It's a Christmas Thing (The Christmas Tree Ranch, #2)
Janet Dailey
1 ratings • 1 reviews
It's a Christmas Thing (The Christmas Tree Ranch, #2)
Janet Dailey
1 ratings • 1 reviews
The best gifts last a lifetime . . . Veterinarian J.T. "Rush" Rushford isn't looking forward to Christmas. It'll be his first without his beloved four-year-old daughter, Claire. A year ago, Rush's wife divorced him for another man--then broke his heart further by revealing that Claire was her lover's child. The final blow was Rush losing all parental rights. Now he's in Branding Iron, Texas, with his mobile vet practice, just hoping to get through the season--until something like a Christmas miracle happens . . . Turns out Claire's parents are going on an extended cruise, leaving Rush to take her for the holidays. It's bittersweet, knowing that he and Claire will have to part again, maybe forever. . . . Until a smart, not to mention beautiful, lady judge with a pregnant cat and an aging mutt takes a liking to the vet and his little girl and gets involved. With her on their side, and love in their hearts, this Christmas just might be the most joyous of all . . . "The story is full of Christmas spirit . . . Those looking for a little pre-holiday pick-me-up will find plenty to enjoy here." --RT Book Reviews on Just a Little Christmas
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OVERALL: A boring, sweet and clean, zero tension, romance-light book with completely bland characters and no interest; I've already forgotten it.
TW: previous death of a spouse, grief, previous infidelity, divorce, paternity issues, death of a pet, infertility
This was just a two star read for me.
I found this book through my library app, it was Christmas-y and instantly available, so I got the audio and jumped right in.
For me the biggest problem with this book was that it was boring. The characters felt pretty stock, I didn't feel like I knew almost anything about them, and the 4 year old read way too old in my opinion.
Tracy starts the book as a widow of 18 months and not ready to be dating or having feelings yet. That was fine with me, and Rush immediately respects this about her and kind of probes very slightly and then totally backs off--he'd be fine competing with another man, but not with a ghost. And this is the situation for the first ~60%: she isn't emotionally available and they are both against anything starting.
Then suddenly around the 60% mark Rush is flirting with her and decides she needs "a nudge in the right direction" aka he's actively pursuing her because she needs to be ready to date again.... I just found that presumptuous and contrary to what the first half the book had been, especially when she just goes with it!
The two adults had spent essentially zero time together and had multiple moments of "I/we aren't ready for a relationship" and then suddenly were declaring their love for each other?? That felt like it came out of left field to me.
There was no tension throughout this book. I never felt like anything was happening that was intriguing or dramatic, it was all practical childcare arrangements and polite dinner conversation. The only two sections where this was *barely* better were when the dog died and the bleak moment.
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