A Cowboy Under My Christmas Tree

The charm begins and ends with the title of this weak holiday romance. The concept is winsome enough: Sam Bennett, a handsome and gallant cowboy%E2%80%94complete with Stetson he only reluctantly removes%E2%80%94comes to New York in December to help a college friend install seasonal decorations and falls hard for Nicole Young, a busy window designer trying to create enticing Manhattan storefronts. Bestseller Dailey (Honor) breathes life into her descriptions of wintry Manhattan, but never animates her characters. Her description of Nicole's job reads like a career guide, obscuring the romance, and a subplot involving cake-baking widow Maureen Fulton will have readers wishing Sam would sweep her and her children back to the Rockies with him and leave behind the tedious Nicole. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates. (Oct.)