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It Happened One Christmas
Set against the backdrop of New York City, a trio of hilarious romances follows three very different women--Manhattan society girl Eve St. James, up-and-coming caterer Marina Shields, and cranky marketing executive Kim Winkler--as they find unexpected love amidst the magic of Christmas. Original.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Susan Wiggs
170 books7,542 followersSusan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.
According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.
According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.
The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 31, 2018
Ik was aangenaam verrast door de kwaliteit van schrijven van deze 3 ( voor mij onbekende ) auteurs . De verhalen hadden allemaal een echte kerstsfeer en de romantiek ging nu eens niet alleen maar om lust/sex . De verhalen van Susan Wiggs en Nancy Warren geef ik 4 sterren , het verhaal van Jule McBride vond ik iets te hijgerig en krijgt 3 sterren .
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing of these 3 ( to me unknown ) authors . The stories had all a genuine christmas feeling and the romance was for once not solely about lust/sex . I give the stories from Susan Wiggs and Nancy Warren 4 stars , the story from Jule McBride was a little bit to lusty /panting for my taste and gets therefore 3 stars .
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing of these 3 ( to me unknown ) authors . The stories had all a genuine christmas feeling and the romance was for once not solely about lust/sex . I give the stories from Susan Wiggs and Nancy Warren 4 stars , the story from Jule McBride was a little bit to lusty /panting for my taste and gets therefore 3 stars .
January 22, 2018
"The St. James Affair" by Susan Wiggs. Elaine St. James is the only child of NY socialites and the head of a publicity firm. It's Christmas and her boyfriend has just dumped her and her "best" friend just tried to steal her money. Then she's confronted by a former hockey player, now a cop, that she had a brief relationship with. Elaine finally figures out what's important and so does Tony.
"A Catered Affair" by Nancy Warren. Marina Shields s trying to get her new catering business off the ground after splitting wither her partner/fiance Pierre. She meets Clay Archer at an event she's catering and he's fascinated. He helps her get back at her old partner who's sabotaging her business and wins her trust and love.
"Philadelphia Affair" by Jule McBride. Kim Winkler has marketed the hottest Christmas toy, but she's cooled her affair with the creator Timothy Toye because of her daughter, who he doesn't even know exists until a mix-up at a promo. The daughter has "spoiled" issues since her dad's death 2 years earlier, but mom's and enabler and doesn't deserve Timothy.
Some sex - mediocre stories.
"A Catered Affair" by Nancy Warren. Marina Shields s trying to get her new catering business off the ground after splitting wither her partner/fiance Pierre. She meets Clay Archer at an event she's catering and he's fascinated. He helps her get back at her old partner who's sabotaging her business and wins her trust and love.
"Philadelphia Affair" by Jule McBride. Kim Winkler has marketed the hottest Christmas toy, but she's cooled her affair with the creator Timothy Toye because of her daughter, who he doesn't even know exists until a mix-up at a promo. The daughter has "spoiled" issues since her dad's death 2 years earlier, but mom's and enabler and doesn't deserve Timothy.
Some sex - mediocre stories.
April 12, 2019
Three stories in one book. "The St. James Affair" by Susan Wiggs is about a wealthy socialite who wants to find out if she can settle for a Brooklyn cop. "A Catered Affair" by Nancy Warren is about an caterer who is building her business when she meets a CEO who seduces her into her own affair. "A Philadelphia Affair" by Jule McBride is about a marketing exec in heels with a must-have toy that leads to romance with the toy's creator. They were all typical romance stories, and a decent read.
April 2, 2018
Three nice novellas. Good read.
December 20, 2020
I didn't like the St James Affair much at all; couple will never work out. The other two stories were entertaining to make up for the first.
April 15, 2023
Light holiday tales of romance are the perfect antidote to a rough week. This trio of novellas is enjoyable and easy to read.
December 26, 2010
The first story in this collection is THE ST. JAMES AFFAIR by Susan Wiggs. In this story, a career woman who has become cynical about Christmas ends up running into the man who broke her heart exactly seven years ago, on Christmas Eve. But with the help of a little Christmas magic, she learns to forgive and rediscover love and happiness.
I expected to like this one, as Wiggs is a talented writer. But I was left rather disapointed by this story, mostly because I had a really hard time liking the heroine. Her cynical attitude came on just a bit too strong, turning me off of her character. And the career she was obsessed with seemed so meaningless and trivial to me. PR person? That's what's consumed your entire life, to the exclusion of the things that matter? Clothes, manicures and parties? It just made the heroine seem very shallow. I just couldn't make myself care about her. And I never felt like I really knew the hero well enough to form an opinion of him. I just didn't care if these two ended up together, which makes for a very unsatisfying read. Two stars.
