Review: Christmas Night at Friday Harbour by LIsa Kleypas

by 7/10/2012 0 comments
Summary
From www.goodreads.com

ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.
ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE
The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.
SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC…
Maggie Conroy doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.
…TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE
Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home…



Review

What can one say about a Lisa Kleypas novel? They are always amazing.  In Christmas Night at Friday Harbour, Kleypas proves she's not just a talented writer, but a gifted one.  This novel is beautifully written and you are immediately drawn into the story.  Writers should line up for lessons at Kleypas door.

The story was so beautiful, the setting so enchanting and the characters so touching that I was actually smiling as I read this novel. What could be more romantic than connecting because of a sweet little girl on a gorgeous island I ask you? What could be more moving than a patient man willing to wait till you yourself know you're ready to move on and stop being afraid? Anyone with a sense of the romantic would say all of this is beautifully romantic. 

So that's the good: beautiful writing, masterful storytelling and a touching sense of the romantic along with some very nice, warm characters including a charming little girl who believes in magic. 

The bad? I wish I could say there is nothing bad, but sadly, that would be something of a lie.  The bad in this is that's it's too short! Maggie, our toy shop owner who encourages imagination in children, was not ready for a relationship throughout the entire novel. She resisted it our of fear and hurt. Mark, our sweet, patient, tender hearted hero was coaxing her along in this romance. She was finally ready, and I was expecting a few things to happen to round off our romance, and finis! End of novel! Mark mentions a ring, and Maggie confesses she can't say no to him because she loves him and that's it. End of my beautiful love story.  Lord, but I feel cheated. Both characters do make declarations of love for one another, sweet and simple, utterly perfect actually, but I wanted the proposal scene. Maybe a bit more declaring of love on Maggie's part. But alas, it was not to be. Thematically the book touched on the idea that being alone is not being safe, it's just being alone. I would have liked to see that developed a wee bit more. The novel, I think is about a hundred pages too short, so we get the beautiful story telling and happy ending but nothing any deeper. Still, a beautiful lead into the Friday Harbour series.

THREE AND A HALF glittering stars

Jewels E

Author

I'm a thirty something girl who loves to read, write and dream. Because I'm so addicted to the written word in all its forms, I created this blog to share the books that devastate me with you.

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