ARC Review: Twelve Days to Christmas by Michele Gorman is a Sweet Story

Title: The Twelve Days to Christmas

Author: Michele  Gorman

Publisher: Self Published

Published: October 11, 2012

Format: E-book (ARC) 

Pages: 120

Source:  Provided to me by the author

in exchange for an honest review

Read:  October 2, 2012

In A Few Words:  Short and Sweet

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add this to your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

"What if his proposal had an expiration date?"

Hannah’s in a bit of a pickle. In twelve days she flies from Hong Kong to the US with Sam, where he’s finally going to meet her parents… and ask to marry her.
Since overcoming a rather rocky patch in their relationship (which was totally his fault), he really is a new man, and they’re completely in love. The problem is, she feels panicky every time she contemplates matrimony. Which is perfectly normal, isn’t it? Isn’t it?! She has no idea but she’s got to find out before he pops the question... because she’s not 100% sure she’s going to say yes. Which will make for a very uncomfortable family holiday. He’s got to ask her before they go. So Operation Proposal begins.
As time ticks down to their flight, Hannah realizes that her own secrets are threatening their future. Before she can be happy with Sam, she’s got a lot to learn about herself in the twelve days to Christmas.

This is a novella of 120 pages.

Melissa's Musings:

A few months ago, Michele contacted me to review the previous novel in this series, Misfortune Cookie.  (You can read that review here) So when she contacted me about The Twelve Days to Christmas I was happy to say yes because I wondered what had happened to them.

I have to admit that I wasn't all that thrilled by the ending of Misfortune Cookie only because I had hoped that Hannah would stick to her guns and not get back together with Sam because it seemed like he didn't care about her enough. But at the end of the book you could already tell that she was considering letting him back in. In this book. it's very obvious that he cares for her a lot. It seems as if they've flipped roles a little in that regard because Hannah doesn't seem quite as needy as she was before (this is a very good thing).

But, as she starts to suspect (and worry) that Sam is going to propose to her, she starts to plan Operation Proposal to ensure that he does, even though it's clear that she's having second thoughts about the whole idea. I was a bit disappointed about this, more on a personal level than one with the book itself. Hannah knowing that Sam is going to propose just takes all the fun out of it. In terms of the story though, it's perfect because it's reason to throw Hannah into a frenzy and get her all worked up which is typical of her character.

It's a bit fun to watch her go to the length to ensure that Sam proposes, but I did feel kind of bad about the fact that she had her own secrets to keep from him in this book. It's almost like payback for the secret he kept from her in Misfortune Cookie. 

One thing that I want to note that was really fun about the structure is that at the beginning of each chapter there's a set of  lines that's repeated and grows with each chapter, that's very similar to The Twelve Days of Christmas song. That was a cute touch to the story.

If you're worried about the fact that this is a series, don't be. Each of these work well as standalone books too. I didn't get a chance to read Single in the City before I read Misfortune Cookie and I didn't really feel like anything major was missing. I don't think anyone who reads just this story will feel that way either.

I do have to say that I was slightly disappointed by the ending. To me, it just felt a tiny bit cliche, I was hoping for something more. There was also an issue with the names of characters at the end (I won't say what this is because I don't want to spoil it) but I felt it was slightly unoriginal.

Those are really personal issues though, nothing to do with the book itself, which was excellent. This is a wonderfully sweet story that's perfect for the Christmas season.

I'm just curious, for those of you that are engaged, did you know beforehand, or were you completely surprised? Also, do you have any 'take the significant other home to meet the parents stories (that involve Christmas or otherwise) that you'd like to share?

Special Note:

If you're looking for a Christmas gift to give this season to someone who likes to read this book would be a  great option. And you can even have it signed or Kindlegraphed by Michele Gorman! Here's what she had to say about that process:

If anyone is looking for stocking stuffer ideas, eBooks can be given as gifts through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and readers can make a request for a free personalized eBook inscription throughwww.kindlegraph.com (adding their friend’s kindle or regular email and a note so that I know who it’s from/for and the occasion). The inscription works for any eReader, not just Kindles. They can also request a paperback inscription here (http://michelegorman.co.uk/Bookplates.html) and I’ll send them a bookplate with the inscription to paste inside the front cover.

Isn't that a neat gift idea?