Carole Matthews (1) (1957–)

“When I think of all the things I’ve forced myself to do in the last few weeks, I’m just adoring the new, creative me!” (Quotation page 59)

Content
Cassie Smith has been redundant for almost a year now and with Christmas soon coming around she is worried how to get into the happy Christmas spirit when money is so short. Watching adverts on how to celebrate Christmas, she has the perfect idea: there must be people who needed help with all this and who are able to pay for the services rendered. Soon “Calling Mrs. Christmas” is going to be a huge success, many bookings coming in, including lots of baking done by her sister Gaby. When her most important client, the millionaire Carter Randall, invites her to accompany him and his to children on the trip to Lapland, she had organized for them, how could she say no?

Theme and genre
A romantic Christmas fiction, this story mostly is about all the things needed for an almost perfect Christmas. The main topics are family, friendship, love, and choices that could change a life.

Characters
Cassie Smith loves all the Christmas preparations and is happy with her new business, which would make her a likeable person. On the other hand, she takes on far too much, as she is taken away by her new business. She also takes the help of Jim Maddison, her loving partner since five years, a nice guy who cares a lot, for granted.

Plot and writing
The story takes place in Hemel Hempstead, during December, the few weeks before Christmas and is told by Cassie as first-person narrator. We read about her new work, the people she meets, about decorating trees, wrapping hundreds of presents, organizing parties and about the amazing Northern Lights in Lapland. There are funny parts, but also situations that make you think about, as Jim works as officer at the Bovingdale Young Offenders' Unit. Then, unfortunately, the story changes into something unrealistic, unbelievable, something near modern Cinderella.

Conclusion
Christmas fiction with some lengths, beginning with an entertaining plot that makes us thoughtful too. What follows are twists leading the story of Cassie into something near a modern Cinderella idea, for me too far from reality, almost losing the cozy touch of Christmassy magic, readers look for in a romantic Christmas novel.… (mehr)

Das ist ein recht süßes Chicklit-Buch über eine junge Mutter, die sich mit dem Design von Handtaschen selbständig macht. Da das ganze auf einer wahren Geschichte beruht (nämlich auf der von Helen Rochfort), ist es wirklich recht interessant zu lesen, wie Nell ihre ersten Schritte in die Selbständigkeit macht. Natürlich läuft nicht alles glatt und ihr Partner Olly muss sich auch erst mal daran gewöhnen, dass Nell sich verändert.
Ein bisschen fragwürdig finde ich dieses ständige Argumentieren ala "Ich tue es für eine bessere Zukunft meiner Familie". Sie tut es, weil sie ein ungewöhnliches Talent hat- basta! Das muss man nicht ständig verteidigen. Und letztendlich bekommt sie ja dann doch alles unter einen Hut, aber natürlich nur mit Ollys Hilfe.… (mehr)