Short, sweet, and poignant.
Six-year-old Holly stops speaking after her mother dies in a terrible car crash, leaving her orphaned and in the care of her two uncles, Mark and Sam. Mark, who never wanted children, steps up and falls easily in love with the little girl, though he worries about her. Then one day, Maggie, the owner of a toy store, works some magic and helps Holly find her voice.
This wasn’t a long book — I read it in about two hours — like a Lifetime movie for women, except better. Mark was a wonderful hero, initially in a relationship with the wrong woman. Maggie is a widow who is afraid to fall in love again, which I didn’t find quite as interesting, but she was lively and I could see they were well-suited.
I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but overall, I recommend this to romance readers who want something they can finish in one sitting.
Rating: 4/5
Title: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor
Author: Lisa Kleypas
ISBN: 0312605862
Published October 26th, 2010 by St. Martin’s Press