Author: Lori Wilde
Title: The First Love Cookie Clue
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: Oct 26, 2010
Rating: 4 Stars
Book Blurb: "On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny."
The townsfolk of Twilight, Texas, believe the legend, but not Sarah Collier—not since she was a pudgy teenager, running down the church aisle on Christmas Day in a jingle bell sweater and reindeer antlers, trying to stop Travis Walker from marrying someone else. She may be grown-up, slimmed-down, bestselling children's book author "Sadie Cool"now, but Sarah will never forget that day. And she'll never fall foolishly in love again!
But when a letter from a sick fan brings Sarah back to Twilight, she's shocked to discover that Travis is the little girl's father—unattached and hotter than ever. His smile still makes her melt, but Sarah knows that ship has sailed. Travis, however, might have different ideas.
Review: The title of this book doesn't begin to give you an idea of what this story is about. Sure, there is a First Love Cookie Club in Twilight, Texas, but that isn't really what the story is about. Lori's story goes far more into the legend of the kismet cookie than she does the ladies that make up the cookie club.
Sarah and Travis are at the heart of the story, because Sarah slept with the kismet cookies under her pillow and dreamt of Travis. Her crush and resolve that he was her soul mate made her embarrass herself more than humanly possible on the Christmas when she was 15.
Well 9 years later, she's back to promote her book The Magic Christmas Cookie and Travis' daughter is the reason she's there. Jazzy has severe asthma and from the looks of things, she might not make it to her teen years. Her Christmas wish is to meet her favorite author, Sadie Cool, who is Sarah.
Of all the characters in First Love Cookie Club, Jazzy has to be the best. She's a strong little girl and a fighter, and even when she gets what she wants, she's smart enough to know that what she wants may not be what's best.
The characters are really complex. Sarah's parents are famous surgeons that don't really have time for their daughter. Sarah also has some serious self esteem issues stemming from an accident during her college years. She's very much the introvert.
Then there's Travis. He was a bad boy, then he became a father. Jazzy and her illness have caused him to do a complete turnaround. He's sweet to the point where he might just be too good to be true, but that doesn't matter. Its a Christmas story, and with Christmas stories, you don't want a hero that's too flawed.
The two of them fight the attraction. Well, Sarah fights the attraction, or perhaps rather the embarrassment of still being attracted to him after 9 years, but it is inevitable that they get together, but the getting there takes some doing. In fact, there getting together feels like forever. However, when they do get together, you are cheering for them both. Actually you cheer for them and you cheer for Jazzy, who is really one of the sweetest kids written in a romance novel. You want her to get well, and there's a point at the end where it is very touch and go, but you know that it has to work out for her and when it does, you breathe a sigh of relief and wipe some tears off your cheek.
The only drawback to this story is Travis aunt. She brings them together but a part of her past causes her to want to break them up and she nearly does. This really detracts from the story. Not because of the conflict it causes, but because there was a little bit of unfinished business that gets left hanging. Lori gives us the details about his aunt's secret and the explosion with her husband when he finds out, but she neglects to resolve it. The story could have had an even happier ending if that resolution could have occurred.
This was great story for the holidays full of love and forgiveness. Well worth reading.
~ This book was provided by Net Galley
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