Molly Anders' lazy husband walked out on her on Christmas Eve because she wanted to paint, not work in advertising to support him. Greg Wilcox lost his wife on Christmas Eve, leaving him with a young daughter and a broken heart.

Greg met Molly in the Redwood Diner, and she made a big impression on him-and on Sarah. For Sarah's birthday Molly agreed to have dinner with them, and this was the start of an ongoing relationship.

Molly made love with Greg, but she wouldn't even consider a serious relationship with him-he was a motorcycle bum, and if there was one thing she didn't need it was another lazy, useless man. Hurt, he left, and she didn't see him for two weeks.

When he returned, he'd had a haircut and gotten a job. Sarah had fallen ill in the rain, however, and Molly took her home to warm her up. When Greg's mother called, unable to look after Sarah, taking Molly back with them to San Jose seemed the most sensible thing to do.

Greg hadn't been entirely honest with Molly-he didn't tell her that he was the wealthy owner of a holding company, and the new owner of her house and several of her paintings. Shocked and betrayed by his secrecy, she tried to leave, but stayed for Sarah. Greg and Sarah conspired to keep her there for Christmas, and Molly wanted to stay there to give Sarah a Christmas tree-and turn the sterile white house into a home. By the time Christmas came around, Molly found something that she had never expected to: a family.

Sarah is an absolutely adorable child, albeit somewhat precocious for a five-year-old. Molly is a strong yet vulnerable woman, likeable and uncertain, and a heroine that can be easily identified with. Greg is a particularly appealing hero, because despite being endowed with the usual merits expected of a hero, they're made more appealing by his flaws.

Altogether, A Christmas with Sarah is one romance that I simply could not put down. I absolutely loved it. Janet Miller has created a sweet, sometimes sensual story that is also engaging and unexpectedly touching.

Reviewed By: Melinda Stanners
(c) August 2004