Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Blogging for Books: Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul


Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul is as Christmas as eggnog,cinnamon sticks and holly. A completely fresh addition to the usual CBA offering of seasonal fare, Paul uses her penchant for fantasy to infuse a charmingly cozy romance with wizards and magic.


Can a Christian book have wizards?, one might ask. Of course!, for wizard, in its etymological origin, namely refers to one who is sage or wise. It is this slant and the looming and enigmatic Wizard's Christmas Ball that is the strongest offering of the tale.


Cora and Simon have worked near each other for five years at the same consumer company. Their shoulders never bump, though recently they have been thrown together in the oddest circumstances: Simon's parking spot moved directly next to hers, they run into each other on mystical Sage street at a strangely wonderful bookshop and Cora draws his name in the annual Christmas gift exchange.


Enter Simon's sister, Candy, and her love for kittens and the story begins to melt into a snowglobe of possibility and romance! I really enjoyed this breezy read and when paired with a gingerbread latte it immediately put me in the festive mood. Christians will be challenged by Cora's skepticism of the Christmas commercialism and relate to her questions on how best to embrace the Season. Readers in general will be warmed by Simon's bond with his younger sister and by Cora's steadfast growth and independence, away from her abusive past.


While I found that the story developed-and-developed just to wrap up quickly with a neat little bow and while I question Paul's sensibility about young men and women in their late 20's and 30's ( no one says "good night" as an exclamation ), I found this a wonderfully unique option for those who revel in Christmas-themed tales.


This would make a fabulous tv movie so I hope that the Hallmark people are hovering close at hand.


I received this book from the publisher for review as part of the Blogging for Books program and was bid to give my honest opionion, as I have done above.


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