The Mistletoe Motive

The Mistletoe Motive
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2021-12-01
4
我的評比:無葉 平均:4 (1 vote)

He loathes the holidays. She loves them. She’s full of festive cheer. He’s brimming with Bah, Humbugs. Besides unreasonably seasonable names, the only thing Jonathan Frost and Gabriella Di Natale have in common is a healthy dose of mutual contempt. Well, that and the same place of employment at the city’s most beloved independent bookstore, Bailey’s Bookshop. But when the store’s owners confess its dire financial state, Jonathan and Gabby discover another unfortunate commonality: the imminent threat of unemployment.

With the Baileys’ requests to minimize expenses, win new customers, and make record sales dancing in their heads, Jonathan and Gabby conclude—barring a financial Christmas miracle—one of them will soon be cut from the payroll. Neither are willing to step down from their position, so they strike a bargain: whoever has more sales in December gets to stay on in the new year; the loser will resign. With a lifetime's worth of festive tricks up her sleeve, Gabby should easily outsell her nemesis, except the unreadable Mr. Frost’s every move seems purely designed to throw her off her game.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Gabby's deceptive ex won't quit pursuing her, and her anonymous online friend suggests they take a break. Worst of all, as the pressure mounts to save the bookshop and her job, Gabby meets a new, tender side of Jonathan. Is this the same man she's called her cold-hearted enemy?

Maybe he’s got a motive she just can’t figure out—or maybe Jonathan Frost isn’t as chilly as she once thought. Maybe Jonathan and Gabby already know—and love—each other in ways they never thought possible.

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4
我的評比:4葉

abriella和Jonathan共同打理一家獨立書店,Gabriella從大學工讀生一路做到現在店經理的位置,對書店投入很深的情感,她也喜愛店內溫馨、有人情味的氛圍;但自從附近開了一家大型連鎖書店影響到銷售之後,老闆僱用了Jonathan做為共同經理人,試圖突破僵局。

然而一方面兩人的個性天差地遠,經營方針時時相左,卻誰都認為自己有理;另一方面,Gabriella認為只要營業額沒有起色,到時候總有一人得離開,所以她完全無法放下戒心,就這麼水火不容地過了一年,來到重要的銷售季——聖誕節,兩人之間的火花升到另一個層次。

這是兩個完全相反的人相愛相殺的故事,Gabriella喜歡羅曼史小說,個性浪漫、享受節慶氛圍,認為獨立書店應該重點經營良好且獨特的消費者體驗,反之,Jonathan喜歡驚悚小說,講究理性、討厭佳節喜慶,認為他們應該從統計分析中尋找出路。

兩人都沒錯,但由於嚴重的溝通不良,他們都覺得對方在針對自己,一年來處處針鋒相對,但後來才發現,他們各自刻意隱藏的『弱點』正是造成誤會的源頭,說開之後他們都能用全新的眼光看待對方,放下了憎恨彷彿連肩頭都輕鬆起來,於是也有餘力欣賞起對方的作風,進而燃起愛火。

書中還有一個安排,是Gabriella在閱讀社群中認識一名網友,每晚聊天聊下來逐漸產生感情,想見面又有點害怕,因為在網路上表現的都是自己美好的一面,要是見面了對方覺得她沒想像中的好,她能接受這種打擊嗎?

想當然,小說的世界就是那麼小,她的Mr. Reddit當然就是Jonathan,而他也抱持著和Gabriella一樣的遲疑,揭露真實的自我真是太難了(對他們兩人而言,線上線下都特別難)。

猜猜誰會先發現對方的真身呢?

這本小說非常符合此時此刻的節慶氣氛,且包含了《傲慢與偏見》及《電子情書》等經典愛情電影的精華元素,浪漫至極,除此之外,作者還給每章分別安排一首主題曲,可以搭配著讀唷!

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