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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

All He Wants for Christmas - Review


All He Wants for Christmas by Lisa Plumley

Rating:  3 Stars
Source:  NetGalley

Description:  Toy Company CEO Jason Hamilton has appeared in some very un-family friendly photos.  To revamp his image the board sends him to Kismet, Michigan to the highest performing store and home to manager, Danielle Sharpe.  Danielle's goal is to get into the corporate and get herself and her children out of Kismet.  She's hoping Jason's visit may just be the way to do it.

Genre: Romance

Why I Picked This Book: It sounded like a cute premise and the cover looked adorably winter-y.

My Impression:
Pro: There's a lot to like about this.  The premise is unique.  I can't think I've read a book around a toy store and the challenges to keep it not only going but successful. The amount of scandal worked.  It was enough where you could see some outrage but not so much that there was no way to recover.  The banter was cute and light and as characters these two really worked well together.  I loved how Jason was not only fine with Danielle's kids but good with them. As well, the setting of Kismet, Michigan is nicely done.  It's definitely steeped in Christmas but not so much it's silly.  I can easily picture it as a tourist-y destination for the holidays.

Cons: Here's the hard part.  Have you ever had a book just not work for you but you can't put your finger on exactly why?  That was this book for me.  Obviously, there's a lot of good points but this isn't a book I would say I enjoyed.  After much thinking it over I think my problems were the characters were just a bit too over the top.  While I liked Danielle and Jason the way they acted reminded me far more of teenagers than a company CEO and top performing store manager.  Their internal dialog just seemed a bit immature.  Danielle's kids were a little to adorable.  Her ex was a little too much of a jerk and the new wife was a little too much of a bimbo.

Overall:  While I think this would be a fun holiday read for many people it didn't quite work for me.  The setting and the premise were great but the characters seemed a little too stereotypical or over the top.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:   There's a lot of potential here so I'd like to read one of the earlier books in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Not sure.  If someone is looking for a light holiday romance this would certainly fit that but it's not my favorite of the Christmas books I've read this year.

18 comments:

  1. I had high hopes for this one based on such a great cover! There are so many holiday stories out there to choose from, I may give this one a pass. I'm not a fan of over the top characters.

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    1. Isn't the cover adorable! I really wanted to love it but it did fall a little short for me.

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  2. Cute cover! Too bad the story was 5 star to go along with it. I appreciate your honesty.

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    1. Thanks! I think this was mostly a case of it just didn't work for me versus anything wrong with the actual book.

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  3. This was totally a Hallmark read..that cheesy, gooey love makes the world go round, with a little bit of tension. Yeah not a favorite but a quick fun read.

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    1. It was cute and sweet but yeah not my favorite either

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  4. Sorry this one didn't work out for you. I've had a few books lately where I can't decide why I don't like it except to say that I just don't. *shrugs shoulders*
    Hopefully your next read will be better.
    Sharon @ Sharon's Book Nook!

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    1. Thanks! I had one that was much better and one not so much. They can't all be winners!

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  5. Oh gosh. Yes I read one like that earlier this year that there was just *something* about it but I couldn't quite place it. It drove me nuts. Then another reviewer I read said the same thing. lol Never did figure out what it was. This one did look cute. Sorryto hear it was a bit of a miss.

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    1. Yeah this one had potential but just didn't quite work for me.

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  6. Love the toy store setting but I'm not a fan of cliched characters and that's what these sound like. Oh well, you can't like them all!

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    1. I loved the setting but the characters were a little clichéd,

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  7. I am sorry this one wasn't better for you. It sounds like it had some things going for it though. I read a few Christmas romances this season too--not something I usually do.

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    1. I've been enjoying the holiday romances but this didn't quite click.

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  8. Sounds cute, but yeah, the main characters should have acted more mature, considering their careers.

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    1. It was frustrating that they didn't quite seen to act like adults but the premise was really cute.

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  9. Yes, it sounds a bit like a Lifetime movie, or perhaps a YA novel. I don't like books in which the teens act over the top, so adults doing so would be a big turn-off.

    Thanks for sharing...and sorry it didn't work for you.

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    1. The adults acted a bit like teenagers which got a little grating. It's too bad because the premise is really fun.

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