I’ll start off my mini-series of Christmas reviews with Katie O’Connor’s Christmas novel.

The fact that Katie and I are friends has nothing with the fact that I like her books. I know the real reason for that: the feeling that I personally know her characters.

Hailey and Jesse are just like that: believable, real people. Their problems are similar to ours, their experiences are our experiences, and they do what we may do to solve them. It’s easy to like them and relate to them.

Katie is never shy to tackle serious issues in her stories, and this Christmas novel is no exception: there are wrongful assumptions, prejudices, betrayals, disappointments, guilt, family members with their struggles and their inner demons. She also knows how to deal with them in the best manner of romance writing, entwined with tenderness and a good measure of humor. Christmas in Silver Creek is a heartwarming romance that keeps you engaged.

I won’t say more–I don’t want to spoil the plot–but I’ll just tell you that the novel’s tagline sounds totally appropriate: Christmas chaos or Holiday miracle?

I love Christmas romances; even more when they are cast in a rural (and this time local, albeit fictional) setting. Nothing is cozier than such a book on a snowy day around the Christmas holidays.

Katie, five stars from me! I’ll modify this review a bit and post it where it should go.

Thanks for the book and Merry Christmas to you and your family!

The second review is scheduled for Sunday, December 11. The book is set in a faraway place that I love so much.