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Thursday, December 22, 2016

Book Review: A Whyte Christmas

By Sara Steven

Christmas has always been Kate O’Connor’s favorite time of the year, but this season—despite her battery-operated twinkle-light earrings—she’s feeling far from festive. In fact, she’s wallowing in a generous dose of self-pity over the loss of her father, the train wreck that was her engagement, and an unsavory setback in her career. To make matters worse, her boss at the Cline & Co. ad agency has volunteered her to be the one-woman welcoming committee for Gavin Whyte, the VIP client from across the pond who could be the key to saving their struggling business. Eager to prove she’s a team player, Kate resolves to show Gavin a good time, hoping his dazzling blue eyes, his delicious Irish accent, and her own propensity for disaster don’t cause her to torpedo the company’s chances of recovery. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon)

Kate has the type of personality you love to get to know. Even though she’s dealing with a lot of personal and professional issues in her life, she handles it as well as can be expected, all while doing her very best to stand her ground. I’m not sure I could handle an ex-fiance’s constant advances while working under the same roof. Or, a boss who insists on having me become part of some far-fetched ad campaign that would really put me out there for all the world to see, and not in a flattering light. There’s a lot of chaos in Kate’s world, that’s for sure, and it gets even more complicated when Gavin Whyte enters the picture.

It doesn’t help that he’s incredibly handsome. And funny. And nice. Kate doesn’t want to mix business with pleasure, certainly not with the man who could make or break her career. Yet she can’t help but feel drawn to him. When her boss volunteers Kate to show Gavin around the city, to see the sights, it’s with reluctant hesitation that she agrees.

Every time they’re alone together, some sort of disaster occurs. And just when she thinks he might have some interest in her, she finds out he’s already in a relationship. But who he’s pining for back in Ireland may surprise her.

I really enjoyed the story behind A Whyte Christmas. While reading it, I felt as though the scenarios of Kate’s life could really happen to any one of us, which made me enjoy it all the more. There is a budding romance brimming just under the surface, while we learn more about a woman who begins to learn just how wonderful she really is, even though it’s been a long time coming. While Gavin is the catalyst for this, really, Kate has to discover for herself the power she’s always had inside of her. It’s really the perfect read for the holiday season.

Thanks to Michele Brouder for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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