Book Review: Mistletoe on Main Street by Olivia Miles

This is a sweet, second-chance romance with likable characters and a charming Christmas setting.
Mistletoe on Main Street
by Olivia Miles

• File Size: 1519 KB
• Print Length: 400 pages
• Publisher: Forever (September 30, 2014)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• ASIN: B00HQ2N44Y

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Sleigh bells, snow, and second chances . . .
Briar Creek's quaint shop windows, cozy homes nestled in snow, and neighborly residents are what Christmas dreams are made of--for everyone except Grace Madison. She left her hometown years ago to pursue a writing career. But when her father's death leaves his bookstore empty, Grace must return to face why she fled Vermont in the first place: Luke Hastings, who still heats her up like a shot of smoky whiskey on a cold winter's night.
Grace is back, and Luke is worried. How much has she changed as a bestselling author in the big city? What memories will she stir up? And was the choice he made five years ago the biggest mistake of his life?
Now, with their past, present, and future rocking around the Christmas tree, it's time for Grace and Luke to face the music . . . and the mistletoe.

Review:
Grace and Luke were young sweethearts, dating for ten years from middle grade through post graduate days. As their days at school came near an end Luke was prepared to ask Grace to marry him. They would move to the house he had built in their hometown, he would teach school where he was taught and they would settle down to raise a family. But Grace didn’t want to stay in the same “boring” town where she grew up. She wanted to go to the big city and become a famous author. When neither would budge, Grace ran off to New York, crying for her loss and feeling betrayed. Luke remained home and soon met a young woman who wanted the same things he did: to live a quiet life and raise their own children in their home town. Luke married Helen but never quite forgot Grace.

Grace succeeding in writing a best seller and established a routine life in New York but she never forgot about Luke. Five years later Grace returns home to help her family face Christmas after the death of her father earlier in the year. This time Grace has left behind an ex-fiance and a book that the critics declared a bomb.

Grace and Luke come face to face but dance around their past hurts and feelings of abandonment. Luke is filled with guilt and is clinging to the memory of his wife who died unexpectedly two years before. Luke feels he would be betraying Helen if he pursues any feelings for Grace. Besides, he expects Grace will only go away again after the holidays.

Grace wasn’t prepared to see Luke but she was excited to see her family. Her youngest sister, Jane, is there to welcome her with her three year old daughter, Sophie. Although Jane is putting on a good front things don’t seem quite right in her picture perfect domestic life. Meanwhile, middle sister, Anna, is angry that Grace stayed away so long. And all three girls want to find a way to nudger their mother, the once Queen of Christmas, out of her depression.

Grace begins to think that she might stay in cozy Briar Creek where she is needed by her family. Luke may not be giving her a reason to stay but she decides that she must give her father’s beloved bookstore, where she learned to read and dream, a second chance.

Grace and Luke both have a lot of emotional history to deal with and accept. They each have to make sure they know what they want and that they are willing to leave the past and move on to the future. Grace fears that may be a future without each other but she finds new strength in making decisions for her own life.

This read quickly and I enjoyed the easy writing flow.  I liked the strong and humanly fragile sides of the characters. The sisters make a good addition and I suspect there will be stories for them in the future. The small town setting is lovely. The story is not completely predictable as there are side family issues and some set-backs to keep the second-chance romance interesting. I am glad to have read this book and would enjoy more easy romance from Ms. Miles. I recommend this to readers who enjoy an easy read and especially those who like second-chance romance tales.

I received this title from Forever/Hachette, through NetGalley, as part of Release Blitz. Please see the other titles and Giveaway on the Blitz post!