Send to KindleCaptain Jacob Marston, Starlight, Iowa’s wounded hometown hero, made a long ago promise to the Lord: he won’t kiss a woman until he knows she’s “the one” he’ll marry. Now, at age twenty-eight, the rugged firefighter questions if it’ll ever happen. Then he meets his best friend’s sister, Julia Sinclair, and Jake believes he’s found the woman of his dreams–but she’s promised to another man. When Julia makes an unexpected confession on Christmas Day, Jake shares his secret with her, and it looks as though happily-ever-after will make a holiday appearance. But somehow, everyone in the tiny town of Starlight learns Jake’s secret and he’s instantly transformed from town hero to laughingstock. Did Julia reveal his secret? Can Jake and Julia find their way under the mistletoe for a forever kiss?
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MY REVIEW
What could possibly happen when a handsome, enticing, brave, young, kind firefighter and a darling, sweet, engaging, gorgeous, compassionate, bright young nurse are introduced by the nurse’s brother?
Well, when JoAnn Durgin begins to whip up a new recipe for romance she spills the wordy ingredients into writing and comes up with a wonderful Christmas Novella. JoAnn writes about love and romance as though she invented it herself.
Let’s drop into the town of Starlight and meet JoAnn’s atypical candidates for romance, I mean – the characters Jake and Julia appear perfect in personality and physique, not to mention high moral fiber. However Barbie and Ken-like Jake and Julia might appear, they are alive and vibrant. Their human qualities are compatible and more importantly, they are equally yoked as believers and children of God.
We come into JoAnn’s charming story during a cold and snowy pre-Christmas scene and first meet Jake who is recovering physically from an injury incurred during a firefight saving a beloved family dog. He has his mind and hands busy repairing toys for Starlight’s Christmas Drive. He says a prayer for each child who will receive this toy. A loud persistent knock at the door interrupted Jake’s solace and we meet Sergeant Dylan Sinclair, Jake’s best friend and fellow firefighter. Now, we come to my query at the beginning of my review. Dylan is of the opinion that Jake has spent enough time in emotional pain over his broken relationship with Nicole one year ago. He begins to introduce his sister Julia and turns to see her adjusting the Christmas lights on Jake’s front porch. He tells her to come meet Captain Jake Marston, Starlight’s resident hero. As Julia Sinclair comes through the front door, Dylan quietly lowers his voice to tell Jake not to mention the touchy subject of Julia’s fiancé. Jake’s first response was to thank Julia for taking care of his bulbs, seeing Dylan’s smirk of amusement, he felt like a fool. Particularly when…ZOWIE….he wasn’t expecting to see a beautiful grown young woman with sparkling eyes – he was expecting a gawky teenager with braces. Julie shyly replied that she was happy to help him. I was wondering if she could see the size twelve foot in his mouth – but she showed herself to be a quietly discerning lady as she began to comment and admire the house Jake lived in. He informed her that the house had belonged to his grandparents – but from here, you’ll need to read for yourself why the house is so special. Does Jake recover from his injuries and get rid of that foot in his mouth?
JoAnn Durgin started a heat wave of love all over the state of Iowa, mainly the town of Starlight. This story is full of God’s love in every corner of this town. In fact, Dylan and his wife Hannah are “great with child” and the sweet entrance of this child is quite exciting and timely. I laughed at the Keystone Cop antics throughout between Dylan’s family, Jake and Julia, not to forget grouchy Caroline and her famous cup of coffee. Jake’s unprepared filling in for the absent angel at the start of the Christmas pageant was great comedy; but I loved most of all watching him embrace the children around him. They saw him as a hero, of which he was deserving. Jake’s head never swelled, he was a man of humility and humbleness. Julia is loving and full of compassion, always there to listen and help. What fun we all had with Jake’s new puppy and how Julia taught him the rules of puppy raising. I particularly enjoyed the other romance ongoing behind the scenes between Ben Picasso and Caroline from Barney’s Diner. She didn’t forget the generic generation.
When I found out Julia was carrying a load of deception in which she had involved herself, I was shocked. It’s up to you to read how she worked that angle out. Oh, and yes, Jake had temptation thrown his way from several different directions, which added interest to his romantic feelings toward Julia. When Jake was made the object of fun and ridicule, we did see a normal excusable flaw – anger, but he was full of hurt. Julia was the only ointment that could soothe that pain. Just when you begin to feel that everything will be alright, the feathers all explode from the pillow of comfort and the ending of that situation becomes unpredictable.
JoAnn’s Christmas story is full of the spirit of the majesty of Christ’s birth and why he was born to give us the gift of salvation. Meet Me Under The Mistletoe is a sensitive, touching, fun, wonderful read. JoAnn Durgin is a terrific matchmaker and I can feel the fun she has making up these beautiful stories. For a number of years, I’ve found it hard to feel Christmas in its true essence…didn’t feel like going through another stressful time. This season, I’m feeling excited and the Christmas Spirit is felt deep in my heart. Thank you, JoAnn, for the gift of reminding me about the true meaning of this wonderful season. I’d advise anyone with the blues at this Christmas time to read JoAnn’s Novella and meet Jesus once again under the mistletoe. What love you will feel.
ABOUT JOANN
I like to say I’ve “been around” in the nicest possible sense. Meaning I’ve lived in several states in this great country, and I’ve lived long enough to have gained a certain amount of hard-earned wisdom. I’ve always heard to “write what you know.” My first published book, Awakening, is loosely based on my love story with my husband, Jim. A lot of the strength of character and unwavering faith in my hero, Sam Lewis, is based on Jim. The stubborness and feistiness of my heroine, Lexa Clarke, is based in part on yours truly, but I like to think we also share a resilience and resourcefulness. Awakening is a contemporary (1997) romantic adventure, and you’ll be swept into the world of summer director Sam’s TeamWork crew when Lexa signs on as a volunteer rebuilding homes destroyed by sudden flooding in San Antonio. This sweeping romance has all the elements – fun, humor, emotion, drama, mystery and lots of romantic moments. Hang on tight! The adventures of Lewis and Clarke have only just begun!
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