Day 3 of 25 Days of Christmas Reviews: Blame It On The Mistletoe by Nicole Michaels

Blame It on the Mistletoe by Nicole Michaels

Published: October 14, 2014

Format: via NetGalley

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith for Christmas to work its own magic in BLAME IT ON THE MISTLETOE

’Tis the season for small-town Missouri boutique owner Brooke Abbott to get crafty. Much as she adores making art for art’s sake—decorating windows, designing ornaments, crafting the perfect present for under the tree—this Christmas she needs the gift of good customers. Lots of them. Sweet Opal Studios will go under if she can’t do some serious business before the New Year…and she has no time to lose. What Brooke needs is an honest-to-goodness miracle. Instead, she finds a burglar lurking in the back room of her shop. And here she thought the holidays couldn’t get any worse! Or maybe things just got a lot better. Turns out the burglar is none other than Alex Coleman—local bad boy slash legendary heartthrob, childhood best friend to Brooke’s older brother, and…future landlord? That is the question. He’s come home for the holidays to see his grandmother, make peace with his distant mother, and settle his grandfather’s estate, an estate that includes the building that houses Sweet Opal. What he never expected was to bump into a grown-up Brooke, whose spirit, charm, and irresistible good looks give him pause. Should he go back to Oregon as planned, or give small-town life a chance? The only thing Alex knows for sure is that before he walks out that door, he’s going to get Brooke beneath the mistletoe, where anything can happen.

My Thoughts

Brooke is struggling to keep her shop afloat and determined to make her dreams come true of having her own shop. One day she finds a stranger in her store who turns out to be her brother’s childhood best friend Alex. Alex was her childhood crush and despite the years of not seeing him, he still can make her heart skip a beat.

Alex has come to town to try to make amends with his mother who wasn’t always there for him growing up. He has also come home to see his grandmother and deal with the aftermath of his grandfather’s death. He learns that his grandfather has left him a building on Main Street which just happens to be the location of Brooke’s shop. While the shop is run downed it has a prime location and is wanted by a company for a major project. Alex doesn’t know what to do since he never was close with his grandfather and the building doesn't hold any emotional attachment to it, but now that he and Brooke have gotten close and a blooming romance is happening he doesn’t want to come between Brooke and her dreams.

I love how this story is all about second chances not only in love but also in life. Each one is dealing issues in their lives which surprisingly each one has helped each other deal with. I also liked how we see them deal with the issues and grow in the process. While Brooke thinks Alex has saved her future it’s really vice versa in my eyes. Brooke has helped him come to terms with his family and has also made Alex want to stay home and build a real life for once.

While Christmas isn’t the main focus of this story it is indeed the perfect backdrop for it. Once again the magic of Christmas shines a light on the miracle of the season, showing us that no matter how down things seem anything wonderful can happen this time of year.