Stevie‘s review of No Christmas Like the Present by Sierra Donovan
Contemporary Holiday Romance published by Zebra Books 07 Oct 14
An all-too-common trope in stories set at this time of year is the visit by a stranger, who shows our hero or heroine ‘the true meaning of Christmas.’ Admittedly, it’s a popular, tried-and-tested theme that’s been used for well over a century, and some authors still manage to put a new gloss onto the basic story concept. However, it’s all too easy for tropes to either become clichés, or for the author’s attempt to put a new twist on the theme to fare badly in the execution.
This story certainly makes the most of the trope’s big influences and popularisers, using an old film adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as its starting point, but, sadly, some of the plot twists and new spins on the theme left me confused rather than heart-warmed.
Lindsay really wants her Christmas to be perfect. Every year she vows to get everything right this time, but she never quite succeeds. Her batches of fudge are very popular with her friends and co-workers, but she obsesses so hard over personalising the message in each Christmas card, that few of them seem to get written in time. As she prepares for yet another season of stress, a man appears on her doorstep, looking and sounding just like the actor playing Fred in Lindsay’s favourite film version of the classic Dickens story.
Fred has been sent by mysterious higher powers to help Lindsay fix her Christmas once and for all, but his knowledge of what to do – and, indeed, on most aspects of modern life – is given to him strictly on a need-to-know basis. Fred has evident supernatural powers and slips quite easily into Lindsay’s life, accompanying her to work parties and taking her ice-skating, amongst other treats. But even as they’re starting to get along really well with each other, Fred is very aware that his mission is to reconcile Lindsay with her high school boyfriend, whom she dumped one Christmas – shortly after he proposed to her.
To be honest, I’m really not sure what all the subplots were doing in the story. Lindsay has a co-worker, whose relationship mirrors the one that caused Lindsay’s break-up with her ex-boyfriend, but I’m not sure anyone learns anything from how that turns out. Likewise, Lindsay’s reunion with her ex doesn’t really tell her or us anything we didn’t already know about her, and the resolution of the main plot between Lindsay and Fred opens up more questions than it answers regarding where he came from and what his purpose really is. As an aside, I have no idea what the author meant by a British accent; if Fred’s supposed to be talking like a better-off character in a black and white film, then I’d expect him to be speaking with an English (probably received pronunciation) accent, which is distinctly different from a generic Welsh, Irish or Scots accent, and equally different from the many regional accents we have within the UK.
All in all, not a book that’s going to remotely encourage me to read more by the author, even if I did quite like some of the scenes involving Lindsay making and distributing her Christmas fudge.
Grade: C
Summary:
Lindsay Miller is knee-deep in Christmas cards and homemade fudge, but she’s never felt more like a Grinch. Why can’t Christmas be full of magic, like in her favorite movie, A Christmas Carol…?
… Enter Fred, a sexy and eccentric stranger who arrives at Lindsay’s door out of the blue. Dressed like he just stepped out of a Dickens novel, complete with British accent, Fred claims he’s a Messenger, sent from “Headquarters” to help her discover the joy of Christmas. But is Fred an angel from above–or just stone cold crazy?
Fred’s used to dealing with skeptics. Telling a stranger you’ve been ordered to inspire holiday cheer is a tough sell. But there’s a further complication. Fred’s mission is to help Lindsay right the wrongs from her past that have been holding her back. But somehow along the way, they’ve become wildly attracted to each other–and falling in love is not part of the plan. Fred only has ‘til the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve to guide Lindsay to the magical future she deserves–even if it’s a future without him…
No excerpt available.
