Must Love Mistletoe by Christie Ridgway is a 2006 Avon publication.

Holiday themed novels are my weakness. Like a starving person at a buffet, every year I load up on new Christmas themed novels- way more than I could possibly read- even if I started in September- okay, if I started in July. So, my Kindle is now haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past- packed with unread heartwarming holiday family fare, Yuletide murders, and zany Christmas-themed rom-coms. So, this year I limited myself to only three (or four) new releases and instead picked holiday books I already had on my Kindle.

I have no idea how long this book has been on my device- but it’s been a few years- over five- at least. I love the cover, and the story sounded cute- so I plucked it from the pile.

Unfortunately, every year I also manage to pick a book that is the equivalent of a lump of coal amongst all the shiny bows and ribbons- and this year that humbug honor goes to “Must Love Mistletoe’.

This is a contemporary romance that although it had some potential fizzled out pretty early on. I have no doubt that if I’d read this book years back, I’d have been more entertained by it than I am now. But I’ve aged out of CR novels in which there is more heavy breathing, groping, making out and sex scenes than there is meaningful dialogue and character growth.

There really wasn’t a lot of holiday cheer in this one either, despite the premise- there was more grumbling about the holiday than warmth, joy, peace or even comedy for that matter. Though one couldn’t really blame Finn for not being in the holiday spirit- he would go from dark and brooding to lusting after Bailey, to make out sessions, then back to dark and brooding. It just didn’t mix well. Then there was that ending- with an unusual twist that didn’t make sense, and a rather abrupt conclusion.

Overall, this one will fare better for the targeted audience- which I was probably moderately a part of when I first acquired this book- but have long since abandoned.

On the plus side, each chapter ended with a small bit of Christmas trivia- which was fun and interesting-and almost made it worth sitting through all that heavy breathing… almost.

2 stars ( )

It is the first time I read a book by the author. I must admit, I was quite impressed. Christie Ridgway has the ability to engage the reader and keep the storyline flowing.

I will be reading more of her books ( )

For me this book was just to depressing for a Christmas book. I want hope and joy, not Scrooge and Grinch...especially till the bitter end. I also thought the characters acted far younger than their ages.

( )

Both Bailey and Finn annoyed me a lot. They kept circling around, going through exactly the same motions with exactly the same lack or resolution, over and over again... and that was pretty much the plot.

Bailey wavered between being a stone bitch and a doormat, in not a plausible way. Similarly, Finn- uber-tough or marshmallow? Neither could make up their minds, and the wavering got to be boring.

But- CHEMISTRY! OK, the sex scenes were very well-written. Still, in the absence of compelling characters, I didn't care what went where, when.

This seemed to me to be a novella, inflated past its capacity to make it a novel-length book.

Not recommended, except that Ridgway does seem to write a pretty good sex scene- if that happened with characters I cared about, it would be brilliant. ( )

A good romance for the holidays. This is Holiday Duet book 1.

Bailey Sullivan can't stand Christmas, even though her family's business is a store specializing in the perfect holiday. But now her hometown's chief supplier of rooftop Rudolphs and treetop angels is in danger of going under--and it's up to Bailey to save the shop.

She has it all planned: She'll arrive on December 1 and be gone by Christmas. Plus there's always spiked eggnog to ease the pain. But "Humbug" Bailey's not the only one home for the holidays. Finn Jacobson, legendary local bad boy turned Secret Service agent and Bailey's long-lost high-school boyfriend, is once again the boy next door. Only this time he's all grown up, and the sparks are flying faster and hotter than ever!

Bailey believes in true love about as much as she believes in Santa Claus. But as the holiday draws closer, she's starting to think about one thing she'd like to find under the tree... ( )