The Ultimate Christmas Countdown: Kissing Under the Mistletoe - A Sullivan Christmas

Share the sizzling love story that started it all...

For Mary Sullivan Christmas is, and always has been, about family. And this year is no different. As she awaits the arrival of her children at the cottage in Lake Tahoe, she hangs the ornaments that they have made for her and each decoration brings with it a tide of joyful memories.

 

But when she comes across the oldest ornament, the one her beloved husband, Jack, gave her on their very first Christmas together, Mary sees again the first days of their whirlwind romance, the love that would be the foundation on which they built their family.

It's always testament to a writer's skill when their ebooks make it from the screen to the page.  And that's exactly what happened to Bella Andre.  Now infamous in the romance community for her Sullivan series, Kissing Under the Mistletoe takes us back to meet the parents of the characters we've come to hold so dear.

 

As we know already about their happy marriage and love for each other, it becomes even more intriguing to go back and discover its origins; Jack is an techie engineer and Mary is a model, and a chance meeting brings them together.

 

Mary's strength shines in the book.  Her determination to do what she considers right, especially when we consider her parents' stringent opposition at the beginning of her career, helps us love her that little bit extra.  And the fact that on the side, she essentially acts as a house mother for young and naive models echoesthe strains of motherhood that runs through Andre's other books.

But she's not just a mother figure -and certainly not with Jack -where their chemistry sparks and sizzles.  These are two people who fall wholeheartedly into love, even when they make mistakes.

Perhaps, however, it is the fact that we can see (and indeed know!) how companionable they will become, that makes us see them slightly differently.  It some ways, it is a little uncomfortable considering the romances of our parents, but if their story is anything like the original Sullivans' then we should be celebrating them!

And finally, there's an Italian wedding.  Being half-Italian, this is like catnip to me - an absolute gem of a scene and one that manages toencapsulate Italian culture and families perfectly.

Loved.  It.

And as for our Mills & Boon boy?  I give you Adam, whose professional photography far surpasses my own - if only he could have photographed himself!