) and, more briefly, by Liv and Scott Leroux (We Need a Little Christmas). Appropriately, given Bret’s reserve,
his contacts are more limited.
The term “gentle romance” is a perfect
description of this book. Tall Pine is an idyllic holiday setting. If it seems
too slow-paced for an American town in the twenty-first century, that is also
part of its charm. Bret and Chloe’s romance is strictly kisses-only, and even
kisses are in short supply. My reaction was mixed. I admit that Do Not Open ‘Til Christmas has the
appeal of a Thomas Kincade Christmas card, and I am enough of a sentimentalist
about the holiday to be seduced by that quality. On the other hand, I like
deeper character exploration than this book offers. I felt that my
understanding of Bret and Chloe was too superficial to be satisfying.
If the
verbal version of sugar plums is your idea of a holiday reading treat, you will
likely enjoy this book. If you anticipate something spicier or more substantive,
you probably want to give this one a pass.
Thanks PJ, this sounds like a fun read too. So many books and never enough time.
ReplyDeleteSounds Good. Is it a new release? Will have to ck it out.
ReplyDelete