Description
From Publishers Weekly Prolific Macomber puts a new twist on the smalltown romance with this lightweight Christmas caper, which takes place in the one-woman town of Snowbound, Alaska. Despite having a population of only seven, Snowbound has a cafe, a grocery, an airstrip and, as 31-year-old Los Angeles native Jenna Campbell soon learns, several bighearted bachelors. Having spent six years mooning after her workaholic boss, Brad Fulton, who barely knows she's alive, executive assistant Jenna is now ready to seek snowier pastures. She quits her job and heads to Beesley, Ala., to meet Dalton Gray, a poetic outdoorsman who has been corresponding with her via e-mail. But when Dalton doesn't arrive at the airport to greet her, she hires Reid Jamison, her annoying seatmate, to fly her to Beesley. Reid knows Dalton and has good reason to despise him, so he changes directions and whisks Jenna away to his home in Snowbound. Meanwhile, Brad decides he can't function without Jenna and vows to do anything (even offer marriage) to get her back, and Dalton frantically searches for her in the local bars. Add Jenna's flighty, five-times-married-and-divorced mother, Chloe, to the mix, and the madcap race is on for who will win Jenna's heart. Macomber's characters never evolve beyond their stock roles, and the romance between Reid and the exasperatingly prissy Jenna is superficial. Dialogue-heavy and virtually devoid of the kind of descriptive details that would wrap readers up in the book's snowy setting, this tall tale has all the intensity and substance of a fall flurry. Still, it's a fast, frothy fantasy for those looking to add some romance to their holidays. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Jenna is used to taking care of everyone, including her filthy-rich boss, Brad, so when she meets a man online who wants to take care of her, she abruptly quits her job and sets off for Alaska. But when she arrives, Dalton isn't anywhere to be found, so resourceful Jenna hires a pilot named Reid to fly her to him. But Reid knows that Dalton is a womanizer, so he brings Jenna to his home in Snowbound instead. Jenna is beyond angry at being kidnapped, but when a snowstorm forces her to spend days on end with Reid, she realizes that for some reason she likes his caveman ways and passive plays (he seems to be attracted to her but won't act on it). But just as the two are on the verge of expressing their feelings, Dalton and Brad arrive. This is an amusing and promising setup, but Macomber fails to make the most of it, which may not deter her many followers. Megan Kalan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Features & Highlights
- While journeying to Alaska to marry a man she met on the Internet, Jenna Walsh is kidnapped by Reed Kenner, a fellow passenger, who will do anything to prove that she is making the biggest mistake of her life. 200,000 first printing.
