A Spirit Of Christmas (Harlequin Everlasting Love #22) [Mass Market Paperback]

Margot Early (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2007

On Christmas Eve, Keti Whitechapel finds a dog

Prophetically, perhaps, she names the dog Marley. That night, the ghosts of her past appear in a dream--or is it a dream? Inexplicable things have been happening since she came home to Bounty, Nevada, a place she'd once vowed to leave forever. But Keti's no longer a poor miner's daughter. She's a successful businesswoman with only one regret: Martin Collins, her cherished childhood friend. The man she's never forgotten. The man she loved and lost. Strange apparitions are abroad this astonishing, magical night. Soon Keti finds herself reliving the joy of first love with Martin...and the anguish of a secret heartache. And suddenly her future becomes clear--if Keti can find the courage to give Martin the truest gift of all: the gift of her heart.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (December 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373654243
• ISBN-13: 978-0373654246
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,259,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!, December 20, 2007

By 

Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Spirit Of Christmas (Harlequin Everlasting Love #22) (Mass Market Paperback)

It all started with finding a dog....

Keti Whitechapel likes to make money. In fact, even the love of her life, Martin Collins, refers to her as a Scrooge. Keti has had very few regrets in her life but the loss of anything other than an increasingly distant friendship with Martin is one of them. All of that changes the night she finds a dog. Marley, the dog, gets beneath that layer of ice encasing Keti's heart. It's Christmas Eve and a dream about the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future will work on melting more of that ice. Will Keti have a change of heart? Martin has always been waiting on her....

A SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS pays homage to Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL as Margot Early puts her own spin on the ghostly visitors of Christmases Past, Present and Future. There is even a Tiny Tim! However, Ms. Early's tale is pure romance as she takes readers on a quest where the love between Keti and Martin shines through, even as the years have passed.

Margot Early does a magnificent job at setting the appropriate tone throughout A SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS. In the beginning introduction to Keti, the tone is rather distant, as if observing someone from afar. The tone begins to warm when Marley appears, and continues to draw the reader deeper and deeper into the heart of this story as the tale unfolds.

Told through flashbacks to Christmases past, A SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS never seems disjointed. Margot Early is to be commended for linking the joy of Christmas to such momentous occasions in Keti's life, as readers see beneath the outward hardening of her heart over the years to the woman hiding deep within. The character development is superb, as Keti and Martin seem very believable in their love. The path is not easy for either of them, as Margot Early writes more of a realistic happily-ever-after tale. And isn't it nice to read about a mature couple in their 50s rather than the usual stereotypes?

A SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS is stunning in its intensity. There are moments of such exquisite joy and sadness that I couldn't help but cry. A SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS perfectly captures the beauty and joy of the Christmas season and is easily recommended.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, December 15, 2009

By 

Avid Mystery Reader (Baltimore Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Spirit Of Christmas (Harlequin Everlasting Love #22) (Mass Market Paperback)

When I read the synopsis of this story, I thought that I would like to read it. I thought it was a holiday story. Well, if you like reading about brothels and someone hopping into bed with whomever, then this book is for you. As for me, this book went into the trash.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars modern day Scroogette, December 14, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Spirit Of Christmas (Harlequin Everlasting Love #22) (Mass Market Paperback)

Wealthy fifty-five years old Keti Whitechapel owns Bounty Mountain Resort in her hometown of Bounty, Nevada. Kei knows she has come a long way from her lonely impoverished childhood, but though she is rich, she remains alone in spite of having a child with Dr. Martin Collins.

Her only childhood friend Martin ended his relationship with Keti though he loves her because he loathes her lack of business ethics, which extends to her personal relationships. Keti prepares to celebrate Christmas Eve as she always has by herself until she rescues a mutt she names Marley. However this time whether it is a dream or a ghost Keti looks back on the monumental events that shaped her miserable life.

Keti is a modern day female Scrooge who looks back at what made her who she is today. Fans looking for a romance probably should pass though there is a glimpse of her first time with Martin and a possible second chance at love if she risks rejection by telling him how much she loves him. However, although the rest of the cast is never developed except in terms of how they relate to Keti, this well written update of a segment of A Christmas Carol is a character study of how the child becomes the adult.

Harriet Klausner