The Holiday Switch(29)

“I feel like I need to explain more about…stuff.” He lowers his voice, his gaze over my shoulder, as another Bookworm Inn employee passes by. “Are you free tomorrow night, by chance?”

“What more do you have to explain?”

    “About climb—”

Ms. Velasco’s voice filters through the hallway, and she appears at the break room doorway, head thrown back in a cackle, with a person I don’t recognize.

“Hi, you two,” she says in a singsong voice. “This is Kira Mahoney. She’s the PR rep for Jonah Johanson.”

I do a double take. Someone from Jonah Johanson’s camp? “Oh my gosh. Nice to meet you.”

Kira is a Black woman and is wearing a ribbed turtleneck with a puffy vest. Her short hair is trimmed into a layered pixie cut and iridescent sunglasses perch on her head. She, too, has a huge smile on her face.

Suddenly everyone’s smiling, even Teddy.

“Kira was just in town…,” Ms. Velasco starts.

Kira continues. “I was driving through. My family lives in Rochester, and I thought, why not stop by and do a once-over of the place to prep for Jonah? Lou and I have been in communication for a while now.”

“Months,” Ms. Velasco says.

“Four months.” She glances at Ms. Velasco with a grin. “I’m glad we finally get to meet.”

“Thank you for writing me back.”

“Months, huh?” Teddy asks, right eyebrow wiggling. I see what Teddy sees: Ms. Velasco and Kira are standing close, and the darkened cheeks that I thought were from the cold look more like blushes.

It’s a scene out of a rom-com, and it hits me like one. A giggle threatens to burst from my lips.

“Anyway, I just wanted to introduce you all. We have a lot of things to cover. I’m showing Kira the grounds and the conference room,” Ms. Velasco says. “Have a good break, you two.”

    “Nice to meet you,” I say as Ms. V and Kira exit, already deep in chatter.

I bite my lip and turn to Teddy. He’s beaming. “Do you think?” I ask.

“I don’t know?” he says. “It’s been forever since…”

I’ve seen her with anyone.

His gaze drops to the table just as I complete the sentence in my head. Ms. Velasco is mostly business, so sometimes I forget that she lives alone. She had a partner years ago, though their relationship ended by the time I started working at the Inn.

“Well, I hope that she…” Except I don’t really know what I want to say. Ms. Velasco is the epitome of the kind of person I want to be—ambitious, successful.

I’ve always thought that work makes a person. That working solves it all.

But does it?

Once again, my head is jumbled.

My phone alarm rings in my back pocket, and it refocuses me.

“Our break’s up,” I say, thankful for the distraction. I don’t want to spend any more time with a person who’s threatening to expose Tinsel and Tropes. I stuff my backpack into the locker and head to the front.





TINSEL AND TROPES


     A HOLIDAY BOOK BLOG


    Title: Menorah Mayhem (Hanukkah Hijinks #1) by Liz Zimmerman


    CATEGORY/GENRE: COZY MYSTERY



Is it really a secret if other people know?

Set during Hanukkah, Menorah Mayhem is about a protagonist with a secret and an organization with a secret, all surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the town’s menorah sculpture. Told from the detective’s point of view, the book soon reveals that most everyone in the town was somewhat involved.

It begs the discussion: What classifies a secret? So, I looked up the definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a secret means “kept from knowledge or view.”

In this case, if everyone knows the secret, then where’s the conflict? And why would a reader want to hang on until the very last page when everyone seems to be in on it?

Here’s your answer: Because it’s so well written! This book shows that while everyone’s keeping the same secret, their motivations for keeping the secret set them apart. It’s their motivations that conflict! And the tropes! Kidnapping, blackmail, and revenge are tropes that usually belong in a dark book. But cozy mysteries can balance between crime and humor. In this story, with Hanukkah added to the mix, this book skews more toward fun and celebration. I can’t say much more than that without spoiling it.

     One thing I will reveal: This book ends in a cliffhanger. If you are anti-cliffhanger like I am (see my About Me page here), then I am doing you a huge favor by warning you ahead of time.

Cliffhangers should be banned.

Still, you should read it. I certainly am now clamoring for the second book.

Are you pro-or anti-cliffhanger?

Pros: I really like the protagonist, and the cover is so pretty!

Cons: Did we really need two hundred and fifty pages if it all ends in a cliffhanger? Cliffhangers shouldn’t be allowed.

Recommended for: Those who are tolerant of cliffhangers.

Rating: 4 stars!





WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22

I wake up to about twenty-five comments on my last blog post, all on my lock screen notifications. After scanning them through bleary eyes and discerning they’re the usual suspects, I decide to respond to them after school. I never like to rush through responding to comments—bookworms always have such great things to say.