THE DANGERS OF MISTLETOE

Author: Theresa Alan ISBN: 0758209940 10/2006 CHICK LIT Publisher: KENSINGTON

Happy Holidays? Are you kidding? For two sisters mired in part-time jobs from hell, resentful stepkids, needling parents, and disastrous home improvement projects, the Christmas season promises to be anything but merry…until they discover what a little holiday magic can bring… Amber Taylor has no time for love this year. She’s gone from corporate maven to under-paid massage therapist in record time, and right now there’s nothing going on but the rent. Seems the only way she can earn a living is by handing out cheese samples at the local Cheese Haus. Pretty pathetic, huh? ’Tis the season . . . for cheese? Pass the eggnog . . . Amber’s sister Emily is the golden child. She’s always seemed to have it all—a husband, kids, and house—everything Amber doesn’t. But this Christmas she’s got nothing but problems, like two bratty stepkids who can’t stand her, and a mother-in-law who likes her even less. Things are looking decidedly Grinchy this holiday season . . . Bah humbug! A sprinkling of Christmas magic and a whole lot of QT with that special someone under the mistletoe can still ring in a happy new year for Amber and Emily . . . though mistletoe can be unpredictable—and results may vary . . .

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Theresa Alan is spreading some holiday cheer with her new release, THE DANGERS OF MISTLETOE. THE DANGERS OF MISTLETOE tells the story of two sisters, Emily and Amber, and their struggles to survive the holiday season.

Alan goes back and forth in her book between the two sisters. She introduces us to Amber Taylor, first. Amber is lonely since her sister married and she's trying to find her niche in life. After promising to visit her sister in California, she's desperate for money to pay the airfare. She decides to take a job at the local cheese house and soon finds out that she won't get paid until after Christmas. Lucky for her, her girlfriend's friend, Scott, is driving from New York to California and has offered to have her drive along with him. Soon sparks fly between Amber and Scott, and now the holidays are starting to look very merry, indeed.

In California we meet Amber's sister, Emily. Recently married to the man of her dreams, she's contending with his two young children and the mother-in-law from Hades. Adding more stress to her life is the major house repairs that need to get finished before all the relatives come for Christmas. If that's not bad enough, her husband has just had lunch with an old friend from school—who just happens to be female. Emily needs the love and support of her family to deal with the exhaustion and stress, not only from the holidays, but also from her new family.

Amber and Emily turn to each other for support and find the love that they need to get through this time in their lives. But Theresa Alan isn't going to give this holiday book an unhappy ending. You'll just have to read to see how Amber and Emily's Christmas turns out.

I enjoyed THE DANGERS OF MISTLETOE, which had some good belly laughs in it! What I didn't like too much was the flipping between sisters. Just as I became interested in one sister's life, Alan would switch to the other sister and I was starting to become annoyed. That's the only thing I didn't like about this book.

THE DANGERS OF MISTLETOE by Theresa Alan is an entertaining read, perfect for this time of year!

Julie Kornhausl