"It Happened One Christmas is irresistibly Christmassy with all the sparkle of a Hallmark movie. So festive I could almost smell the scent of pine through the pages." —Jenny Bayliss, author of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe A charming and rollicking holiday rom-com about a big-city film director who must convince the dreamy, yet grumpy, mayor of a small town to give her the permit to shoot her Christmas movie in his idyllic hometown. Perfect for fans of Hallmark holiday movies, and readers of Maggie Knox's All I Want for Christmas and The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Will her Christmas wish come true? Zoey Andrews lives and breathes Christmas. She loves everything about the season, and after years of directing countless holiday movies, she certainly knows her way around a festive tale. So, when she finally gets the chance to bring her own script to life, she isn't about to let anything, or anyone, stand in her way--not even the stupidly sexy, utterly frustrating plaid-clad tree farmer Benoît Deschamps. Moonlighting as mayor of Chelsea--the cozy Quebec hamlet at the center of Zoey's screenplay--Ben maddeningly refuses to grant her a film permit in his enchanting town. With just four days left before Christmas, Zoey must change Ben's mind, but not before an unscripted ice storm leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere, with nothing except . . . each other. Will Ben's chilly resolve shatter Zoey's Christmas movie wish? Or will Zoey be able to melt his stubbornness--and maybe even his heart?
Reviews with the most likes.
I just finished It Happened One Christmas by Chantel Guertin and here are my thoughts.
Zoey makes Christmas movies for a living and when she finally gets her script greenlit to film, she won't let anything stand in her way. Traveling herself to Quebec to a small hamlet where she has set her movie, Zoey has to get the permits and permissions quickly before her boss decides to shoot another movie...
Zoey didn't foresee Ben, owner of the Christmas tree farm where she needs to film. When it is a resounding no, she goes to see the mayor and who does she find in the office? BEN! No chance of that permit now.
Convincing Zoey to go to the next town over, a freak ice storm strands Zoey and Ben in the middle of nowhere with only each other to get through it.
Can they work together to make it back to civilization and will Ben change his mind on Zoey's request?
Not your average christmas romance and I am so glad for that! This book was so charming and whimsical with a slight hint of terror! The author changed my mind on a grumpy frenchman... Ben was a total babe at the end and I loved how their relationship developed and changed over the course of the book. I did find Zoey a little annoying but I think she was pushed to her limit with trying to fix someone else's mistake to make sure her movie got its shot.
The romance was a total slow burn and didn't consume the whole book which was an interesting path to take but I think it worked pretty well here. I think the story building was quite excellent and I loved how Canada was portrayed as well.
The writing was great and I was pleased with the book overall.
3.75 stars - rounded to 4.
Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for my gifted copy
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