Fashion designer Faith McClendon is back in Chicago to start over. She put her promising career on hold for too long, and she’s ready to get back in the game. Her heart is another matter. She’s not willing to put that on the line again–it’s still far too bruised from her failed marriage for that. So when a renewed childhood friendship starts to make her think about second chances at love, she’s … she’s more than a little hesitant.
Photographer Michael Montgomery was Faith’s biggest cheerleader when she decided to move to New York City, and he’s been her shoulder to cry on since she came home to Chicago. The timing has never been right to tell her how he feels, but maybe now is his chance. First, he’s going to have to break down the walls Faith has around her heart and convince her they can be so much more than friends.
Each book in the McClendon Holiday series is STANDALONE:
* A McClendon Thanksgiving
* The Christmas Promise
* A Husband by New Year’s
* Be My Valentine
more
Good read
This was really cute, but at times I felt like the relationship between Michael and Faith took a backseat to the story of Faith reconnecting with her family and opening her store. There’s a lot of this book that Faith and Michael weren’t together. When they were they had such a close friendship that they dived back into that the relationship didn’t show a lot of development. I still think this was a good book.
This is a closed door romance.
I love this book and I cannot wait to read the stories of rest of the sisters.
This book could have been a good story, but it is poor in so many aspects, it could be used in a writing class for how not to write a romance story. An instructor could use this and task students to write passages over not making the ton of mistakes found in this book. That would be its redeeming value.
The dialogue does not ring true. Telling too much instead of showing. The over use of the word elegant (an example of telling and not showing). Details about mundane things that have no relevance to the story. What does it matter what an unnamed character in a store was wearing, unless the clothes have some meaning, or purpose in the story? Yet, this author explains the clothing in far too much detail for it to be relevant. The vocabulary is too limited and too many useless adjectives. Sometimes I felt the author was just trying to reach a word count number.
Based on the title, I was expecting a climax happening during Thanksgiving. Nothing of note happens. The so-called “surprise” at the end of the final chapter comes out of nowhere. This is such a mistake because in the next to the last chapter, the antagonist character who has been nothing but a memory suddenly appears in the story. This appearance seems like it has some threat attached to it. Then, [spoiler alert] nothing happens. Well, something does happen but it comes out of nowhere. There was no foreshadowing of any of this.
This story is supposed to be a love story about two adults (not teens, not young adults). Yet, the male protagonist goes around talking about marrying the female antagonist to everyone except the female antagonist. This was such a failure because it could have been a good example of a conversation that mature adults contemplating marriage could have.
This book is full of red herrings like the sister’s old flame, the character of Ezell, and even the ex-husband. They were missed opportunities to have some rising tension, and foreshadowing even into a sequel. But the book was out of balance and had no climax or denouement.
It looks like the author is going to try again. I recommend some advice from a more experienced writer to help with it.
I fell in love with the McClendon brood at first book. Ms. Young extended a ready invitation into the workings of a family. Despite the flaws and dysfunction, the bond is strong and love permeates the dynamics. A McClendon Thanksgiving is a friends to lovers story with a new beginning thrown in for good measure. Big dreams led Faith to NYC, heartache brought her back home. Will a renewed friendship, bring her the love of a lifetime? Michael broke his own heart when he lost the girl of his dreams to the temptation of the big city. Now she’s back a little bit wiser and a lot more broken. Can he help heal her broken heart and gain a chance at forever with the woman he loves? Sweet love and second chances are a temptation make a great combination.