Review: Kiss Me in Christmas

Kiss Me in Christmas (Christmas Colorado - Book 6) by Debbie Mason

Publication Date: 02/23/2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Imprint: Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 352
ISBN-10: 1455588067
ISBN-13: 978-1455588060

(Received for an honest review from Forever)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes

Debbie Mason on the WEB: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Excerpt from Kiss me in Christmas, courtesy of

Books in the Series:

Christmas, Colorado

1. The Trouble with Christmas
2. Christmas in July
3. It Happened at Christmas
4. Wedding Bells in Christmas
5. Snowbound at Christmas
6. Kiss Me in Christmas

Coverart: Click on the photo for a larger, clearer picture of the titles in this series

Synopsis:

It's always been you
Actress Chloe O'Connor has become America's sweetheart, but back in little Christmas, Colorado, she's still remembered as a shy, awkward schoolgirl. And there's no one she dreads (and secretly wants) to see more than her high school crush, Easton McBride. Just one look from the former star quarterback and it's like she's instantly transformed from daytime drama queen to tongue-tied teenager. She's kissed Hollywood actors and famous cover models, so she can certainly play it cool while turning up the heat, right?

After an injury ended his military career, Easton McBride built a good life in the rugged countryside of his hometown. And the last thing he needs is his quiet solitude shattered by a high-maintenance temptress who isn't anything like the sweet Chloe he misses. While he enjoys the flirtation with this new bold and beautiful woman, he can't help but wonder whether a kiss could have the power to bring back the small-town girl he's grown to love.

Thoughts:

Debbie Mason brings readers the sixth book in her Christmas, Colorado series, Kiss Me in Christmas. Fans of the series will love watching Mason transform the character everybody loves to hate into the heroine in this one. With great storytelling and a lot of humor this story comes alive. Mason's ability to balance Chloe's diva like behave against Easton's rugged charisma will have the reader enchanted. A new story from a great author.

What I liked:

There is a lot to like with this one. It was my first title by this author and from this series. Going in at book six I was a bit skeptical that I would be able to dive into the series and feel comfortable. Mason has created a community of characters for this series that intertwined, whether they are family or friends. Though there are six previous books it was easy to fall into the pattern of the relationships in this small town saga. Christmas is a real gem! I loved the small town charm and the hijinks of several of the inhabitants. 

Humor abounds in this book. I was not expecting that and it really made the book for me. Chloe is a diva to be sure. She is overdramatic, hyper sensitive and gets herself in one mess after another. Her relationship with her parents and most of the town in strained to the point of breaking. Just because she is an actress, doesn't mean she gets an recognition in her own hometown. But she has a very good friend in Ty and they are just hilarious together. I wanted to read more about them even after the book ended. A great friendship, full of surprises.

The romance between Chloe and her high school crush Easton started out rough and got worse. But eventually they get past Chloe the actress and finally get back Chloe the small town girl. The romance was balanced so well against all of Chloe's issues. Apparently readers have loved to hate Chloe in past books in the series. The author does a great job turning her into a girl that readers want to root for. Easton is a little hard to love in the beginning, he has some jerk worthy moments to be sure. But in the end these two were great with each other.

What I didn't like:

I wanted to like Easton right off the bat. I need a good strong hero to make a romance read come alive for me. When I read the synopsis, I thought... Wow, former military, hometown boy... I'm going to love him. Well in the beginning I really didn't lol. He came off as a jerk and a bit shallow. He was willing to flirt with the new Chloe, maybe even take it a little further, but he had no intentions of it being something real in the beginning and that kind of irked me. But he redeems himself later on. Flaws are good in a hero, the author just has to make sure they can bring them back from the brink of the reader not liking them. Mason does it. Not all of them can.

Bottom Line:

Great series. I look forward to going back and catching up. I loved the humor in this one. It made sense to me. Chloe has a lot to overcome. She never really felt good enough. I felt sympathy for her even early on. Easton was harder for me to warm up to, but I got there. A good romance, with lots of small town charm. I'll have visit Christmas again sometime soon.

Kiss Me in Christmas is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Debbie Mason is the bestselling author of the Christmas, Colorado series. Her books have been praised for their "likable characters, clever dialogue and juicy plots" (RT Book Reviews). She also writes historical paranormals as Debbie Mazzuca. Her MacLeod series has received several nominations for best paranormal as well as a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. When she isn't writing or reading, Debbie enjoys spending time with her very own real-life hero, their four wonderful children, an adorable grandbaby, and a yappy Yorkie named Bella.