When Christmas is around, anything is possible

Synopsis

Thea Ashcombe, a fiercely independent single mum, is about to face her toughest challenge yet: Christmas on a shoestring. As the festive season looms, Thea’s feeling a little like their old family Christmas tree – tired and lacking in sparkle!

Nick Saint, the quiet and devoted farm shop manager in the idyllic village of Lower Brambleton, has secretly liked Thea for years. Trapped in the friend zone since high school, he’s given up hope of Thea seeing him as anything more than reliable ‘Saint’ Nick…

But when Thea steps into Nick’s world to help at the bustling farm shop, something unexpected happens. Suddenly, her sensible head is spinning with a schoolgirl crush she never saw coming! Is it just the enchanting glow of Christmas, the twinkling lights playing tricks on her mind?

As they work side-by-side preparing for the magical Christmas market, and as Nick’s thoughtful gestures – like a perfectly fresh Christmas tree appearing at her door – begin to melt her defences, Thea starts to wonder – maybe all she really needs for Christmas… is Nick!

My review

Thea Ashcombe is a single mother of two, doing her best to make everything work. But life isn’t easy and more than often, at the month’s end, it is a real struggle. But even if her Christmas tree has had its best time, Thea is fiercely about giving her two children all what is possible. Even if that means taking a second job at the farm shop manager for some extra money. And even if that means working for Nick Saint, a friend that she has known for years. Nick, who has had a secret crush on Thea for years, but has always been put in the friendzone. But while working in the farm shop together, and making preparations for the magical Christmas market, something starts to shift in their relationship… However, is Thea ready to let her guard down again, especially as she has been burned by love before?

With a title like this, and with Christmas looming around the corner, I thought that perhaps this book would be actually with some magic spells and magic events. So yes, I was a bit reluctant, because while I love reading about everything that can happen around Christmas, I am not a real believer of magic in any aspect.

But luckily for me, it wasn’t at all about the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo kind of magic, but just the magic of love and Christmas. A big ‘pfew!’ from my side! 😊

I am not a parent myself, and so I cannot complete comprehend the difficulties and struggles of raising children, let alone when you are a single parent. Of course as a loving mother, Thea does all that she can, and she has not only great kids (that, yes, can be exhausting at moments) but she also can rely on her family for support and help.

For her resilience, and fierceness, I truly liked Thea, but I loved her for her realness. She isn’t the perfect mother, the perfect daughter or perfect sister. She has struggles and has made mistakes. But she won’t let those struggles or mistakes bring her down. On the contrary, she thinks about ways how to make a change for the better, for the sake of her children.

While I admired that for her, I also felt sad a little bit. Because her burns of the past also made her built very high walls, not allowing anyone to get close again. And with doing all that she can for her children, I also felt that she has lost herself in the process…

It saddened me also reading how despite all her efforts, financially things aren’t that easy. And with those needs that must, Thea needs a second job, even if it break her heart that it means less family time.

On the other hand, if she didn’t need a second job, we wouldn’t have this story, would we? 😊

And that brings us to Nick Saint. First of all, just that name! With that name, Nick must be a good guy, right? 😊

Of course I had a few not – so – secrets smiles reading how Nick has always had a crush on Thea, even if they have always been just friends. But he doesn’t help Thea out because of that crush, but just because he is that kind of man, helping out a friend, a neighbour, out of the goodness of his heart!

Nick is just like Thea, a man made of flesh and blood, and while he always does good, it doesn’t mean that there haven’t been a few hiccups in his life. But for me, seeing a real man, with a few flaws and errors in judgement, made me only like Nick even more! Who needs a perfect man, when being imperfect is perfect enough?

Seeing Nick and Thea together, truly warmed my heart. And not because things change immediately, but because it is a slow shifting that is taking place. And slow – burns, in the right setting (like this one) are sometimes better than that instant spark, that instant attraction.

Because Nick and Thea take their time, they rely on their friendship. But they also don’t want to ruin what they already have had for a long time. And also here, with things changing between them, it is so realistic what they are going through.

Having those feelings is natural, but acting upon them, admitting what you are feeling, letting those high walls down, isn’t easy at all. And this is something that both Nick and Thea have to understand,  learn, and be courageous about. With the right person, love is worth the risk. And no matter what curveballs may be thrown around you, the right person will show understanding, patience and will want to help you out.

We see in this wonderful story that life in general can be a real journey, with ups and downs. You never know what direction your life will take, and how you will grow in time. And all that has happened can make you build up high walls, but we also see how those walls can be torn apart, how love can come perhaps in the most unexpected (or not? 😊) ways and how being courageous can may be the best decision that you have ever made, for the right person!