Review: “Mistletoe Magic” Is Enough to Send the Eagles Soaring!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 16, 2013
Five stars for Feisty!Five stars for Fun!Five stars for Festive!Five stars for Original!Five stars for Debut Delight!Mistletoe Magic  Really Needs Five Reviews to do it Justice!This may be the best debut Christmas novella I’ve ever read – and I’ve read many. The heroine, Misty Winslow, and, Britt, her BFF, (for over 25 years), are entertaining enough to carry the story between just the two of them. Britt is so predatory about finding a husband in the small town of Winslow (the town is named for the heroine’s ancestors) that it is like reading a romance from the 1950’s. Britt has already staked out the hero as ‘hers’. Britt saw him first and even works for him!The only trouble is, the hero has eyes only for Misty.  So Misty has to try and sell ‘Dr. Dreamy,’ as she mistakenly calls him to his face when they first meet, on dating Britt. As a conciliation Britt buys Misty a membership to the dating website, Rural Romance, in order to find a husband before she turns thirty. This is realistic because Misty is a stereotypical, bookish, librarian who has not had a formal date in eight years. Dr. Dreamy, however, has just given a wake up call to eight years worth of Misty's sleeping hormones. Poor Misty is being driven to distraction.Indeed, it’s love at first sight for Dr. Dreamy, the new dentist. He is finally settling down in the small town of his choice and is ready to marry and start a family. When the stunning redheaded heroine literally falls at his feet, he’s hooked. (I kept seeing Lucile Ball in the part of Misty).The plot thickens. The good doctor also joins the ‘Rural Romance’ dating service. Now right away I thought this won’t work. It is way too hard to make such a coincidence believable in a romance. Believe me, coincidence had nothing to do with this situation and all is totally believable.The writing is fresh, bold, inspired even. And yes, this is a good Christian romance. No preaching, just Christmas joy. I loved it. Misty and Britt are so feisty with their repartee that I thought their dialogue must be real. (Confession: I read the author’s bio at this point and sure enough she lives with her sister in Oklahoma! The dialogue is just too good to be fiction.)Talking about Oklahoma, I live in Oklahoma myself. Yet for a good part of the story I thought the location was Winslow, Arizona. As I read the book, I kept hearing the Eagles singing “Take it Easy”.  My wife and I detoured on our Route 66 trip just to pass through Winslow and have our picture taken with girl in the flatbed Ford. I know the words by heart. I’ve seen the Eagles twice in concert in Tulsa. Sing along with me:Well, I'm a standing on a cornerin Winslow, Arizonaand such a fine sight to seeIt's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbedFord slowin' down to take a look at meCome on, baby, don't say maybeEven if the story takes place in Winslow, Oklahoma, for me it happened in Arizona. I’m a very proactive reader. Besides, ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘Arizona’ both have four syllables. : )I know. I know. I had too much fun reading this story. There never was a moment that I was not enjoying myself. I can’t wait to read more from this author. In a way, I feel sorry for her. I can’t imagine how a novella can get any better than this one. But when the time comes I’ll be the first on line to find out if her next book can do it.There are many great Christmas novellas out right now and I’m trying to read them all. Of all of them, I recommend reading "Mistletoe Magic" first!It’s that good.