Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre – a Review
Kissing Under the Mistletoe
by Bella Andre
The Sullivans series
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Links to order Kissing Under the Mistletoe:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository
Description:
For Mary Sullivan Christmas is, and always has been, about family. And this year is no different. As she awaits the arrival of her eight children and their partners at the cottage in Lake Tahoe, she hangs the ornaments that they made for her over the years. Each decoration brings with it a tide of memories, all of which she holds dear to her heart. But when she comes across the oldest ornament, the one her beloved husband, Jack, gave her on their very first Christmas together, Mary is immediately swept back to the first days of their whirlwind romance, to the love that would be the foundation on which they built the family she is so proud to call her own.
Join the Sullivans this Christmas for a story that explores the wonder of the holidays, the meaning of family and a love that transcends time.
Review:
The Sullivan series has been so successful, as we have met the entire family and each of their spouses, in each of Bella Andre‘s books. The parents of these wonderful, not to mention gorgeous siblings are Mary and Jack Sullivan. Mary is the matriarch of the family, with Jack having died many years before.
Fans of this series have begged Bella to write the story of Jack and Mary when they met and fell in love. Now in the 10th book of the series, Kissing Under the Mistletoe is their story, and a wonderful trip down memory lane it is. I loved their story, and Andre just continues to wow us with her wonderful sweet and sexy stories.
It starts with Mary in the cabin waiting for each of her married children to arrive to celebrate Christmas. Mary pulls out the box of all her special Christmas ornaments, especially those made by each child. We go down memory lane as she remembers with us, how she received these personally made ornaments. The Sullivans have always been about family tradition, love and loyalty.
Once they are all put up, she sits back and thinks about her Jack. As she closes her eyes, we flash back in time when Mary was a famous model. She has made a decision to quit, as she wants to live a normal life, and find love. Mary meets entrepreneur, Jack, during her last day on the job. Jack is facing his own crisis, as a new product he has worked on for years, is on the brink of being dropped. He is been given a day to find something to spice up the product promotion..some kind of sex appeal. Jack comes upon the photo shoot, and immediately decides Mary is the perfect solution. What Jack didn’t count on was that he would fall head over heels in love with Mary. Mary was attracted to Jack also, but she was hesitant to commit to anyone, since she has been hurt so many times by people using her. At first, Mary wants nothing to do with another man who is interested to use her for her looks, but Jack is very convincing. He wines and dines her, and they both feel the immediate sexual chemistry. Mary agrees to do the campaign for his product, but tells Jack she doesn’t mix business and pleasure. Easier said then done, as both are falling in love with each other. Jack was fabulous, not pushing Mary until she was ready. He knew she had bad experiences, and he did not want her to be hurt. Jack worked hard to win Mary’s trust, and when Mary gets called home to visit her ailing mother, whom she hasn’t seen in 13 years; Jack is with her every step of the way. Mary knows she can trust her heart, and allow her love for Jack to guide her.
Andre always has some special scenes in her books that totally pull you in emotionally. When Jack took Mary to meet his family, it was so heart warming to see Mary with his brother’s young child, Ian (Mr. Irresistible). Precious moments like this are Andre’s trademark.
The epilogue in this book was unusual and wonderful. We got to see a short page for each month of their first year of marriage up to when Mary becomes pregnant with their first child. I really enjoyed that. Bella Andre does it again, with a fabulous look back in time with the couple that brought us the Sullivans. If you have not read The Sullivans, then you are missing a wonderful series that should not be missed.
Reviewed by Barb
Series Order:
1. The Look of Love
2. From this Moment On
3. Can’t Help Falling In Love
4. I Only Have Eyes for You
5. If You Were Mine
6. Let Me Be the One
7. Come a LIttle Bit Closer
8. Always on My Mind
9. The Way You Look Tonight
10. Kissing Under the Mistletoe (Christmas Novella)
