I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Mr Miracle by Debbie Macomber Also by this author: Merry and Bright
Published by Random House on 2014-11-20
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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A heartwarming new Christmas novel from Debbie Macomber, internationally bestselling author of Rose Harbor in Bloom, Blossom Street Brides and Starry Night. Harry Mills is a guardian angel on a mission: help Addie Folsom to get her life back on track - and help her find love. Creating a happy ending for Addie and her neighbour Erich doesn't seem like much of a challenge. But soon after arriving in the town of Tacoma, Harry realises he might need some guidance. Addie and Erich can't stand each other; growing up he was popular and outgoing, while she was rebellious and headstrong. Addie would now rather avoid Erich entirely, especially at Christmas. Harry is going to need all the help he can get, and a bit of divine inspiration, to help Addie and Erich find their Christmas miracle.
I think that Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber is like the easy listening of Christmas-themed romances. Granted, the holiday romance genre is full of gentle and clean stories. I was initially interested in reading Mr. Miracle, because A) I LOVE CHRISTMAS and B) I really enjoyed reading Call Me Mrs. Miracle. I figured that this story would get me feeling all sentimental and in one of those let’s bake cookies and be kind to the world sort of moods. Unfortunately, this did not materialize and I think I ended up rolling my eyes more than I did smiling — and that’s coming from a place where I actually have enjoyed so-called cheesy holiday romance books in the past. So, it’s not like I went into this book intending to dislike it.
Mr. Miracle has been compared to It’s A Wonderful Life and I get it because like the movie, it’s about an angel who is on a mission. Granted, Clarence’s mission was to earn his wings and Harry Mills, the character for whom Mr. Miracle is named is also trying to help someone get their life on track in his first Earth based mission. However, that is where the similarities end. Don’t go into this book expecting a George Bailey-esque MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU WONDERFUL OLD BUILDING AND LOAN. The story is a bit more shallow.
Harry must help Addie Folsom find her way again. She’s a 24 year old woman with dyslexia who has returned to Tacoma, Washington and signed up for a literature class at the local community college. Addie’s lived away from home for the past couple of years following some teenage rebelliousness. She is forced to meet some of the past head on, when her childhood neighbor and nemesis, Erich comes back into her life. You see, he has broken both of his wrists and nothing else in a car accident, thus rendering him helpless. Addie promises to take care of him so that her mother and his mother can go on this Christmas Cruise that they have been planning.
The romance develops at a good enough clip. It’s not as though the two characters, Addie and Erich are rekindling a childhood romance. In fact, it starts off as rather antagonistic between the two. What I liked was how kindness and listening and consideration are what it takes to develop chemistry between the two. If you are looking for a clean romance with no adult situations or scenes, you will enjoy Mr. Miracle. The steamiest that this book gets is with some kissing. That’s it.
As for Christmas cheer, I think that Debbie Macomber does a decent job incorporating the holiday spirit in Mr. Miracle. It’s interesting to see different characters come together in the classroom over the study of A Christmas Carol.I loved reading about different characters in different life situations being pushed to do well by Harry Mills. I liked seeing Harry Mills adjust to experiencing human emotions and experiences. Overall, this is a nice book to put you in the mood for mistletoe and egg nog, if you can ignore some of the things that might make you roll your eyes like an overzealous administrator whose very actions make no sense — he reprimands Harry Mills for walking on grass, what even? Alas, this is a cute book, but not my favorite seasonal romance.
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I’ve never really been all that interested in reading any of Debbie Macomber books. They always seemed a little too Hallmark move to me, which isn’t really my thing. Although I love romance, and I don’t’ really care if the books are “clean” or “not” I do have a hard time with sappy. And anything that induces a lot of eye rolls probably isn’t for me.
But thanks for the review April.
I was at Target one night and saw this on the shelf and thought “Sure, why not.” I bought it and I’m sure it’s only because it’s holiday themed. I’ve never read a Macomber book, but I’ve seen the Hallmark movies, so I figured I may like to read it before the movie. (There’s a movie coming soon, btw, on Hallmark.) I guess what I’m saying is that from what you’ve described of Mr. Miracle, I’d rather just watch the movie version. 🙂