Stevie‘s review of Rescued by Christmas by Erika Marks
Contemporary Holiday Romance published by Tule Publishing 25 Sep 18
Romances in which one protagonist is the only person who fails to recognise the other protagonist as a current A-list celebrity require a hefty suspension of disbelief. Which, fortunately, I can manage far better when it comes to Christmas stories than with those set at almost any other time of the year. Of course, the rest of the story has to hang together with some reasonable degree of logic in order to allow that one big glaring plot hole. It’s one thing to realise after the fact that the person who looked oddly like someone famous as you passed them in the street is indeed that star, but quite another to spend time with them and still not realise – especially in this internet and information age. This book’s heroine, however, is far too busy to follow online gossip, or any other kind for that matter.
Miranda O’Keefe is kept occupied by her rural veterinary practice and her rescued horses, not to mention the full-time job of being a single parent to a boisterous six-year-old boy. As the snow starts to come down heavily, she is busy in her kitchen making Christmas treats on a rare afternoon off, when her kid comes in to inform her that Santa is unconscious in the horse barn and in need of her attention. Just to add to the pressure, young Oliver is particularly keen that they make Santa well again, because he is convinced that’s the only way their latest equine visitor will also recover. Although Miranda is sceptical, there is indeed a man in a Santa suit crashed out on the hay, and she sets about treating his injuries while also warning him not to try anything.
Having finished recording his Christmas appearances in advance, singer-songwriter Jackson Wilder is keen to get as far away from his adoring but intrusive fans as possible and sets off in his rented truck for a secluded cabin, still wearing his Santa costume to ensure none of them follow him. Unfortunately, Jackson has no experience of winter driving, and so the truck ends up in a ditch and he ends up sheltering in the nearest barn. Which is where Miranda finds him.
Having established that Jackson is shaken and bruised, rather than seriously injured, Miranda invites him to stay over – in the barn’s living accommodation for propriety’s sake – at least until the snow clears. Jackson agrees, glad to have found an alternative holiday retreat with someone who isn’t a fan – and, in fact, appears not to have heard any of his songs, at least not before before meeting Jackson and being told who he is. Jackson also agrees to keep wearing the Santa costume for Oliver’s sake, even though this means he can’t wash the dye from his hair and beard either.
Jackson, Miranda, and Oliver settle down to wait for the snow to thaw – fortunately Miranda has a veterinary technician who can take care of the rest of her charges while she can’t get into town – and enjoy some good old-fashioned winter activities, the ‘back in the day we made our own fun’ variety. Of course, there are some metaphorical storm clouds on the horizon: Jackson has to go back to recording and touring once the holiday season is over and Miranda worries that her new horse isn’t going to recover, as well as having to face the possibility of losing the stabling she’s been renting for her other rescues. The solution to all the problems is fairly obvious, but the characters are cute together, which makes for a heart-warming seasonal story by an author I’d like to discover more from in the future.
Grade: A
Summary:
All pop star Jackson Wilder wants this Christmas is a few weeks out of the spotlight in a rented cabin in the Colorado mountains. But when a blizzard leaves him stranded on a country road on his way out of town—and still wearing the Santa costume from a last-minute commercial shoot—he takes shelter in a nearby horse barn to wait out the storm.
Miranda O’Keefe will be lucky to get a wreath up on her door this year. Between raising her six year-old son, Ollie, running her vet practice, and getting her horse rescue project off the ground—Christmas will have to take a back seat. But when Ollie tells Miranda he’s found Santa Claus asleep in their horse barn—and has asked Santa to heal his beloved rescue horse Twisty—the self-reliant single mother finds herself asking for a stranger’s help to grant her son’s Christmas wish.
But when attraction turns to affection, will love come to the rescue this holiday for Miranda and Jackson too?
Read an excerpt.
