I went into Christmas from the Heart expecting a fluffy and cheesy romance, kind of like a Hallmark movie, which I confess I enjoy watching from time to time. So there I was, all settled in with my glass of wine and a warm blanket, cozy as can be. But almost immediately, I could tell this story lacked what a compelling Hallmark movie always has: a likable female lead.
Livi runs a charity, and a large part of her job is getting funding for it. But she's so pushy and obnoxious that it sets my teeth on edge. When Guy tells her that his company cannot contribute to her charity this year due to financial issues, she badgers him relentlessly while bad-mouthing him to everyone she knows. He feels bad, so he sends her a check for a few hundred dollars, to which she responds by writing a belittling thank-you note back. When they meet in person, and she doesn't know who he is but can see that he has money, she immediately latches onto him for funding, all the while bad-mouthing Guy to him, not knowing they're the same person. At some point, Livi even acknowledges that she feels entitled to the money.
Honestly, I'm a bit in shock that this is the characterization of the main female character. The author seems to be trying to say that Livi is the kind and generous charity do-gooder while Guy is the Scrooge, but actually wrote it such that Livi comes across as the gold-digging villain while Guy is the reasonable one. It makes no sense to me that Guy falls for Livi when she essentially acts like an entitled princess who must get her way.
Speaking of unlikable characters, there is a local guy Morris who pines for Livi in the story. He hangs around her like a puppy, running errands for her and basically acting like her slave. He badgers her constantly to get back together with him even though she has told him multiple times that she doesn't want to. But then she strings him along, sucking up to him so that he would do favors for her. The two of them deserve each other, so it's sad that they weren't the pairing that got together in the end.
Every year during this time, I try to fit in a few seasonal books to get in the spirit. But inevitably I get distracted, and the holidays seem to fly by in the blink of an eye. When January arrives, I look at my pile of holiday reads and admit defeat. But not this year. This year, I did it! It's just too bad it was a cold-hearted read instead of the heartwarming one I was hoping for.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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