Gaele Hi
How is it possible that being jilted at the altar by your “just come out of the closet” fiancé is a good thing? Kelsey is about to discover this when her life falls apart in spectacular (and public) fashion and her best friend decides that it’s time for her to make several changes in her life, starting with the two of them heading off for her honeymoon trip. With Tasha and Kelsey off on the road – the “Christmas of Yes” begins, particularly innovative for Kelsey after her mother’s scene when the wedding was cancelled, turning the spotlight onto her own grief, distress and embarrassment. So, being away from the drama of her mother and her uber-control, along with time to find herself with the support of a friend who truly has her best interests at heart , AND won’t take any half-efforts from her, they end up in Twilight, Texas, the home of Kelsey’s first love. Noah is the epitome of “first love and romance novel hero”, with his take-charge, try anything attitude, his deep determination to care for those around him, and even his attraction to Kelsey – allowing her to ‘take charge’ of their ‘rekindled relationship, all the while determined to convince her that it’s more than a ‘holiday fling’. It’s going to take plenty of convincing on his part, not to mention the fact that they were summarily separated at 17 when Kelsey’s mother interrupted a moment. And there’s the other problem. Kelsey has spent the past years with her mother, a drama-queen, controlling and seemingly always angry, soothing the waters and saying Yes when she often should say No. Filomena is a political animal, and her determination to have everything “picture perfect” for each moment, while micro-managing Kelsey’s choices, life and decisions is something that Kelsey needs to learn to step away from and set, for the first time, boundaries. With the Christmas of Yes stretching Kelsey’s inclinations to reach out to her mother to smooth the waters, the spark with Noah is too intriguing and comforting to ignore. It’s going to take a miracle to have everything work out, or perhaps Kelsey just needs to understand herself – and what it is she wants out of life: an opportunity that Tasha provided when she whisked her out of town from under her mother’s nose. A lovely and hopeful story of second chances, not just for romance and a life that is self-determined, but for the relationship between Kelsey and her mother as she learns just WHY her mother is so controlling and determined to have everything her way. It can only happen in Twilight, Texas. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
1 person found this review helpful
Sandi Ramirez
It was amazing to pop open a book and there was my neighborhood. Well, not my exact neighborhood as I am not rich but one I have driven through in Dallas and Highland Park. I knew this was a book I had to readjust to follow along with places my husband has taken me to and see if the author changed them or allowed the story to flow around the cityscape. Funny most of the book was written around a fictitious town called Twilight (I keep trying to figure out where the author based this town on) LOL that loves Christmas themed. If getting stood up at the altar wasn't bad enough for socialite Kelsey James, then going on her honeymoon with her best friend Tasha and ending up at the town with her first love will just be a piece of cake right? Yea about that Noah MacGregor wasn't just her first love but the one Kelsey judged every other person by. And he also happens to own Christmas Island where she is spending the next 2 weeks at. This book was so much fun to read and boy it was so true on how the upper-class socialite moms treated their daughters especially. Having worked retail one on one with some Highland Park Mavens. I can not wait to grab the other books in this series and read them and also see if I can decide where Twilight is based on in real-time.
