Jessica’s Christmas Kiss (Christmas Kisses #3)

When she was a teenager Jessica kissed a boy at a Christmas party. She never saw him again, and thought he'd forgotten all about her. Years later, her Christmas is ruined when she discovers that not only is her husband cheating on her again, but this time he is leaving her. Drunk and determined to confront the woman who had won over her husband, she instead comes face to face with the boy who gave her that perfect kiss so long ago. In the middle of drama with her ex and his father, can Jessica and Alan find love?

A Christmas novella of chance meetings and love, a seemingly ordinary and unremarkable woman meets a man running from fame. While the story is fairly predictable, it contains a cute premise and also addresses some serious issues, such as Alan’s guilt over his father’s current state. However, Jessica herself spends a great deal of time being sad and a victim. While she has good reason to act that way, she never really grows out of it, which makes her somewhat unlikable. Since this is a novella, there isn’t enough time to show much character growth but even so a lot of the problems and their solutions are told instead of shown. Still, the pacing is good, and Alan’s back story makes for some interesting drama to counter Jessica’s. Overall, a cute dramatic Christmas read.

Sarah E. Bradley