A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry

A Christmas Escape
by Anne Perry
Ballantine Books, 2015. Fiction. 157 p.
James Latterly is mourning the death of his wife and decides to spend Christmas in a remote area of Sicily.  There he connects with the proprietor and one of the visitors, a young 14-year-old orphan girl who is under the care of an elderly uncle.  The other visitors are not so pleasant and it is soon apparent that there are serious personal issues underneath the vainer of civility. All these concerns, however, are dwarfed by the increasingly ominous rumblings coming from a nearby volcano.  When one of the residents is found dead, Latterly realizes that it the volcano may or may not be the most dangerous thing on the island.

Here is a thrilling Christmas read that is short enough to finish in a few days.  Anne Perry is a master of historical mysteries.  This one has an unconventional plot, but still has Perry's characteristically endearing characters and lots of suspense.  I was also charmed by the sweet father/daughter like relationship that develops between James and Candice. As of this posting this one is on the shelf at Highland.  Drop by and pick it up or one of Perry's other Christmas mysteries. (157, 2015)

The Noel Stranger

The Noel Stranger
(Noel Collection #2)
by Richard Paul Evans
Simon and Schuster, 2018, Fiction, 330 p.
Maggie grew up in an abusive home, but married a handsome and influential man, and also runs a successful catering business. Her "happily ever after" comes crashing down when her husband is arrested for bigamy.  Publicly humiliated, Maggie withdraws from the world until her best friend and employee urges her to get out and start living again.  She decides to start by buying a Christmas tree, and when she gets to the tree lot she meets its rugged and handsome owner, Andrew Hill.  They both fall into a whirlwind romance and Andrew seems to be the perfect man for Maggie, but then something happens to make Maggie doubt that Andrew is being completely honest with her. 

This is a decadent confection of a book, just right to curl up with on a cold winter evening for those of us who can't get enough of Hallmark Christmas Specials during December.  Although Maggie and Andrew's romance is anything but subdued, Evans keeps it pretty clean, which is an added plus.  This is the second in a "collection" but it is a stand alone story with different characters than the first in the collection and the books can be read in any order. If someone beats you to the print copy of the book at the Library, it is also available through Overdrive as an ebook or e-audiobook. 

Winterhouse

Winterhouse

by Ben Guterson

Henry Holt & Co, 2018, Intermediate Fiction, 370 p.

Elizabeth Sommers is an orphan who lives with an uncaring and lazy aunt and uncle, so she is totally surprised when they tell her she will be going to a posh resort called Winterhouse for Christmas while they go on a separate vacation.  At Winterhouse she soon finds a friend, Freddy, who shares her love for puzzles and word games.  She also finds a book in the resort's vast library that is more than it seems.  Soon she and Freddy are caught up in a dangerous mystery that promises to shine a light on the past, but that puts everyone and everything at Winterhouse in peril.

Here is a great middle grade thriller to read at on a chilly winter's evening.  Elizabeth and Freddy are charming word nerds and young readers will enjoy the word games the two are forever playing.  Winterhouse is a magical place and the plot twists and suspense will keep readers turning pages. 

The Mistletoe Promise

 

The Mistletoe Promise
By Richard Paul Evans
Simon and Schuster, 2014. Fiction, 251 p.
Elise has been just going through the motions since her divorce five years earlier.  Every day she eats the same thing from the same restaurant all alone in the food court in her building. Then one day in November a handsome lawyer approaches her with a surprising proposition.  He wants to make an agreement with her to spend the holiday season together.  He writes up a contract that they will attend each other's office parties, go out to dinner, and basically keep each other from feeling lonely until Christmas day.  Elise is reluctant, but also very lonely, so she finally agrees.  That begins the most wonderful holiday season she can ever remember.  As she spends times with her mysterious benefactor, she finds that this "pretend" romance might not be pretend at all.  Yet she knows that if he knew about her dark past, he would have never want to see her again.

If you are in the mood for a super clean holiday romance, this is the book for you.  The love interest is pretty much perfect; tall, handsome, rich and kind. Elise is wounded by tragedy and abuse, but is healed by his persistent emotional affirmation. The whole book is one long, delicious, Cinderella story, like Godiva chocolate in print. If you are traveling this holiday, you can check it out on OverDrive or as a book on CD.