No Place Like Home

September 2, 2013
Bestseller Miller (Big Sky Wedding) anchors an enjoyable holiday collection with plenty of Christmas cheer but limited sparkle. In Carter’s busy “The Christmas Carousel,” auction house owner Georgia refuses to sell her property to handsome investor Adam. But Adam is more than he seems, and a mysterious Christmas gift that arrives for Georgia gives her a chance to reconsider. Florand’s “A Rose in Winter” is the steamiest entry: when American Ph.D. candidate Allegra decides to stay in Provence over the holidays, she connects in and out of bed with Raoul, an alpha male with a heart. Miller’s “The 24 Days of Christmas” brings Addie back to her hometown of Pine Crossing and her ex-fiancé, Frank; their romantic reunion is upstaged by their family responsibilities. Martin’s Reconstruction-era “Christmas Angel” is a historical oddball among contemporaries, but it stands out more for its tight story and intense romance, in which Southern belle Angel reunites with Joshua, her former love turned Union army doctor. The novellas’ diversity makes for a satisfying, if not stellar, anthology.