Friday, September 27, 2013

The Trouble With Christmas - Review, Q&A and Giveaway!

Review by Marlene Engel

Thanks to Madison Lane, Christmas may be ruined forever.  Christmas, Colorado that is.  The people of Christmas have been hoping for a resort to go up in their small town.  They felt it would bring in more people and increase jobs in their community.  Thanks to Madison, the deal was off.  She had presented a twenty page argument against the construction of the resort.  She knew that this deal could potentially cause her boss to go bankrupt, but now she is facing much scrutiny from the press and the people of Christmas, Colorado. 

With a not so flattering picture of her on the front page of the New York Times, and the headline reading “The Grinch Who Killed Christmas”, her boss had to do some damage control … and quick!  He decides to send Madison to Christmas to speak to the people and hopefully get them to understand that their decision was the best for everyone.  However, from the very second Madison steps foot in Christmas, Colorado everything gets turned upside down.  She manages to nearly kill Santa.  Okay, not THE Santa, but the twelve foot Santa that held the, “Welcome to Christmas” sign.  And that was just the start of the craziness that Madison was able to stir up during her stay.

The town’s Sheriff, Gage McBride, is a popular and upstanding member of the community.  His family is one of the first families of Christmas and are very active in the community.  Sheriff McBride is also very popular among the women of this small town, but his main focus is on raising his two girls that his wife left him behind with.  Now Sheriff McBride also has to referee all of the conflict that Madison is causing in his town and try to get her to keep a low profile.  But what he didn’t expect was for him to find her so attractive and catch feelings for her.  Knowing that she’s only there for a week, he’s trying to stay professional.  But with every interaction his professionalism is getting more and more difficult to maintain. 

I was so excited to read this book.  I love the holidays and when I first heard about The Trouble With Christmas, I knew I had to read it.  It has everything that I love in a novel … comedy, a great story, amazing characters and drama.  I can’t say enough good things about this book.  It’s a fun holiday story that will make you laugh and also renew your faith in the magic of Christmas.

The 12 “This or That” of Christmas

Naughty or Nice?
Nice, but working on being a little bit naughty.

Eggnog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows and/or whipped cream.

(Presents)Giving or Receiving?
Giving.  I love the feeling you get when you find the perfect gift for someone you love.

Real Tree or Artificial?
Both.  Artificial tree goes up in early November, and then we wait until all the kids are home for the holidays to pick out the real tree.

White Christmas or Warm Christmas?
White. For me, it wouldn't be Christmas without snow.

Miracle on 34th Street or Bad Santa?
Miracle on 34th Street.

Homemade Gifts or Store Bought?
Store bought.  Which makes my children very happy as I'm not crafty.

Jingle Bells or Santa Got Run Over By a Reindeer?
Santa Got Run Over By a Reindeer.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?
Merry Christmas.

Deck the Halls or Decorate Like the Griswold’s?
Deck the Halls.

I Believe or Sister, Please!
I Believe.

12 Days of Christmas or One Is MORE Than Enough?
12 Days of Christmas. More would be better.

A special thanks to Debbie for stopping by Book Mama Blog! 

Praised as a “writer to watch,” by RT Book Reviews, Debbie Mason also writes Scottish-set historical paranormals as Debbie Mazzuca. Her MacLeod series debuted in April 2010 and is said to “combine the passion of Hannah Howell’s Highland romances with the seductive fantasy of Karen Marie Moning’s bestsellers.”

Connect with Debbie at:

Purchase the book:

Debbie is giving away one paperback copy of
The Trouble With Christmas
(U.S only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway