Happy Thursday! Today, I'm running a little behind, per usual. But I'm here now, and this is a review of The Reluctant Santa by Sylvia McDaniel. Enjoy!
There's a giveaway associated with this tour, so make sure to
enter!
Blurb:
Colin
McDermott has one last chance to get Christmas right. Since his mother
abandoned him on Christmas Eve never to return, Colin McDermott has hated
Christmas and sworn never to have children. But this year two angels are giving
him everything he didn't want. A Santa suit, a child and a chance at love
again. This is his last chance to learn the true meaning of Christmas.
Review:
The Reluctant Santa is a heart warming tale of love lost and found again. It follows Brooke and Colin, once a couple of college kids in love and now two working stiffs with no idea of what lays ahead of them.
Brooke ran from Colin in college after learning she was pregnant and believing Colin wouldn't have wanted them around. She works for a hospital, and is raising their daughter as a single mother. Colin happens to sell software to hospitals, and walks right into Brooke's. She doesn't tell him anything, even after he's coerced into playing Santa and meets his daughter for the first time.
It takes a tragedy to bring out the truth. I enjoyed this story. The characters are fleshed out well, and I grew to truly enjoy seeing the interaction between them. I did wonder at the inclusion of an angel and demon. To be honest, I'd forgotten they were a part of the story, and when they were mentioned again I had to flip back and see who they were. Otherwise, this is an excellent book. Happy reading!
Excerpt:
“His soul is mine,” Devon, the devil's angel, said. He watched the humans,
who were oblivious to his presence, gathered in the sales office. One of the
best things about being an angel was his ability to pop into just about
anywhere and spy on his subjects without their knowledge. He could observe the
humans as if were watching a play and even occasionally act as director.
A chill wind howled outside the
downtown Denver
office, heralding the arrival of winter and the holiday season. The perfect
time of year to increase his soul count. Devon
studied his next soul, a brown-haired young man with expressive brows and a
quirky grin. Unbeknownst to him, the salesman's life meter was about to expire
unless he made drastic changes.
“Devon,"
a voice echoed into the atmosphere before the being that irritated him the most
shimmered into his vision. “Doing a soul count before he's yours?”
Slowly, an angel materialized,
clad from head to toe in a white leather jacket and white knee-high boots fit
snug over white leather pants. A gold belt around her waist, held a cross that
signified sergeant, angel, first class. Her halo was tilted at a rakish angle.
In earth terms, Gabriella looked hot.
“Whoever is in charge of your
wardrobe, I like the changes they’ve made,” Devon
said, letting his eyes rake her until a searing heat reminded him he was
crossing boundaries. "Please tell me they ditched the boring robes."
With a toss of her blonde hair,
her blue eyes flashed, glinting silver as her brows rose.
“My robes are hardly boring, but
no, one of my cases is a motorcyclist. I'm riding shotgun today, trying to keep
him from splattering all over the highway. The robes kept blowing up in my
face, so I found a solution.”
"Nice!" Devon shook his head and forced his eyes back to the
human whose life he'd soon influence. “I thought your promotion at Easter took
you out of the saving souls division.”
Gabriella smiled as the air
around her shimmered. Why didn’t the angels from purgatory patrol get that
shimmery essence?
“Devon,
we work so…well together” she said, drawing out the word until he wanted to
snap at her. He held onto his temper.
“We're all looking for ways to
make quota this time of year. Only the strongest stay out of the pit, and every
time I come up against you, I lose. But not this time. This one belongs to me,”
he announced, staring at the man whose only interest in life was making money.
No family, no girlfriends, no friends— just work and money.
Gabriella tsked. “Now why would
you want to send this poor man to hell for eternity? He just needs a little
coaxing to choose the right path.”
Devon sighed. “His time is about to expire. I'm here to collect
his soul.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Unless, I
can give him some guidance and save him from evil.”
“Not this time. Heavenly angels
may not be able to play dirty, but I can,” he said, smiling at Gabriella. “And
I intend to win this one.” Gabriella laughed.
"Always so arrogant, Devon." She glanced at their human. “His case is
challenging, but I'm certain I can help him.”
She turned toward Devon, her brows rising. “Playing dirty landed you where
you are now. Why should I expect anything less?”
“How I got here doesn’t matter.
I need this soul,” he snapped. "You make your soul count or the big man
sends you back to the pit to fight and claw your way back for another chance."
“And Colin McDermott needs to be
saved,” Gabriella said, swirling back to their subject. “I mean, look at the
poor man. He has no idea his priorities are in the wrong place. He's a selfish,
greedy man because he's unloved."
“Love!" Devon
exclaimed. "You heavenly angels think loving someone solves everything.”
Gabriella shook her head at Devon, her blue eyes darkening with some sort of power.
“Even you deserved love, Devon. In fact, if I
had been your angel, I would found someone to show you love. Hopefully, you'd
have been smart enough to grab the lifeline."
“Well, you weren't my angel, and
now I'm the big man's soul catcher.”
“It's simple, Devon.
Why would you want to lure more men into the darkness you already face?” she
asked.
Devon clenched his fist, struggling to control the frustration
that spiraled through him. Hell was not a place anyone planned on going. “The
pit!" he said. "Let’s just concentrate on the human.”
"I already was." She
contemplated Colin McDermott. “He's quite handsome with those long, sandy
lashes and sparkling honey eyes. If I were human, one look and he’d melt my
heart.”
“Women on earth know he's not a
good risk. I could wrap this case up before Christmas, if you weren't
here."
“Too bad. I'm here to keep you
from destroying him,” she said, giving him a stern frown. “The poor soul has no
idea of what he's about to face. I'm sure you’ve got some nasty surprises in
store for him, some hard to resist temptations. But hopefully, with my
guidance, he'll make the changes his life needs.”
Devon shook his head. “No, by Christmas he’ll be
mine. Count on it."
About The Author:
Sylvia McDaniel and her
very supportive husband Don, the love of her life, live in Texas with son Shane, Putz the klutzy
dachshund and Ashley our shy dachshund. During the day, she works for a small
insurance agency from home, helping clients with their commercial insurance
coverage.
The weekends are spent working
out in the garden until the temperature climbs above ninety degrees. Recently,
with the help of her husband, she learned to make homemade blueberry and
blackberry jam. Cooking is not her favorite past-time and she prefers Don’s
cooking any day of the week.
Currently, she’s written fourteen
novels. In the last year, she’s been a
finalist in six writing contests and was a 1996 Romance Writers of America
Golden Heart finalist. Sylvia is very involved with the Dallas Area Romance
Authors.
Visit Sylvia online at:
.jpg)
