Review: Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler

Cover and Synopsis:

Kristianna Harrington always dreamed of a Christmas wedding. But after two broken engagements, she's content to forget romance and run her Christmas shop in Jingle Bells, Arkansas. She thinks her biggest fear is making it down the aisle as maid of honor in her best friend's Christmas wedding, with at least one ex-fiancé looking on. But when her beloved Jingle Bells is threatened, Kristianna struggles to sort through her jumbled feelings concerning the handsome lawyer hired to change the town name and her childhood sweetheart who has returned just in time to come to her aid. Will her heart discover the truth before both her town and her Christmas spirit is extinguished?

My Thoughts:
Initially I thought this would be just your average "save-the-town" type of book, so I put off reading it for quite a while. BUT, when I finally did get around to reading it, I discovered that my presumptions couldn't have been more wrong. Forever Christmas is so much more than I expected, and "average" can't even begin to describe this lovely story.

As someone who loves all things Christmas, it didn't take long for me to start rooting for the town of Jingle Bells. I mean, come on, re-naming it to Summer Valley? You can't get any less Christmasy than that! As the various year-round Christmas themed stores and street decorations in the town are mentioned, I couldn't help but wish I could visit the charming little town in all its glory!

The characters simply jump off the pages; Kristianna and her friends are just so realistic and full of life. I felt really connected to Kristianna; it was very easy to sympathize with her past romantic failures and her stressful relationship with her parents. Her friends and the various townspeople are fun and quirky, just the way an endearing small town should be. As for Kristianna's romantic interests, she has two of them, and I will admit that for a while I was quite puzzled as to who she would end up with! I was extremely happy with how it turned out, though. ;)

I've read some of Christine Lynxwiler's books in the past, but I had forgotten how very much I enjoy her characters and writing. I'm so glad I picked this one up; I actually think it's my favorite Christmas book that I read this year. This one is not to be missed, and if you're only going to read one Christmas book during the holiday season, THIS is the one you want to read! Highly, highly recommended!

My Rating: 5 stars