“The Christmas Swap” by Melody Carlson

“The Christmas Swap” by Melody Carlson

This short story grabbed my attention from the very first chapter with the interesting and complicated characters-Emma, the Landers Family, and finally Tyler. I liked the idea of the house swap although I would never want to do that personally. I loved reading the imagery of Colorado, the snow, mountains and skiing. The author did a great job and I felt like I was right there along side them.

I especially liked Emma’s helpful and positive character. The Landers family, especially the mom and Gillian (who was supposedly Emma’s good friend) were simply awful and toxic. I do not understand why such a positive, good hearted person like Emma would want to have a friend like Gillian. I felt like the selfishness and manipulative behavior took away from the whole Christmas, fun feel of the book.

Clean romance, fun fiction Christmas story about failed expectations, hope, love and the holiday spirit. Overall, I enjoyed reading this quick holiday story.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book:
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.

Fan favorite Melody Carlson is back with another delightful Christmas tale to warm your heart on those cold winter evenings.

Purchase a copy of the book here:

Biography
Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including Romantic Time’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/