Customer Reviews

Everything But a Christmas Eve (The Everything But) (Avalon Romance)

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In Erie, Pennsylvania Hungarian expatriate Nana Vancy Salo has spent a lifetime fighting the Salo Family Wedding Curse that haunted her descendents whenever one of her blood relatives was about to marry. However, the curse has been broken and all of her grandchildren happily married. Instead of resting and enjoying life, she feels lost with no purpose.

Nana Vancy tells her Silver Bells friends Isabel Henning and Annabelle Connor that she is bored though she is elated the curse has ended as she feared she would never see that day. Annabelle suggests Vancy become a matchmaker as she shown a propensity with her grandchildren (see Everything But a Groom, Everything But a Bride and Everything But a Wedding). Liking the idea, she thought she would try matching up her husband's office manager Eve Allen and next door neighbor TC Potter with plans of wedding bells for Christmas. After interrogating a bewildered Eve, she invites her to a family holiday dinner in which TC Potter is also invited after the hostess interrogated him re his status and learns of their past connections in kindergarten and high school.

This is a wonderful Christmas surprise (and not just for the confirmed bachelor who finds love with his Christmas Eve) as Holly Jacobs spins beyond the tale of the Salo Curse into a new matchmaking direction for Nana and the Silver Bells. Fans will enjoy this lighthearted frolic as the three BFFs orchestrate the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Harriet Klausner

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Nana Vancy Bashalde Salo has grown bored now that all of her grandchildren are happily married. Her two best friends, the "Silver Bells," come up with a brilliant idea... Nana Vancy should put those instincts to work as a matchmaker. After all, everyone knows a Hungarian grandmother has a sense about these sorts of things. Lucky for her, she has the ideal candidate in Eve Allen, just hired during the holidays to be the new office manager for Salo Construction.

Now Nana Vancy is up to her old tricks again trying to pair up her next door neighbor, TC Potter, with Eve. Little does Nana Vancy know that Eve and TC have a history, him having broken Eve's heart twice in the past during the Christmas season. The last person Eve would care to spend time with TC. However, when Nana Vancy sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her. She won't quit knowing TC has Everything but a Christmas Eve in his heart.

I love everything Holly Jacobs writes so I knew I would enjoy Everything but a Christmas Eve before I ever started it. As expected, this delightfully funny new installment in the Salo family saga kept me in stitches from beginning to end. It's impossible to resist a smile or a laugh when reading any book in this series. Yet there are tender moments as well.

Eve has had it rough for a while, recently ending a bad relationship and not exactly having much in the way of Christmas Spirit. All she wants to do is enjoy some peace and quiet, and get the office reorganized while everyone is off for the holidays. TC has had it pretty easy for most of his life, until recently when he was listed as one of America's most eligible bachelors. Now he has women swarming him trying to change his ways. So why is he so drawn to the one woman who finds it so easy to resist him? I enjoyed seeing TC and Eve overcome their issues and fears, with a little bit of help from some Hungarian Grandmother Magic. There are many bumps on their road to happiness but they both learn sometimes those difficult rides make for the greatest of adventures.

Populated with wonderful characters, including one rather unintelligent, but loveable pooch, Bert, Everything but a Christmas Eve is everything but boring. The Salo family is overflowing with love and, of course, that means romance abounds as well. I loved getting a chance to catch up with the rest of the clan and find out how they've fared since they found their own loves. We have wonderful friends, outrageous humor, and sweet romance. What more can we ask for than a few hours spend reveling in the adventures of Everything but a Christmas Eve?

© Kelley A. Hartsell, November 2009. All rights reserved.