Dashing through the Mall by Sherryl Woods, Darlene Gardner, and Holly Jacobs

A trip to the mall on Christmas Eve brings happiness to six people that otherwise would have spent Christmas Day alone.

In Santa, Baby by Sherryl Woods, Amy Riley’s first Christmas after her divorce was going to be rough on her and her two children. To keep things normal, Amy decided to stick with their annual Christmas tradition and visit Santa on Christmas Eve. But when her five year old wanders off, she turns to the one person that can truly help her, Santa Claus.

In Assignment Humbug by Darlene Gardner, Joy O’Connell finds herself alone in a strange town on Christmas Eve. To make matters worse, some of her key employees call in sick. So in addition to running her branch of the mall’s largest department store, she finds herself stuck with helping a father and his three sons do their Christmas shopping. Will the father and sons help her rediscover the true meaning of Christmas?

In Deck the Halls by Holly Jacobs, Merry Deluca’s ex-fiancé, Patrick MacFarland, shows up to help her film a spot for her TV news show. She had the perfect plan: show her viewers that Christmas has grown too commercial for her report by interviewing disgruntled shoppers at the mall. Everything was going fine until Pat decides to rewrite the script.

Score: Very Good

Details: Harlequin Romance, November 2006

Confessions of a Party Crasher by Holly Jacobs

When her Morgan Miller’s west coast job bites the dust and she’s forced to return to Philadelphia, Morgan’s mother takes pity on her and invites her to a party. The party turns out to be a wedding reception and then Morgan learns that her mother wasn’t invited. When the sexy photographer, Conner Danning realizes that they didn’t belong, Morgan makes up a story that not only gets them out of trouble, but gives her a reason for meeting Conner again. Conner finds himself looking forward to spending time with Morgan, but he’s disappointed when she insists that she’s planning on returning to California as soon as she can find a job. But the more time Morgan spends with Conner, the less she wants to return to the west coast. Now will Morgan return to her former life in California or will she stay and crash Conner’s next party?

I remember reading Holly Jacobs from the days when Harlequin still published Flipsides and Duets. It was refreshing to read her again. I really enjoyed this book and the sense of humor that filled the pages. If you like lighthearted books, I’m sure you’ll love this one.

Details: Signature Select, June 2006

Bottom line: A great book