Debbie: Given the climate in the world today, I thought it would be fun, this holiday season, to read a holiday “rom-com” (or two) to see if they live up to the Hallmark Channel’s movie making, 24 hour a day, super holiday, sometimes cringy, merry-making, similar plotline, romance heavy level of excellence.
Gini might have looked at me doubtfully but agreed to give it a try with The Road to Christmas by Sheila Roberts and Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh. The big question is, “Do these live up to the Hallmark Channel hype?”
Yes. Yes, they do. Are they great literature? No, no they’re not, but they are fun and light-hearted and Christmas filled. Did I enjoy myself while reading them? That’s a big yes from me.
I loved Holiday Romance. Witty repartee? Yes. Too much? Maybe. But it’s a holiday book about someone wanting to do something kind for another person and if they happen to fall in love along the way and all their problems are solved by the end of the book?
That’s okay, because it’s a rom-com; it’s supposed to happen that way. Plus, it’s Christmas. This is an adorable, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity romance.
I loved the characters - one a Christmas lover and one who is not. Ahhh, the perfect romance dilemma during the holidays. Summed up this is a heartwarming, hilarious, cozy novel and a perfect Christmas read.
Hallmark strives to do two things:
1. Put you in the mood for Christmas
2. Make you believe that romance is always just around the corner.
The Road to Christmas, while my least favorite of the two, certainly fit the Hallmark bill. It certainly did put me in the mood for some Holiday Cheer and it is an especially fun, light read with Winnemucca making an appearance. It is worth the read just for that special little feeling you get seeing your name in lights.
This one had lots of characters, and changing points of view, so keep that in mind if too many characters confuse you in a book. Plus, there are many different settings. It’s a road trip story… the road to Christmas. It’s ultimately a story of family, second chances, and forgiveness centered around Christmas time. A happy read I am certain you will love, too.
Gini: Well, Debbie gave me a tough assignment this month, but I willingly accepted the challenge: two, yes two, romance books, a genre that I avoid. It is not that I dislike romance, but rather that the smarmy love stories often encapsulated in this arena are so sweet that a trip to the dentist feels necessary after each chapter.
Too much sugar!! However, both offer lovely, heartwarming, positive stories. Heartwarming, that is, after the unspooling of the turmoil of life of each emotionally distraught character sets up the “happily ever after” ending.
My first mistake fell when I downloaded The Road… as an audible. I prefer to read – listening, even when traveling can be tough – and in this case, characters flew out left and right. All members of the same family driving from diverse directions through rain, mud, and snow (two sisters even venture through Winnemucca then spend the night with friendly ranchers who surprise!! have two eligible sons), slog to the youngest daughter’s home to celebrate Christmas.
Each left their own homes in emotional tangles, but along the route they unite or reunite with love. Good movie potential? Possible as the characters are likeable, face true-to-life predicaments, and a joyous resolution evolves.
Love Story #2, Holiday Romance, finds Molly and Andrew heading for Ireland when a snowstorm (a seemingly required background at this time of year) grounds them. Having flown side-by-side for 10 years to their Dublin destination as friends, being “stuck” provides an ideal platform for romance. A movie? Again, possibly as each character pops back and forth with holiday memories and a desire to return for “mam’s famous dinner” or, in the end, just to get there. Trains, Planes, and Automobiles with John Candy has nothing on the funny and wily tricks played to arrive in Europe on schedule except that even Candy knew when to stop.
To be fair, these rom-coms work as occasionally my brain needs to depart from nonfiction and autobiography/biography. Serious topics attract me, but I suppose fun does, too. Thanks, Debbie!