Mistletoe Miracles
Ransom Canyon
by
JODI THOMAS
Genre: Holiday Romance / Western
Publisher: HQN
Date of Publication: September 25, 2016
Number of Pages: 354
A small-town Texas Christmas story, where hearts are lost, love is found, and family always brings you back home.
Griffin Holloway is desperate: the Maverick Ranch has been in his family for generations, but lately, it’s a money pit. He’d sooner marry one of his horses than sell the ranch. Marriage, though, could be a solution. If he can woo a wealthy bride, he might save the ranch—just in time for Christmas. Jaxon O’Grady likes his solitude just fine, thank you very much. But when a car accident brings the unexpected to his door, he realizes just how much one person can need another. Crossroads is the perfect place for Jamie Johnson: avoiding nosy questions about why she’s single, she’s happy to keep to her lakeside home. So she’s baffled when she gets the strangest Christmas present of all, in the form of a Mr. Johnson, asleep on her sofa. Who is he, and why does everyone think he’s her husband?
In this uplifting novel, three unlikely couples discover just what Crossroads, Texas, can offer: romance, belonging, and plenty of Christmas spirit.
“Deeply poignant moments and artfully rendered characters create a rich story that transports readers to an idyllic place.”
— Publishers Weekly
CLICK TO PURCHASE
Clueless Gent’s Rating
Mistletoe Miracles is a heartwarming story of serendipitous love. Actually, it’s three concurrent, heartwarming tales of serendipitous love, connected only by a road and a ranch. And of course – that road and ranch are in Texas!
I can’t really explain why, but I just love the way author Jodi Thomas tells a story. I’m thinking it’s probably one of those “less is more” things. It’s good. It’s cozy. I was engaged from the very start. If I ever have the opportunity to curl up next to a crackling fire, with a cup of hot chocolate, in a log cabin amidst a winter wonderland – this is the book I would take with me.
Aside from the road and the ranch, the only thing the main characters have in common is that none of them are looking for love. Yet they each find it in the unlikeliest of circumstances. Personally, I think that’s the best kind of love to find!
What About the Stories?
“A few times in life, someone comes along that changes the shape of your heart.”
Jaxson O’Grady
I would love to go into more depth with the stories, but I think anything I could say would take away some of the fun, should you choose to delight yourself by reading this book. However, I will say that each story could stand on its own, yet having them together in one book seems to bounce up the “cozy-meter” quite a bit.
For such a small Texas town, it’s probably unlikely that these stories would occur at the same time, but this is fiction, and it totally works. Each story has its own climax, but Jodi Thomas did a brilliant job of having each story keep pace with the others.
The Characters of Mistletoe Miracles
There are six main characters – seven if you count Charlie, the dog. Each character has a unique backstory, and the backstories make it clear why new love is not on anyone’s radar. The characters are all guarded in some way, distancing themselves from either everyone, or just from people of the opposite sex.
To me, the character arcs seem like beautiful rainbows – that beauty that comes after a storm. Considering there were six pure arcs, all in the same novel…. It’s just amazing.
Technically Speaking
I came across some SPAG issues. For some, I don’t know if they were actually oversights, or just the result of Kindle formatting. But, in my opinion, they never took away from the enjoyment of reading this novel.
One of the things I like about the way Jodi Thomas writes is that she provides only enough description to unlock the creativity doors in the brain. It’s like you’re on the Wheel of Fortune game show. Thomas gives you a few figurative letters, and your mind fills in the rest of the description. Thus, if you don’t like the description, you have only yourself to blame.
Mistletoe Miracles isn’t really a Christmas story, but it kind of is. But that’s a good thing! If you don’t like Christmas stories, you’ll still enjoy this, and if you do like Christmas stories, you’ll likely enjoy this even more.
I can definitely see more stories by Jodi Thomas getting on my To Read list. As for this one, I highly recommend it!
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
A fifth-generation Texan, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Thomas traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable.
With a degree in family studies, Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus, where she currently serves as Writer in Residence.
Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Thomas said, “When I was teaching classes full-time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher or nurse or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place.”
When not working on a novel or inspiring students to pursue a writing career, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo and checking up on their two grown sons.
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
|
9/25/18
|
Promo
|
|
|
9/25/18
|
Promo
|
|
|
9/26/18
|
Review
|
|
|
9/27/18
|
Author Interview
|
|
|
9/27/18
|
Excerpt
|
|
|
9/28/18
|
Review
|
|
|
9/29/18
|
Author Interview
|
|
|
9/29/18
|
Excerpt
|
|
|
9/30/18
|
Review
|
|
|
10/1/18
|
Review
|
|
|
10/2/18
|
Excerpt
|
|
|
10/2/18
|
BONUS Review
|
|
|
10/3/18
|
Promo
|
|
|
10/3/18
|
BONUS Review
|
|
|
10/4/18
|
Review
|
|
|
10/4/18
|
Review
|
|
blog tour services provided by
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
One thought on “Mistletoe Miracles”
I love the rainbow analogy! sounds like a lovely book and your review is maaaaahvelous!