Just Like Magic
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The holidays were never her thing, until she accidentally conjures the Holiday Spirit...before her very eyes.
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.
Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.
But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hogle (You Deserve Each Other) brings a touch of magic to this cheery Christmas romance. Social media influencer Bettie Hughes can't admit to her ultra-competitive family that she's squandered her money in a string of poor business decisions, so she's squatting in her famous grandmother's home in Teller City, Colo., for the holidays. There, with some spilled wine and Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," she inadvertently summons the Holiday Spirit, "Hall" for short. Hall takes the form of a charming and attractive man, there to grant all of Bettie's wishes. After indulging her materialistic desires (including wishing for an oceanfront villa), Bettie soon falls under Hall's spell, learning that Christmas is about far more than who comes up with the best presents. And when it appears that Hall will be recalled to the ethereal realm, Bettie would give anything to keep him earthbound. Hall's unabashed, almost childlike love for all things Christmas—including Hallmark Channel movies, snowball fights, and sugar cookies—is flat-out sweet, and his influence on Bettie transforms her life for the better. This lighthearted and witty tale is sure to put readers in a holiday mood.
Customer Reviews
Christmas Tears
God damn. It’s a little chaotic in the beginning and a bit throughout, when Hall and Bettie are going crazy with the magic… but I think that’s the point, to anthropomorphize the holiday spirit. Christmas is never static. It’s ever changing, and that’s what I love about this story. I wasn’t sure if, Hall was going to come back. I had tears forming in the corners of my eyes just thinking about the characters being apart. The twist, *spoiler alert* with the New Year’s Resolution spirit was very clever.
I love a happy ending… who doesn’t?