It must not be easy to give readers the feel of a full length novel in a short story such as this because very few authors actually do it. But with Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor, we were given a truly sweet story with just the right amount of holiday magic. It’s a heartwarming tale that has all the right ingredients to make this a 5 star read. There’s Holly, an adorable little girl whose loss broke my heart. We have Mark Nolan, a very sexy hero who, because he understands the importance of family and was willing - without hesitation - to give up his own life’s plans to care for niece, earned my respect. And finally, Maggie Collins, a truly enjoyable heroine who I came to admire because while she had heartbreaking emotional baggage, she didn’t let it ruin her life. And I haven’t even mentioned Mark’s brothers, Alex and Sam, who were amazing men in their own right and will no doubt have fabulous stories. Wow! All this was accomplished in just over 200 pages.
And why did that surprise me? In a way, it didn’t – this is Lisa Kleypas we’re talking about here – but this was my first contemporary read by her, so I had no idea what to expect. Silly me! There are some authors who might be fabulous writing within the confines of one genre but can’t venture any further than that or they lose their magic. And then there are some authors who, regardless of the genre, can do no wrong. Lisa Kleypas is one of those rarities, and Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is without a doubt, proof of that.
And look at this - I went on longer than I had intended, but when it comes to Ms. Kleypas' stories, that's easy to do.
I'm very excited that Rainshadow Road will be out soon, because I just don't think I could wait much longer!
5/5 Stars
I never read one of her contempories, although I love her historicals. Despite the praise for her contemporaries, the blurbs never did anything for me. This one though sounds interesting. I'm off to see if my library has it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Lynette. I put of buying this because I don't like it when publishers charge so much for a short novel. But I found for 1/2 the price somewhere... can't remember now... so I took a chance.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read her other contemporaries, but I was pleased with this story and will probably try them soon :)
I'm looking forward to hearing what you think, if you read it.
LOL. I requested it from my library. It had like 7 holds but the large print was available. I'm going to pick it up now! It's 5:00PM.
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