Elinor (Nory) Noel is the lead character in this novel, but she is one of a large cast of players. There's a core of old school friends reuniting for a wedding. The wedding is taking place at the castle in the village. Many of those who live in the village are also part of that supporting cast.
There's a lot of baggage with this group - and I'm not talking suitcases. There's still a line between the haves and the have nots, after so long. Themes of friendship, duty, love, loss, family and more all bubble up to the surface over the week as old wounds, slights and hurts and more see daylight again.
Nory is very likable as are her family, closest friend and her employee Andrew. Andrew and Nory work in Nory's second hand book store. I appreciated her love of second hand books and her ability to find just the right book for a reader. Definitely a store I would be frequenting!
On the flip side, there are some of the 'old gang' that are not so attractive. The bridezilla grew a bit tiresome. And there's one male characters that is truly horrible. I get that there always needs a negative player, but his behaviour is tolerated more than once, when I would be calling the local constabulary.
'Nuff said.
I'm sure you'll guess the romantic thread if I mention that the castle has a handsome, single gardener on the payroll... I did enjoy this bit of the plot and thought it played out well.
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe weighs in at 432 pages, which is quite long for this genre. I do think things could have pared down a bit. I've enjoyed Bayliss's books in the past. This one didn't grab me like those previous novels. It became somewhat repetitive. And I think that one male character's actions and the response left a sour taste in my mouth.
While the title promises a Christmas read, it's not as Christmassy as I expected - if that makes sense.
See for yourself - read an excerpt of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.
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