Review: Hot Holiday Read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2013
Review:That description below?  It does not do this novella justice.  Not at all!  This was a surprisingly emotional read that actually had me blinking back tears a couple of times.Who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks?  Grumpy Mitch has no reason to love Christmas, so it’s an unpleasant shock for him when his boss asks him to play Santa at a party for siblings of children at a local hospice.  While he really wants to refuse, CJ reminds him that even though Mitch has worked hard to ensure that he’ll take over as head of CJ’s PR firm when he retires, nothing is written in stone.  To prove he is the man for the job, Mitch has to show that he has a heart to go along with his ambition and drive.  CJ isn’t about to leave his company in the care of a guy who doesn’t understand the value of social responsibility.  It’s nice to be dedicated to work, but a leader is also dedicated to the community.I enjoyed this holiday novella so much!  Ellie is the exact opposite of Mitch.  She loves the holidays, she has happy memories of Christmas with her family, and she’s sad to be away from them this year.  She’s also hurting at the loss of her business.  Adrift and not sure what to do with the rest of her life, she jumps at the chance to help her godmother, Betty,  in the States when she’s temporarily incapacitated.  She hops on a plane from the UK, determined to help the brothers and sisters of terminally ill children and ensure they have a few hours of fun on Christmas Eve.  Sparks fly between Ellie and the Grinchy Santa.  Mitch doesn’t even pretend he wants to be at the party, dressed in Santa’s red suit, handing out presents to kids.  He doesn’t have happy memories of Christmas, and the entire holiday season has him repeatedly uttering Humbug! under his breath.Mitch is touched as he hands out his presents, and with Ellie’s help, he’s forced to put his past into perspective.  Yes, he had a crappy childhood, but that doesn’t mean that he can go on ignoring his family, and the nieces and nephews he hardly knows, for the rest of his life.  Ellie is also able to heal after a bitter betrayal, and she’s able to regain a new purpose for her life.‘Tis the Season to Kiss Santa has a little bit of everything; there’s humor, angst, spicy love scenes, and the redemption of a wounded man.  I think that Ellie would have eventually recovered from her disappointments alone, but Mitch was a special case and he needed a special woman to help him heal from his not so happy childhood.  His dislike of the holidays, as well as long term relationships, was understandable considering his upbringing.  It’s a good thing he met such a sweet natured woman before he his heart shrank even smaller.  Instead, it expanded like a fluffy piece of popcorn, and he was finally able to take a chance on love.If you’re in the mood for a satisfying holiday read, ‘Tis the Season to Kiss Santa might just be calling your name.Grade:  B