A Christmas Celebration
Nancy Robards Thompson
Harlequin Special Edition, Oct 21 2014,
$5.50
ISBN: 9780373658503
When his best friend Greg Thomas and his BFF’s wife Rosa died in a
car crash, Celebration Memorial Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Cullen Dunlevy takes
in their four young mourning children (ranging in age from five to ten). Rather than let the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services divide the quartet, Cullen plans to keep them
with him until he finds a suitable family who will raise the fearsome
foursome. However, he works sixteen hour
days and his housekeeper quits as the growing blue foam was the last straw.
After explaining to Lily Palmer the kids act out of grief and she
replies they seek attention; he hires the second grade schoolteacher as their
nanny not just because he is desperate, which he is, but he sees how gently she
reached out to the youngest Hannah through Franklin the dog. He also admires how well Lily deals with the
oldest Megan, the only boy George and the second youngest Bridge. As the six bonds into a warm family, “Uncle”
Cullen struggles with his desires to adopt the kids while falling in love with
the nanny because he is married to his job.
The fourth Celebrations, Inc. Texas romance (see Celebration’s
Bride, Celebration’s Family and Celebration’s Baby) is an uplifting Yuletide
family drama. The lead couple is a nice
pairing whose plans are nuked by the needy grieving youngsters. With a nod to Nanny McPhee (sans the magic
except inside the hearts of all of them) and mindful of W.C. Fields’
admonition: "Never work with animals or children” the troubled kids steal
the show from the adults.
Harriet Klausner
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