As soon as Halloween is over, I’m in full holiday mode. I want cocoa spiked with peppermint and warm, fuzzy socks by a fireplace (or a space heater). And I definitely want a holiday romance novel. In fact, I want all of them. The first holiday romance of the 2024 season for me was an easy pick; you can’t go wrong with a queer read from author Ashley Herring Blake. Her books feature strong-willed women who know what they want in life, even if their love lives are a hot mess. Make the Season Bright is no exception.
Set in the snowy backwoods town in Colorado, Herring Blake’s most recent novel is the ideal cold-weather read. Charlotte – Lola – Donovan is an uptight violinist who leads a closed-off life, even around those she holds most dearly, the other members of her all-queer string quartet. And Brighton Fairbrook is Lola’s backstory, the reason for her tight-lipped, hold people at an arm’s length personality. Bright left Lola at the altar five years ago, and while her career is on an upwards trajectory, her love life is in the toilet. Charlotte hasn’t let anyone get close for fear of losing them.
And Brighton’s life isn’t looking much better. After walking out on her wedding day, she made her way to Nashville, but her musical career hasn’t gone anywhere in five years. And she still finds herself wondering about Lola.
Cut to the two of them – through the magic of Christmas – ending up sharing the same woodsy cabin in Colorado. Shenanigans and secrets unfold during a winter wonderland blizzard, and both of them have to confront who they were five years ago, who they are now, and how – even after five years apart – they can still find their way back into each other’s life.
shelly. walston. writes. 