Review: Rushed and Silly
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 01 2, 2013
Oh boy, I don't even know where to start with this one. In my distant past, I've read children's books and fairy tales more believable than this helium-light and syrupy sweet story. I know we have to suspend disbelief in romance novels, but can we at least pretend that the characters are slightly realistic and their actions make sense? Well, in this book, they aren't and don't, and that makes the whole story just plain silly.Spoilers ahead!The male lead is William. The author never mentions his age, but I assume he is at least in his early thirties. He is good-looking (and he knows it), smart, and very wealthy. He's had previous relationships, runs a successful company, yet he always blushes and is so shy that he cannot ask the girl he likes out while, at the same time, he can openly talk about his feelings to his secretary and to the girl's brother whom he just met. He may believe he is boring and conservative, but conservative and shy are not synonyms. At the end of the story, during their first real conversation, William mentions that he wants to see Maddie in the lingerie he's bought. Not so shy after all, is he?Maddie rents a kiosk in the office building that William owns. Every time they exchange a few words, Maddie lets William know that she disapproves of his womanizing ways. Isn't she afraid that he will get mad and kick her out of the building? At some point in the story, William calls Maddie on the phone and asks her to come up to his office to take care of a business emergency. Maddie answers that she is busy, suggests that he should ask one of his girlfriends for help, and hangs up. Who talks to their boss like that?Throughout the course of the story, William buys thirty-two presents altogether. Some of them are rather small: jewelry, perfume, lingerie, a sweater, a pair of boots. They all end up in William's office: on the floor, sofa, chairs, his desk--everywhere, so William doesn't have any room to work. How is it even possible? Last Christmas, I bought about a hundred presents for my family and friends, and they all fitted neatly under the tree. What size is William's office, exactly?Christmas Wrapping is obviously a Christian novella, but nowhere in the book's description can I find that mentioned. The story is mindless and forgettable, it is rushed and far too unrealistic for me. I did not like it. To be fair, I have to add that the author has a way with words, and the story flows effortlessly. Needless to say, I'll be deleting this book from my Kindle and not reading anything else from this author.