The Christmas Swap by Melody Carlson

 

Book description:

All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can't find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there's someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade.

West Prescott is an in-demand songwriter and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet--or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and to get better acquainted, he poses as the caretaker of his own house. But when Emma's friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get . . . messy.

My review:

  Melody Carlson has been writing Christmas books every year for several years. I have been reviewing them as long as I have reviewed books, and she has never disappointed. Each book is totally different than the others, yet is always a delightful read. The Christmas Swap is another great read, yet different.

  This book is a little more lighthearted than some, and is pretty much a straightforward romance around Christmas. I loved the two main characters, West and Emma. West especially is an awesome character as he slightly misleads the guests in his house to his true identity, yet his reasons are totally understandable.

  The Christmas Swap is a simple story of boy meets girl, and their romance is almost thwarted by girl's shallow best friend. Though fictional, the book does show how some people are so easily drawn to others because of who they are, and not drawn to the person of their own personality. Emma was drawn to West because of the kind of man he was, but Emma wasn't drawn to him until she found out who he really was.

 I thoroughly enjoyed The Christmas Swap, and it is another Christmas novel the author can be proud of. And yes, it put me in the mood for Christmas.

I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.

About the author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over 200 books with sales of more than 7 million, including many bestselling Christmas novellas, young adult titles, and contemporary romances. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.

The Christmas Swap is available from Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group.