AUTHOR: Debbie Macomber
NARRATOR: Em Eldridge
PUBLISHER: Random House Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: October 3, 2017
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 4 hrs and 20 mins
GENRE: Contemporary Romance, Holiday/Christmas
Christmas is the season of the heart, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber is here to warm yours with a delightful holiday novel of first impressions and second chances.
Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She's taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry's well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her--minus her photo--and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.
Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects--or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.
MY REVIEW:
I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.
I read my first Macomber holiday romance last year, and now I’m hooked! I read another of her holiday romances earlier this year for Christmas in July, and Macomber is on my “must read” holiday list.
Merry is a 24-year-old young woman, who leads a very busy life. She is working her way through college, and she takes a year off her studies to work as a temp so that she can earn money to pay for her education. Her mom, Robin, has Multiple Sclerosis and her dad is in pharmaceutical sales which means that he is often travelling. As a result, Merry must share the day-to-day responsibilities of cooking the family dinner with her brother, an 18-year-old with Down’s syndrome, and running the errands. Simply put, Merry has no time for a social life! Her best friend met the love of her life online and sings the dating website’s praises, which piqued Merry’s interest but she was put-off by the lengthy and detailed questionnaire at the sign-up.
Robin is concerned that her daughter works too hard at her job and taking care of the family, so she decides to surprise Merry by giving her an early birthday present. She enlists the help of Merry’s brother, Patrick, in completing the dating website’s online questionnaire and pays for a six-month subscription. For her profile pic, they upload a picture of their golden retriever! Merry isn’t too keen at first with what her family has done, feeling like the men on the site will think that her profile is a joke. However, Robin explains that they want someone to get to know Merry first and not just judge her based on appearances. In other words, to see her inner beauty first before her outer beauty.
Merry does meet someone online and, unbeknownst to her because he used a dog for his profile pic as well, it is her boss! Jason Bright, the Vice President of the company, is under a lot of pressure with the company’s current project. He is a no-nonsense type of boss, and he admonishes Merry for eating her lunch at her desk. Instead of taking notice that she is working through her lunch to get the work done, he chastises her and refers her to the Employee Handbook which advises that eating at one’s desk is not permitted.
Meanwhile, things are going so well between Merry and Jason online that they decide to set up a meeting and tell each other what they will be wearing so that they can identify each other. When Merry shows up and sees that her online boyfriend is her boss, she hightails it before he sees her. She calls the whole thing off, but he won’t let her end their budding relationship. He wants to know why she got cold feet, and she tells him that she was indeed there but that she already knows him in real life and thinks that it is best that they not get involved. Of course, it doesn't end there!
This was a sweet holiday romance that put a smile on my face! Merry is such a lovely young woman, and I love how her family takes care of each other. Jason didn’t have the same type of loving upbringing as Merry, and I think one of the things that he finds so attractive about her is how close she is to her family. The story is told from both Merry’s and Jason’s points of view, which I feel adds dimension to the characters.
Narrator Em Eldridge brought this fun story to life, and she handled the parts from Jason’s points of view with ease. Here is a sample of the narration:
Since I love Macomber’s holiday romances so much, I want to try out her Cedar Cove or Blossom Street series.
I read my first Macomber holiday romance last year, and now I’m hooked! I read another of her holiday romances earlier this year for Christmas in July, and Macomber is on my “must read” holiday list.
Merry is a 24-year-old young woman, who leads a very busy life. She is working her way through college, and she takes a year off her studies to work as a temp so that she can earn money to pay for her education. Her mom, Robin, has Multiple Sclerosis and her dad is in pharmaceutical sales which means that he is often travelling. As a result, Merry must share the day-to-day responsibilities of cooking the family dinner with her brother, an 18-year-old with Down’s syndrome, and running the errands. Simply put, Merry has no time for a social life! Her best friend met the love of her life online and sings the dating website’s praises, which piqued Merry’s interest but she was put-off by the lengthy and detailed questionnaire at the sign-up.
Robin is concerned that her daughter works too hard at her job and taking care of the family, so she decides to surprise Merry by giving her an early birthday present. She enlists the help of Merry’s brother, Patrick, in completing the dating website’s online questionnaire and pays for a six-month subscription. For her profile pic, they upload a picture of their golden retriever! Merry isn’t too keen at first with what her family has done, feeling like the men on the site will think that her profile is a joke. However, Robin explains that they want someone to get to know Merry first and not just judge her based on appearances. In other words, to see her inner beauty first before her outer beauty.
Merry does meet someone online and, unbeknownst to her because he used a dog for his profile pic as well, it is her boss! Jason Bright, the Vice President of the company, is under a lot of pressure with the company’s current project. He is a no-nonsense type of boss, and he admonishes Merry for eating her lunch at her desk. Instead of taking notice that she is working through her lunch to get the work done, he chastises her and refers her to the Employee Handbook which advises that eating at one’s desk is not permitted.
Meanwhile, things are going so well between Merry and Jason online that they decide to set up a meeting and tell each other what they will be wearing so that they can identify each other. When Merry shows up and sees that her online boyfriend is her boss, she hightails it before he sees her. She calls the whole thing off, but he won’t let her end their budding relationship. He wants to know why she got cold feet, and she tells him that she was indeed there but that she already knows him in real life and thinks that it is best that they not get involved. Of course, it doesn't end there!
This was a sweet holiday romance that put a smile on my face! Merry is such a lovely young woman, and I love how her family takes care of each other. Jason didn’t have the same type of loving upbringing as Merry, and I think one of the things that he finds so attractive about her is how close she is to her family. The story is told from both Merry’s and Jason’s points of view, which I feel adds dimension to the characters.
Narrator Em Eldridge brought this fun story to life, and she handled the parts from Jason’s points of view with ease. Here is a sample of the narration:
Since I love Macomber’s holiday romances so much, I want to try out her Cedar Cove or Blossom Street series.
MY RATING:
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