Everybody loves a parade!
Well, everybody except Evan…
Evan, the county sheriff, knows that businesses are struggling in the small town of Clark Creek. But unlike the mayor—who happens to be his mother—he doesn’t think that hiring a “Christmas Consultant,” whatever that is, will help. Especially when this Christmas Consultant proposes a holiday parade that seems likely to overwhelm his staff and leave the town in even more debt.
Mary is sure the parade is going to be a superb fundraiser. She’s going to make sure of it, overcoming every obstacle…including those put in place by the stubborn sheriff. But in the middle of her planning, the unexpected happens: she and Evan begin to see one another in a different light.
Could the parade bring about more than one Christmas miracle?
.
Title: On Christmas Avenue
Series:
Author: Ginny Baird
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: September 21, 2021
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
My Rating: 4 stars
On Christmas Avenue is a delightful, small-town romance – a smallish town in desperate need of saving, and an adorable Grinch-like sheriff who doesn’t believe that spending money the town doesn’t have will bring in more funds that are so badly needed. He’s about to be proven wrong in a story full of Christmas cheer and possibilities.
Mary has a career that she adores. Her business basically travels to locations where people are in dire need of fundraising and are pretty much on their last pitch for a miracle when they finally contact her. Clark Creek will be a do-able project for Mary – but it’s also going to be a frustrating one when the local sheriff (the mayor’s son – the mayor who hired her) has no faith at all in her abilities and will try everything possible to make her job more difficult. Oh, he’s not about to get nasty, but there are ways to slow things down, especially for a sheriff who has turned Grinch.
Evan might not normally deserve the title of Grinch but his mother’s harebrained scheme to bring much-needed funds into the community will only be spending money that Clark Creek can hardly afford. There’s no way a silly Christmas Parade will save his town but this “Christmas Consultant” has convinced the mayor that it will do so with style and festive cheer. He might not have a choice about the parade but he also has the chance to toss a few obstacles in the way and doesn’t hesitate one second in doing just that.
On Christmas Avenue is everything I always expect and find with Ginny Baird’s work. A couple to cheer for, some obstacles to overcome, a small-town feeling, and a love (eventually) that can last a lifetime. I adored this couple, even at his most Grinch-like moments there was never a doubt about Evan’s love for his community. And Mary’s delight in everything Christmas quickly won my heart. I liked them and enjoyed every moment spent in Clark Creek with them. If you love small-town romances set in the holiday madness, then On Christmas Avenue would be perfect for you.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
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