First Kiss

September 4, 2000
Revered for her heartwarming romances populated with quirky characters, Pappano (Father to Be) returns to the magical town of Bethlehem, N.Y., where the human spirit shines and angels and cupids play matchmaker to the lost and lonely. Forty-year-old multimillionaire Tom Flynn has met all his goals in life except one: he has yet to find the perfect wife. Tom defines "perfect" as a woman whose beauty, autonomy, sophistication and intelligence would be the envy of his friends. Innkeeper Holly McBride meets all his requirements, but incidents from her childhood have turned her off love and marriage. Tom, who is also trying to get past traumas from his youth, seems motivated by Holly's constant rejection of him, which may cause some readers to doubt the depth of his character. However, the remaining cast, which includes an awkward teenage runaway who plays a pivotal role in Holly's past, picks up the slack and leads the way to a typically Pappano, happily-ever-after ending. (Sept.) FYI: Season of Miracles, the first book in the Bethlehem series, was a 1998 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie.