The Holiday Plan Plot Summary
Valentine's Day is full of painful reminders for Verona Scott, a romance novelist who has trouble believing happily-ever-after even exists. To escape all the heart-shaped, pink and red symbols of the season, Verona holes up in Courtington Castle, a luxury hotel near the quaint town of Camelot Creek, located in the valley of the Adirondacks. She's hoping the picturesque backdrop will lead to much-needed literary inspiration, since best-selling romance novels are hard to write when drawn from a well of personal heartbreak.
Verona is horrified upon check-in to learn a match-making retreat headed by the king of happily-ever-after himself, Troy Turner, coincides with her stay. To make the best of a bad situation, Verona begrudgingly participates in the event for research purposes only, but the celebrity dating coach finds her to be an interesting and unusual challenge.
As Verona wrestles with the loss of her dear Aunt Theoni, another person from her past makes an unexpected appearance.
For Verona, Valentine's Day continues to be a holiday where real-life plot twists keep changing the course she has planned.
Novel Elements Hallmark Fans Will Adore
If you're an avid Hallmark movie viewer, you may think you've seen it all when it comes to carriage rides, making s'mores, professional matchmakers, winter landscapes, a writer seeking inspiration, and two people falling in love in only a week's time, but author Emma Lynden transforms feel-good tropes into something totally new and magical.
In The Holiday Plan, you will appreciate the same clean romance you've come to expect from Hallmark. There are no sexually explicit scenes or vulgarity. Even better are the many tender gestures, thoughtful acts, sweetly nuanced conversations, and exchanged looks that help us remember exactly how it feels to fall in love!
The Holiday Plan is a new, January 2022, release through Harpeth Road Press--a publishing company founded by best-selling author Jenny Hale whose books brought Hallmark fans two movies: Coming Home for Christmas and Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses.
So Much to Love About This Book!
My absolute FAVORITE thing about this book is the gorgeous language Lynden pens from beginning to end. I don't think I've ever read a book chalked so full of vivid imagery. Lynden crafts similes, metaphors, and other descriptive devices to paint a beautiful picture for the reader, much like an artist dips a brush into the palette and makes a canvas come to life.
When Lynden describes snow blowing off a bough and landing on the cheek, you will swear you feel the icy prickle on your own. Her words transport you, the reader, between the pages of the book and never leaves you as an outside observer looking down upon the print. You will love living in the winter wonderland the author plops you into over the course of the read.
Lynden weaves multiple threads throughout the book, and she leaves none of them untied by the end. For example, you will see how Aunt Theoni's influence, though she has passed away, continues to help Verona when she needs it most. Madison Blake is a thread who impacts Troy's brand. Of all the threads, my favorite is the concept of a fairytale ending and how Lynden literally makes that happen (you'll have to read to find out how she does it!).
This book contains hope and wisdom. Verona lives by the mantra, "Find the possibility hidden within the problem, and then plan around it." This is a unique spin on the old adage of taking life's lemons and making lemonade. When you are prompted to view life through this type of lens, it's easy to see how something good can be extracted from a bad situation. As a person of faith, it's encouraging to contemplate that life's unexpected turns are a result of a better plan than we could have plotted for ourselves, and that when we follow the divine blueprint, we end up at the right place at the perfect time.
The entire plot is deliberately ironic, which is a delight. Verona is a romance novelist who doesn't believe in the fairytale, and Troy is a matchmaker who chooses to remain single. Yet, each one of them teaches the other a thing or two that changes the trajectory of their lives.
Despite Valentine's Day being the quintessential holiday of love, the book market isn't exactly flooded with quality romance books celebrating this specific season the same way authors target Christmas. In fact, when you spy the title, The Holiday Plan, you might assume this is a Christmas book until you notice the absence of festive red and green. This novel lets you continue savoring the delights of winter, but in a heart-filled Valentine's context.
Finally, even though a good novel includes tension, which this one does, it is not herniated until the reader is stressed.
You'll Be Anxious for Lynden's Next Release!
It's impossible to believe The Holiday Plan is Lynden's debut novel because it is so beautifully written and cohesive with both a well-developed plot and deep characters--what you would expect from a seasoned author. Troy isn't the typical brooding and over-assertive type, and his looks are classified as more "old Hollywood," which is just one example of Lynden's refreshing change-ups you will discover.
Give The Holiday Plan a read. Not only will you be enchanted, you'll be anticipating her next release! Did I mention there's a castle?
Snag your copy of Emma Lyndon's feel-good romance, The Holiday Plan
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