Another book I won by surprise. And it turned out to be a wonderful Christmas read. Lots of snow, lots of Christmas decorations and lots of cookies, that´s for sure *smile* This was my first book written by the author. And for sure not the last. Good, I might not be over the moon with this, but it was very entertaining and great for a cozy afternoon read.
Weihnachten In Briar Creek*
by Olivia MilesBriar Creek Series #5
Translation Yvonne Eglinger
Original Title Christmas Comes To Main Street*
Publisher LYX on September 29, 2017
Genre Novel
Pages 366
Format Softcover
Source Giveaway
✶✶✶✶
If Kara Hastings wants to save her little bakery from ruin, she must win the Christmas deco contest of Briar Creek. Nate Griffin she was just missing. The arrogant – and outrageously attractive – city dweller competes against her with his aunt´s bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, he is known for always getting what he wants. He can not stand Christmas! Kara tells the Grinch to fight – even if that makes her heart melt with every encounter…. (personal translation ©Vi at Inkvotary)
Story
Kara is happy with her bakery. Though she isn´t making much money with it. But people love her cookies and she can´t complain to be without work. In fact, she has a problem saying no. So, when her sister is asking for her help with her upcoming wedding the next spring and her mother needs her with her Nutcracker performance, Kara sees her time schedule shrink more and more. And with Nate coming to Briar Creek another erratic thing shows up in her life. One, she can´t ignore.
Style
This book was a wonderful Christmas read. But why on earth had the author to write every few pages about why Kara was still single and why Nate had a huge problem with Christmas? I don´t mind getting told details from the past a figure obviously had, but that often? As if the author doesn´t believe that her readers can remember. Despite that, I really had a good time while reading Christmas coming to Main Street. The language is sensitive, sometimes very emotional and all the snow and Christmas decoration was quite nice. Well, good, I am not that much of a Christmas decorator, when it comes to my own four walls, but in this novel, it kind of fits. And with that competition coming up, the participating figures had quite something to do, to get everything ready in time.
And Olivia Miles knows how to bring the daily life of a small town a few weeks before Christmas alive. The only thing I missed was the snowflake-cookie-recipe. After reading so much about them in almost every chapter, I was expecting the recipe at the end of the book – nope, wasn´t there. Sad, but reality. At least in the German edition. After reading this novel I went to get my photo album from my time in the US. I could literally see all those houses and shops Vermont has, feel the snow and the ice on the street and sidewalks, and saw all the Christmas decorations right before my inner eye. The music and the festive atmosphere all over town. Aw, that was a beautiful, but also very crazy time.
Characters
Oh my gosh. Molly! What a fretful girl. She is obviously used to get everything she wants when she wants, and the way she wants. But is she asking her elder sister once if she can help her? Nope. Instead, she does everything to make things worse. She can eat lots of cookies, oh yes, as if there´s no tomorrow. But helping bake them or do something else for her elder sister? Not gonna happen. Grrr, not my girl, not at all.
Kara, on the other hand, is a woman who must learn some things the hard way. She can´t say no, to almost nobody and that gets her into a serious time-problem. And then the fact that she obviously has absolutely no clue about account stuff or pricing. She stands every day for hours in her bakery to create all the sweet things she is selling. Can´t say no to her mother but on the other hand, her mother is not encouraging her with her shop or her passion for cookies. With such a mother, you don´t need enemies.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an easy to read Christmas novel with wonderfully created characters and a white setting then this is your book. Not everything is sunshine and flowers, but in the end, you´ll get your happy end. Upps, did I tell something upfront? *smile*
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by LYX as part of a reading challenge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
*Book was originally published Christmas comes to Main Street by Forever on September 27, 2016
Olivia Miles
Olivia Miles writes women´s fiction and contemporary romance. In 2011 she won the Harlequin Happy Holidays Contest. A city girl with a fondness for small-town charm, Olivia enjoys highlighting both ways of life in her stories. She lives just outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband, young daughter, and two ridiculously pampered pups.
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