A Snowball's Chance/A Christmas Carol

**** A Snowball's Chance by Nikki Rivers. Sunny Morgan, wearing a very large, very conspicuous hat made by her great-aunt Tilly, is on her way to Chicago, to the wedding she's been waiting for since she was eight years old, when a winter storm forces her flight to detour to Escanaba, Michigan. By the time she gets through the line at the car rental counter, there are no rental cars left, and her only chance to get to Chicago in time for the wedding is to hitch a ride with Rory Temple, the man whose lap she landed on during the turbulent landing. Rory Temple is a successful businessman and real estate tycoon, and is also in a hurry to get to Chicago, to close a deal on a property that has great personal significance. He's been steering clear of women after one too many encounters with gold-diggers, but when he thinks it's Sunny's own wedding she's rushing to, he thinks she's safe, and can't resist the damsel in distress. This story is one hilarious situation after another. Think Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with romance and a big hat. ****½ A Christmas Carol by Kathleen O'Reilly. Carol Martin and Mike Fitzgerald are best friends. Carol's dating Brock... or Rock... something like that. Mike's just broken up with Linda the Human Vacuum. But something's in the air, maybe hormones, because they've both started looking at each other in a new way. Carol's Aunt Eleanor has decided they're perfect for each other and is doing her best to play matchmaker, volunteering both of them to work on the Christmas pageant at the senior home, while Carol's mother on the other hand hates Mike and thinks Rock... er... Brock... is perfect. But is the possibility of romance worth the possible destruction of their friendship? This is one of my favorite kinds of romance--best friends falling in love--and Kathleen O'Reilly does a great job with it. There's a lot of humor, but there's also a lot of emotion, and the story feels real.

"Snowballs Chance" is awesome! I could not and would not put it down until I was finished. It made me laugh, cry and dream. All of the qualities I look for in a good read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.