Hello everyone!
Of course books won't be escaping the Christmas touch, either.
There's always a bunch of them that are offered for free at Kobo, which I'm honestly stoked about, and then there are also others that you can buy that won't empty your pockets and bankrupt you completely.
Tonight's choice was one of the latter.
Obviously, if you know me, you'll know there's no way in any universe that I won't be reviewing a Serenity Woods book when it comes to Christmas. There are far, FAR too many good ones to go around!
In about two weeks her newest one hits publishers, but until then we'll be taking a look at one of her earlier ones filled with Christmas spirit.
Because there are BOUND to be people who can relate to the storyline in Holly's First Noel. There's no way it's an anomaly.
Again, there aren't really any links to link back to since this is the beginning of the blogs this Christmas, but you'll still find some down at the bottom to lead you to previous years, as well as the other book from the collection of Christmas stories Ms Woods has written so far.
After that, it's time for Holly's First Noel.
Holly is a music teacher who gets dumped right before the holidays by her firefighter boyfriend. He doesn't really strike me as a BAD person, just WRONG for her, though to be honest she occasionally ran even me up the wall as I read because she has this tendency to jump from topic to topic and expects people to just follow along, though the topics aren't always connected.
It's not a bad trait, just occasionally maddening haha!
Anyway, there she is, heartbroken right before Christmas, and since her ex called her during one of her classes, she has the added pressure of trying to pull herself together for the kids she's teaching.
Thankfully another teacher jumps to her rescue: Noel.
He comforts her and takes her to grab a cup of something warm, just offering her some kindness, before also giving her a bit of a lifeline: if she wants, she can come with him to Scotland, because he plans on heading there for Christmas and getting so drunk he won't know his own name anymore.
See, Noel lost his wife on Christmas Eve a few years back, and life hasn't been the same since.
But he's a genuinely good man, and Holly agrees to his plan, taking a couple of instruments with her so that the two of them will have something to listen to if the radio doesn't fit their fancy.
It should be noted that Holly does find Noel attractive even before they leave, and vice versa, but this getaway is supposed to be healing for the both of them, not necessarily filled with lust or whatever else comes their way.
Scotland, and the area around Loch Ness where they're staying at a country house Noel is house sitting for a friend, is gorgeous with the added magic of snow, and the two teachers enjoy some down time, watching movies, drinking, Holly making some music, etc.
Undeniably, however, there's chemistry between them, and both of them have their birthdays around this time as well (hence their names, obviously!).
Holly opens up about her ex, and Noel opens up about his late wife, probably talking about her for the first time since she actually passed, and Holly's a good listener, just gently encouraging him and letting him get it out.
Noel also has a heart of gold and can't stay away from the pretty music teacher, which is why he eventually kisses her.
One thing leads to another, and both of them ARE adults and understand the situation, so they know that going to bed doesn't have to mean anything - except for the pair of them it does, because there's way more than just lust involved. Or at least, there seems to be, so why not pursue it and see where it leads them?
Of course there wouldn't be a story without a minor snag when Holly's ex calls her to beg for her to take him back, though Holly's wiser at this point and obviously doesn't.
She has someone else in her life now.
And because it snowed quite a bit in Scotland, they're kind of snowed-in at the moment, so what WILL they do with themselves until a plow comes to rescue them?
I think we all know 😉 Plus, Scotland!
This is a short story, filled with second chances, hope, attraction, and some sizzling times that'll leave the pages of your book slightly steaming. It also shows that grief isn't forever, no matter how you might feel when it's fresh and raw, and that time heals all wounds.
Do I think Holly and Noel made it? I absolutely do. And I also think that, despite their bad experiences at Christmas, their new-found love helped them see the holiday in a much better light again.
If you have an hour or two to spare and need to just kill time, or you're looking for an inspirational, hopeful story, look no further than Holly's First Noel.
You won't regret it.
xx
*image not mine
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