🎄 🏔️⛷️🏠 ⬅️➡️ 🏠 🏜️ "The Christmas Swap" (2020) 🏜️ 🏠 ⬅️➡️ 🏠 ⛷️🏔️ 🎄- Book Review

MY REVIEW

Hardcover: 176 pages

Publisher: Revell (September 1, 2020)

Language: English          

ISBN-10: 0800738020

ISBN-13: 978-0800738020

⬅️ Click Picture for Purchase Information

“All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade this year.

Tyler Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and, to get better acquainted, he poses as the house's caretaker. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get . . . messy.”

Thank you in advance to the publisher, Baker Publishing Group/Revell Books, for providing a complimentary review copy through Interviews and Reviews. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.

As someone who LOVES Christmas, by extension I LOVE Christmas stories. Christmas Romance stories are the absolute best!

And, after reading the blurb on this one – I had to get it! And, that gorgeous cover definitely gave it an edge.

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to have been chosen for “The Happy Camper” Revell Blogger team. And, as that was a cutesy read from the author, I thought this would be no different.

And …

It wasn’t – for the most part.

Since this is an “honest” review – not every reader will like everything an author has written. Nor will every reader like the story being told. They also won’t like the characters.

To start off, this is more of a novella – short novel, coming in at less than 180 paged. As a result, things will be abbreviated, and the story will move at a faster pace. This is a standalone read and not seemingly connected to the other Christmas stories by the author.

What worked in this book’s favor, for me – short chapters. That, for some reason, always gets me to read a book even faster. It can be a long book, and I will read faster with short chapters. This was no exception. Combined with the writing pace, this was an addictive little read that I couldn’t put down. It was easy to read, and perhaps that is some of the issues that other readers face. It isn’t a complex story. At its core, it is a simple little holiday story.

Carlson’s vivid, picturesque writing made me feel as though I was right there with this family. And, I also wished I wasn’t due to the family conflict which begins right off in chapter three and doesn’t end until the end of the book. There was always something going on.  

The plot was different than other Christmas novels I have read. I liked the idea of a “house swap”, though I honestly have never heard of such a thing. After reading this book – I’m definitely sure I wouldn’t want to participate in one. This also had a “Hallmark” movie vibe to it, so there will be some conflict leading up to the “happily ever after” ending. It is a very light-hearted, escapist type of read.

One of the reasons the house swap was a bad idea were the characters – specifically Mrs. Landers and Gillian. Both of them, particularly Mrs. Landers, acted like the typical spoiled rich women. Mrs. Landers’ endless complaining and criticizing was annoying. It got worse with the house, which I thought was absolutely gorgeous and darling. And, what did she expect for the area? Her daughter, Gillian, wasn’t that far behind either.

The women were awful, even Gillian was up until the end. Even, her “flip” on West with the conniving and acting like a victim was inexcusable. Though I was wondering what her goal was, what she had hoped to accomplish.

Mr. Landers and Emma (the Landers’ guest) were actually pretty likeable. I felt sorry for Mr. Landers and how unappreciated he was. I was secretly hoping he would’ve just sent his wife (and daughter) packing. Emma’s gratitude and appreciation gave the book that warm, “feel good” emotion.

Harris and Grant were pretty mild considering the Landers ladies. Given that Grant is Gillian’s brother; he was definitely an underdog character.

West, despite his fame, was the absolute star of this novel! I really loved his down-to-Earth demeanor as well as his courting of Emma. There was a humbleness, sincerity, and honesty to him that made this story work without overly trying. Though the “discovery” of who he is was a short-lived plot device. Grant’s mother was a hoot! I would’ve liked to have had more of her in this story.

There is a lack of character development except with West and Emma. The others are relegated to the background with not much there for them to do. Thankfully Mrs. Landers’ complaining did end as her character’s interaction wad reduced about halfway through.

I did wonder what Gillian’s motives were towards Grant and what made her turn so quickly when it came to Emma’s disappearance. It definitely made Gillian’s treatment of Emma apparent – as if she was the token charity case.

The budding romance was another saving grace for this book. And, while some might not think so, I do believe we can fall in love quite quickly.

This was too short of a read, and I desperately wanted more from it. I felt that this had a potential to last a little longer than what it did.

While distributed by Revell, a Christian/faith themed publisher, I found no Christian or faith references in this book. It is more of a clean read with no references to sex and no foul language. Parents should have no issue with their teens (15 and up) reading this Christmas story. It also serves as a wonderful lesson (without being preachy) as to how we should treat people, no matter who they are – caretaker or famous music writer.

Some fans of the author as well as the genre might enjoy this read. It is a little lower on the scale coming closer to 3.8 stars, so I rounded up.

For me, it does have a high re-read factor despite some of the moments and issues.  

RATING:

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over 200 books with sales of more than 7 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.

You can follow her on the following social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melodycarlsonauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormelodycarlson/

*This post contains affiliate links