Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

 Christmas is a time for joy, giving gifts, celebrating Christ's birth, and spending time with family. Cora Crowder is all for celebrating Christ's birth, but her Christmas cheer is lacking. She considers the fact that her dysfunctional family lives states away to be a mixed blessing; yet, at times she would enjoy companionship. A last minute trip to the book store turns out to be an interesting interaction with her distant co-worker and a strange experience with the store's unique owner. When she discovers a ticket to the mysterious Wizard's Ball inside her purchase, she is intrigued, but not interested in attending. She happily gives her ticket to her co-worker, Simon Derrick, who plans to take his younger sister. Through a chain of events, Cora ends up spending time with Simon and his sister, Sandy. The more time they spend together, the more that Cora sees her misconception of Simon. Will Simon and Sandy bring the Cora the Christmas joy she's been looking for or will everything be ruined by the sudden appearance of Cora's sister?

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul mixes Christianity, magic, and a little bit of fairy tale story-telling. I'm not a big fan of the magic/fantasy genre, but this book had an interesting combination that worked well. While not believable, it was amusing. If I could change one thing about this novella, it would be the book mix-up. Somehow Cora's purchase gets magically mixed up with Simon's purchase. I really expected this to come up later in the story and be significant, but it never did.

Overall, the book is a cute little read for someone looking for a holiday romance.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Press as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

To read the first chapter of this book, Click Here!