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Book Review-The Christmas Dare by Lori Wilde

by | Dec 10, 2021 | Book Reviews | 1 comment

Book Review-The Christmas Dare by Lori Wilde

Book Review-The Christmas Dare by Lori WildeThe Christmas Dare by Lori Wilde
Also in this series: Christmas at Twilight, The Sweethearts' Knitting Club, The First Love Cookie Club, The Welcome Home Garden Club, I'll Be Home for Christmas
Series: Twilight Texas #10
Published by Avon on October 22, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance
Length: 10 Hours and 24 Mins
Pages: 373
Format: Audiobook
Source: Hoopla Digital
ISBN: 0062468316
Goodreads
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four-stars

A jilted-at-the-altar bride reunites with her high school sweetheart in Lori Wilde’s sensational new Twilight, Texas Christmas novel.
Kelsey James always played by the rules and look where it got her—dumped and half-drunk in a poofy white dress, her Christmas wedding ruined. Then her best friend talks her into going on her “honeymoon” anyway, daring her to a “Christmas of Yes.” It’s about time she lets loose a little, so Kelsey agrees to say “yes” to fun, to romance, and to adventure! And adventure leads her right smack into the arms of sexy Noah MacGregor.
Noah’s never one to say no to a risk—from leading his NBA team to victory to making Christmas cookies in Twilight, he’s up to the challenge! But a lot has gone on since they were teenagers, and he knows he has to take his time to make Kelsey dare to believe that what they feel is more than just the holiday magic that’s in the air . . .

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

The Christmas Dare is one of the more recent releases of the Twilight Texas Series. And for those of you not familiar with this series (AND what are you doing with your life haha) is a series based in a small town “Twilight” where magical things tend to happen when you least expect them to. The Christmas Dare was a story that I had plenty of mixed feels about, to be honest. It didn’t quite meet up with my expectations but despite that, it definitely had its own refining qualities that worked for me in other ways that I didn’t quite expect. I really love an author that can create such dynamics because even though I don’t prefer to be so split on my feelings for stories like this, Lori Wilde definitely worked magic in this one, so I am thrilled for that there.

The Christmas Dare is a sweet yet angst-filled romance that will gravitate you which features:

  • Noah MacGregor-a twin, ex-athlete, business manager of a bed and breakfast, and driven but vulnerable
  • Kelsey James-devoted daughter, driven, political manager, competent but struggles with “mommy” issues

The Christmas Dare is a story that begins with our heroine, Kelsey James, who has always been devoted to her mother and her political aspirations. And for years she has stayed by her side while sacrificing all the good parts of herself just hoping one day she will please her mother and have love in return. But when she decides to take a vacation for the first time in forever, with her best friend and to the small territory of Twilight Texas, she knows that this will be a trip of risks and dares. While she battles within herself to let herself go on this vacation, she is dealing with the drama of her mother, but also runs into sexy Noah MacGregor, the boy she never stopped loving but could never have. But now they are back together and reconnecting, but will Kelsey’s issues with her mother drive them together and keep them apart for good?

The Christmas Dare was a fantastic read in many ways and I do think that this story will work for many. Now while I enjoyed this one overall, I definitely had my issues. My largest issue was the heroine. Now I want to point out that the hero is far from perfect, he has his own share of struggles but he is much more likable and has a big giant vulnerability that is so endearing to the reader. Now as for our heroine, *sigh* she definitely has her issues. She is a bit of a doormat when it comes to her mother. Everything else she is the opposite, but it’s like her mother just draws out her weakness and is willing to cave to her mother. There is a journey involved here where Kelsey has to discover herself and learn what she is capable of. But I really couldn’t stand how Noah gets put in the middle and is the one that always seems to be the one hurt. I really couldn’t understand why the heroine just disregarded the hero in some aspects and I felt like he deserved a woman willing to fight for him. Now the mother in this story is a piece of work and I can see how the heroine really battles within herself against her. But I felt like she was all over the place and didn’t have much consistency to her character. I really found other aspects of the story to be utterly charming though. There is such magic in the way that this author writes her setting especially in how she evolves the small-town charm that endears you completely. Every time I visit this town of Twilight, I am always delighted by how this author has developed its colorful character that only makes you yearn for more.

Overall I found The Christmas Dare to be a charming read that brings together elements of grumpy and sunshine, deep character growth, a second chance romance that sparks life into the story, and an evolvement of gems to make you feel like falling in love and learning to fight for what matters most….

About Lori Wilde

Lori Wilde can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. She even went to nursing school so she could have a schedule flexible enough to allow her to write on the side. She nursed for 20 years, working in a variety of settings from the newborn nursery to the recovery room, to dialysis. But she never lost her desire to write.

She sold her first book in 1994 to Silhouette Romance but later discovered she had a flair for comedy and branched out to Harlequin Duets and now, to Blaze.

Lori is an adventuresome soul who loves to travel. She’s taken flying lessons, completed two marathons, rode in a hot-air balloon, performed with a professional jazz band, traveled Europe as a teenager, hiked volcanoes in Hawaii, trod on glaciers in Alaska, shot white-water rapids, water-skied, snow-skied, raced all-terrain vehicles, bodysurfed in the Gulf of Mexico, and photographed grizzly bears in Yellowstone.

She lives in her native Texas, with her own real-life hero, Bill.

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