Rescued By The Magic Of Christmas (Harlequin Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Melissa McClone (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harlequin Romance | Publication Date: November 11, 2008

Carly Bishop hasn't celebrated Christmas for six years—not since icy Mount Hood claimed her fiancé's life and left her a widow before she was a bride.

But this year, handsome Jake Porter is determined she'll enjoy herself. Jake is a mountain rescuer, big-hearted and courageous, but Carly is too scared of loving him in case she loses him. In a whirl of festive fun, sleigh rides and snowball fights, Christmas starts to weave its magic. Though it's Jake who is melting Carly's heart.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373175493
• ISBN-13: 978-0373175499
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,067,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, November 22, 2010

By 

J. Thomas "The Long and the Short Of It Reviews" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rescued By The Magic Of Christmas (Harlequin Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm always a sucker for friends to lovers books, and had to nab this one when it was offered. Carly lost her fiancé six years ago on Mt. Hood the day before their wedding was supposed to have happened, on Christmas Eve. Her brother, Nick, died that day, too and her world was upended.

She moved out of state, unable to stand even looking at the mountain that destroyed her life and left behind friends and family with barely a glance back. Now, though, Nick's widow has remarried and is expecting a child. She's asked Carly to come home to help with her other children, Nick's kids. How can Carly say no?

This book is all about facing your past and moving on with your future. The conflict is completely internal, and we watch Carly struggle with memories and anxiety and worry. She starts to feel things for old friend, Jake, that are completely unexpected and unwanted because Jake is part of the mountain rescue team and puts his life on the line on a regular basis. She wants no part of that ever again.

Jake has a reputation for being a love `em and leave `em kinda guy - it's mentioned by other secondary characters more than once, but I didn't buy it and it made it hard for me to truly believe the angst he felt about Carly. We see in his head that he's really had a thing for Carly for years and years, so when he thinks that he's only after her for momentary pleasure, it doesn't ring true.

Carly's reticence is completely believable, though, and drove the story. I wanted her to figure out that she could let go of the past, that accidents happen even to people who aren't mountain climbers and that it was okay to reach for the gold ring.

Ms. McClone created a wonderful cast of secondary characters including true to life kids and interfering friends and family. It was the best part of the book - aside from yummy Jake who was almost too good to be true.

If you want a holiday story that's warm and sweet with an ending that will make you sigh, give "Rescued by the Magic of Christmas" a try. I'm betting you won't be disappointed.

Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of drama., December 24, 2008

By 

Detra Fitch "Always hunting good books." (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rescued By The Magic Of Christmas (Harlequin Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Six years ago on Christmas Eve, the day before her wedding, Carly Bishop lost her brother, Nick, and her fiancé, Iain, when disaster struck during the two men's climb up Mount Hood. Jacob "Jake" Porter promised Carly he would find them. Unfortunately, the Oregon Mountain Search and Rescue (OMSAR) team did not find them in time. Carly moved to Philadelphia for a fresh start.

Nick's widow, Hannah, has been remarried for two years now. She and Garrett are expecting a new baby. Carly returns home to help care for her nine-year-old niece, Kendall, and seven-year-old nephew, Austin, for a couple of weeks. She did not expect to be blind-sided by hard memories though. But strong and reliable Jake is there to help ease the pain.

Jake has desired Carly for a long time now. He held his peace when she fell in love with Iain, helped her get a job in Philadelphia when she left, and has been a "surrogate everything" to what remained of the Bishop family. Now Carly has returned. Jake finds that six years has not dimmed his feelings for her. But since Carly is only in town for a couple of weeks, the best think Jake could do was keep his distance from her and guard his heart. Too bad his heart was not listening to him.

***** Lots of drama in this story. I am amazed at how much I learned about mountain search and rescue teams without even realizing it. (I have a lot of respect for the men and women who handle such a dangerous chore.) Losing a loved one during the end-of-the-year holidays is difficult and can tarnish those holidays for many years to come. This story gets that feeling of desolation across, but also shows that life and love goes on. This book left me with a warm feeling and a smile on my face. Highly recommended reading. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.