Karyn Gerrard ~ "That Christmas Feeling"

Do you believe it's possible for two people to meet and fall in love, all in one night? While the guy is singing "Old Toy Trains", and because the girl was crying at the end of the Grinch? If you read this story, you'll learn the answer is yes. And you'll fall in love yourself – that much is guaranteed.




That Christmas Feeling is a story about Jimmy Doyle, a thirty-six-year-old actor and male model, who hates Christmas and wants it to pass quickly and unobtrusively, if possible. There's a reason for it – a painful, haunting reason, an unbearable guilt, and memories that seem like they'll never stop torturing him. So, when his buddy invites him to a lodge in Northwestern Ontario, for a Christmas poker weekend, he grabs a chance to run away from it all.

Karin Kellegher runs the lodge, and the smaller chalets surrounding it, along with her father. She's about to welcome the guests that are renting the lodge, and then enjoy her Christmas tradition – holiday music and movies, with homemade popcorn and wine. Well, that was the plan at least, until Jimmy knocked on her door. But creating new traditions and memories may turn out to be the best thing – for both of them.

Although this is a short story, it packs quite a punch. The characters – especially Jimmy – are incredibly developed and realistic. There are a lot of full length novels out there that fail to affect you on so many levels and in so many ways as this little read. I loved it, enjoyed it immensely, and only wish it were just a tiny bit longer. Nevertheless, I recommend it, and hope you'll appreciate it as much as I did. Karyn Gerrard managed to convince me to keep reading her books with this short story alone. And I am most definitely looking forward to it.

This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews