"I would say that I met her on the Internet, except we haven't really met. She writes a blog, and I just kind of fell for her..."
from The Mistletoe Secret
The Mistletoe Secret is another of Richard Evans Christmas romance novels. This one deals with the subject of loneliness and how the festive season can exacerbate that feeling of isolation. The protagonist is Alex, who is trying to get over the fact that his wife left him almost a year ago. He is weighed down with loneliness and when his friends encourage him to sign up to an internet dating site, he is prepared to give it a go.
As he is surfing the web though, he comes across a blog written by a woman who calls herself LBH. The blog is an outpouring of her loneliness and what she has discovered about its effects on health and well-being; for instance that loneliness actually lowers the body temperature and the immune system, meaning that those who are the coldest and most likely to get sick in wintertime, have no-one to snuggle up to, or take care of them. How depressing!
LBH uses her blog as a form of personal creative therapy - she never really imagines that anyone would actually read it. She writes it for herself and as she documents her uncensored feelings online, Alex is drawn to her honesty and into her world of solitude. He can relate to so much of what she is saying, because he frequently feels the same way, as he tries to nurse his broken heart back to health, and mend his wounded pride.
As he reads, he finds himself falling in love with the author, a woman he has never met and knows only through the words that she writes and the things that she chooses to share on her blog. Personally, I'm not convinced that it is possible to fall in love with someone via their blog, but all romance novels have an element of fantasy about them and this is a lovely idea.
It is an intriguing concept. When does love begin? Is it in the first date, the first kiss, the first conversation? Or does it begin much sooner than that, with the initial sense of connection? It is nice to think that you can truly love a person you've never met - that it isn't simply infatuation with an unknown ideal, but would such a love fall apart at the first test?
Alex decides to put his infatuation to the test by gathering the clues that LBH unwittingly leaves in her blog posts and with the help of his friends, one an ex-marine, he narrows down her whereabouts and decides to travel across America to go looking for her. Now that's romantic! But it's also a bit creepy, so he has to tread very carefully as he makes enquires in what he believes to be LBH's home town. And as he gets to know the locals, he becomes distracted by the pretty waitress Aria, leaving him in a bit of a quandary - does he continue his quest to find LBH, the woman he is convinced he loves; or does he abandon her to her loneliness, in favour of the opportunity that stands smiling invitingly before him?
You'll have to read the book to find out! It is a lovely novel, with lots of snowy scenes, an ice castle and plenty of festive frolic, so it would make a nice Christmas present. The Mistletoe Secret is a lovely treat for festive fireside reading. Enjoy!
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