The Heart of Christmas

The Whiskey Creek gang (last seen in When Snow Falls) reunites for this middling Christmas-themed contemporary romance. When Eve Harmon turns 35, she confronts a few unpalatable truths: she's single and childless, and has no prospect on the horizon for changing either situation. The old-fashioned girl who believes in commitment and white picket fences shocks her friends when she picks up a handsome stranger at a bar. They are even more concerned when Brent Taylor sticks around, especially since he is not telling the truth about anything. The chemistry between Eve and Brent is explosive, but Brent hurts Eve repeatedly by keeping her at a distance. Even as Eve tells herself she can't sleep with Brent again, she seeks him out and doesn't say no when he comes knocking. No simple hero, Brent has the scars to prove his complicated past. He knows Eve is too good for him, but he does little to improve himself, and watching Eve compromise her ideals, settle for his lies, and try to save him is uncomfortable. (Nov.)