For Christmas romance with a gritty edge, you can't beat the novels of Richard Paul Evans. He has published lots of festive novels but this one, The Mistletoe Promise, is one of my favourites. I first came across this story when I watched the film of the book online. Then I read the novel.
It tells the tale of Elise, a successful woman who has been cheated on by her husband and who has suffered from her fair share of miserable Christmases in the past. Over lunch break in her office building she meets Nick, an attorney who is also scarred by Christmas past. He is feeling the pressure to settle down in a steady relationship so that his boss will be more likely to promote him to Partner; trouble is he's not interested in love and romance.
So he asks Elise to be his fake girlfriend for the holiday season. She agrees because it will give her a bit of vengeance on her ex-husband and they draw up a contract to do all the festive couples things together, such as attending each others office parties and so on. It's a business deal between two professional people - and it makes sense. No more lonely Christmas parties as a singleton to endure - at least not this year.
But as they get to know one another, they begin to blur the lines between what's real and what's fake, and as they both have troubled pasts to come to terms with, they are left wondering if what they feel is strong enough to survive a few hard truths. As Elise spends more time with Nick, she realises that she is tired of being an ice-maiden and her heart begins to melt towards him.
The Mistletoe Promise is a lovely seasonal story, but I will say that the book has a darker subplot running through it, while the film omits this completely and is more of a feel-good Christmas film. Either way though, its a great story to curl up with on a winter's night, with a glass of mulled cider. So if, like me, you have been let down by St Nick in the past, then this Nick and his Mistletoe Promise will be just the thing to cheer you up. You can watch the entire film free on You Tube. Just click on the link. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment