Lessons Learned from “The December Market”

The December Market by Raeanne Thayne

"If you’re looking for a sweet, small-town Christmas romance, this one hits all the holiday notes you’re looking for."

Usually when I review a book, I like to give my impressions, talk about what kind of reader would like the book, and give my thoughts on the writing, the entertainment value of the story, and the connection I made with the characters.

Today, I want to talk about The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne in a different way. After reading this small-town Christmas romance, I came away with — more than anything — three life lessons that main characters Amanda and Rafe and their families and neighbors in small town Shelter Springs taught me.

1. Don’t get so hung up on how others might see you that you can’t see yourself

Main character Amanda Taylor is a shop owner and a welcoming neighbor, always thinking about the community first. While this is positive in some instances, in others, it’s not. Because of a tragedy her father caused over a decade before, she is certain that she knows why some people in town are frosty (no pun intended) towards her — they blame her for her father’s actions. And she’s internalized this so much that she believes it. It hampers her interactions with some of the townspeople, and it lowers her self-esteem.It’s one of the reasons why she delves so much into her work running her soap shop and coordinating the Holiday Giving Market. Avoiding social interactions means not having to make people feel bad reminding them of her father. This is not only hampering her love life, but it’s also affecting how she sees herself.

2. You can find love after loss

Both Amanda and hero Rafe Arredondo have experienced tragic love loss, and both partially use those memories as reasons not to fall in love again. In The December Market Rafe returns to his hometown Shelter Springs with his six-year old son and a new job as paramedic and assistant fire chief to move on after his estranged wife’s death. He has too much to deal with to add a relationship to the mix.

Amanda not only has shouldered the burden of her father’s fatal actions, but she’s also been struggling with her ex-fiance’s death in a tragic accident around Christmastime almost 12 years ago. While she’s dated some since then, she refuses to let her heart feel that much love again, especially for Rafe and his son Isaac.

Amanda and Rafe should follow their grandparents’s example. Amanda’s grandmother Birdie found love and comfort in the arms of Rafe’s grandfather Paolo after both their spouses passed away and are a beacon of happiness throughout the novel. They realized life is too short to spend it sad and alone when you don’t have to be.

Get out of your own way

For those who love the “he falls first” romance trope, you definitely get that here. Despite Rafe knowing that he doesn’t have time for love, he also knows he’s attracted to Amanda.However, Amanda talks herself out of her attraction to Rafe. At every turn, she’s either questioning what she’s feeling for the assistant fire chief or she’s telling herself that she can’t feel this way for him. She even ascribed what she thinks the town thinks of her to his feelings, saying that he couldn’t possibly love her because of her father.

Thank goodness Amanda can’t deny that she adores Rafe’s son Isaac. Isaac not-so-innocently plays matchmaker à la The Parent Trap by constantly finding ways to get these two together. I’ve never cheered so much for a first grader!

Beyond the Lessons

There are a few trigger warnings to mention for sensitive readers: there are several tragic fatal accidents told in backstory, mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, and insinuation of domestic abuse.

However, if you’re looking for a sweet, small-town Christmas romance, this one hits all the holiday notes you’re looking for. There’s a holiday light-stringing mishap complete with fire truck rescue, a festive holiday market that includes a Santa Claus scene that will make you sigh from cuteness, and fresh-baked cookies and tamales for everyone.

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