I know that many readers enjoy the melodramatic portions of a book. I can do exaggerated theatrical scenes if they are funny, or if I believe that a real person would act that way. However, when I can’t suspend belief that the actions would truly happen then the book just seems over-the-top. That is how I felt about Christmas is Cancelled

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Matilda ‘Tilly’ Carter is having a horrible day. After walking in on Brian, her boyfriend, while he is in the act of having sex with another woman, her first thought is to escape to her brother’s for Christmas. Only her train has been cancelled and there are serious fault issues on the line. With the holidays, there is no telling when the next train will run. So now she is homeless, jobless, stuck in the train station, and betrayed, all on Christmas Eve.

To make matters even worse she runs into her ex-boyfriend, Dean Watson, who goes protective big brother on her when he sees her limping. Even though it has been nine years – well nine years, four months and sixteen days – she still isn’t over his rejection. When he refuses to leave her alone, she lashes out at him: “Who the hell do you think you are, Dean?” Tilly jabbed a finger into his chest, her breath coming in ragged bursts as her temper exploded, unleashing her foul mood on him. “It’s not like you care or anything, we’re practically strangers. You made your choice, and I bet you had a good laugh at my expense. You must have celebrated for days when I left town.” When Dean still refuses to let her be, she threatens to scream her head off.

Dean is astonished to run into Tilly, although he always called her by the silly nickname Basmati. She is limping and the heel of her shoe is broken off, so he is concerned about her. Has she been mugged? But she refuses to let him help which makes him even more determine to fix her problems. When she bluffs that she is going to scream, he calls her on it, but he is the one who is surprised when she actually does it. Only his quick thinking of kissing her heads off an embarrassing scenario, and takes the wind out of Tilly’s sails. Desolate, she begins to sob, and Dean decides to take her to his apartment.

Once there, they both acknowledge to themselves that the blistering attraction between them is still going strong. But there was a reason Dean didn’t act on this attraction years ago. Is it still an impediment now?

During the first chapter, Tilly’s emotions and actions are all over the place. She is ready to scream like a wild ban­shee as she is attempting to charge through the station, but with her broken heel she is more lurching. She is crying and looks like a Panda with mascara running down her face, but those emotions seesaw back and forth with anger. I can sort of understand the anger. One lover betrays you, and then you run into the very first boyfriend that did the same. But honestly, after walking in on my live-in boyfriend having sex with another person, thinking that another man is attractive would be the furthest thing from my mind, especially with all the other problems I had to deal with. To me, a more realistic emotion would be that Tilly wants nothing to do with a new relationship, and Dean has to prove himself. However that is not the case. It is more like off with the old, on with the new, and I never loved the old one anyway. Of course I have seen this same scenario played out in the news, with some celebrity romances, like Jennifer Lopez with Marc Anthony after her wedding with Ben Affleck was cancelled. But we all know how that relationship ended.

I know this is nitpicking. But any time a heroine or hero remembers to the day a dreadful event, especially after nine years, that just screams loser to me. Tilly is dealing with all her problems but immediately upon seeing Dean she knows that it has been nine years, four months and sixteen days since he repulsed her advances. I admit I have held on to some heartbreak anniversaries, but honestly, after three years, at the most, I move on, and couldn’t tell you exact dates. Plus their romance was more like a teenage crush than a love affair.

Dean’s secret is the reason he repulsed Tilly. It has tortured him over the years, even though he is successful now. He dealt with his emotions in a secretive way. I had problems suspending belief on both these scenarios. But then I am not much into martyrdom.

On a positive note, the story never dragged. Ms. Rowl’s pacing is good and it is easy to see her raw talent as a storyteller and writer. For new writers, it is an easy fallacy to think that the characters need to go through the full range of emotions to keep the story exciting. However for me, the full range kept bringing me out of the story.

I know that there is an audience for the more emotional, drama filled books. If you enjoy them, then you might enjoy this book more than I did.