Review: The Mistletoe Promise

The Details

Title: The Mistletoe Promise

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Genre: Romance

Length: 251 pages

Release Date: November 18, 2014

Medium: E-book

Rating: 3.5/5

Pace: Fast

Stand-alone or Series: Mistletoe Collection (Stand-alone)

"What I do know is that everyone makes mistakes. That's why forgiveness is so important. Unfortunately, so many of us are bad at it."

The Goodreads Synopsis

Elise Dutton dreads the arrival of another holiday season. Three years earlier, her husband cheated on her with her best friend, resulting in a bitter divorce that left her alone, broken, and distrustful.

Then, one November day, a stranger approaches Elise in the mall food court. Though she recognizes the man from her building, Elise has never formally met him. Tired of spending the holidays alone, the man offers her a proposition. For the next eight weeks—until the evening of December 24—he suggests that they pretend to be a couple. He draws up a contract with four rules:

1. No deep, probing personal questions

2. No drama

3. No telling anyone the truth about the relationship

4. The contract is void on Christmas Day

The lonely Elise surprises herself by agreeing to the idea. As the charade progresses, the safety of her fake relationship begins to mend her badly broken heart. But just as she begins to find joy again, her long-held secret threatens to unravel the emerging relationship. But she might not be the only one with secrets.

The Review

My first thoughts, this is a cliché Christmas novel. Pretending to be in a relationship for the holidays instantly made me think of a Hallmark T.V. movie. Not that this is a bad thing, but I wanted more from it. I appreciated the different take on how it became a relationship with the Mistletoe Promise (contract).

Many readers and reviewers stopped reading this novel due to the flashbacks to the history of the main characters’ lives. Both extremely tragic and heart wrenching, it might not be suitable for all readers.

The Characters

The two main characters within this novel have incredible back stories. They are very real and I could see them as actual people versus fictional characters. I wish we could have seen more into the stranger’s life (name withheld to avoid spoiler).

The Style

This was a simple and easy read. I read it in one sitting. It was fast and didn’t drag out parts that didn’t need to be.

The Recommendation
I do recommend this book, but I don’t plan to read it again. It was a cozy Christmas read, but nothing more than that for me.