Dashing through the snow by Debbie Macomber

Ashley Davison, a graduate student in California, desperately wants to spend the holidays with her family in Seattle. Dashiell Sutherland, a former army intelligence officer, has a job interview in Seattle and must arrive by December 23. Though frantic to book a last-minute flight out of San Francisco, both are out of luck: Every flight is full, and there's only one rental car available. Ashley and Dash reluctantly decide to share the car, but neither anticipates the wild ride ahead. At first they drive in silence, but forced into close quarters Ashley and Dash can't help but open up. Not only do they find they have a lot in common, but there's even a spark of romance in the air. Their feelings catch them off guard-never before has either been so excited about a first meeting. But the two are in for more twists and turns along the way as they rescue a lost puppy, run into petty thieves, and even get caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Though Ashley and Dash may never reach Seattle in time for Christmas, the season is still full of surprises-and their greatest wishes may yet come true.

I read this for a challenge I'm doing where I had to read a book in a day. Debbie Macomber's Christmas stories are always a quick read so it was a no brainer to pick one that I hadn't already read. I really enjoyed it and the FBI mix up was a real classic. Lots of laughs and of course they get together even before the end of the book!

On one hand there are no words. On the other, LOTS of words come to mind. None of them are complimentary.

Dumb. Stupid. Ridiculous. Shallow. Trite. Horrible plotting. Eye-rollingly bad. Worst use of Rom-Com Tropes ever.

This author is not a regular read for me. They aren't my cup of tea (never mind I have a large soft spot for Hallmark holiday movies and a few are based on this author's works). But I like holiday theme stories around the holidays. I know, I know. It's post holidays. But I'd forgotten I put this one on hold at the library and then it popped up as available and I thought why not. I really should have read a few other reviews and saved myself the trouble.

I mean seriously, the main characters were named Dash and Ash (well, Ashley...but still). That should have been my first red flag. But other than that it started out with your average, general tropey-ness. Forced by “comical” (I use that term lightly, because despite what the author said, I didn't laugh out loud) circumstances, our romantic heroes are forced to road trip together. Which could be fun. Except it's not. There's a do not fly order (that no one knows about), an abandoned puppy, a biker gang, teenage license plate thieves, a mechanic who thought he was abducted by aliens and the most inept FBI agents ever found on the written page. Argh. Just thinking about the whole stupid FBI plot makes me want to throw something. I've seen soap operas handle FBI plots better than this. It says a lot that I was more irritated by the agents in pursuit than I was by the idiot babbling on about his wife who he left on another planet.

But of course by the last page mistakes have been acknowledged. Job interviews have been missed but feelings have been spoken out loud. And everyone is off to enjoy a happy Christmas dinner with their loved ones. One big, neat, tidy red bow. Easily forgettable, which is probably for the best.