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jackiehorne 's review for:
You Had Me at Christmas
by Jennifer Lohmann, M. O'Keefe, Laura Florand, Karina Bliss, Stephanie Doyle
Five novellas, two previously published. I've read & reviewed Florand's SNOW KISSED earlier, so I'll just write about the four I hadn't read before.
Karina Bliss, PLAY
A marriage-in-trouble romance, which works well for this short format. Former geek and now rock god Jared turned off his wife, Kayla, with his entitled behavior while on tour. Now that they're living together at home again, the two high school sweethearts feel odd but try to push through their discomfort. But only when they are able to talk honestly about what happened during the tour, and how they felt/feel about it, are they able to move forward. Some unpleasant "other woman" denigration here, and a male lead who feels like he's a better person after he can support his family financially, instead of having his wife work, made me wince. But I did enjoy the depiction of a couple trying to navigate unexpected role reversals (working successful vs. stay-at-home parent), and their attempts to reconnect. Best line: "She and Jared had been so good at navigating failure, they'd never considered success would also require a skill-set" (619).
Stephanie Doyle, ONE NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS NIGHT
Workaholic Kate makes an unexpected connection with a man while browsing a dating app on Christmas. But when Kate and John meet, their hot online connection proves far harder to replicate in person, due, interestingly enough, to class issues. But the two end up trying again, and again, until they push past the assumptions and get down to the emotions. I liked that class played such a key role, as well as the fact that the couple here was in their 40's. My fav of the collection.
Jennifer Lohman, TWELVE KISSES UNTIL CHRISTMAS
Selina, a young Idaho waitress doesn't have anywhere to go after her stepfather crosses the line one too many times, but a friendly stranger offers her a ride to the city. Marc is a computer developer who just sold out his company and is taking a well-deserved vacation, wandering the Idaho countryside. But he can't stop thinking about his former company, or wishing that he hadn't handed over its innovative project to others. The two fall into a quick romance, one that seems destined to go nowhere. But once both get their career goals back on track, love can blossom, too. Didn't care for Selina's passiveness, or her quick trust of Marc; nor did I enjoy their overly quick fall into romance and sex. My least fav of the bunch.
Molly O'Keefe, CHRISTMAS EVE: A LOVE STORY
This was previously published in another anthology, but I hadn't read it before. Childhood friends Trina and Dean share difficult relationships with their parents, but never quite connect themselves. Until one Christmas Eve when lawyer Trina returns home and the two wind up in bed together. But it takes a few more years for each to deal with their family baggage and admit that they want to be together. Each scene takes place on a different Christmas eve, from 2001 to 2013, which is a lot of ground to cover in a novella; I felt as if I were reading the first draft of a longer novel, with scenes vital to the character development still to be written. You can see O'Keefe's skill here, but it is not one of her stronger works.
Karina Bliss, PLAY
A marriage-in-trouble romance, which works well for this short format. Former geek and now rock god Jared turned off his wife, Kayla, with his entitled behavior while on tour. Now that they're living together at home again, the two high school sweethearts feel odd but try to push through their discomfort. But only when they are able to talk honestly about what happened during the tour, and how they felt/feel about it, are they able to move forward. Some unpleasant "other woman" denigration here, and a male lead who feels like he's a better person after he can support his family financially, instead of having his wife work, made me wince. But I did enjoy the depiction of a couple trying to navigate unexpected role reversals (working successful vs. stay-at-home parent), and their attempts to reconnect. Best line: "She and Jared had been so good at navigating failure, they'd never considered success would also require a skill-set" (619).
Stephanie Doyle, ONE NAUGHTY CHRISTMAS NIGHT
Workaholic Kate makes an unexpected connection with a man while browsing a dating app on Christmas. But when Kate and John meet, their hot online connection proves far harder to replicate in person, due, interestingly enough, to class issues. But the two end up trying again, and again, until they push past the assumptions and get down to the emotions. I liked that class played such a key role, as well as the fact that the couple here was in their 40's. My fav of the collection.
Jennifer Lohman, TWELVE KISSES UNTIL CHRISTMAS
Selina, a young Idaho waitress doesn't have anywhere to go after her stepfather crosses the line one too many times, but a friendly stranger offers her a ride to the city. Marc is a computer developer who just sold out his company and is taking a well-deserved vacation, wandering the Idaho countryside. But he can't stop thinking about his former company, or wishing that he hadn't handed over its innovative project to others. The two fall into a quick romance, one that seems destined to go nowhere. But once both get their career goals back on track, love can blossom, too. Didn't care for Selina's passiveness, or her quick trust of Marc; nor did I enjoy their overly quick fall into romance and sex. My least fav of the bunch.
Molly O'Keefe, CHRISTMAS EVE: A LOVE STORY
This was previously published in another anthology, but I hadn't read it before. Childhood friends Trina and Dean share difficult relationships with their parents, but never quite connect themselves. Until one Christmas Eve when lawyer Trina returns home and the two wind up in bed together. But it takes a few more years for each to deal with their family baggage and admit that they want to be together. Each scene takes place on a different Christmas eve, from 2001 to 2013, which is a lot of ground to cover in a novella; I felt as if I were reading the first draft of a longer novel, with scenes vital to the character development still to be written. You can see O'Keefe's skill here, but it is not one of her stronger works.