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We’re all allowed a few guilty pleasures during the holiday season—a few cookies, some shrimp cocktail, a few gifts you don’t really need…even a fluffy romance novel or two...
Here Comes Santa Claus won me over because it’s different. It was written by three different authors—but instead of writing three separate-but-somewhat-related stories, they took turns writing the novel, a chapter at a time (in much the same way that my friend Darren and I used to make up silly stories during boring calculus classes). The story follows three friends on their way to a Christmas Eve wedding in their hometown in Maine. Though they grew up in a home for boys—and the residents of Snowdon, Maine, never thought they’d amount to anything—the three have done impressively well. Sam “Slick” Merrick is a career military man and a member of the famous Blue Angels. Kevin “JD” (as in Juvenile Delinquent) Wilder is a big-time New York bounty hunter. And Stan Kijewski had a career in the NFL—until an injury ended his career.
On their way to Maine, all three are caught in a snowstorm, and their only hope of making it to the wedding on time is the Santa Brigade—a cheery bus full of Snowdon retirees who volunteer their time at homeless shelters around the country. So the three reluctantly join the Brigade. At the same time, Sam finds himself reunited with the love of his life, Reba, who’s still upset by the way he left town and never came back. Kevin is accompanied by Callie Brandt, a New York fashion designer who skipped a court date. And Stan shows up with Dana, a forest ranger and secret football fan who’s also on her way to the wedding.
I’ll admit that I had a hard time getting into this book—because of the unrealistic story and the unnatural dialog. But once I switched myself into Romance Novel Mode, I enjoyed the story. That’s not to say that I didn’t still roll my eyes every once in a while. I definitely did. But it didn’t keep me from sitting back and enjoying this light, fluffy novel.
The authors do a great job of collaborating. In fact, they make the transitions almost seamless—and their styles match so well that you’ll barely notice the change of authors from chapter to chapter. Maybe that was the most intriguing part of this book for me—or maybe it was the busload of goofy seniors (and their overactive libidos), who definitely steal the show from the floundering main characters. Whatever the case, if you can handle a bit of cheesy dialog and unlikely romance, Here Comes Santa Claus will help you wind down after a long day of shopping and cooking and festivities.
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