Christmas in Vermont

Emma doesn't really believe in fate, but her best friend, Bronwyn, has a convincing argument for synchronicity when Emma comes back from a pawn shop having found the very watch she gave her college boyfriend. Emma hasn't thought about Fletcher in years, but Bronwyn thinks the watch is a sign that they're meant to get back in touch. Only she could convince Emma to drive up to Vermont for a cozy holiday trip in hopes of running into Fletcher on his vacation. And she runs into Fletcher, alright and his daughter and fiancée. As Emma and Fletcher reminisce about their past, their futures begin to look a bit different. Set in the cozy town of Snowberry, Christmas in Vermont is a Hallmark movie dunked in a cup of hot cocoa wrapped in a tartan scarf. Dripping with rustic charm, this rom-com of a novel is an adorably seasonal read. With a Stars Hollow-worthy ensemble of supporting characters and a preciously precocious young-girl character, it will charm fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Debbie Macomber.--Stephanie Turza Copyright 2010 Booklist

Country winter ambiance that's just Christmassy enough and a comforting sense of everything turning out perfectly wrap around this saccharine second-chance romance from Hughes (Christmas at the Chalet). Emma Logan hasn't maintained a relationship for longer than a year in the 11 years since college, when she broke up with Fletcher Conway, who's now a famous London theater director. When Emma finds the engraved watch she gave Fletcher in a New York City pawn shop, her best friend claims synchronicity, does some research, and signs Emma up for a week running the kids' program at the Vermont inn where Fletcher is vacationing. Emma tries to keep a respectful distance, but she bonds with Fletcher's precocious 10-year-old daughter, Lola, while Fletcher is distracted by his attention-demanding fiancée, Megan. Lola quickly decides she prefers Emma and manipulates Emma and Fletcher into spending time together. Telling the obvious backstory in flashback rather than shared reminiscence creates an unfortunate interruption of the main romance, and the focus on telling a wholesome, family-centered story blunts any sense of passion. Readers will find this the emotional equivalent of a lukewarm cup of cider. Agent: Melissa Flashman, Janklow & Nesbit. (Oct.)