The Bells Pass Christmas series by Kattie Mettner has a formula it follows closely. Take two people who are secretly in love, start at the beginning of the holiday season, have one character be a person with disabilities, and mix them together with a Christmas conclusion. So if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all, right? Not at all. Ms. Mettner likes to take her Christmas novels to some interesting and unique places, and Hotcakes and Holly is no different.
Hotcakes and Holly follows the first in the series of Mistletoe and Meatloaf to focus on two new characters of Bells Pass. We met them briefly in the first novel, and the novel catches up with them again one year later. (Note: It isn’t necessary to read the first novel to enjoy this one.) Melissa (Mel) Murano is a waitress at the Nightingale Diner and Mason Hadley is a cook at the same establishment. They’ve worked together for four years and everyone in town has noticed the looks the two give each other. Right at the start, a tragedy forces Mel to move and she accepts Mason’s charity for the season. From there, the ups-and-downs of the plot play out all the way to the very last chapter.
Hotcakes and Holly is a vignette sort of novel meaning it details the lives and times of its main character and narrator, Mel, from Thanksgiving to Christmas. A lot happens to Mel in this timeframe, more than would happen to most people in a year. The reader slowly discovers her mysterious past as one event leads to another. As a time-bound novel, don’t expect the book to build around one plot point. And what most people would guess would happen at the end of the novel occurs much earlier.
Some exciting plot twists exist within the 237 pages of Hotcakes and Holly. As I alluded to before, one of the characters has health problems and the author describes it in a graceful manner. In fact, much of the darkness is handled in the same way—respectfully—and it elevates the book. A lot of complex, serious topics are introduced in this relatively short narrative. These plot points are all balanced in terms of time and character development to give the reader a lot to reflect on after putting the novel down.
Research is evident in nearly every page in this book. Whether it’s geography, healthcare, or Mel dealing with her past, Mettner has done her homework and put a lot of thought into the passages. I felt confident I was reading an accurate depiction of whatever subject the book delved into. And as far as the setting goes, though it’s fictional, it could easily be an actual small town in Michigan. As a native Midwesterner, the town of Bells Pass passed the authenticity test.
While I think Mason was a little too agreeable and there are a few passages of stilted dialog, these things didn’t detract from the story. The last few chapters have a major reveal which will make this entry in the series stick out in my head. Though I guessed it was coming, it happened in a believable and wonderful way.
Filled with solid research, good local detail, and warm characters you can root for, this book is a delightful read. Humor, heart, and humanity are wrapped in a Christmas package disguised as an unassuming novel entitled Hotcakes and Holly. One thing’s for sure—I’ll be visiting Bells Pass again.
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1726835189