The Mistletoe Inn (audio)

At thirty-two Kimberly Rossi, a finance officer at a Lexus car dealership, has had her heart broken more times than she wants to remember. With two failed engagements, a divorce and again alone with no prospects, she hardly seems the type to dream of being a published romance author. Dreading another holiday alone, she signs up for The Mistletoe Retreat, a nine-day writing retreat in Burlington, VT. Deep inside Kimberly knows she’s at a junction in her life and it’s time to either fulfill her dream or let it go. The other reason she decides to attend the conference is because famed romance writer, H.T. Cowell, once the bestselling romance writer in America, and the author whose books instilled in her the desire to be a writer, will be speaking in public for the first time in more than a decade.

In one of her breakout sessions Kimberly meets another aspiring writer, and one of the few men at the conference, Zeke, an intelligent man with a wry wit who seems as interested in Kimberly as he is in the retreat. As Kimberly begins to open up to him about her stories and dreams, she inadvertently reveals her own troubled past. As Zeke helps her to discover why her books fail to live up to their potential she begins to wonder if he’s really talking more about her life than her literature. But as she grows closer to him, she realizes that Zeke has his own darkness, a past he’s unwilling to talk about.

I chose this audio based on the  narrator alone as I have not read this author. I am so glad I did or I would have missed this gem of a story. Kim is one of the unluckiest in love people ever!  As her story is told you will realize why. She really wants to publish her "perfect" romance, and figures this conference is her last chance.  She befriends two people at the conference, Samantha and Zeke, both fellow writers. She opens up to Zeke, but not totally and you figure out the secret he is keeping (at least I did). Zeke offers to read her book and give her an honest critique. When it is not what she wants to hear she bails and returns home which is the best thing she could have done as this is where the real healing begins. Great story with wounded characters that give love a chance. Madeline Maby always delivers a pitch perfect read no matter the plot or characters. A story that can be read/listened to anytime of the year. 

*Thanks to Lauren and Simon and Schuster Audio for this review copy*