Susan Wiggs
2009, Contemporary Romance (Upstate New York)
Mira, $21.95, 384 pages, Amazon ASIN 0778326896 Part of a series
Grade:
B
Sensuality:
Subtle
Although Lakeshore Christmas is the latest in Susan Wiggs’ Lakeshore Chronicles series, it works fine as a stand-alone. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy cameo appearances from past characters, which, thankfully, weren’t too much for a newcomer like me.
Maureen Davenport absolutely loves Christmas, so she’s very excited about getting to direct Avalon’s annual Christmas pageant. Unfortunately, directing the pageant means having to deal with musician Eddie Haven, her court-ordered co-director. Maureen’s had a secret crush on the former child star for years, but since she’s sure that a man like him would never look twice at a prim librarian like her, she has no plans to let Eddie in on her little secret.
Eddie Haven has hated Christmas ever since childhood, but he likes helping out each year with Avalon’s Christmas pageant. Until this year, that is, with Maureen Davenport as his co-director. Eddie and the oh-so-proper Maureen have very different ideas for the pageant, and bump heads over several issues. But as the two are forced to contend with each other, the attraction between them begins to grow.
This was my first read by Susan Wiggs, and I enjoyed it very much. One of the things I liked best about Lakeshore Christmas is that it really felt like a Christmas Romance. I love reading holiday romances, but so often the holiday season feels superfluous to the story – like the story could have taken place at any time of the year and been the same. This was not the case with Lakeshore Christmas, which had holiday spirit to spare.
The romance between Maureen and Eddie was quite enjoyable, despite a couple of quibbles. One quibble is that I wasn’t thrilled with Maureen’s actions near the end – leading to the Big Conflict – and felt the situation was wrapped up too easily. My second quibble is that the romance storyline felt a bit rushed near the end. But I really liked the epilogue, which ultimately made up for some of the earlier rush. These were fairly minor complaints overall, and I found it to be a satisfying Opposites Attract romance. Plus, if prim and proper heroines are your thing, Maureen is right up your alley.
There’s also an interesting secondary love triangle storyline between returning characters Daisy, Logan, and Julian. I'm hoping this story is the setup for the next book, and if it is, it’s a book I’ll be looking forward to.
If you’re looking to add some romance and cheer to the holiday season, I think Lakeshore Christmas is a good bet.
-- Katie Mack
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