Review: Too short - If this had been a novel with more character development, this would be a HIT!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2012
This is a very short story, and the character development just was not there for me in this novella. It can be hard for an author to develop characters in a short story, or it can be easy. This short story, as a stand-alone, to me felt rushed, with a lot in it that could have been an entire novel, which I feel if it had been done as a complete novel, would have had great potential as a stand-alone book! It would have been great, but this is why I believe the development was definitely lacking as it was done in such a short amount of time. Too much, but too little, in a short story.I really wanted to enjoy a Christmas story, but I believe for the people who have read and love this series of books, this book would be a nice little extra Christmas addition for them, but not for those like myself who have not read this series. Believe me when I say this story was short as it ended somewhere around 45 to 50%, as the rest were ads for her other books, yet I had the Advanced Reader Copy, which could have been different from the published version.There is a sex scene in this book, and I started to feel a little association with Mia and her excitement when she presents Nick with a plane ticket to go to Lucky Harbor with her, but when he turns her down. (Again, I don't know the story behind Nick), this is where the story loses my interest, even though Nick does unexpectedly comes to Lucky Harbor. After that, I could no longer develop a liking either way for the characters.Again, for the Lucky Harbor readers, this may be a treat for you, but for me who has not read the series, as a stand-alone story, this was not the ticket for me. I felt let down for what I was expecting, which was a nice, complete  Christmas story that would be fulfilling.I did receive this book for FREE from Hachette Book Group through NetGalley in exchange to read and then write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. "Free" means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, [...]Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.