Strictly Christmas Spirit

by Helen Buckley

5 out of 5

Synopsis

From disco balls to Christmas baubles …

Ex-dancer Emily Williams turned her back on the sparkle of popular dancing show Strictly Dancing with Celebs to help those in need. Now the only dancing she does is teaching lonely pensioners to waltz, and the closest she gets to disco balls is making baubles with the homeless people in her Christmas crafts class.

She’s certainly not star-struck when Hollywood heart-throb Blake Harris is sent to her at short notice for community service, and has no desire to babysit the arrogant actor with his bad boy antics and selfish ways. Christmas might be a time for miracles, but Blake seems to be a lost cause.

But Emily’s reasons for abandoning her dancing passion means she understands the Hollywood wild child more than she’d like to admit. Could their time together, coupled with a dash of Christmas spirit, lead to a miracle change of heart for them both?

Book 3 in Helen's Spotlight series but they can all be read as standalone stories.

Review

Emily has gone from a flashy dancing career to working with homeless people. She orgnaises the volunteers and those on community service, but actor Blake has to be the most awkward worker ever.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Spotlight series, but each of the books are stand-alones with completely different characters and settings involved.

The narrative is shared between our main characters Emily and Blake.

Emily used to be a professional dancer, but had a sharp career change, and works for a charity to help homeless people.

She is passionate about what she does, but never feels like she will make the same impact as the rest of her do-gooder family, even though she is working every hour under the sun.

Blake is a famous actor in his own right; and the son of two of the most famous actors in the world.

His career hits a hurdle when his third wife divorces him, and he has a destructive meltdown in a hotel room. After going through rehab, he has to complete community service.

Working in the real world is a bit of a shock for him, but he's hoping that the right media coverage could help heal his public image.

This was a blot of fun. Emily and Blake are such opposites and it was entertaining to watch their interactions.

Unlike most of the world, Emily is not charmed by Blake's looks; and she finds him ridiculously shallow, self-involved and ignorant to any lives outside of his own.

To be fair, she's right in her assessment. Blake is all of those things, but he has grown up in a gilded world, and has never considered his life a problem, or the way he treats people.

His mind is opened in a slow and realistic way, as he starts to connect with the homeless and vulnerable people that use the center.

This is the second book I've read by Helen Buckley, and I love the way the story is entertaining, and so readable; but also isn't afraid to broach serious topics.

I like the way it is approached, it's very realistic and respectful.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story, and I look forward to reading more of Buckley's work.

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