12 Days of Christmas Book Review: Holiday Hat Trick

Holiday Hat Trick by Catherine Gayle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Mitchell Quincey is visiting his ex-wife, Mia, for the holidays. His sole objective is to get approval from her for joint custody of their daughter. When Q (a nickname he goes by among friends in the Portland Storm Hockey Team) finally met Mia for the first time in a long while, he realized he was still in love with her.

Q is persistent and charming. While Mia plays hard to get, she couldn't help but give him another chance seeing Q shower her daughter with attention and love. Admittedly, Mia has her hands full on being a single working mom. Somewhere in the middle of the holidays, they got back together in each others' arms.

What worked

Christmas magic and the presence of family were factors that pushed Mia to forgive Q's faults. Besides, Q and Mia have a long history that their families brought back through reunions and dinners shared during Christmas time. Having divorced a year before, the time apart made them both think of their loss in the divorce and how rash decisions can further lead to loneliness and isolation. On the one hand, it gave Mia the confidence to find her own footing and rediscover her self. Not only is she a wife to a popular hockey player, she has become a person of her own pursuing a career she could be proud of. What better time to have things sorted out but at Christmas time. When love is real, it finds a way.

What did not work

Since I am invested in the series, I would have wanted to see Mia more involved in the Portland Storm WAGs. The same with Q. Before and after this novella, he was only a footnote to the entire series. He could have been a character that shaped the team into what it is in its recent stands on the series. But, I am keeping my hopes up to find out what Mia and Q will play in the community of the Portland Storm Hockey Team players and their families.

I'm waiting for what Catherine Gayle has in store in the future installments for Q and Mia. I'm holding her out to Jim Sutter's mantra, "we take care of our own."



View all my reviews

12 Days of Christmas Book Review: Mistletoe Misconduct

Mistletoe Misconduct by Catherine Gayle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jim Sutter, General Manager of the Portland Storm has been divorced from his wife for two decades. The WAGs (wives and girlfiends) of the Portland Storm hockey team thought of giving Jim a holiday treat. Unknown to him, the WAGs posted his profile in a dating site. Miles away, his ex-wife Elaine found him online. She took her chance and the journey in at a second chance on love begins.

What worked

Christmas is a time of reunions and reconciliations. Some are successful and some aren't. In the Portland Storm series, the coming together of Elaine and Jim magically worked out with very little effort and resistance. Jim is still haunted by his past mistakes, especially the one that led to his divorce. He lives with this pain by being the father to the Portland Storm hockey players, their wives and children. To them, Jim is not just a manager of the team. Apparently, Jim is a big believer on second chances. If he could give his players a second chance, why can't he give it to himself? Elaine loves him still, after all. If she could forgive him, why can't he forgive himself?

Throwing his guilt and regrets out the window, he took the first step to redemption.

Like Jim, I do believe in second chances. Like Elaine, I go after what my heart tells me to do. Twenty years apart is a long time, but between two people who truly love each other, time is merely a concept.

What did not work

The ending felt rushed. I would have wanted to see a chapter devoted to Jim's reunion with his son as well. If this is a technique by the author and the publisher to rope me in for the next novellas in the series to see more of Jim's turn around as a father to his son, well, that is pretty smart.

For fans of contemporary romance and happily ever afters, this novella makes for a good Christmas read as it celebrates forgiveness and hope for a brighter future.




View all my reviews