Christmas at Holiday House

This feel-good Christmas contemporary from Thayne (Summer at Lake Haven) kicks off when single mother Abby Powell moves to the refreshingly diverse ski town of Silver Bells, Colo., to work as a live-in nurse for Winnie Lancaster, her best friend Lucy’s grandmother. Lucy’s brother, Ethan, wants his grandmother to move into an assisted living center, but Winnie has other plans—including setting up him up with Abby. Abby gets roped into helping with a fundraiser tour of Winnie’s mansion, and sparks fly when Ethan agrees to help out. But Abby’s still struggling to move on after her husband’s death and planning to move to Austin after the holidays, leaving little room for new attachments. Ethan has his own baggage to work through after witnessing the endless drama of his parents’ dysfunctional relationship. Meanwhile, Lucy struggles with her commitment phobia and her growing attraction to Ethan’s best friend, José Navarro. Fun descriptions of holiday festivities and winter sports add to the atmosphere. Christmas fanatics will find this hits the spot. [em]Agent: Karen Solem, Spencerhill Assoc. (Oct.) [/em]