The second story was Nancy Warren's A CATERED AFFAIR. In this story, a woman who has been jilted by her lover and ex-business partner is attempting to get her revenge by making a sucess of her catering business and beating out his. During a crucial night, she meets a man who is intrigued by her and pursues her. Holiday romance ensues.
This story was just okay. I had a hard time liking the hero, as he came across as a bit of an arrogant jerk. He was practically strutting around, thinking that he's so great and gorgeous that any woman should be happy to fall at his feet. Ugh. Self-confidence is attractive. Being self-absorbed is not. And his immediate comment that he wanted to see the heroine in nothing but her stiletto heels and her catering apron was sleazy, not sexy. It didn't progress from there. There was nothing drawing the characters together but sex. I need more than just out-of-control hormones for a satisfying romance. Two stars.
The last story in this anthology was Jule McBride's A PHILADELPHIA AFFAIR. This was a story of lovers reunited at Christmas time. The hero and heroine shared a brief but torrid affair, and the hero doesn't want it to be over. His relentless pursuit of the hero combine with the machinations of the heroine's daughter to win the heroine back into his arms.
I didn't get very far into this story. This was another story that was only about sex, and had no real love in it. When the hero has made a dozen sexual references (and memories) of the heroine in two pages (seriously, there were that many!) you know that the story is going to be nothing but a lust-fest. Sadly, I've yet to read a Jule McBride story that I was even able to finish, and this one was no exception.
I expected to like this one, as Wiggs is a talented writer. But I was left rather disapointed by this story, mostly because I had a really hard time liking the heroine. Her cynical attitude came on just a bit too strong, turning me off of her character. And the career she was obsessed with seemed so meaningless and trivial to me. PR person? That's what's consumed your entire life, to the exclusion of the things that matter? Clothes, manicures and parties? It just made the heroine seem very shallow. I just couldn't make myself care about her. And I never felt like I really knew the hero well enough to form an opinion of him. I just didn't care if these two ended up together, which makes for a very unsatisfying read. Two stars.
The second story was Nancy Warren's A CATERED AFFAIR. In this story, a woman who has been jilted by her lover and ex-business partner is attempting to get her revenge by making a sucess of her catering business and beating out his. During a crucial night, she meets a man who is intrigued by her and pursues her. Holiday romance ensues.
This story was just okay. I had a hard time liking the hero, as he came across as a bit of an arrogant jerk. He was practically strutting around, thinking that he's so great and gorgeous that any woman should be happy to fall at his feet. Ugh. Self-confidence is attractive. Being self-absorbed is not. And his immediate comment that he wanted to see the heroine in nothing but her stiletto heels and her catering apron was sleazy, not sexy. It didn't progress from there. There was nothing drawing the characters together but sex. I need more than just out-of-control hormones for a satisfying romance. Two stars.
The last story in this anthology was Jule McBride's A PHILADELPHIA AFFAIR. This was a story of lovers reunited at Christmas time. The hero and heroine shared a brief but torrid affair, and the hero doesn't want it to be over. His relentless pursuit of the hero combine with the machinations of the heroine's daughter to win the heroine back into his arms.
I didn't get very far into this story. This was another story that was only about sex, and had no real love in it. When the hero has made a dozen sexual references (and memories) of the heroine in two pages (seriously, there were that many!) you know that the story is going to be nothing but a lust-fest. Sadly, I've yet to read a Jule McBride story that I was even able to finish, and this one was no exception.
January 7, 2015
Three stories of changed lives happening at Christmas. In the St James Affair, Eve St James has a second chance with an old flame and faces some home truths about her life style. In A Catered Affair, Marina Shields, struggling caterer, finds her business being sabotaged at the same time she is being courted by very persistent client. And in A Philadelphia Affair, Kim Winkler's secrets are exposed when she goes in pursuit of a must-have toy. All were nice holiday stories.
December 12, 2008
Here's hoping there's a man out there half as charming, kind, gorgeous, and most of all...INTUITIVE AND FEMALE MIND-READING as the lead characters in these stories. Oh that's right, this is fiction after all. Dumb and fluffy but a quick and Christmasy read.
January 26, 2011
What a lot of crap. That will teach me to read a book that I bought for a themed release.
October 28, 2012
all 3 stories were great...have always read Wiggs, now 2 new authors to look for
November 23, 2013
Love stories with holiday touches are not my idea of good fiction. Didn't bother to finish.
December 29, 2014
My favorite was Nancy Warren's with the caterer as main character.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews