The Christmathon by Valerie J. Patterson

The Christmathon by Valerie J. Patterson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sophia Brady, mayor of Noelville, has only one wish for Christmas: to put an end to the Christmathon. To end the rivalry between her town and Garland Falls. What’s stopping her other than 75 years of tradition? The new mayor of Garland Falls. He likes the snow games, the reindeer cup, and healthy competition. He’s just as unyielding in his stance that they continue. When Sophie meets a handsome stranger at her favorite restaurant, will romance be enough to take her mind off the Christmathon?

Competition comes in many forms.

Since the holidays are a time for relishing all sorts of rich dishes, it made perfect sense to describe the food and alcohol the characters consumed in vivid detail. I must admit to needing to grab a few snacks while reading because of how hungry those passages made me. The narrator made every meal and bottle of wine sound amazing, including the ones that I’ve never actually eaten or drunk in real life.

This story would have benefited from another round of editing. Along with the multiple punctuation and other errors I noticed, Sophia’s name was regularly written as Sophie without any explanations as to why that change had occurred. This happened so frequently that I’m not actually sure which one was correct, and it distracted me from the plot itself even though I was originally quite interested in checking it out.

The chemistry between the two main characters was incredibly strong, and this is something I’m saying as a reader who generally prefers a slower burn in the romances I read. Ms. Patterson did a great job of showing why her characters were such a compatible match for each other within just a few pages. There was an electric connection between them that made me excited to see what would happen next. That is not easy to do, so kudos to her for pulling it off. It was exactly what this tale needed to gel together.

The Christmathon made me yearn for romance, wine, and Christmas lights.