Allison: All He Wants For Christmas | Lisa Plumley | Book Review

In Kismet, Michigan, Christmas is special: big fluffy snowflakes, sleigh bells, carolers singing. It's a picture-perfect holiday--you just have to choose who's in the frame. . .Jason Hamilton is on thin ice with the board of his toy company. The young CEO may be a kid at heart, but his party boy reputation requires damage control. So Jason's off to Kismet to inspect a model store, stay on Santa's Nice list, and stick to business--no goofing around. Which is too bad, because the store manager, Danielle Sharpe, is the definition of what makes Naughty fun. . .Danielle is thrilled to show off her thriving little toy store--especially if it's her ticket out of Kismet. The single mom is tired of manufacturing cheer solo while her ex-husband has all the fun. But if she'd known Jason was this hot, she wouldn't have offered to host him. With Jason in her house, Danielle is getting warmer than spiked cider. She's supposed to impress him with her expertise, not daydream about catching him under the mistletoe. Now whatever she does, she can't get swept up in the magic.

There is something about small towns and Christmas that just gets me right in the heart. Luckily, the setting of Kismet, Michigan fit perfectly within this scenario. Kismet is the setting which the story of All He Wants for Christmas by Lisa Plumley takes place. It is a small town which comes vibrantly to life during the holiday season. At the center of this story is Danielle who is the manager for the local toy store. The toy store is part of a larger corporation but Danielle has made some unique touches to the store trying to make it all her own. Her personal touches have been so successful that they draw the attention of the board of directors in their mission to present a positive image of their CEO Jason. The board of directors is desperate to present Jason is a positive manner as his reputation has had a tendency to paint the company in a negative light. Jason is thinking that he’ll just take a few nice pictures, do a few nice interviews, and be on his way …. but all of that changes once he meets Danielle.

Danielle is a single divorced mother of three kids who is dreaming of a way to make things better for herself and her kids. When Jason comes in, she makes plans to impress the boss in order to help herself gain a promotion. All she has to do is keep him from finding out exactly how many short cuts she has taken in her personal touches with the store. She also didn’t plan on finding her boss to be so attractive. Nor did she expect him to be so caring with her children. All of a sudden this plan is turning into something that she didn’t necessarily expect.

Similarly, Jason knows that he has a reputation to improve. He has worked too hard for too long to let things just slip out of his hands. He was given the opportunity to work for the toy company when he was a teenager, and still views it as the gift that changed his life, and the man who gave him the job as the grandfather he never had. It is why he’s worked so hard to keep his personal life private which would be much easier if the media would leave him alone. Jason knows he’s charismatic but none of that seems to matter when it comes to Danielle and the kids. He wants them to see him as he really is. Not as the image that he presents for the rest of the world to see.

Danielle and Jason have sparks right from the very beginning but they are both cautious of the intensity between them. Danielle is afraid of getting hurt again like she was by her cheating ex-husband and Jason wants to protect himself from getting hurt as well. This cautiousness allows for some growth and development which is always exciting in a story. The Christmas atmosphere of small town Kismet also helps bridge the distance between the two characters. Again, there is something so magical about small towns, and Christmas. Sometimes, they really bring out the best in people.

All and all, I enjoyed All He Wants for Christmas. It was a good read for the Christmas season, especially with a nice warm cup of coffee (with peppermint creamer) in my hand. Apparently, this is the fourth book in the Kismet, Michigan series by Lisa Plumley but I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything but not having read the other books. If anything, the introduction of Danielle and Jason have me admittedly wanting to check out more books by this author.