4 Wine Glass #Review of Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber

Title: Merry and Bright
Author: Debbie Macomber
Format: Kindle, 272 pages
Published: October 3, 2017 (Ballantine Books)
ISBN: ASIN: B01N6OUZID
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Merry Knight is pretty busy these days. She's taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry's well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her--minus her photo--and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl.

Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects--or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.

Linda's Thoughts:
You’ve got mail…

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber is the first book I’ve ever read by this author, but I don’t plan on it being the last! The cover is a charming Christmas scene and drew me in right away. The story brought back wonderful memories from two favorite movies: You’ve Got Mail and The Sound of Music. Indeed, the story is a sweet, light, festive romance that just screams Hallmark, and, since I enjoy holiday reads year-around, and she has many, I definitely plan to check out more of her stories in the next few months. This is the story of Merry Knight and Jayson Bright. LOL! Even the play on names makes me smile…

As the story opens, Merry is working as a temp at a consulting firm, but she might as well be a full time employee with the insane hours she’s putting in. To make things even more stressful at work, she can’t stand her boss, Jayson Bright. After pairing the demands of her job and her family and with readying for the upcoming Christmas season, her own social life is the farthest from her thoughts. But, her special-needs brother and her mother conspiring together as an early Christmas present for Merry, decide to sign her up with an online dating site using a picture of a dog. Merry doesn’t have the heart to be mad at them since they only want her to be happy. Lo and behold, through the listing, she strikes up a friendship with a mystery man who seems perfect for her.

Jayson becomes aware of the same dating site through his friend, who is now a very happy customer and planning his wedding. Jayson’s dubious, but he decides to take a chance and signs up for an account with the service. He immediately sees a listing with a dog picture that reminds him of a beloved dog he had and messages her. They hit it off immediately, chatting every night. But, when they make plans to meet, a huge obstacle to any future plans becomes very apparent to one of them.

The primary characters are both likeable and genuine. Merry loves Christmas as Christmas holds many fond memories for her. Jayson doesn’t care for Christmas as it’s never been a happy time for him growing up. She loves nothing more than to spread Christmas cheer while he is very serious and finds Christmas to be distracting and non-productive. She’s very family-oriented and he’s not. Can these two get past their original impressions and their differences? Is there any hope for an HEA for a Christmas elf and a Scrooge?

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Merry and Bright:

“Christmas is a condition of the heart.”
--- 

“I kissed her.”
His words were met with silence and then, “How was it?”
“On a scale of one to ten, it was about a hundred.”
--- 

“I’ve always loved catching snow on my eyelashes.”

This is an emotional sweet and clean holiday romance with a slew of laugh-out-loud moments. Family relationships figure strongly in the story. It’s kind of predictable, but I still enjoyed every minute of it. If you enjoy lovely Christmas tales set against a snowy wonderland that will most assuredly pull at your heart strings while leaving you snuggled in warm fuzzies, I’d highly recommend that you check out Merry and Bright.