Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A St. Helena Vineyard Novel, Book 1

I don’t know what my true feelings are about this book. Regan was nineteen years old when she was taken advantage of by an older man, who was her mentor, and who also neglected to tell her he was married. Absconding with the funds from the project he was overseeing, abandoning his wife, and leaving his lover pregnant, Regan becomes the target of the DeLucas, who believed she was in on the swindle with him. She was blackballed from every job she got, from California to Oregon, the only thing she knew was the wine industry,but whereever she went the DeLucas found her and used their influence to get her fired. This really bothered me because how long and how far will someone go to make someone’s life miserable, and to keep them from making a life for themselves. The De Luca’s are rich, powerful and with lots of influence in the wine business, was their hounding of this poor girl necessary? Was Gabe DeLucas sister so fragile that she needed her brothers to hound this poor woman for 6 years? Did they ever consider how young she was when she was involved with their brother in law? How suave his brother in law was, and how he used his position to manipulate this young woman, just as he manipulated the De Lucas and their sister, his wife?

Admittedly, Regan made some silly choices and mistakes in this story that annoyed me to no end. However, I loved the three Mrs. Clauses, it seemed to me they were the only ones in this story with an ounce of sense. Gabe DeLuca was redeemed later in my eyes, when he realized what his interference in her life had cost her and her daughter, his guilt kicked in, he then realized maybe she was the innocent she seemed and had been a victim as much as his sister had.
One thing I can say about Regan is that she never gave up, she was determined to make a good life for her daughter. Though the story ended happily, I was still unsatisfied, I never heard an apology from the rest of the family for their treatment of her for the past 6 years.

Renee Raudman did an excellent job with her narration of this story.

Many uninteresting misunderstandings, adding troubles upon troubles for poor Regan. Some readers will enjoy this type of humor in a slapstick sort of way, but it did not work for me. I was impatient, wanting it to be over.

Regan is a single mom who has been unable to find work in her field (wine marketing) for six years - because Gabe repeatedly sabotages her career. He is wealthy and influential in the wine industry. Regan’s goal in life is providing the best she can for her daughter Holly. Regan does stupid things and makes stupid choices which snowball into problems.

The story opens with stupidity. Regan sees Gabe in a grocery story. She’s so upset that she walks out of the store without paying for her purchase. Then she damages Gabe’s car by running her grocery cart into it and throws several small statues from the nearby Christmas display at his car causing a broken window, dents, and scratches. He watches her do this. Then she puts one of the statues (Randolph a reindeer) in her trunk and drives away. The subject of who will pay for the damages to his car and the statues never comes up in the book. The town is upset at the theft of Randolph, with the sheriff planning to arrest the thief.

Randolph in her car trunk causes repeated problems for Regan. Notices are posted asking for help to find Randolph. So why does Regan tear down a bunch of notices to throw them away? And then she is seen doing that. She tries a few times to return Randolph but people are there. Why didn’t she go in the middle of the night? Or leave him somewhere with an anonymous note or a phone call to the authorities. No, she creates embarrassing situations for herself.

Another poor choice:
Isabelle wants to hurt and humiliate Regan every chance she gets. Regan knows this. Regan is a single mom working as a hotel maid. So why does Regan let Isabelle sign her up to volunteer for the children’s Christmas play? She later discovers that Isabelle signed her up as chairwomen of the most expensive and time consuming job. Instead of getting out of it claiming there was a misunderstanding, Regan takes it on. Has she no brain? Has she no backbone?

One part I liked:
One dimensional Isabelle. For those who have volunteered for charitable organizations, you will find parts of Isabelle in the most unpleasant people you’ve known and had to work with.

As to the romance:
Regan and Gabe desire each other and begin a relationship, but during the book a series of things happen causing misunderstandings and problems for them. These problems did not entertain me - maybe because they were one person assuming something inaccurate about the other - causing angst and worry. For example, she doesn’t tell him a minor thing from her past. When he later discovers it he is angry and disses her in public - won’t take her phone call. It’s a problem because only part of the story was told to him, not the whole thing. When he later learns the whole story, it’s no problem after all. Yes these types of misunderstandings are commonly used in romances. Sometimes they work. But for me they did not work here.

The narrator Renee Raudman was ok.

Genre: contemporary romance.

Top best!

The beginning was kind of funny and of course the ending.

The 3 Santa Ladies

Yes, from laughing to crying, my emotion was like a roller coaster, this story line would be great for the movies especially during the holiday season.

This was a very enjoyable story and I always like Renee Raudmans narrations. I lots of times I find books by looking for a fav narrater rather then an author. This story had a good plot and enjoyable characters. It is a great curl up and relax book not a I can't put this down kind. Well worth the credit and one I will listen to again.

This was my first book/audio by Marina Adair, but won't be the last. She's a wonderful author. She has a way with words that keeps the reader/listener interested, not using a lot of 'filler words' like so many authors do.

It's a sweet story that stirs a variety of emotions...some laughter and perhaps a few tears.

It's about the plight of a single parent, Regan, made harder by the head of the poweful Deluca family, whom she unknowingly wronged. Believing he is protecting his family, he makes her professional life a nightmare, stalking her all over the country, getting her fired and keeping her from getting jobs. Not able to support her daughter and herself in her chosen profession, she takes a job as a maid, but finds help and friendship in the most unexpected places.

Most of the characters are very likeable. Regans 5 year old daughter, Holly, is adorable.

Renee Raudman gave a good performance. At first I didn't think I would like her narration, but she got better, and better as the story progressed.

I would recommend "Kissing Under The Mistletoe" to all romantics.

yes

ok

they were all ok

if the main female character stood up for herself a bit more

good lighthearted reading

Underdog, Fighter, Emotional

I liked that the main female character was strong. She's a single mother that has been through hell and she has so much pride and determination. She has her low moments but can really keep her chin up and keep fighting. It's a little heartbreaking to see the amount of pride of determination she has to survive a situaiton that mainly wasn't of her doing.

I'll admit to crying during multiple times during this story. I'm emotional and thinking of a single mother going through so much for things that she really didn't do wrong. It was very heartbreaking for me. I felt that she was doing nothing more than trying to do the best for her daughter with a past that just wouldn't go away and it was hard to endure at times. Though there is a happy ending it was hard to get past all the sadness to feel happy with the happy ending. I think if there wasn't SO MUCH of the hard times I could have been more happy, but I give Marina Adair props for creating a really strong female lead that I feel emotional about and definately was rooting for her till the end.

Aside from the story it took me a bit to get used to the narrator. I didn't favor her normal reading voice, but did enjoy her character voices.