Review: Edie Ramer's CHRISTMAS AT ANGEL LAKE is a short and simple feel-good romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2013
Edie Ramer's CHRISTMAS AT ANGEL LAKE is a feel-good contemporary romance. The adaptation of Scheherazade and her 1001 Nights to a modern setting exhibits Ramer's creativity to advantage. Though the tropes lean towards the obvious , this book will fulfill the happily-ever-after need inside your heart.Mattie is a courageous heroine with an illegitimate son. But all it takes is one lie to trip her up. Five years later, she's still squatting in the abandoned estate of a rich screen writer, while the town believes Mattie has full permission to live there and take in people who are down on their luck.Logan needs time away from the spotlight. His starlet girlfriend just left him. He is tired of producing movies that other people are writing. He wants peace and quiet to put pen to paper.The deal Logan and Mattie make for Mattie and her little boy to remain in Logan's house puts her in the position of Scheherazade. Mattie must tell Logan a story each night. Mattie doesn't believe in everyday fairy tales, which makes the nightly stories the best part of the book."Please. Prince Charming only ever did the easy stuff. Like kissing the sleeping princess. Dancing with her at a ball." - MattieThe developing romance is a given, but its stages are those of an exchange of friendship and a gentle courtship."And then he put on his CD with a man and woman singing opera. In a language she didn't speak. That was crazy, and she didn't know why he'd done it, but she wasn't stepping out of the warm bath to turn it off. Especially since it sounded passionate and foreign, and she just knew that the singers had much worse problems than hers."Meanwhile, Mattie is having difficulties at work, and she has to decide whether to hold to her integrity or reveal damning evidence about a man the town wants to hire in the position which they promised Mattie.But every book has problems. This heartwarming tale falls into the category of "sappy" or "sugary-sweet." There are numerous POV slips, spelling mistakes, and punctuation errors. The subplot of the dog wandering from town-to-town to find "his" human is adorable, but it's too cute and cuddly for an adult romance. The novel is paced well, but very little of its construction is memorable, because the plot and subplot is simple and compact.* I won this book in a contest and did not pay for the privilage of reading it. My reviews are always honest; a free book does not buy a positive review.You may also enjoy reading these romances:Three Sisters Island Trilogy BOX SET: Dance Upon the Air; Heaven and Earth; Face the FireBy Nora RobertsLady Folbroke's Delicious Deception (Harlequin Historical)By Christine MerrillLove in the Afternoon (Hathaways, Book 5)By Lisa Kleypas