The Holiday Switch(37)

His stare is serious, intent. “It’s not that I don’t want to be here.”

“You don’t?”

    “No. Actually, this place is kind of growing on me.” Teddy’s face softens, like he’s given up the fight. And maybe he’s talking about more than just being in Holly.

The thought of it sends a tingle up my spine.

But the bell over the door rings.

Another customer.





TINSEL AND TROPES


     A HOLIDAY BOOK BLOG


    Title: The Dreidel Dilemma (Hanukkah Hijinks #2) by Liz Zimmerman


    CATEGORY/GENRE: COZY MYSTERY



What compels you to keep a secret for someone else?

I couldn’t stop thinking about book 1 (click here), so I splurged on an ebook for book 2, which was still an $11.99 purchase. I tried to keep that out of my mind while reading the book. (Here’s a quick post on my expectations when I purchase ebooks above a certain threshold. Can you tell I’m still not over it?)

The Dreidel Dilemma takes secrets to another level. In this book, our protagonist from the first book is let in on a town’s secret to keep a coveted and historical dreidel safe from a corrupt government organization that hired him in the first place. Several tropes come into play. Our protagonist must put up a front with his partner and act as if they’re in a relationship, which ends in an office romance. All the while, he comes to terms with the importance of this dreidel to this community for the secret history it holds.

     In the first book, Menorah Mayhem, we see that a secret can unite. In this book, the author asks: When are we culpable? If we enable the secret, then are we responsible for its consequences?

Was there enough Hanukkah in this book? Absolutely, and as much as I didn’t want to read this because of its cliffhanger, knowing (through a quick Google search) that there are actually four books to this series, I wanted to see how the author would handle what felt like a more intricate plot against a Hanukkah backdrop.

And it was a good risk.

Pros: It’s a book 2. I love sophomore books in a series—not a popular opinion, I know. In a usual three-book series, book 1 gives me the backstory and book 3 is the wrap-up, but book 2 is where I feel the characters come alive.

Cons: See above. Meaning that there’s a little bit of a lull in this book. It’s quieter, and it still ends in a frustrating cliffhanger.

Recommended for: Those who don’t mind waiting for the big aha moment in a second book.

Rating: 4 stars





Before I press publish on the post after work, I hesitate with my finger hovering over the mouse’s button. It feels different now. This blog post is no longer being sent to my anonymous (tiny) mass of readers, or even to Carm. Now there’s someone else, someone who’s waiting for me to post, someone who knows me personally.

I’m doubting my words and my sentences. Was Teddy just placating me when he said I was a good writer? How many of my posts has he read?

I shake my head, the angel taking root on my shoulder, knocking the devil off. TnT is my passion. The blog has been around longer than I’ve known Teddy, and will be around after he leaves.

I press down on the button decisively just as my door slams open.

“I’m ready to shop,” Irene demands, and lifts a torn piece of notebook paper. “I’ve got a list.”

“Why did you wait until the last minute—” I shut my laptop and do a double take. Irene has on an over-the-shoulder teal sweatshirt, frayed around the neckline. But one fact keeps me from telling her that she looks utterly cute today. “Is that my shirt?”

    “What, this old thing? It was in my closet.”

“It was probably in your closet because you put it there.”

“It would help if you actually did your laundry so that you could fold it and put it into your own closet.”

“Are you stalking my dirty laundry?”

“Nope.” She spins and heads down the hallway, her ponytail swinging from side to side. “I’m stalking your clean laundry.”

I growl under my breath but scan my room. It is a mess today. Clothes are strewn every which way. A stack of mail—solicitations from colleges, some in thick envelopes—wait for me on my bedside dresser.

All evidence that I haven’t had much free time. I had my shift this morning with Teddy, and this afternoon I’m doing some last-minute Christmas shopping with Irene. Tonight is a Mission: Holly night with Carm and KC.

I don’t work on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, and now that I no longer have training shifts with Teddy, my workdays are as sparse as the bare tree limbs of the oak tree outside my window.

A notification beeps in—it’s a comment on my blog. Santa with a View again: Secrets aren’t such a bad thing.

It’s followed by a link to the BookGalley internship.

My heart speeds up. Who is this person?

Another notification, this time a text from Teddy.

Teddy: Nice post

Lila: Are you trolling me?





Teddy: I don’t even like to read blogs.





This isn’t true. He picked his last book through a blogger recommendation.