Review: Carolyn for Christmas by Lucy Carey

Christmas. It’s supposed to be a time for peace, love, and goodwill to all men. But not for two women when it comes to nabbing the solo spot in the big Christmas concert. To get that spot, they’ll do whatever it takes…

Carolyn Roche and Saoirse Barrett have known—and hated—each other for a long time. Their lives have been dedicated to one-upping each other. Carolyn has worked hard to shake off her poor roots, landing a top job at a major accountancy firm. Saoirse has worked just as hard to set up her own business in the vain hopes of impressing her tough father.

They’re equally matched in life—and in vocal talent. But neither is willing to let the other woman win.

That is, until they find themselves trapped in their old school, with just a bottle of vodka and their memories for company. There, they discover that the hatred they feel for each other might not be hatred after all…


Sidenote to Author: Thank you Lucy Carey for taking the time to introduce the pronunciation of Saoirse’s name. Without it I would have been completely lost and distracted trying to figure it out. Or relegated her name to S in my mind, as this is something I do when I’m too dumb to go on google and listen to a verbal translation. I really appreciate that you accounted for those of us who are hopeless at pronouncing people’s names.

Review:

Carolyn’s relationship with Saoirse has been a battle of wills since they ended their friendship in grade school. But every year they end up in the town Christmas choir together, trying to avoid each other, or staring daggers at each other, pretending not to feel anything.

Carolyn’s mother is dying of cancer, so this year, it is especially important for Carolyn to get the solo at the Christmas choir.

Or course Saoirse wants it to prove herself worthy to her pompous, high bred father. She is determined to snatch it from Carolyn and show how much better she is.

This childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story was really well written. I enjoyed both characters, and their journey back to each other. I liked that they were both very strong women, both succeeding in spite of the pressures of their circumstances, and that in subtle ways, they made accommodations for each other, while pretending to hate each other.

The romance element worked well. I thought they were sweet together, and after working so hard to avoid each other, it was sort of the forgone conclusion that they would end up together somehow.

There is no erotic content in this story. It is strictly romance, with some kisses shared, and a lot of character building. The relationship building was superb, and the flashbacks were not annoying, but constructive, and allowed a glimpse into the relationship they had as children. I really appreciated it in a way I don’t usually enjoy flashbacks. These two sweet children were adorable friends, and I could really feel the sadness of the loss in each of them as adults.

A thoroughly enjoyable Christmas tale, with a somewhat happy for now ending.

A copy was provided in exchange for a review


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