Sleigh bells ring in Fern Michael’s book A Winter Wonderland. Angelica Shepard is an aspiring actress who, after waiting 14 years for her big break, begins to wonder if it’s worth it. When her agent suggests she takes some time off for Christmas to think it all over, impulsively, she agrees. On the other hand, Parker North is a neurosurgeon. When he fails to save the life of an eight-year-old girl, he decides he needs to get away for the holiday. Conveniently, a friend he went to Harvard with happens to run a large ski resort, and a single phone call is all it takes to make plans. 

The story moved fairly rapidly and Angelica and Parker’s winter wonderland captured a sense of Christmas. However, it was also full of cliches as Angelica described herself in the mirror, there was a theme of love-at-first sight, and Angelica and Parker shared a clumsy accidental run-in when they first met. As soon as they first interact, however, they can’t keep their minds off the other—especially since Angelica discovers Parker in his broken down car and offers him a ride.

Despite not even having romance on their minds when they came to the resort, both characters fall quickly for each other, but although Angelica and Parker bond to each other, readers aren’t given the opportunity to bond to them as much as limited character development occurs over the course of the story. 

While A Winter Wonderland isn’t the most satisfying, they both end up saving each other and the story is lighthearted and almost purely a ‘feel-good’ story—perfect for reading slumps and for cold winter days where readers want to feel the Christmas spirit.