Book Club December 2024- The Christmas Fix
By: Lucy Score
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: That’s What She Said
Pages: 390
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When a late season hurricane hits Merry, Connecticut, city manager and single dad Noah Yates has to inform the already devastated residents that there won't be a Christmas Festival this year. No festival means no tourism dollars. A disaster of epic proportions for his hometown.
But when home renovation expert slash smoking hot reality TV star Catalina King shows up with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together again, Noah balks. Hard. The last time Cat was in town she stirred up trouble everywhere she went. (Residents are still talking about the town's first and only bar fight.) Noah doesn't need a TV diva capitalizing on his town's tragedy or filling his daughter's head with glitz and glam.
Cat is ready and willing to put Merry back in Christmas mode with a holiday special that will leave everyone believing in miracles and get her friends back in the home they love. But there's one big problem standing in her way. And his name is Noah Yates. He's wrong about her and she can't wait to prove it. Ring those jingle bells because it's on.
What I thought
I am 50/50 on Lucy Score so I was a little hesitant to read this one. I loved Rock Bottom Girl and enjoyed the first book in the Riley Thorn series but then I really didn’t love the second book in the series. I also am sometimes hesitant about Christmas Romance books because I need them to have Christmas magic and not just be a romance set at Christmas time.
Catalina King is the host of a popular renovation reality show. When she finds out that the town of a family whose home she renovated is hit by a hurricane and destroyed, she decides that as a Christmas special she needs to go to this own and help them. She loved the town when she was there the first time around and feels like she needs to help the people get back on their feet. However, Noah, the city manager, is not about it. He is worried she wants to take advantage of her town for views and that she is a fake, attention seeking celebrity. Cat decides she’s going to prove Noah wrong and enjoy every minute of it.
I did love that this was an enemies to lovers trope. Their banter is good and Cat is such a strong female character. I love how she takes charge and is proving to the world that women can do it better. This is the second book in this series and I’m assuming the first follows her twin brother Gannon. I would be curious to go back and read it.
If you’re looking for a romance that has Christmas at its center, this is a good choice. The town of Merry is all about Christmas. I do wish that we had gotten a little bit more at Christmas time and at the Christmas festival, but all of the lead up to Christmas was still sufficiently cheery.
Noah did get a little bit insufferable at times at the beginning of the story. Once he chilled out and stopped with his overly judginess I was cool with him. I liked how supportive he became of Cat. He also had a bit of a dramatic backstory, but it helped to make sense of some of his behavior.
In regards to spiciness, this book is very spicy. So much so that it did make me a little uncomfortable at times. But if you like books with a lot of spice, you will enjoy this one.