Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham

 

Summary:

 

Centuries ago, by a scaffold in Manhattan, rose petals drifted gently to the ground......like snow on a wintry Massachusetts night. Melody Tarleton is driving home for Christmas when a man--clad in Revolutionary War-era costume--appears out of nowhere, right in the path of her car. Shaken, she takes in the injured stranger, listening with concern to Jake Mallory's fantastic claim that he's a Patriot soldier, sentenced to death by British authorities. The last thing he remembers is the tug of the noose.

Safe at her parents' house, Melody concocts a story to explain the handsome holiday guest with the courtly manners, strange clothes and nasty bump on the head. Mark, her close friend who wishes he were more, is skeptical and her family is fascinated--though not half so fascinated as Melody herself. Jake is passionate, charming and utterly unlike anyone she's ever met. Can he really be who he claims? And can a man from the distant past be the future she truly longs for?

With the aid of enchanted petals, ancient potions and the peculiar magic of the season, Melody and Jake embark on an unimaginable Christmas adventure--and discover a love that transcends time.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 336 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Purchased

Publication Date: Published October 27th 2009 by Mira 

 

This was the second book that I read for my read-a-thon last weekend in the Goodreads group You'll love this one...!! A book club & more. This was the very first book I've read by the author and I figured I may as well give this book a try since I think I've owned it for somethink like 3 years.

 

Anyways, the reason I wanted to get this one out of the way was because I wanted to try a new author but I was also craving another holiday romance after I finished A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas which was the first book I read for the read-a-thon my review can be found here. Plus I'd heard some really good things about the author so I thought why not?

 

So the book focuses around Melody, a young woman with a wee bit of an attitude problem whom as she is driving home hits a mysterious stranger (Jake) dressed up in clothes from 1700s.  After hitting him she brings him to her family home despite the fact that she thinks he's off his rocker and completely insane or at least suffering from a horrible case of amnesia due to the accident.

 

However through a series of events it comes to pass that Jake really is a solider from the Revolutionary War who was hanged and disappeared from the noose on Christmas 1776 after his adopted sister uses his mother's magic to transport him to the future. But, while Jake is safe in the future he worries for his sister so he recruits Melody's family to help send him back in time which works except Mark a man that melody was  dating previously shows up and bungles their first attempt of 3 I believe. Anyways, 3 attempts later and Melody and Jake make a life for themselves in Melody's time after Mark who mysteriously looks like Jake goes back in time to be with Sarah Jake's sister all in time for Christmas.

 

I thought that this was a nice twist to the usual time travel fiction that I've read because it has the man coming forward through time and I liked how there was a bit of witchcraft mixed in as well. I liked how it was set during the holidays and I enjoyed the characters of Melody's parents, younger brother, Jake and Sarah but I honestly could not stand Melody or Mark.

 

I thought Mark was an ass. He was very close minded about other peoples beliefs and I couldn't handle it. I'm pretty sure if he was as real person that I would murder him. He was that annoying. Plus he was trying to be all macho and it didn't make sense to me.

 

Melody, was a little easier to handle but I still didn't like her so much. She was rude, over the top and very pessimistic and selfish. However, later on in the novel I did start liking her a little more and I think it is because of how she mellowed out a bit because of her love for Jake.

 

Like I said the plot of the novel was good but I think it could have been executed a little better and the characters could have been more realistic and less annoying. Plus there were one or two plot holes that I thought could have done with a major fix because they didn't make much sense.

 

I did enjoy the spirit of the novel though and that was about finding love around Christmas and weather it is science, witchcraft or the magic of Christmas the holidays are about being surrounded by the family, friends (and pets!) that you love.

 

I would recommend this novel to fans of contemporary holiday romances with a clean rating. It was a cute Christmas story that I think can easily be devoured in one sitting (I did it!) under a blanket curled up on the couch with a nice hot beverage. Despite my issues with some things in the book I'm going to check out more of this author's books but I've heard I may have better luck with her non-holiday books so I'll be checking those out first before returning to try another of her holiday romances.

 

 Liked it!
★ ★ ★

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