Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor: A Novel

What a surprise when I was surfing the channels before Christmas and loe & behold here was this book in movie form, sort of. In the movie, the guys hava a happy childhood, yes I know you want a happier story for Christmas but why change the guys jobs. Sorry this is supposted to be about the book. i really enjoyed reading this book & don't understand why this is a stand alone book instead of the 1st in 4 of Friday Harbor books. You will want to read the other brothers stories in' Rainbow Road' & 'Dream Lake'. I waiting impatiently for 'Crystal Cove'.

This book continues in a series following brothers trying to deal with past history while finding love in the present. Each book stands alone but you get hooked on the characters and what to see what happens next.

Such a sweet story with engaging characters! This was a perfect start to a wonderful series. It was a little shorter than I expected, and I would have loved for the story to continue, but it was great nonetheless. The rest of the books in the series are a little longer and just as wonderful!

My Review:

There is one word that explains this book perfectly: MAGICAL. There were several times throughout the book when I found myself literally breaking out in chills because of the power of the story. I honestly can't even say if this is one of those books that would affect everyone that way though. There is not a whole lot of depth to the romance as far as how long Mark & Maggie actually are involved within the story, but the underlying emotions of every one of their meetings touched me at a really deep level.

Maggie is two years out from watching her husband die from cancer and feels that she will never give her heart to another. BUT she has such an amazing heart...opening a toy store in this little town which is filled with imagination and fanciful things. She fosters unadoptable dogs. She inspires magic. Mark is her polar opposite. He definitely does not believe in magic, but when his sister dies suddenly and leaves him the sole guardian for 6 yo Holly, he finds that this 6 yo needs him to believe enough in magic for both of them. Maggie is the tie that binds them all together and it is not just Mark & Holly, but also Sam and Alex, Mark's brothers. They have never been a family even when they were all little, but slowly throughout the passage of the story and the affect of both Holly and Maggie on their lives, these three brothers slowly start to feel like brothers.

I truly loved this book. I am a sucker for a good Christmas book, but this book is about so much more and goes so much further than that. This is a book that you read and it simply makes you feel happier for having read it. I cannot wait to see what Lisa has in store for the other two brothers to come in this series.

It is a beautiful love story, though unsolicited, plus things always seem more intense at Christmas time. The characters are very believable. Some one you know from next door. Women who love children, romance and Christmas will love it.

Light, breezy, SHORT story about a red-headed young widow and some guy who inherited guardianship of his niece. Not up to Kleypas' usual standards, I found the characters to be lacking dimension, the story lacking tension, and the characters lacking growth over the course of the story. Overall: Disappointing.

This book is the perfect read during the holidays. You'll laugh at the Thanksgiving day cooking episodes and learn to long for ferry rides with a great friend. You'll smile at reading the endearing request to Santa and later her thank you to Santa. You'll also find yourself re-reading this and finding you want to know more about the other brothers and sisters and what might be in store for them in Friday Harbor. Good read--