cover image The Christmas Keeper (Happily Ever After #2)

The Christmas Keeper (Happily Ever After #2)

Jenn McKinlay. Berkley, $7.99 mass market (304p) ISBN 978-0-451-49245-6

McKinlay’s second Happily Ever After contemporary (after The Good Ones) has sugar, spice, and everything nice. Publicist Savannah “Red” Wilson grew up loving the hustle and bustle of New York City. When she’s unfairly fired, she goes to Fairdale, N.C., to help her best friend promote her new bookstore, believing putting the new business on the map will rejuvenate her damaged reputation. Her goal was to reclaim her career, not to fall for the hunky, Christmas-loving Joaquin “Quino” Solis. At their first encounter, Quino knows Savannah is the one, and he gets the chance to prove it to her when they join forces to work on a PR campaign to save the bookstore from financial ruin. With mistletoe kisses, ice-skating, and “ugly” Christmas sweaters, Quino charms his way into Savannah’s heart. Just as Savannah starts warming up to the festive holiday and to Quino, things get frosty when he learns the part she played in his tangled family history. Witty dialogue and a charming small town filled with warm, loving characters will keep readers coming back to this tender series. (Oct.)