At the center of Jenny Hale's feel-good romance Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are handsome, wealthy workaholic Nick Sinclair and single mother and overworked nurse Abbey Fuller. In Richmond, Va., Nick has settled his elderly grandmother Caroline into a small cottage adjacent to his Georgian Revival-style mansion on the banks of the James River. He never wanted the sprawling estate--the oversized house was his wife's idea. Since the couple's acrimonious divorce, the mansion has been stripped bare.
Having been lured by Nick from her job at an upscale retirement home, Abbey assists and cares for Caroline, and the two women become friends. Abbey shares her passion for interior design and explains that she was forced to put her design dreams on hold in order to raise her son, Max. Caroline offers Abbey the chance to decorate her cottage, and the result is so pleasing that Caroline convinces Nick to hire Abbey to redesign his mansion in time for Christmas, when Nick's sister and her family will arrive to spend the holidays. The salary Nick offers for the job is beyond Abbey's wildest dreams, but can she meet the decorating deadline while accommodating Caroline's and Max's needs?
An opposites-attract romance riddled with complications ensues between private, standoffish Nick and bubbly, inquisitive Abbey. Hale (The Summer House) playfully captures the light, fluffy spirit of true love and the meaning of family at the most wonderful time of the year. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines