Do Not Open ’Til Christmas

Donovan’s very sweet third Evergreen Lane romance veers toward the bland with its unexceptional protagonists. Tall Pine is known for its Christmas celebrations, from the year-round Christmas-themed hotel to the giant tree the town decorates each year. Bret Radner has hated the Christmas season since his mother died around that time seven years ago. As acting editor of the Tall Pine Gazette, he has to contend with Chloe Davenport, the paper’s recently hired temporary writer, and her incessantly, almost gratingly, peppy story ideas. Thanks to Bret’s brusque mentorship, Chloe develops as a writer and soon has a loyal following for her human interest stories. These allow Donovan some heartwarming moments of small-town life, including some that continue stories from earlier books. Bret and Chloe’s conflicts and playful teasing never quite rise to match the intensity of their secret feelings, and the holiday setting is perhaps too incidental. The final hurdles to the happy ending raise the stakes, but come too late to offset Bret and Chloe’s lack of spark and spunk. This gentle courtship will comfort readers but falls short of real Christmas magic. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency. (Oct.)