Widower Graham Westfall doesn’t have time for Christmas. After missing the mark on his last ad campaign by a New York mile, his job now hangs in the balance. He has one month to come up with a new campaign or he’s out. He arrives in Holly Pointe planning to work the month away while his twin daughters spend time with their grandmother.
When he discovers there’s no room at Gramma Ginny’s Inn, his only choice of lodging is the one place in Holly Pointe he doesn’t want to be…the Candy Cane Christmas House.
Holiday Party Central accurately describes the home where Faith and her Grandmother live. Under this roof there are cookies to bake, lessons to learn and love to embrace. If a romance between an artist and an ad executive can’t bloom at this time of year…then when?
Faith Pierson was my favorite character in Cindy Kirk’s first Holly Pointe holiday story. A kind, generous person, Faith personified the true spirt and meaning of Christmas. She loves all of the holiday events in her town and immerses herself in the town’s holiday activities.
Graham Westfall and his twin daughters travel to Holly Pointe to spend time with his late wife’s family. They arrive to find a houseful of people and end up renting an apartment in Faith’s family home. Graham is all business. His plan of rewriting an ad campaign falls apart when he realizes that he will have to spend Family time with his daughters.
I love the characters in this series. Faith stepped up to care for her grandmother, Mary, when she became ill. Faith stayed in Holly Pointe and opened a store which features and handmade inspirational sayings painted on boards. The store, her employees and the inspirational messages are important to Faith. Graham’s mother-in-law Ginny is a fabulous character-her conversations with Graham are fabulous-she encourages him to talk about his wife, to consider dating and to go after what he really wants.
Two characters that surprised me were Dustin and Krista. Faith and her store were featured on their tv show last season. The episode got high ratings and the couple have made Faith an offer to feature her work in their new store. The couple is also connected to Graham as he is being offered a second chance to create an ad campaign for the power couple. I liked that Cindy Kirk depicted Dustin as an aggressive business man-I was not thrilled with his actions and his underhanded way of getting what he wanted. The conflict between these characters adds a lot of spice to the story. Faith and Graham’s relationship is tested and Faith’s determination to take her time making her decision makes Dustin realize that he cannot push Faith into a commitment.
I love that the characters are not perfect; they are relatable. Trust, faith and love are the cornerstones of this holiday novel. I love the small town setting and the sense of community-people coming together to share traditions in this series. Loved that Cindy Kirk presented “an opportunity of a lifetime” to Faith and Graham and how it drove the storyline. Grab a cup of tea and your favorite blanket or corgi—and settle in for a fabulous afternoon read. This book is a holiday treasure.
Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC provided by the author
Check out my review of Book One of this series-Holly Pointe and Mistletoe by Cindy Kirk
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