As I said, the story was short, but it didn’t felt rushed because the main characters knew each other, or more accurately, they knew about each other. When they happen to be in the same party in Marietta, they recognize each other and a quick kiss under the mistletoe turns into something else rather quickly. Now, bear with me while I explain this family relationship: Liz’s ex and Blake’s ex are brother and sister; this makes both their children Petra and Ethan, cousins (and later, stepsiblings.)
Liz lives in California and she came to drop her daughter Petra in Marietta so she could go with her dad to his destination wedding. Somehow Liz gets cornered into taking care of her ex-mother-in-law’s dog. Liz is a bit shy and afraid after a bitter divorce, but she is resourceful, caring, and a great mother.
“He really was the cutest dog ever created, but he acted exactly like the rest of the Flowers; fussy, whiny, expecting to be serves and he never, ever picked up after himself.”
Blake is a rancher that is in financial trouble after another bitter divorce, the Flowers siblings are awful. He loves his son Ethan and tries to be the best father he can since he grew up with loving foster parents. Liz and Blake make a cute couple and the chemistry between them cannot be denied. I love that they supported each other and their decisions.
“Take me. Keep me. Make me yours. Be mine.”
The kids, Petra and Ethan are well adjusted teenagers and they take the new relationship between their parents in stride. I like it that they helped each other when Ethan needed it the most.
The writing is very good, straightforward, easy to read and insightful. The story, besides being romantic, is funny as well. It is nice that despite the length of the book, the story dealt with serious topics too and did it masterfully. I loved the happy ending a lot too.
“Welcome home, Liz,” he said, kissing her tenderly.
She hugged him tightly, eyes stinging, heart soaring. “Best Christmas ever.”
If you’re looking for a short story to put you in the mood for Christmas, look no further than Blame the Mistletoe.This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC