Dashing Through the Mall: An Anthology

Santa, Baby by Sherryl Woods: This short story was quite action-packed. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering if Josh had been kidnapped, perhaps by his father, or if he'd just fallen asleep in a corner of the mall. I truly felt his mother's anxiety over his being missing. As well, I could feel her overall stress of being a newly single parent just moved to a new state and having a flu-bug while still trying to keep Christmas as traditional as possible for her two young children. My favorite of the three stories, perhaps because I simply enjoy Sherryl Woods presentations. Assignment Humbug by Darlene Gardner: In this story, I liked the way Merry seemed so sure of herself - her feelings towards Patrick, as well as her cynicism towards Christmas - yet with every effort to prove her points, she ended up being refuted. This story was filled with the magic of Christmas!! Deck the Halls by Holly Jacobs: Being apart from one's family at Christmas-time is enough to give one the humbugs, especially when constantly surrounded by holiday cheer while working in the Mall. There's nothing like a bunch of good-hearted, but highly spirited, teenaged boys to chase the humbugs away, especially when those boys have a handsome and fun-loving father! I liked the way this all-male family brought Joy back into Joy's heart for Christmas!

Revives the meaning of the season...Sherryl Woods, Darlene Gardner and Holly Jacobs help the reader forget the hassle and remember the spirit of the season. In Deck The Halls, Holly Jacobs' characters touch emotions only a parent can appreciate...a truely heart-warming story. Carol Hutchens

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques In Santa Baby by Sherryl Woods, we meet Amy Riley who has just moved to Charlotte with her children after getting divorced. When she takes the kids to the mall on Christmas Eve to see Santa (a family tradition) panic ensues when Amy's son runs off. Who comes to her aid but none other than the man in the red suit himself, police officer Nick DiCaprio helping out for the day. Who would have thought sparks would fly between this odd couple! Santa Baby was probably the most serious of the three stories in this anthology. Amy is frantic over her missing son and the whole situation brings back bad memories for Nick of the one time he was unable to help a mother's missing child. In spite of the gravity of the plot however, Sherryl Woods handles it with a light and humorous touch to prevent it from becoming too serious a subject for a traditionally happy holiday. Assignment Humbug by Darlene Gardner has TV reporter Merry Deluca tied up in knots. She is assigned to report from the mall on Christmas Eve and wants to try a new hook... showing how the last minute shoppers are out there for all the wrong reasons. Unfortunately for her, cameraman Patrick MacFarland has other ideas. His plan is to prove to his former fiancée, Merry, that magic is in the air and they belong together. Who will win this battle? Merry doesn't like when people try to buy the affections of others and to her, that's what Christmas is all about to most people. When Patrick seemed to start doing that to her she couldn't be with him anymore. Patrick on the other hand feels like buying "the perfect gift" is the best way to prove love for another. These conflicting ideals provide a lot of tension for the couple. Watching these two lovebirds come to understand each other through a little Christmas magic makes Assignment Humbug a pleasant read with some laugh out loud moments. In Deck the Halls by Holly Jacobs, when a flu bug strikes down most of her employees, department store manager Joy O'Connell is stuck having to play escort to Ed Hall and his three sons, the winners of a holiday shopping spree. Nothing could be worse than having to spend the day with the wild and crazy boys, or could it? Can Ed and Joy discover the true meaning of the season together? Who would have thought holiday shopping with three electronics-obsessed boys would be so amusing? Holly Jacobs brings her own brand of humor to this charming collection with Deck the Halls. Joy is new to town and is lacking in Christmas cheer until Ed arrives. As the two of them spend the day together at the mall, they help each other discover happiness once more. What's most touching about this story is that these lessons are learned through the joy of giving to others. All three stories in Dashing Through the Mall are sure to please readers. I liked the added touch of having all three occurring simultaneously, at the same mall on Christmas Eve. The only thing missing to link the three was

"Santa, Baby" by Sherryl Woods. Following an ugly divorce, Amy Riley moved with her two children from Michigan to the Charlotte area. Today she is supposed to take her five years old son Josh and her infant Emma to the mall to see Santa; so in spite of a fever she does. However, Josh vanishes, panicking Amy, but with the help of the kind Santa, police officer Nicholas DiCaprio, they find her child and much more. "Assignment Humbug" by Darlene Gardner. TV reporter Merry Deluca's mother accuses her of being an un-American female as she suffers from shopahobia. However, to her chagrin her station sends her to the King Mall to cover a story. Worse her cameraman is former fiancé Patrick MacFarland who wants a second chance to prove they belong together though he is concerned that going for the mistletoe might be over the top. "Deck the Halls" by Holly Jacobs. After hearing every imaginable musical version of White Christmas (Bing must be turning over), Joy O'Connell has had it with the Yuletide holiday. However, when you are a Harrington and Vine store manager at the mall, you better accept Christmas music to cheer up the customers. Making matters worse much of the employees have the flu just as Dr. Edward Hall and his three terrorist sons invade her sanctuary. These are three fun, cute lighthearted Christmas romance tales that start off with bah humbug, but soon turns to joy to the world. Harriet Klausner