Hunk for the Holidays

Hunk for the Holidays
By Katie Lane

Don't let the title fool you -- this is not really a Christmas book! This is a romance book that I enjoyed at first but the more I thought about it, the more problems I had with it. Ever read a book like that?

Hunk for the Holidays is about Cassie McPherson and James Sutton, construction company owners and professional enemies. However, they have never met. So, when James shows up in a tux when Cassie is expecting an escort service to take her to the company Christmas party... you can guess some of what is about to happen. Cassie and James hit it off and James decides not to tell her who he really is at first. Then, he becomes caught in the events of the evening and tries to find the "perfect time" to reveal himself. Well, the perfect time never presents itself but Cassie finds out and they spend the remainder of the book trying to get back together.

There were some things I wanted from the two main characters.  I wanted Cassie to speak up for herself in front of her father. However, she never really did. I wanted James to be as nice as he appeared but his continued silence on who he was really got to me. When James truly complements Cassie on something no one in her family has recognized and she breaks down into tears, I wanted some honest conversation. But Cassie's brother enters her apartment and the opportunity is lost. And did they have to sleep together and fall in love - immediately? There was very little time for the two of them to get to know each other and half of that time they were off fuming about the other person. I see some problems down the road for this marriage....

What did this book have to do with my faith? There was a scene in the book where Cassie goes to midnight Christmas Eve mass with her family. Yeah! Church worship in a secular book! While there, she spends time talking with her priest about her problems. Although the priest's answers are pretty weak (God will lead you where you need to go, etc.), he does tell her to be patient and let her heart lead. Cassie realizes that her heart leads her to Jamie and that she does need to give him some time to forgive her. Am I able to go where my own heart leads? Do I even know how to listen to my heart? The priest in the story suggests prayer and meditation. I am usually too busy to spend much time at either one -- but I really need to do so. I love how I can find these gentle nudges in the most unlikely places.

I don't recommend Hunk for the Holidays.

Happy reading!

Amelia