Just Like Magic

Hogle (You Deserve Each Other) brings a touch of magic to this cheery Christmas romance. Social media influencer Bettie Hughes can’t admit to her ultra-competitive family that she’s squandered her money in a string of poor business decisions, so she’s squatting in her famous grandmother’s home in Teller City, Colo., for the holidays. There, with some spilled wine and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” she inadvertently summons the Holiday Spirit, “Hall” for short. Hall takes the form of a charming and attractive man, there to grant all of Bettie’s wishes. After indulging her materialistic desires (including wishing for an oceanfront villa), Bettie soon falls under Hall’s spell, learning that Christmas is about far more than who comes up with the best presents. And when it appears that Hall will be recalled to the ethereal realm, Bettie would give anything to keep him earthbound. Hall’s unabashed, almost childlike love for all things Christmas—including Hallmark Channel movies, snowball fights, and sugar cookies—is flat-out sweet, and his influence on Bettie transforms her life for the better. This lighthearted and witty tale is sure to put readers in a holiday mood. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Oct.)