Book Review ~ Marrying Miss Kringle: Ginger by Lucy McConnell

 Marrying Miss Kringle: Ginger by Lucy McConnell

Hi! Lucy Thompson here with a new-to-me author recommendation. 

Now before anyone's Christian feathers are ruffled by the word Santa let me explain:
Yes, there is mention of Santa, elves, and Christmas magic.
There is also mention of Jesus, his salvation, loving on/caring for others, and Santa/magic in this story is treated a lot like Father God and his grace toward us.

This isn't an in-your-face-six-page-salvation-description type story. It's a story set at Christmas time with characters who believe in Jesus but don't mention that fact every single page. I'd call this a cross-over story. The characters deal with hurt from their pasts, but it's never in-depth or uncomfortable. Same with their faith. It's present in the background, but evident in how they live their lives. A non-Christian could read this. Or myself. ;)

Ok. Now that's out of the way let's check out the back cover copy:

"When Ginger Kringle is branded to wear the magic red suit, she has to fall in love and get married before Christmas Eve to save the family business. After being given a list (Santas love lists!) of potential Mr. Kringles, Ginger heads off to Clearview, Alaska, where she embarks on a mission to save her family, their home, the elves, the reindeer, and Christmas for children across the globe. In her quest, Ginger finds that checking a list has much more to do with her heart than it does her head."

I LOVED this story--and I don't usually read or even like Christmas books! *gasp*  This is a fantastic story. Really well developed characters. I laughed a lot through this. Felt infused with Christmas cheer. Made me want to wrap presents, bake gingerbread, or go hug a child. :) The idea of the future Santa (and a girl to boot!) having to fall in love by Christmas Eve was a novel premise. Loved all their quirks and sayings. Here are some below:

"Oh my peanut brittle!"



He had no right to make her feel this way— like she was floating and falling and twirling and twisting, and if she didn’t get her head on right, headed for the naughty list.


“I thought I’d take him for a sleigh ride for our first date.” 
“Sure. Scare the guy into marrying you.” Ginger threw a dish towel at Lux and missed. 
“I’m a good flier.” 
“Well, you’re better than Stella, I’ll give you that.” 
“That’s not saying much.” Stella drove like a roller coaster operator. When Stella flew a sleigh, even the reindeer came back nauseous.

Parts I liked: (can I say everything??) The premise of the story, the word choices (all very Christmassy, but in a non-cheesy kind of way), the well-rounded characters, the baking (what? I like cookies. :) ), and the happy ever after. 

Parts I didn't like: Ummmmmmmmmm. That the next book wasn't available yet? 

Target reader: people who love Christmas stories, readers who like to laugh, women of all ages. Christians or non-Christians.

I can't wait for the next story! 

Lucy McConnell writes great cross-over stories. I highly recommend you check out her Billionaire Marriage Broker series as well. I'd love to review them but they came out more than six months ago. That series is my current treat for hitting my daily word count. :)

Ho, ho, hope you enjoy reading Marrying Miss Kringle: Ginger.