I love a Hallmark Christmas movie. If you read my column regularly, that probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise. I started forcing Countdown to Christmas upon my family at the beginning of November this year, and they are already growing weary of saccharine sweet stories about bakeries and Christmas tree farms in idyllic Christmas towns, where festivity-hating corporate types find love with a hunky guy in a flannel shirt. I, on the other hand, will never get tired of these stories. A love that naturally trickles into my book stack.
Throughout the year, I start gathering up a stash of new holiday-themed romance novels. Then, for December and sometimes part of November and/or even January, I read nothing but cute, sometimes a little spicy, Christmas goodness. ‘Tis the season to read all about romantic ice-skating dates and hot cocoa and cookies and first kisses in the snow and all of the other seasonal tropes I love. Gentle readers, prepare yourself. I am taking this column with me down the green and red glitter Christmas romance rabbit hole. You can thank me or curse me, but either way, hold on to your Santa hats.
My first offering is one of my favorites. It is so cute and fun that you might just devour it in one fell swoop like I did. Two years in a row. “The Holiday Swap,” by Maggie Knox, is adorable and cozy. Everything we are looking for in a December read. When television chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the set of her reality baking show, she loses her ability to taste and smell, making her job as the judge of a holiday baking show impossible. Meanwhile, back in their quaint mountain hometown, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who can’t take a hint. With only days until Christmas, the two trade lives, which proves more complicated than they imagined. Especially when a rugged firefighter and a gorgeous physician’s assistant enter the equation. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?
If you love “The Parent Trap,” are a fan of “The Great British Bake-Off” or “Holiday Baking Championship,” or wish you lived in an adorable Christmas town a la Hallmark, then “The Holiday Swap” is for you. It is an adorable quick read to get you in the holiday spirit. Stand by for a month of sweet, festive reading, both here and over on my Instagram @allison.the.reader.
Comment
Comments