Mistletoe & Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler
How the moose (almost) stole Christmas.
Lana Montgomery is everything the quirky small town Moose Springs, Alaska can’t stand: a rich socialite with dreams of changing things for the better. But Lana’s determined to prove that she belongs… even if it means trading her stilettos for snow boots and tracking one of the town’s hairiest Christmas mysteries: the Santa Moose, an antlered Grinch hell-bent on destroying every bit of holiday cheer (and tinsel) it can sink its teeth into. And really… how hard could it be?
The last few years have been tough on Rick Harding, and it’s not getting any easier now that his dream girl’s back in town. When Lana accidentally tranquilizes him instead of the Santa Moose, it’s clear she needs help, fast… and this could be his chance to finally catch her eye. It’s an all-out Christmas war, but if they can nab that darn moose before it destroys the town, Rick and Lana might finally find a place where they both belong… together.
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Tears of laughter were streaming down my face for most of this book. I’ve made the mistake, twice now, of thinking these Moose Spring romances won’t be that great and, twice now, I’ve been proven drastically wrong in my assumptions. Sarah Morgenthaler knows how to write humour. One of the best things about these books are the hilarious situations the characters get into and how well she can stretch out a comedic take. I didn’t think I’d like this sequel because I didn’t really like Lana, our main character, in the first book when she was just a side character. In this book, seeing her side of things and why she reacts the way she does made me love her so much and I think I even like her better than Zoey (heroine from the previous book). The chemistry between Lana and Rick was so straight forward and cute and there was absolutely zero room for miscommunication tropes in this book which I absolutely loved. It had humour, it had heartfelt moments, it had some great romantic moments, and best of all, it was all centered around Christmas and an evil Grinch-like Moose. What could be better to get you in the holiday spirit?
Lana is a rich heiress to the Montgomery fortune and she’s just bought the entire town of Moose Springs, to the disgust of the locals. Lana has never had a stable home, rich, high-rolling parents were always on the move and Moose Springs was the first place she ever stayed that felt like home as a kid. As an adult, she wants nothing more than to save the one place that’s ever brought her true happiness, but everyone there hates her and all the tourists that flock to the resort by the town. Lana’s developing luxury apartments to bring investors to the town in order to keep this little touristy village alive but she’s running into issues getting the town on her side. Rick, the surly and quiet pool hall owner seems to be one of the only ones that can tolerate her. Rick has been burned in the past and doesn’t know how to react around Lana but he knows he will do anything to help her. As they set out to win the town over by hunting down the elusive Santa Moose, they grow closer and discover new things about themselves along the way.
I think the character development grew tenfold in this book from the last. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Graham and Zoey, but they didn’t change much in character throughout their story, they just grew better together. Lana and Rick, however, go through some great character development in dealing with past hurts and learning to trust again. They discover and grow on their own AND together to be better for one another but also for themselves. Lana was a much deeper character than I would have expected given her characterization in the first book but I loved seeing this powerhouse face down boards of directors and town hall meetings alike. Rick was a very damaged character and it was nice to see his healthy growth in accepting himself before accepting love from anyone else. The portrayal of their relationship was so healthy and natural that you can’t help but fall in love with this story.
Can we talk about the humour now? Good! It’s my favourite part. I laughed out loud many times during The Tourist Attraction but I laughed twice as hard during Mistletoe & Mr. Right. Not only is the comedic timing so perfect but some of the banter between characters is so genius. They riff off of each other in a way that reminds of the super clever, super-speed dialogue from shows like Gilmore Girls. The scene at the B&B in this book had me in stitches, stuffed squirrels, sketchy Inn owners, and a meat grinder make for a very paranoid and hilarious chapter of banter between Rick and Lana. Any book with great character development and fantastic humour will win me over in a heartbeat.
Overall, loved it! I’m sure as time goes on I might think of things I didn’t like, but for now I’m basking in the joy and coziness this book brought me this past week. It’s a perfect read for Christmas and a fantastic follow-up to The Tourist Attraction. It’s a must-read this holiday season! 5 stars.