Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
This was a sweet, small-town Christmas story. Lisa is a busy retail designer who is constantly on the go. She and her partner travel frequently to stage stores for openings or special events. Her most recent project brought to mind Evergreen, Vermont, a town she lived in as a young child. Her family moved frequently, but Evergreen has always remained in her heart and mind. With her parents away for the holidays, Lisa decides to visit Evergreen and see if it lives up to her memories.
Her arrival in town brings even more memories flooding back, including the day she and her parents moved away. I ached for Lisa and the sadness of that memory. Her memory of Daisy's General Store and the comfort that Daisy gave her that day still holds a special place in her heart. Lisa is sad to see that the store has closed and that Daisy has passed away. The town's mayor inherited the store and needs to sell it before the bank repossesses it, but the store is in pretty sad shape. Excited by the idea of helping, Lisa offers to fix the place up to make it more appealing to a buyer. To do so, she will need the help of a local contractor, who turns out to be the same man she met on the way into town.
Kevin has lived in Evergreen for most of his life, but it was never the same after his mother died. His relationship with his father is strained, and Kevin is contemplating taking a job in another state.
I loved the first meeting between Kevin and Lisa. It's always fun when a guy is surprised by something a woman can do. I loved how they connected right away, and the teasing banter as they worked on the truck together. Underneath the banter, there were some sparks. Small towns being what they are, it was fun to see them run into each other several times over the next few hours, and how the sparks continued to flare. I loved seeing Lisa use her enthusiasm to overcome Kevin's qualms about working on the store. For his part, Kevin was reluctant since he couldn't see it getting done right in the short time they had, but he found himself unable to resist Lisa's entreaties. Over the next few days, as they worked on the store, they found they had a lot in common. I enjoyed seeing their friendship develop and see the attraction that simmered underneath it. Both resisted that attraction, though, as both claimed to be uninterested in a relationship. I liked how their friendship deepened into something more and wanted to shake them both as they continued to fight it. Just when things looked most promising, misunderstandings pushed them apart, until a Christmas miracle helped them see what was important.
I loved the underlying project of fixing up Daisy's store. The project itself brought Kevin and Lisa together. However, they weren't the only ones whose lives were affected by it. I loved the teamwork of the townspeople as it seemed that everyone found a way to help in some fashion. When Lisa discovered an old letter in the Santa Mailbox from Daisy's store, everyone got involved in reviving some of the older traditions of the town's Christmas celebration. The secondary characters brought added life and romance, making the story even richer.
Her arrival in town brings even more memories flooding back, including the day she and her parents moved away. I ached for Lisa and the sadness of that memory. Her memory of Daisy's General Store and the comfort that Daisy gave her that day still holds a special place in her heart. Lisa is sad to see that the store has closed and that Daisy has passed away. The town's mayor inherited the store and needs to sell it before the bank repossesses it, but the store is in pretty sad shape. Excited by the idea of helping, Lisa offers to fix the place up to make it more appealing to a buyer. To do so, she will need the help of a local contractor, who turns out to be the same man she met on the way into town.
Kevin has lived in Evergreen for most of his life, but it was never the same after his mother died. His relationship with his father is strained, and Kevin is contemplating taking a job in another state.
I loved the first meeting between Kevin and Lisa. It's always fun when a guy is surprised by something a woman can do. I loved how they connected right away, and the teasing banter as they worked on the truck together. Underneath the banter, there were some sparks. Small towns being what they are, it was fun to see them run into each other several times over the next few hours, and how the sparks continued to flare. I loved seeing Lisa use her enthusiasm to overcome Kevin's qualms about working on the store. For his part, Kevin was reluctant since he couldn't see it getting done right in the short time they had, but he found himself unable to resist Lisa's entreaties. Over the next few days, as they worked on the store, they found they had a lot in common. I enjoyed seeing their friendship develop and see the attraction that simmered underneath it. Both resisted that attraction, though, as both claimed to be uninterested in a relationship. I liked how their friendship deepened into something more and wanted to shake them both as they continued to fight it. Just when things looked most promising, misunderstandings pushed them apart, until a Christmas miracle helped them see what was important.
I loved the underlying project of fixing up Daisy's store. The project itself brought Kevin and Lisa together. However, they weren't the only ones whose lives were affected by it. I loved the teamwork of the townspeople as it seemed that everyone found a way to help in some fashion. When Lisa discovered an old letter in the Santa Mailbox from Daisy's store, everyone got involved in reviving some of the older traditions of the town's Christmas celebration. The secondary characters brought added life and romance, making the story even richer.
