Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale

An uplifting, beautiful story about never letting go of your dreams, the special magic of a family Christmas… and the rush of falling in love under the mistletoe.

Single mother Abbey Fuller loves her family more than anything, and doesn’t regret for a moment having had to put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold. But with her son, Max, growing up, when a friend recommends her for a small design job she jumps at the chance. How hard can it be?

Nick Sinclair needs his house decorated in time for his family’s festive visit – and money is no object. What he doesn’t need is to be distracted from his multi-million dollar business – even if it is Christmas.

When Abbey pulls up to the huge Sinclair mansion, she has a feeling she might be out of her depth. And when she meets the gorgeous, brooding Nicholas Sinclair, she knows that she’s in real trouble…

With the snow falling all around, can Abbey take the chance to make her dreams of being a designer come true? And can she help Nick to finally enjoy the magic of Christmas?

 

Publisher: Forever | Release Date:  10/30/2018 | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4 Cups

Challenges Read For: Literary Pickers  - Pots/Pans

 

When the woman Abbey’s been caring for offers her the chance to fulfill her dream of becoming an interior decorator, she jumps at the opportunity to decorate Nick’s home. The only problem she didn’t plan on was falling for the handsome, broody, and somewhat reclusive millionaire. Nick’s always been work-driven and nothing or nobody has been able to draw him away from it until he encounters Abbey and her son. The more time they spend decorating his home, the more he finds himself drifting away from his work. Now he must decide which is more important: allowing himself to fall for Abbey or chasing after the next deal.

 

Okay, so this one started a bit slow—give it a few about three or four chapters to start going—but once it picked up the pace I was hooked. Although this one’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Yet I did enjoy this one. It’s a bit different from the normal Christmas romance but there’s still fluff and joy and cheer mixed in with a bit of gruff.

 

Abbey’s a single mom trying to keep her head above water while caring for her family. Instead of following her dreams, she went into nursing and stuck with it to be able to support her family. She’s very family focused and caring and I was rooting for Abbey to succeed.

 

Nick’s very driven and very work-focused—he has a reason for this—and he’s determined not to let anyone distract him from what he feels is his duty and this cost him his first marriage. Because of how work-driven he is, he comes off as a bit cold and distant but he’s a man of action and his actions shows a caring side, he just not sure how to express what he’s feeling. I felt bad for Nick, he’s caught in a web of his own making and he’s not sure how to change.

 

The romance between Abbey and Nick was interesting. While there was an attraction and a certain degree of chemistry, it felt a bit stilted at times and I think that had to do with the fact we never get Nick’s POV. Although as the book progresses, I felt like more of the romance was coming to light.

I really liked the relationship/bond between Nick and Max (Abbey’s son). Max pulled Nick out of his comfort zone and Nick was there when Max needed him. There was also a bit more warmth to Nick in the moments when he was interacting with Max.

 

The only problem I had with this one was the fact that we only get Abbey’s side of the story. Given that Nick has more to tell and readers really need to be able to warm up to him, I feel that by not having his side the book is lacking a bit and comes off as one sided.

 

Overall, this one does have a few flaws but I found it to be a nice little Christmas read.