Fran Cuthbert Ruins Christmas

By: Lisa Henry, J.A. Rock

Narrated by: Nick J. Russo

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome (back) to Christmas Valley. Where it’s Christmas every. F@$#ing. Day.

It’s your typical Hallmark movie plot: My big city boyfriend dumped me, so my adorable five-year-old daughters and I moved back to my hometown just in time for Christmas. I guess the magic of the holiday is going to show me what I really wanted all along, or something.

But on Hallmark, people aren’t usually mainlining their mother’s Xanax. Or stealing the last available Peachblossom Pony Pal from their hot doctor because they have to give their kids the best Christmas ever. And when they run into their high school sweetheart, they don’t usually face the gulf of lies that exists between Cass Sullivan and me.

Oh yeah, and their hometown isn’t located directly up Christmas’s butthole.

I left Christmas Valley because I couldn’t listen to one more carol or look at one more tinsel-wrapped streetlamp. But moving to Boston meant leaving Cass, and that has always been my one regret. I mean, I also regret the box of Franzia in my closet, being publicly dumped, agreeing to take tap dancing lessons with my mom, and the fact that I can’t seem to open my mouth without a little white lie popping out. But mostly Cass.

When I need someone to play Santa for my girls’ favorite Christmas tradition, Cass steps in. Suddenly, I’m falling for him like we’re seventeen again. Can we put aside two decades’ worth of baggage and give each other a second chance? Can he help me build a life in Christmas Valley? And has he really been banging our former geometry teacher?

Only Christmastime will tell. If the holidays don’t kill me first.

Fran Cuthbert Ruins Christmas is a sweet, low-heat holiday novella featuring a second chance romance, a hot mess MC who could use a steadying hand, adorable kids and dogs, and a guaranteed HEA.

©2022 Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock (P)2022 Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

enjoyed it

📖 Story comment: easy pace, likeable characters, nice flow.
I think these authors have missed an opportunity here, this duo have produced some stellar stories in the past, this one just isn't quite up to the standard I usually expect of this author pairing. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing overtly wrong with 'Fran Cuthbert Ruins Christmas', it's an easy, low drama, cute Christmas story, and has all the things I enjoy about a Christmas story: cute kids, a couple of likeable MC's, quirky secondary characters, small town feel etc.etc.etc. and I will happily listen to it again, aside from the "Chicken", there's just not much to make it stand out from all the other quirky Christmas stories - I would have liked it to be a little longer, it all wrapped up fairly quickly and knowing what these authors are capable of, I would have liked a little more of everything.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. He did a great job bringing the characters to life and overall an enjoyable performance.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3⭐] • 5 enjoyed it [4⭐] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]

A new favorite

Stumbled upon this book while searching for light Christmas listens. I am sooooo happy I found it! I adored everything about it! The characters, the story, the town, the just all of it! I have never laughed so hard at the name of an imaginary friend: Liar Bob. I’m still chuckling! This goes on my Nice List of books I will listen to every season! Just fun, fluff, silliness. I usually like a LOT of spice in my reads, and didn’t even mind this had little to no schmexy time. That’s rare for me to say! Heck, I didn’t even care that the always great Nick J. Russo added his “L” sounds as usual.