The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by Marie Landry

[kimbacaffeinate]

Marie Landry delivered the perfect little holiday novella with The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It has a small-town coffee shop, memories of Christmas with Grandma, snowballs, hot cocoa and a yummy man from our heroine’s past. Mini review: romantic, sweet and filled with holiday spirit.

We meet Ginny sometime right before Christmas, on the first snow of the season. She owns a coffee shop in the middle of her small-town and still lives in the home she was raised in. Missing her Grama. She is determined to embrace the holiday spirit, but everything that could go wrong does. That is until Dean Riley, the man who as a young boy stole her heart shows up in town. It is filled with sweet moments, and memories of Christmas and childhood pasts. This tale quickly tugged at my heart and I consumed it in a single sitting. Bring on the mistletoe, I am feeling festive!

While, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, is a novella, Landry did a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters, especially Ginny. I related to her on so many levels. I was very close to my own grandmother and holidays were extra special thanks to the magic she wove. Plus, Ginny, owns a coffee shop and when you hear her plans for the future you will quickly want to be her BFF too. While Dean wasn’t as fleshed out, he was incredibly sweet, romantic and just the kind of guy you would want under your tree. Other characters such as Ginny’s parents and friends and the cutest little boys or rascals you would ever want to meet help flesh out the tale and add substance to this novella.

Novellas can be hit or miss with me, but Landry did an excellent job with the pacing of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. The couple shared a past, helping make the “insta-love” feel genuine and I like how the author paced the tale. There were several threads woven into the tale, and you got a sense of the small-town and shop. I easily connected with the characters and bought into all the gooey-goodness Landry shared. Those looking for a clean, feel good, holiday romance will find The Most Wonderful Time of the Year offers the perfect afternoon delight.

Fans of holiday themed, small-town romances, will enjoy The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. This was my first read by Landry, and I will certainly be reading her again.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer