SERIES: A Christmas Wedding #2 (12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas)
GENRE: Clean Contemporary Romance/Christmas
PUBLISHER: IndieWrites
RELEASE DATE: October 9, 2018
PAGES: 166
Christmas Town’s city attorney Lincoln Vasser suspects the multi-million-dollar lawsuit threatening the town is a fraud, but he needs help proving it. Private Investigator Jax Marshall comes highly recommended, but when Lincoln hires her he can’t quite figure out why. Her laid-back attitude, questionable work ethic, and apparent unconcern for the urgency of the case rub him the wrong way. It doesn’t make sense for him to be attracted to her.
Jax Marshall knows that taking a case for the arrogant Lincoln Vasser is a mistake. But when he makes her an offer much more tempting than money, she agrees. She soon wishes she hadn’t. The guy is demanding and uptight, and, worst of all, he keeps trying to tell her how to do her job! He’s almost completely unlikable. Almost.
One thing they can agree on is that happy ever afters are strictly for fairytales and Christmas Town myths. Finding a way to work together is difficult enough, admitting that they’re falling in love is going to take an extra little nudge from that very Christmas Town magic they don’t believe in.
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I always love Carol Ross’ books and, when you add in a setting called Christmas Town, I’m there! This story has all the charm of the season, a quaint small town, an intriguing stocking, and a hero/heroine who can’t agree on much except that ‘happily-ever-after’ is the stuff of fairy tales.
Jax Marshall is a dichotomy in and of herself – straight-forward but laid back, independent but fiercely loyal, eclectic but traditional at the same time. And she’s just plain fun to be around on the page. Lincoln Vasser is also a bit of a dichotomy at times. He’s trying to do everything on his own and when he does have to acquiesce to accept Jax’s help he wants it done his way. Which, as you might imagine, doesn’t go over well with laidback, has-her-own-way-of-doing-things, Jax. The sparks fly between them, and not just the romantical kind! Ross does an exceptional job of defining these characters, gradually revealing their layers, and keeping their interactions believable and entertaining… all within a relatively small page count.
Christmas Town is really a supporting character in this story, along with the mix of quirky and compelling characters it generates. There are hints of the carousel subplot in Defending Christmas, enough to raise my interest in tracking down the six Christmas Carousel stories that are also part of the 12 Days of Heartwarming Christmas universe.
Bottom Line: Defending Christmas is a delightful tale of romance, family, and holiday magic – a story I could easily see as part of Hallmark’s Christmas line up next year. It’s lighthearted and fun while also nicely balancing a deeper, more poignant plot thread as well. As always, Ross creates charming, multidimensional characters and a story that goes right to the heart. A great choice for your Christmas reading list!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Prism Book Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 4 stars / Love it!
KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion
USA Today bestselling author Carol Ross grew up in small town America right between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains, in a place where you can go deep sea fishing in the morning and then hit the ski slopes the same afternoon. The daughter of what is now known as free range parents, she developed a love of the outdoors at a very early age. As a writer, Carol loves to breathe the life she has lived into the characters she creates, grateful for the “research material” that every questionable decision, adrenaline-charged misstep, and near-death experience has provided.
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What about you? What interests you most about this book?
“Defending Christmas” by Carol Ross sounds like a book I would really enjoy reading. Thanks for the review and letting me know about another great book.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing Carrie.
The Christmas theme interests me, plus the story plot. Thank you for the opportunity to enter a giveaway! Would love to win a print copy! Merry Christmas!